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Ant and Dec facing lawsuit!
Ant and Dec are being sued by an American comedian for using his name in the US.
American star Ant has launched a multi-million pound lawsuit over claims that he is losing work because of confusion with the British stars.
He should dec'im!!! (excuse the pun)! Ant and Dec are being sued by an American comedian for using his name in the US. ... more -
Transgender Woman Wins Bias Suit Against Library of Congress
The Library of Congress unlawfully discriminated against a transgender woman whose job offer was revoked when her plans to transition from male to female were revealed, a U.S. district court ruled Friday. Judge James Robertson decided that Diane Schroer was discriminated against on the basis of sex, a groundbreaking conclusion, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, which represented her.
"The evidence established that the Library was enthusiastic about hiring David Schroer -- until she disclosed her transsexuality," Robertson ruled. "The Library revoked the offer when it learned that a man named David intended to become, legally, culturally, and physically, a woman named Diane. This was discrimination 'because of ... sex.'"
The court agreed with the ACLU's argument based on the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bans sex discrimination in the workplace. The Library of Congress attempted to have the case dismissed, claiming that transgender people are not protected under the federal act. The court also said that the library used gender stereotyping because Schroer would have failed to adhere to traditional gender roles.
Schroer, 52, was denied a job as a terrorism research analyst in December 2004. She retired from the military as a special forces commander while she was still David, and previously directed a classified organization formed to track and target international terrorists after the September 11 attacks.
The ACLU filed suit on Schroer's behalf in June 2005 for $300,000 (the legal limit for such a case) and the position for which she applied. The district court trial started in August, where Charlotte Preece, Schroer's once-prospective supervisor, said she worried the transition would distract her from her work. Schroer countered, saying that her transition has helped her focus even more.
"It is especially gratifying that the court has ruled that discriminating against someone for transitioning is illegal," Schroer said in a statement. "I knew all along that the 25 years of experience I gained defending our country didn't disappear when I transitioned, so it was hard to understand why I was being turned down for a job doing what I do best." The Library of Congress unlawfully discriminated against a transgender woman whose job offer was revoked when her plans to transition ... more -
Josh Hartnett sues over sex claim
Hollywood actor Josh Hartnett is taking the Daily Mirror newspaper to court for alleging he had a "sexual dalliance" in a public area of a London hotel.
The 30-year-old, who is about to star in a West End production of Rain Man, said through his lawyers that he is seeking damages for defamation. Hartnett is also seeking a public apology, according to the statement. The Mirror story claimed that the actor was filmed on CCTV footage with a woman in the library of a Soho hotel.
It went on to allege that workers witnessed the incident. The allegations are "not only untrue but a complete fabrication", said his legal representatives, adding they were "defamatory and unsubstantiated". They also said that the story had been republished around the world.
Hartnett, whose screen credits include Pearl Harbor, is due to play Charlie Babbitt in the Apollo Theatre's production of Rain Man. The role was portrayed by Tom Cruise in the Oscar-winning film. The opening of the play, which is currently in previews, was recently put back a week to 19 September to allow new director Terry Johnson time to settle in. A week's worth of rehearsal time was lost after the departure of original director David Grindley. Hollywood actor Josh Hartnett is taking the Daily Mirror newspaper to court for alleging he had a "sexual dalliance" in a pu... more -
Unborn child sues Austrian state!!!
An unborn Austrian boy with an incompletely-formed spinal cord, has initiated legal action against the state in order to confirm the dignity of his life, Austrian media reported Friday.
The suit is in the name of Emil, who is expected to be born next week with spina bifida or split spine, a developmental defect that leads to an open spinal tube.
Emil's parents Sabine and Andreas Karg are seeking to overturn a Supreme Court ruling from March, which awarded damages to a mother whose child was born with spina bifida after doctors failed to detect the abnormality before birth.
'We just wanted to draw attention to the fact that a child cannot be a damage,' Andreas Karg said at a press conference recently.
The couple from Lochau in western Austria said they initiated the lawsuit against the Austrian state for infringement of Emil's honour and dignity.
The Kargs stressed that they are not suing the state to stop the abortion of disabled babies. But, they would like parents whose unborn babies are diagnosed with similar conditions to seek counselling and think carefully before taking any action. An unborn Austrian boy with an incompletely-formed spinal cord, has initiated legal action against the state in order to confirm the d... more -
Yusuf Islam wins damages for ‘veiled women’ slur -
Yusuf Islam, formerly Cat Stevens, on Friday accepted libel damages and an apology from a news agency which reported he refused to talk to women at an awards ceremony who were not wearing a veil.
The artist, who changed his name after becoming a Muslim in the late 1970s, will donate the "substantial" payout to Small Kindness, a UN-linked charity which he chairs.
Adam Tudor, the singer's solicitor, told London's High Court that the story behind the legal action was published by World Entertainment News Network and was used on Contactmusic.com, a Web site said to have 2.2 million page views a month.
The article appeared in March 2007 and suggested that the singer was "so sexist and bigoted that he refused at an awards ceremony to speak to or even acknowledge any women who were not wearing a veil," Tudor said.
"It went on to suggest that Mr. Islam's manager had stated 'Mr. Islam doesn't speak with women except his wife. Least of all if they don't wear a headscarf. Things like that only happen via an intermediary."'
Tudor said the article had embarrassed the singer, creating a false impression of his attitude to women and also casting serious aspersions on his religious faith.
World Entertainment News Network issued an apology, saying:
"We now accept that these allegations ... are entirely without foundation, and that Mr. Islam has never had any difficulties working with women, whether for religious or for any other reason."
Islam, 59, is still best known for his hits as Cat Stevens, including "Wild World," "Morning Has Broken" and "Moonshadow."
He sold an estimated 60 million albums as Stevens, but retired from showbusiness in 1978 after converting to Islam. He released his first mainstream pop album since then in 2006.
I love his version of peace train from the 70's. What are your thoughts? Comment below. Yusuf Islam, formerly Cat Stevens, on Friday accepted libel damages and an apology from a news agency which reported he refused to tal... more -
Gov't wants atheist soldier's lawsuit dismissed
Follow up to the story about the atheist who is suing for discrimination in the military.
"An atheist soldier who claims the military violates religious freedoms should have complained through the chain of command instead of civilian courts, the government said in arguing that his lawsuit should be dismissed.
Justice Department attorneys who filed the federal court motion this week also said the military has ample policies to protect service members from religious discrimination.
Spc. Jeremy Hall and the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, also participating in the lawsuit, claim the military permits religious discrimination by fundamentalist Christians who try to force their views on others, especially subordinates.
Hall alleges that while serving in Iraq, Army Reserve Maj. Freddy J. Welborn violated his religious rights when Hall tried to hold a meeting with other atheists and freethinkers. The lawsuit alleges Welborn prevented the meeting and threatened to take action against Hall.
Pedro Irigonegaray, a Topeka attorney representing Hall and the foundation, said the soldier couldn't complain to commanders because of fear of reprisal. Hall says that other soldiers have threatened him and that he was sent back to Fort Riley from overseas because the Army couldn't protect him.
Welborn has denied Hall's allegations. In arguing further for dismissal, the government said there was no indication that any injury caused by Welborn would likely recur.
The more than 300-page government filing included the Army's command policy and unit equal opportunity training guide, arguing that the military, rather than civilian courts, was the appropriate venue and that Hall has failed to exhaust military remedies.
"Judicial review would significantly interfere with Army operations and intrude on disciplinary and personnel decisions entrusted to military judgment," the government wrote. "The Army was deprived of the opportunity to promptly investigate the alleged misconduct and take appropriate disciplinary action."
Hall is assigned to a military police unit at Fort Riley and due to leave the Army next year." Follow up to the story about the atheist who is suing for discrimination in the military. ... more -
Bible Publishers Sued for Anti-Gay References
A Michigan man is seeking $70 million from two Christian publishers for emotional distress and mental instability he received during the past 20 years from versions of the Bible that refer to homosexuality as a sin.
Bradley LaShawn Fowler, a gay man, claims his constitutional rights were infringed upon by Zondervan Publishing Co. and Thomas Nelson Publishing, both of which, he claims, deliberately caused homosexuals to suffer by misinterpretation of the Bible.
Fowler, 39, is seeking $60 million from Zondervan and another $10 million from Thomas Nelson.
According to a USA Today report, Fowler’s two separate suits against the publishers claim the intent of the Bible revisions that refer to homosexuals as sinners reflect an individual opinion or a group's conclusion.
Fowler says the deliberate changes made to first Corinthians, chapter six, verse nine caused him "or anyone who is a homosexual to endure verbal abuse, discrimination, episodes of hate, and physical violence ... including murder."
Fowler, who is representing himself in both lawsuits, claims the publishers are misinterpreting the Bible by specifically using the word homosexuals, which made him an outcast from his family and contributed to physical discomfort and periods of demoralization, chaos and bewilderment.
“These are opinions based on the publishers and they are being embedded in the religious structure as a way of life," he tells a local NBC TV station affiliate in Grand Rapids. A Michigan man is seeking $70 million from two Christian publishers for emotional distress and mental instability he received during t... more -
Google’s user records
A judge orders Google to turn over its user histories to Viacom in their on-going lawsuit. Every record of every video ever watched — listed by username and IP address — is in Google’s 12 tera-byte file. We’ll finally get to know who’s been clicking on those YouTube porn hack videos.
"Two rulings came down in Viacom's copyright infringement suit against Google and its video-sharing site YouTube yesterday. The first: Despite Viacom's wishes, Google will not have to turn over YouTube's source code. It will however, turn over to Viacom "every record of every video watched by YouTube users, including users' names and IP addresses," reports Threat Level. Viacom's lawyers say they need to the information to prove that copyright-infringing content is more popular on the site than legally uploaded videos." A judge orders Google to turn over its user histories to Viacom in their on-going lawsuit. Every record of every video ever watched — ... more -
Dewsbury murder: Killing of Amar Aslam may have been filmed by gang
The killers of a teenager beaten to death in a town park may have filmed the attack on a mobile phone, detectives believe.
Two boys aged 12 and 13 are among six people being held by on suspicion of killing Amar Aslam, 17, in a “sustained and brutal attack”.
Detectives are trying to trace video footage of the incident which is reported to have also have been texted to another phone.
Amar is believed to have been set upon by muggers as he walked through a walled garden in Crow Nest Park, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire on Sunday. The park, popular with local families, was busy with visitors on a busy bank holiday afternoon. The killers of a teenager beaten to death in a town park may have filmed the attack on a mobile phone, detectives believe. ... more -
Justices turn down T-Mobile appeal over contracts
The Supreme Court handed a defeat to T-Mobile USA Inc. Tuesday, rejecting the company's appeal in three cases involving the legal remedies available in millions of cell phone contracts.
The issue in the three cases is the same: whether state laws that limit the ability of companies to prohibit consumers from banding together to pursue class action lawsuits are preempted by federal law.
T-Mobile included a prohibition on class actions in a part of its contracts that also required consumers to resolve any complaints through arbitration. The company's lawyers argued in court papers that federal law, which generally requires that arbitration clauses be enforced, overrules those state laws that limit the ability of companies to ban class actions.
Under contract laws in many states, class-action bans are considered inherently unfair and courts, including those in California, where the dispute originated, can choose to not enforce them.
Companies generally support arbitration because they consider it a faster and cheaper way to resolve disputes than litigation. Clauses requiring arbitration are included in millions of consumer contracts issued by credit card, cell phone and cable companies, among others.
A federal appeals court ruled in one of the cases, T-Mobile v. Laster, last October that courts can refuse to enforce arbitration clauses if they include bans on class actions. The Supreme Court's decision, without comment, lets that decision stand and allows the case to proceed to further litigation.
Consumer groups argue that class action bans are unfair, because in legal disputes over small amounts of money, individuals may not have the incentive to file suits.
Banning class actions, as a result, could essentially allow companies to avoid liability for practices that cost large numbers of people small amounts of money, according to court papers filed in the case by the consumer group Public Citizen.
The T-Mobile v. Laster case began when a woman named Jennifer Laster sued the company after buying a phone and signing up for wireless service in San Diego in 2005.
She alleged that T-Mobile engaged in unfair and deceptive business practices by promising free and significantly discounted phones, while charging sales taxes based on the full price of the phone.
The company responded that they were required to charge sales taxes on the full retail price under California law.
T-Mobile is owned by German telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom AG.
Two companion cases, T-Mobile v. Ford, 07-1103, and T-Mobile v. Gatton, 07-1036, were also turned down by the court. The Supreme Court handed a defeat to T-Mobile USA Inc. Tuesday, rejecting the company's appeal in three cases involving the legal... more -
Woman goes for leg operation, gets new anus instead
A German retiree is taking a hospital to court after she went in for a leg operation and got a new anus instead, the Daily Telegraph is reporting. A German retiree is taking a hospital to court after she went in for a leg operation and got a new anus instead, the Daily Telegraph i... more
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Man sues for lap dance injury
Stephen Chang, a securities trader, filed a suit against Hot Lap Dance Club claiming he was seriously injured during a lap dance when "the dancer swung around, the heel of her shoe hit him in the eye."
Hmmm... he must not be married or have shame.
Check the article for club prices. Stephen Chang, a securities trader, filed a suit against Hot Lap Dance Club claiming he was seriously injured during a lap dance when ... more -
Mediare Part B Fleeced. Price Fixing Scheme Caught
"A $125 million settlement has been announced in a major class action lawsuit involving members of the Prescription Access Litigation (PAL) coalition. The case, In re Pharmaceutical Industry Average Wholesale Price Litigation, was originally filed in 2002, and claimed that the defendant drug companies intentionally inflated reports of the Average Wholesale Prices (AWPs) on certain prescription drugs administered in doctors’ offices and paid for by Medicare Part B."
"The settlement includes branded and generic drugs used primarily in the treatment of cancer, HIV and other serious illnesses. Under the terms of the settlement 82.5 percent of the settlement fund is designated for third-party payors’ claims and the remaining 17.5 percent is designated for consumer claims."
So Big Pharma apparently thinks that cancer and HIV treatments aren't profitable enough. I thought that tricking people into thinking that they had imaginary illnesses by showing deceptive advertisements had put enough extra notches in their belt. I guess I was wrong. "A $125 million settlement has been announced in a major class action lawsuit involving members of the Prescription Access Litiga... more -
Motion Controller Inventor May Sue Nintendo Over Wii-mote
"According to a GoNintendo tipster, former Midway employee Patrick Goschy, seen in the video above, and possibly unnamed parties may file suit against Nintendo for patent violation related to a motion controller he and other Midway Games employees created."
"The demonstration video of Midway's "Velocity Controller" was shot in the summer of 2000."
Looks pretty darm similar to the wii-mote/nunchuck setup to me. "According to a GoNintendo tipster, former Midway employee Patrick Goschy, seen in the video above, and possibly unnamed parties ... more -
Murder Charges Against Katrina Doctor Dropped
A grand jury dropped all charges against a doctor who helped administer a letal dose of drugs to 4 elderly and severely ill patients in the aftermath of Katrina as the temperatures in her hospital passed 100... It's such a sad story, it can't really be called a happy ending, but it seems a fair outcome. A grand jury dropped all charges against a doctor who helped administer a letal dose of drugs to 4 elderly and severely ill patients i... more
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Class Action Lawsuit by Iraq and Afghanistan Vets Against the VA
The lawsuit was filed in federal court in San Francisco on behalf of hundreds of thousands of vets, for the VA's failure to provide prompt or adequate health services to returning vets. One article even accused the VA of misclassifing PTSD as a pre-existing personality disorder to avoid paying out benefits. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in San Francisco on behalf of hundreds of thousands of vets, for the VA's failure to provi... more
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On This Day - a look back at a time when several activists were low on funds, but ...
On This Day- a neat profile of history from yesderdays and years. I found this article about these british environmental activists that made an effort to change one of the biggest fast food corporations in the world. On This Day- a neat profile of history from yesderdays and years. I found this article about these british environmental activists tha... more
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Maker Of Virtual Sex Toys Takes Online Dispute To Federal Court
second life sex toys sell for real $$$, maker sues for real $$$
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