Disabled rights groups are happy so far, while employers fret, reports Jeffrey Hirsch at Workplace Prof.
Archive for 2009
“Bet blockers”
“Subpoenas Target Rocker, Actress as Experts on Alienation”
An already odd binge of litigation has gotten yet odder: the California man who has sued Sony for kicking him off its PlayStation online network, and has sued Nintendo and Microsoft on other grounds, is now suing Activision Blizzard, publisher of the immensely popular online game World of Warcraft, which he accuses of maintaining a “harmful virtual environment” with “sneaky and deceitful practices.” He alleges that use of the game tends to bring on mental health problems, and — the best bit — says he intends to subpoena lyricist Martin Gore of the band Depeche Mode and Hollywood actress Winona Ryder as third party experts on alienation. [GameSpot via Ambrogi/Legal Blog Watch; earlier] Update: Estavillo is subpoenaing Bill Gates too [Seattle PI Microsoft blog]
“Ask Your Lawyer If He Carries Malpractice Insurance; You May be Surprised”
Physician-blogger Musings of a Dinosaur has some thoughts on the issue. More states are requiring lawyers to inform clients whether they carry liability insurance, according to the ABA Journal. Texas is one state where many lawyers are tenaciously trying to head off such a rule: “according to a February 2008 survey of attorneys conducted by the State Bar, 48 percent of the 6,160 attorneys who completed the survey do not have professional liability coverage.” [Texas Lawyer, White Coat]
“‘I’ll take care of it’ — with five words, a billionaire transformed into a felon”
Kings of Tort, the new book on Mississippi’s Dickie Scruggs and Paul Minor scandals by Alan Lange (YallPolitics) and Tom Dawson, is now out. Its website links to reviews and other angles of interest.
P.S. A blog reaction from Tom Freeland.
Ontario: “Human rights complaint heard over man’s chihuahua”
The couple who used to own Granary Natural Foods in Carleton Place, Ont. acknowledge that they had earlier objected to what they said was sniffing of food by the psychiatric-service dog. But they said the reason they threw the dog’s owner out of the store this time was that he was “yelling and swearing, demanding service”. [CBC]
“Kill, eat, mate, flee”
Should lawyers trying cases make an appeal to jurors’ “reptile brains”? [Defending People] P.S. He has further thoughts.
“Should prison guards be strong?”
The U.S. Department of Justice is ramping up its “disparate-impact” enforcement in an action against the Massachusetts Department of Corrections, according to Roger Clegg at NRO.
“Ask Your Doctor Whether Your Political Views Are Right For You”
“Teaching is Not a Crime”
“Anyone in Virginia can do yoga, and anyone can teach yoga. But, incredibly, it is illegal to teach people to teach yoga” without fulfilling extensive licensing requirements. The Institute for Justice is on the case.