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Victim's kin file suit in Wal-Mart stampede death
Law Firm News |
2008/12/03 18:52
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| The family of a New York man who was trampled to death the day after Thanksgiving by a stampede of bargain hunting Wal-Mart shoppers has filed a wrongful death lawsuit.pThe family also filed notice that Nassau County, on Long Island, and its police department will be sued./ppThe lawsuit against Wal-Mart and the Long Island mall where it is located was filed Wednesday in state Supreme Court in the Bronx on behalf of Elsie Damour Phillipe. Phillipe is the sister of victim Jdimytai Damour (DHMEE'-tree Di-MOHR'), and is the court-appointed administrator of his estate./ppDamour, a temporary worker hired for the holiday season, was crushed to death when some 2,000 customers stormed into the Valley Stream store./ppNone of the defendants in the lawsuit immediately responded to requests for comment. /p |
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Colo. man charged with libel over Craigslist posts
Law Firm News |
2008/12/02 18:49
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| A man accused of making unflattering online comments about his former lover and her attorney on Craigslist has been charged with two counts of criminal libel.pIt's not a charge you see a lot of, Larimer County District Attorney Larry Abrahamson said of the 1800s-era state law that can put people in jail for the content of their speech or writing./ppAbrahamson charged J.P. Weichel, 40, of Loveland, in October over posts he allegedly made on Craigslist's Rants and Rave section./ppThe case began when a woman told Loveland police in December 2007 about postings made about her between November and December 2007. Court records show posts that suggested she traded sexual acts for legal services from her attorney and mentioned a visit from child services because of an injury to her child./ppPolice obtained search warrants for records from Web sites including Craigslist before identifying Weichel as the suspect. Weichel shares a child with the woman./ppWeichel, confronted by detectives at his workplace in August, said he was just venting, according to court records./ppNo phone listing could be found for Weichel, and his attorney, Michael Liggett of Fort Collins, didn't immediately return a message left Monday by The Associated Press./ppLibel is commonly seen as a civil case. Denver attorney Steve Zansberg, who specializes in First Amendment law, said prosecutors seeking criminal libel cases could have a chilling effect on free speech in Colorado, particularly over the Internet./ppAbrahamson wasn't so sure. He said it is up to police departments to pursue cases./ppZansberg contends the law is outdated, is unclear about stating opinions and is written in such a way that dead people could be victims of criminal libel./p |
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US court: Parents cannot sue to enforce 'No Child'
Law Firm News |
2008/12/01 18:50
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| A federal appeals court says parents cannot sue school districts to force them to comply with the No Child Left Behind Act.pThe ruling Thursday comes in a case filed against the low-performing Newark Public Schools in New Jersey./ppParents say the district failed to notify them of the right to transfer out of failing schools and of other provisions required under the law./ppThe 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals says enforcement of the act is up to state educational agencies./ppACLU attorney Scott Michelman says the decision is not in the best interests of parents or children. A school district lawyer did not return calls. /p |
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Jury convicts mom of lesser charges in online hoax
Law Firm News |
2008/11/26 18:47
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| A jury on Wednesday was unable to reach a verdict on the main conspiracy charge and instead convicted a Missouri woman of three minor offenses for her role in an Internet hoax that apparently drove a 13-year-old girl to suicide.pThe Los Angeles federal court jury rejected felony charges of accessing a computer without authorization to inflict emotional distress on young Megan Meier./ppHowever, the jury found defendant Lori Drew guilty of three counts of the lesser offense of accessing a computer without authorization. Each count is punishable by up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine./ppThe jurors could not reach a verdict on a conspiracy count, and U.S. District Court Judge George Wu declared a mistrial on the charge. It was not known if she would be retried./ppShe could have been sentenced to a total of 20 years in prison if convicted of the four original counts./ppProsecutors said Drew violated the MySpace terms of service by conspiring with her young daughter and a business assistant to create a fictitious profile of a teen boy on the MySpace social networking site to harass Megan./ppMegan, who had been treated for depression, hanged herself with a belt in her bedroom closet in 2006 after receiving a message saying the world would be better without her. /p |
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