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Appeals court temporarily halts upcoming Cosby deposition
U.S. Court News |
2015/11/13 22:22
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A California appeals court on Thursday temporarily halted an order requiring Bill Cosby and his former attorney to give sworn testimony in a defamation lawsuit filed by model Janice Dickinson.
The order Thursday by the 2nd District Court of Appeal puts plans to depose the comedian and his longtime attorney on hold. The depositions were ordered to occur this month by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge on Nov. 2, but Cosby's attorneys appealed and the appellate court wants legal briefs filed by the end of the month.
An email message sent to Cosby's lawyers was not immediately returned.
"We are confident that once the Court of Appeals hears full argument on the issues it will allow the deposition of Mr. Cosby and his attorney to go forward," Dickinson's attorney Lisa Bloom wrote in an email.
Dickinson is suing Cosby for defamation over denials over her claims that she was drugged raped by the comedian in in 1982. Cosby's lawyers want the case dismissed, but a judge ordered the depositions so Dickinson's lawyers can properly oppose the motion.
She sued Cosby in May, claiming she has been re-victimized and her reputation has suffered because of pointed denials by Cosby's attorney, Martin Singer, that the comedian drugged and raped her in a Lake Tahoe, California, hotel room more than 30 years ago.
Dickinson never reported the rape to authorities and has said she was afraid if she did that her career would be damaged and Cosby would retaliate.
Cosby, 78, has never been charged with a crime and has denied allegations that he drugged and sexually assaulted women.
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Lufthansa cancels 930 flights Wednesday due to strike
Legal Line News |
2015/11/13 22:22
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Lufthansa has canceled 930 flights scheduled for Wednesday at three hubs in Germany after efforts failed to halt an ongoing strike by flight attendants.
The cancellations affect 100,000 travelers going to or from Frankfurt, Munich and Duesseldorf.
They were announced even as the airline and the union said late Tuesday they were open to mediation.
Officials for the UFO flight attendants union did not call a halt to the ongoing stoppages at Frankfurt, Munich and Duesseldorf, but indicated they would be open to mediation under certain conditions, the dpa news agency reported. A mediation proposal had been sent by the company.
As things stood, the union was to strike long-haul and local flights Wednesday through Friday at the three airports. The strike action started Friday and took a break Sunday.
Lufthansa has been able to carry out most flights despite extensive cancellations.
A court decision in the German city of Duesseldorf added to uncertainty. The labor court there ordered a temporary halt to the strike in that town, saying the strike's goals were not clearly formulated.
Court spokeswoman Anke Salchow said the decision only applied Tuesday. The court was to hear another request from Lufthansa on Wednesday.
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Mom of slain Alabama infant disputes allegations
Legal News |
2015/11/11 22:22
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A woman charged in the death of her infant daughter ? who authorities say was killed by an 8-year-old boy ? disputes allegations that she left the children home alone, her attorney said Wednesday.
Police say Katerra Marsha Lewis, 26, and a friend left the 8-year-old boy to watch over five younger children while the women went to a nightclub. The boy beat Kelci Lewis to death last month when she wouldn't stop crying and placed her back in her crib as if she were asleep, police said.
The boy was charged with murder in juvenile court and placed into the custody of child welfare workers, Birmingham Police spokesman Sean Edwards said. The infant's mother faces a manslaughter charge.
Legal experts say the case will be challenging on several fronts because of the boy's age.
University of Alabama associate law professor Jenny Carroll said in many jurisdictions, children under the age of 10 or 12 are presumed not to have the capacity to form criminal intent and have difficulty understanding court proceedings.
"We recognize that children don't have the same thought processes and don't have fully developed decision-making processes at that age," said Carroll, who has represented juvenile offenders.
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High court struggles over government freeze on assets
Legal Line News |
2015/11/09 22:21
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The Supreme Court is struggling over whether the government can freeze the financial assets of people accused of crimes even if the money is not directly tied to criminal activity and is needed for defense.
Several justices on Tuesday appeared sympathetic to arguments that federal prosecutors violated the constitutional rights of a Miami woman accused of Medicare fraud when they put a hold on $45 million in assets that included money unrelated to the charges.
A lawyer representing Sila Luis says the forfeiture deprives her of the right to hire a defense attorney of her choice.
But the court also seemed troubled that a defendant could simply spend the money tied to a crime and leave the government with nothing to recover if there is a conviction. |
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