Gee, do you think? After successful campaigns for bicycle helmets, here comes pressure for helmets for pole vaulting, soccer and, yes, maybe even surfboard riding (Hugo Martin, “Today, helmets for all”, Los Angeles Times, Jul. 24).
Archive for July, 2006
“Those sybaritic patent attorneys”
Suing over Israel-Lebanon war
In Detroit, a group called the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee has filed a suit on behalf of about 30 people charging that “the federal government has failed to protect Americans from the fighting in Lebanon. … The committee is asking the court to order Washington to request a cease-fire between Israel and Lebanon.” (“Arab Group To Sue U.S. Government”, ClickOnDetroit.com, Jul. 24). Three Israeli lawyers are planning a lawsuit in U.S. courts demanding compensation from the government of Lebanon for war damage to property and businesses in northern Israel (Tani Goldstein, “Compensation claim against Lebanese gov’t in works”, YNetNews.com, Jul. 20). And according to news agencies, the government of Lebanon itself intends to demand billions of dollars from the government of Israel to compensate for the damage done by its bombardment. Curiously nothing is said in coverage of this last story about resorting to the U.S. courts — you mean there’s some other place to take a grievance? (“Lebanon: We’ll sue Israel for damages”, YNetNews.com, Jul. 23).
Humane Society vs. free speech
The Humane Society of the U.S. says it plans to sue Amazon.com under a District of Columbia consumer protection statute because the online retailer has rejected its demands to stop selling two magazines aimed at cockfighting enthusiasts, The Gamecock and The Feathered Warrior. (They seem to have overlooked Grit and Steel.) The Society claims that a federal law prohibiting the use of the U.S. mails for the promotion of cockfighting events renders the magazines illegal, a position that the U.S. Postal Service itself has apparently not chosen to endorse. (KTHV, Jul. 18; Elizabeth M. Gillespie, “Humane Society urges Amazon.com to quit selling cockfighting mags”, AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Jul. 18; Nobody’s Business, Jul. 24).
Variety on Pellicano case
Some in the press have concluded that “prosecutors are intent on busting lawyers, not movie types”, and the entertainment magazine suggests the wiretapping scandal isn’t really such a big deal after all. Still sounds pretty interesting to us (Gabriel Snyder, “Sounds of silence”, Jul. 20).
“Case studies in divorce madness”
Ann Althouse and commenters (Jul. 21) analyze the marital breakup of football player Michael Strahan, as well as an unrelated guy whose live-in relationship fell victim to contractor cuckoldry.
Peacocks in the barnyard
Los Angeles Times reporter Molly Selvin wanted my opinion of class-actioneer Bill Lerach for this profile, so I gave it. Holding up the other end of the discussion are Lerach fans Jamie Court, of Harvey Rosenfield’s outfit, and actor/humorist/ expert-economic-witness-in-Milberg-cases Ben Stein (“Unsettling Days for King of Class Actions”, Jul. 23)(cross-posted at Point of Law).
“Almost all leakers are lawyers. That’s the bottom line.”
That was former New York Times executive editor Howell Raines’ response to an Aspen Institute audience member’s question about media leaks, as quoted by Greg Schreier in the Aspen Times (“Raines reflects on journalism, loss and lawyers”, Jul. 21).
“Court rules: Mazel tough”
“A Manhattan judge has tossed out a lawsuit by a couple claiming they endured ‘humiliation, indignity, distress of mind and mental suffering’ when they weren’t able to have their daughter’s bat mitzvah at The Plaza hotel. … Although the hotel gave the family six months’ notice [of its decision to undergo renovations, making the space unavailable] and repaid their $12,000 deposit on the planned $20,000 bash, the Alenicks claimed it ‘made no effort to compensate for the uniqueness of The Plaza.'” (Dareh Gregorian, New York Post, Jul. 21)(via Lattman).
Look for the union libel
“A jury ruled Friday that a labor union defamed Sutter Health with a mass mailing of postcards and awarded the Northern California health care organization almost $17.3 million in damages. The Placer County jury found that Unite Here, one of the nation’s largest unions that represents hotel, restaurant and laundry workers, defamed Sutter Health early last year by sending postcards to women of child-bearing age in Northern California claiming the organization’s hospitals used unclean linens. The union was in a labor dispute with the laundry service that cleaned the linens at the time.” (“Jury: Union defamed Sutter Health”, InsideBayArea.com (Hayward Daily Review), Jul. 23; Mehul Srivastava, “Jury award stings union”, Sacramento Bee, Jul. 22).