Latest disabled-rights suit against a reality TV show: “‘The Apprentice’ may be entertainment, but it also amounts to a protracted job interview, says James W. Schottel Jr., who filed a federal case in St. Louis claiming that audition rules demanding ‘excellent physical’ health are discriminatory.” (Peter Shinkle, “Trump’s show discriminates, lawsuit says”, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Feb. 8). In an earlier lawsuit, deaf and blind plaintiffs alleged that ABC violated accessibility rules by requiring the use of a touch-tone phone in the application process for its show “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” (see Jun. 21-23, 2002). Update Mar. 23: case settles.
Author Archive
Billed for 94-hour day
“Norwich, Conn., solo Timothy C. Spayne has paid the federal government $1.24 million to settle allegations that he billed Groton, Conn.-based Electric Boat for up to 94 hours in a single day for representing EB employees in workers’ compensation cases. U.S. Attorney Kevin J. O’Connor called it one of the most egregious instances of government fraud during his more than two years in office.” (Keith Griffin, “Billing for 94-Hour Day Nets Solo $1 Million Fraud Charge”, Connecticut Law Tribune, Feb. 7).
Sues university over B-minus grade
Bob Whitney, 52, is suing the University of Nevada, Las Vegas after getting a B-minus grade from a history professor who Whitney says discriminated against him because of his conservative beliefs. “He seeks at least $10,000 for emotional duress, tuition, books and living expenses.” He also “claimed [Eugene] Moehring’s fast-paced lectures prevented him from taking complete notes,” and says a graduate coordinator humiliated him by yelling at him in front of his wife. (“Student sues university over grade”, AP/CourtTV, Feb. 4).
John Stossel
…has his own syndicated column now. ABC News continues to maintain the main Stossel webpage (more).
TV and radio today: Fox, NRA News
Fox News’s “DaySide” has booked me today to discuss an assortment of unusual or colorful lawsuits recently noted on this site. I’m scheduled to be on between 1 and 2 p.m. Eastern, probably around 1:20 p.m. (Update: for more on the cases discussed, follow the links: high-speed cop chase; train crash worsened his drinking; “Fear Factor“; pharmacy theft; concert noise; “beware of dog” signs.)
Also, at 4:40 p.m. Eastern, I’ll be live on the Cam Edwards show, which streams at nranews.com (National Rifle Association) and Sirius satellite radio, to discuss my NY Times piece on NYC gun law (more).
Update: charges dropped in lawyer-joke case
“A couple of jokers from Long Island got the last laugh yesterday after a grand jury dismissed charges they had caused a disturbance when they told lawyer jokes in front of an attorney.” (see Jan. 13, Jan. 14, Jan. 30). “It’s still legal in America to tell jokes — even about lawyers,” said their attorney, Ron Kuby. (Devin Smith, “Good ‘Gag’ Rule”, New York Post, Feb. 9).
NYC tobacco ban
Radley Balko vs. Kevin Drum.
“Attorneys Feud in AmEx Card Case”
Class action watch: “A proposed legal settlement that could deliver about $64 million to American Express cardholders and up to $11 million to plaintiffs’ lawyers is under assault from rival attorneys who say the company should be paying much more. … Those challenging the pact say American Express conducted what amounts to a ‘reverse auction’ by shopping around until the company found a group of attorneys that would accept the lowest settlement offer.” There are indications that Miami federal judge Cecilia Altonaga is giving the objections more credence than is often done: she “ruled last fall that the critics could demand documents and testimony about the claims explored by lead attorneys on the case”, which usually doesn’t happen. The lawsuits allege that Amex applied fees and unfavorable exchange rates to American cardholders’ purchases in foreign currencies. (Josh Gerstein, New York Sun, Feb. 4). Update on settlement of objections: Point of Law, Aug. 22, 2007.
“$1.2 million? Thanks but no thanks”
At least 30 residents of the Downriver section of Wayne County, Mich., south of Detroit, “have rejected up to $550 per family member, which is their share of a $1.2 million settlement prompted when about 2,500 residents evacuated their homes during a July 2001 chemical leak. To be eligible, all they had to do was sign a form that said they been home in the affected areas of Grosse Ile, Wyandotte, Riverview or Trenton at the time of the leak. While some acknowledged that they weren’t home, several others said they didn’t support the lawsuit or deserve the money.” Trenton retiree Thelma Diemer says she wasn’t hurt and went shopping during the evacuation: “I didn’t feel I was being honest accepting the money and you have to think about the hereafter, especially when you’re 86.” (David Shepherdson, Detroit News, Feb. 4)(via National Review Online)
“Beware of Dog” sign? Take it down
“My ‘Beware of Dog’ signs came down years ago, after I interviewed an attorney who made a good piece of his living suing on behalf of dog-bite victims. Keeping a dog who is known to be vicious is a far more serious issue than having one who has never been a problem before. Putting up a ‘Beware of Dog’ sign, the attorney said, could arguably be an indication that a dog’s owners knew he was a problem.” (“Pet Connection” columnist Gina Spadafori, “Retrievers Rule: Beware of signs that lead to lawsuits”, syndicated/Sacramento Bee, Jan. 25) (via Common Good’s Society Watch). (& letter to the editor, Feb. 13).