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Discrimination claim appears to divide high court
Law Firm News |
2009/04/23 09:32
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A divided Supreme Court took up its first examination of race in the Obama era Wednesday, wrestling with claims of job discrimination by white firefighters in a case that could force changes in employment practices nationwide.
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The case from New Haven, Conn., pits white firefighters, who showed up at the court Wednesday in their dress uniforms, against the city over its decision to scrap a promotion exam because no African-Americans and only two Hispanic firefighters were likely to be made lieutenants or captains based on the results./ppAs is often the case with closely fought social issues at the court, Justice Anthony Kennedy appeared to hold the key to the outcome. He seemed concerned that New Haven scuttled the test without determining that there were flaws that might have led to the racially disproportionate results./ppSo shouldn't there be some standard that there has to be a significant, a strong showing after the test has been taken that it's deficient? Before it can be set aside? he said./ppKennedy often frowns on racial classifications, yet he is not as opposed to drawing distinctions on the basis of race as his more conservative colleagues./ppBut where Kennedy saw shades of gray, the rest of the court seemed to view the case clearly in terms of black and white./p |
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Man jailed for dodging child support for 14 kids
Law Firm News |
2009/04/12 09:31
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Authorities in Michigan say a man fathered 14 children with 13 different women and owes more than $530,000 in unpaid child support.
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The Flint Journal reports 42-year-old Thomas Frazier was jailed Thursday. Court records say he hasn't made a support payment in six years./ppThe newspaper says the unemployed man could be held for 90 days if he doesn't pay $27,900./ppFrazier says he thinks he fathered only three of the children and that it's unrealistic for authorities to expect him to pay child support that was $3,000 a month at one point./ppFrazier remains held at the Genesee County Jail. It wasn't immediately clear if he had a lawyer who could speak for him./p |
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Barnhill Vayernov Investigating Insight Enterprises, Inc.
Law Firm News |
2009/02/12 09:38
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Barnhill amp; Vaynerov LLP today announced that it is investigating potential claims against Insight Enterprises, Inc. (Insight Enterprises or the Company) (Nasdaq:NSIT), on behalf of investors. The investigation pertains to possible securities violations related to public statements made by the Company between March 11, 2004 and February 6, 2009, in light of the Company's disclosure that it will have to restate its previously reported earnings.
On February 9, 2009, Insight Enterprises's stock declined nearly 50% after the Company shocked the market by revealing that it expects to restate financial statements included in the Company's most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K, for the year ended December 31, 2007, and in the Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the first three quarters of fiscal year 2008. According to the Company, the restatement will also include a material reduction of retained earnings as of December 31, 2004, related to the accumulation of such errors in prior periods. Insight Enterprises has disclosed that the cumulative effect of the restatement is expected to be $50 million to $70 million. On this news, Insight Enterprises shares declined by $2.85 per share, more than 48%, to close on February 9, 2009 at $3.05 per share, on unusually heavy volume.
If you purchased or acquired Insight Enterprises common stock between March 11, 2004 and February 6, 2009, if you have information or would like to learn more about these claims, or if you wish to discuss these matters or have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Maxim Vaynerov, Esquire, of Barnhill amp; Vaynerov LLP, 8200 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 400, Beverly Hills, California 90211, by telephone at (310) 943-8989, or by email to Vaynerov@aol.com. |
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KBR Halliburton Accused in Class Action
Law Firm News |
2009/01/28 09:12
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KBR, Kellogg Brown amp; Root and Halliburton knowingly exposed U.S. troops to water contaminated by sewage and made soldiers sick by burning toxic waste unsafely, a class action claims in Montgomery County Court. The class claims that when KBR found it was giving troops contaminated water, it told its water quality specialist to concern himself only with the health and safety of KBR personnel.
The class claims KBR earned $4.8 billion in Iraq in 2006 - 45% of the company's revenue that year - and that the defendants acted egregiously merely to make more money for themselves.
The complaint cites a 2008 report from the Defense Department's Inspector General that confirmed that KBR supplied unsafe water to U.S. troops. It cites a 2006 report from KBR itself that found KBR's failure to disinfect water caused an unknown population to be exposed to potentially harmful water for an undetermined period of time, and that the deficiencies of the camp where the event occurred is not exclusive to that camp, meaning that countrywide, all camps suffer to some extent from all or some of the deficiencies noted.
They claim KBR's report admitted that the company kept little or no documentation on its water safety, standards or procedures.
The complaint states: Former KBT employees and water quality specialist Ben Carter and Ken May told Halliburton Watch that KBR knowingly exposed troops and civilians to contaminated water from the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers. Ben Carter, a water quality specialist who worked for KBR at Junction city, testified that he tested water and found it was polluted with sewage and other contamination and that it was not being chlorinated. He then treated the tanks for the KBR employees and told company managers the military should be alerted so they could treat their tanks as well. Carter told the media that he was ordered by his KBR supervisor to concern himself only with the health and safety of KBR personnel. KBR was supposed to test the water three times daily to confirm safety but, according to Carter, such testing never occurred.
The class seeks medical monitoring and punitive damages for negligence, breach of duty, willful and wanton conduct, and other charges. They are represented by William O'Neil with Burke O'Neil of Washington, D.C. |
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