Legal Radar

Postal Worker Sues U.S. Postal Service Over Sexual Harassment by Superiors

A postal worker of the Big Ben Post Office in Clarksburg, West Virginia, has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Postal Service and the U.S. Postmaster General John Potter amongst others for creating a hostile work environment for her.
Kathryn E. Munson alleges that she suffered discrimination, infliction of emotional distress and mental anguish because she filed a sexual harassment complaint in response to activities by her superiors that had created a hostile working environment for her.
Her suit also names as defendants, former Big Ben Postmaster Richard Dobson and former carrier William McCray.
As per the lawsuit, Munson was relieved of her duties in December 2007. She alleges that she was fired in retaliation for reporting that Dobson and McCray had violated postal procedures by making sexually explicit statements to postal customers and to her.
Her lawsuit further alleges that after she filed the report against her seniors, their behavior took a turn for the worse. They used sexually offensive language against customers. During one particular incident McCray told customers that he didn't wear underwear in the summer and that he could still 'get his up.'
Munson claims that no action was taken against McCray or Dobson by the U.S. Postal service for which she is holding them responsible.
To read the whole article click here.

Victims of Industrial Fire Dissatisfied with Jury Verdict

Three victims of a fire in an industrial plant four years ago are unhappy with the damages awarded to them by an Oconee County, South Carolina jury earlier this month.
Keith Black, Scott Lawing and Curtis Martin were severely burnt as a result of an accident at a Univar USA, industrial plant when sparks from a torch being used by a worker fell on a stack of sodium bromate.
The jury awarded $6.1 million in damages, jointly to the three plaintiffs. This amount includes $100,000 each to spouses Tammy Lawing and Tina Martin for loss of consortium. 
Univar USA is a subsidiary of Univar N.V., a leading distributor of industry chemicals which generates more than $6 billion annually.
Attorneys for Univar USA also filed a motion last week to reduce Black's $2.6 million award and Matin's $1.4 million award. They claim that the award amount must be reduced by the amount settled out of court by the two men with two other co-defendants in the case.
To read more about the case click here.

Pic courtesy The Joy Of The Mundane from flickr.com 

Widow of Murder Suspect Killed in a Shootout Files Wrongful Death lawsuit Against Police

The widow of a man who was shot dead by the Sunnyvale police in September 2007, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in federal court this week alleging that the city and its public safety officers were negligent and that they had violated her husband's civil rights.
Jose Francisco Canas was shot dead by the police who were attempting to arrest him on murder charges. His widow, Erica Canas, is challenging the police's account of the incident which states that the police were firing in self-defense when Canas tried to run over them in his car in an attempt to escape.
Originally filed six months ago, the lawsuit was withdrawn after city lawyers alleged that it was too vague. It was later filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court before being filed again as a federal case. The city has rejected the family's claim for damages based on the shooting.
In her lawsuit, Canas' wife, has stated that her husband was just driving to work  and was not, as officers put it, 'fleeing from justice or resisting arrest'.
Her lawsuit further alleges that the police misrepresented evidence so as to be able to obtain a warrant against Canas in relation to a gang related slaying. They used an unreliable informant, pressurized a witness to change their testimony and singled out Canas to be a gang member owing to his racial ancestry.
Erika Canas is seeking unspecified damages and is filing the lawsuit on behalf of the couple's 2 year old twin sons as well.    
To read more about the case click here.

 

Calhoun County Deputy Sheriff Acuses Sheriff of Racial Discrimination

A former deputy sheriff of Calhoun County, Mississippi has sued the county after he was fired from his job in March this year. In his lawsuit, John Roger Westmoreland has alleged that he was fired because he was black and because he took unavoidable medical leave.
Speaking on behalf of Westmoreland, his attorney Jim Waide stated that the county was being sued by his client, for the actions of Sheriff Bill Gore who fired his client only to replace him with his son. Waide further alleged that his client was hired two years ago because officials felt they needed a black deputy. Westmoreland also claims he was never even sent to the police academy for training and that he was fired the day after he returned from medical leave.
Westmoreland claims that his firing violates the Family and Medical Leave Act, as well as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended in 1991.
  

Lingerie Bowl Player Sues Ex-Paramour Over Nude Pictures

 A Lingerie Bowl player recently sued her ex-boyfriend for posting nude pictures of her on MySpace.com.
Melissa J. Berry, 24, who is a model and lingerie football league player, sued her ex-boyfriend, Mark C. Dawson, a safe dating expert, for posting nude pictures of her on the internet. She alleges that he even sent some of the pictures to her mother.
In her lawsuit, Berry alleges that Dawson used his cellular phone to take several nude pictures of her including one taken without her knowledge. She further states that she never agreed for the photos to be shown to anyone else.
Berry is worried that these pictures will damage her reputation and affect her work.
To read more about the case click here.

Repurcussions of Bernard L. Madoff Ponzi Scam

Victims of the $50 billion Bernard L. Madoff Ponzi scam have already begun to attempt to recover their money. Since Madoff was an active philanthropist, their search is bound to lead them to several well-known charities apart who received donations from him.
The American judicial system will see to it that nobody benefits, even unknowingly, from criminal conduct. Several innocent investors may be compelled to part with any gains they may have made through the investment firm.  
What the government fails to seize, civil attorneys will try to divide amongst their ever increasing list of clients.
Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro (HBSS), a law firm based in Seattle, was amongst the first to file a lawsuit in relation to the scam. The law firm represents investors and groups who claim to have placed funds with Stanley Chais, a long-time Jewish philanthropist in Los Angeles, who they claim acted as a 'feeder' for Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities (BMIS).
To read ore about the case click here.

ACLU Sues Laguna Beach City on Behalf of the Homeless

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed a lawsuit against the city of Laguna Beach, its council members and police department on behalf of the homeless people of the city.
The suit claims that the city's anti-sleeping ordinances result in an unconstitutional harassment of homeless people. The city's police illegally conducts 'sweeps', picking up homeless people from the streets and subjecting them to interrogations in the middle of the night.
To read more about the case click here.

Michael Flatley Vindicated by American Judges

Lord of the Dance, Michael Flatley, who was falsely accused of rape by a former exotic dancer, has been vindicated. A Cook County Judge ordered the dancer to cooperate with Flatley's lawyers as they attempted to recover $11 million in damages from her.

Tyna Marie Robertson attempted to extort $30 million from the dancer alleging that he had sexually assaulted her in a Las Vegas hotel in 2002. Robertson seems to be quite familiar with sexual harassment lawsuits. She has filed a similar suit against a Chicago based doctor as well as a paternity suit against the American football star, Brian Urlacher.

 

Robertson had to be arrested at her home in an affluent suburb of Chicago after she failed to appear for a court date. The judge has issued her a warning saying that if she misses further court dates, he would have to put her in jail for six months, no questions asked.

On her part, Robertson claimed that she had not received any notice of the hearing.

Mr Flatley, a world renowned Riverdance star, was in Las Vegas in 2002 to promote the acquisition of his 'Lord of the Dance' show by the Venetian Casino. That's where he met Robertson. The star claims that his relationship with the dancer on the night of October 19 was entirely voluntary and consensual.

To read more click here.

Navy Lt's Car was TOwed Away While he was Fighting the Iraq War

A Navy Lt. who was a part of the war in Iraq in 2007, returned home to his condo complex in Virginia Springs, to find that his car had been towed and auctioned off by the Norfolk Towing Company.

The U.S. Justice department has filed a lawsuit against the towing company on behalf of the officer.

Navy Lt. Yahya Jaboori is protected by the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act which protects active-duty personnel from civil court actions including the enforcement of liens, judgements and evictions.

Justice department officials are considering converting the lawsuit into a joint class action lawsuit as they suspect that the company preys on military members by enforcing storage liens without a court order.

To read more click here.

Female Park Ranger Alleges she was Harassed for Being a Lesbian

A female park ranger has alleged that the California Department of Parks and Recreation harassed her for being a lesbian.
In her lawsuit against the department, Jennifer Donovan claims that people in her workplace often posted vulgar drawings and left women's underwear and sex toys in the locker room. She also claims that her superiors discriminated against her, passing her over for promotions in favor of rangers with less experience.
Donovan worked for six years at San Onofre and San Clemente state beaches.
She is seeking an unspecified amount in damages.