State plans to appeal ruling against 30-year-old measure
Miami Herald Nov 25, 08 2:13 PM CST
(Newser)
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A Miami circuit judge sparked a constitutional showdown by ruling today against Florida’s 30-year-old ban on gay adoption, rebutting claims that homosexuals suffer more from mental illness and substance abuse. The attorney general’s office plans to appeal the decision, which allows a Miami man to adopt two foster kids he and his partner have been raising since 2004, the Herald reports.
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Feds reverse course on double-entendre bottle cap after 6 months of bad publicity
Los Angeles Times Sep 2, 08 1:27 PM CDT
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Vaune Dillmann can market his beer from the small California town of Weed with the slogan "Try Legal Weed" after regulators backed off what could have been a drawn-out court battle, the Los Angeles Times reports. The feds tried to block Dillmann, citing a law prohibiting drug references on alcoholic beverages. "They said I was guilty of a thought crime," he said.
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glossies
FBI evidence full of holes and contradictions
Newsweek Aug 10, 08 5:54 PM CDT
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The FBI's case against alleged anthrax killer Bruce Ivins is full of gaps and contradictions, Newsweek reports. Ivins is said to have sent anthrax to NBC's Tom Brokaw—but was retaliating against a reporter at ABC. He also passed a polygraph in the probe and had no anthrax in his cars, clothing, or home. "I'd say the vast majority" of his ex-colleagues "think he had nothing to do with it," a former supervisor said.
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Ex-governor and 'gay American' to give lump sum, child support
Star-Ledger Aug 8, 08 7:19 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Former New Jersey governor and “gay American” Jim McGreevey will pay no alimony to ex-wife Dina Matos, the Newark Star-Ledger reports. The Episcopal preacher-in-training was ordered to pay about $1,000 per month in child support, and more than $100,000 to Matos. Matos sought $1 million from McGreevey, who claims he makes less than $50,000 a year.
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61% of plaintiffs who battle it out end up
losing money
New York Times Aug 8, 08 6:18 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Taking a civil lawsuit to court tends to be a costly mistake, the New York Times reports. Researchers have found that plaintiffs who reject out-of-court settlements end up with less money 61% of the time, losing an average $43,000. Defendants turned out to be right more than plainfiffs about going ahead with a trial—but the average cost of a bad call was a whopping $1.1 million.
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Blackwater boss seeks Sharia law to dodge Afghan plane crash suit
News & Observer (Raleigh) Jun 19, 08 7:51 AM CDT
(Newser)
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An American firm blamed for the death of three US soldiers in a plane crash has asked a federal court to apply Islamic law to a lawsuit brought by their widows, the Raleigh News & Observer reports. Presidential Airways, Blackwater's sister company, argues that since its plane crashed in Afghanistan, the case should be heard under Sharia law—which would dismiss the claims.
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Federal appeals court strikes down law prohibiting procedure
Reuters May 20, 08 10:23 PM CDT
(Newser)
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A federal appeals court struck down Virginia’s ban on a late-term abortion procedure, ruling that the law burdened a woman’s right to choose, Reuters reports. Although the Supreme Court upheld a similar federal law last year, the appeals court ruled that Virginia's ban went further because it provided no protection for doctors who performed the procedure by mistake.
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Rapper gets to stay out of jail for hurling phone at woman
New York Post May 9, 08 10:25 AM CDT
(Newser)
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A plea deal to settle charges that rapper Foxy Brown hurled a BlackBerry at a neighbor means the notorious bad girl had to pen an apology letter instead of going back to jail, the New York Post reports. "It's over," the hip-hop diva said. "I made a really good decision in my plea. They knew this was a weak case."
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Texas moves their
kids to new shelter, plans legal battle
Associated Press Apr 14, 08 8:28 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Nearly 140 women from a polygamist sect returned home today as officials moved their kids to a new shelter, the AP reports. The mothers had joined 416 children who were seized by Texas troopers 2 weeks ago and taken to a historic fort. Today officials moved the kids to a sports center in San Angelo, Texas after the women complained of poor living conditions.
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73 F-bombs spice up testimony; unamused judge wants $29K
Philadelphia Inquirer Apr 7, 08 12:38 PM CDT
(Newser)
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A CEO's foul-mouthed deposition could cost him and his lawyer $29,323 for making a "spectacular failure" of legal proceedings, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. "I've never seen anything like this" in 30 years, said a judge of Aaron Wider dropping 73 F-bombs in 12 hours. Wider and his counsel, who split ways on court order, are appealing.
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Juror: $253M award shows world not to 'mess' with Americans
Miami Herald Apr 5, 08 3:46 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Two Miami residents won a record $253 million lawsuit against Cuba yesterday after Florida jurors approved a wrongful death claim on behalf of their father. The case involved the death of Rafael del Pino, a naturalized US citizen and ex-Castro ally who was imprisoned after turning against the Cuban dictator, the Miami Herald reports. Del Pino’s relatives said the government tortured him, and he died after 18 years in prison at age 51.
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Good vibrations could lead to a band reunion
Reuters Mar 21, 08 5:53 AM CDT
(Newser)
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The three surviving original members of the Beach Boys have smoothed out a years-long legal disagreement, Reuters reports. Mike Love and the record company part-owned by Brian Wilson had sued founding member Al Jardine over his unauthorized use of the Beach Boys name for tours. With good vibrations now flowing again, a reunion could be on the cards.
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IAC chairman defends his leadership as media barons' court battle concludes
Wall Street Journal Mar 14, 08 2:09 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Barry Diller struck back at Liberty Media in court yesterday, blaming CEO Greg Maffei for driving a wedge between himself and Liberty chairman John Malone by speaking “badly about our businesses and our managers.” The warring media magnates—once close partners—have been waging a court battle for control of Diller’s IAC/InterActiveCorp. The trial concluded today.
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Calif. says kids must
be taught by teachers
with credentials
San Francisco Chronicle Mar 7, 08 12:36 PM CST
(Newser)
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California homeschoolers are breaking the law, an appeals court ruled yesterday, by not having certified teachers instructing their kids. California’s law has been clear since 1953, the court said: Kids must go to school full time or be tutored by a credentialed teacher. The decision puts the parents of 166,000 kids at risk of prosecution, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
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Rash of court rulings back state on capital punishment
Philadelphia Inquirer Jan 2, 08 4:44 AM CST
(Newser)
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There have been only three executions in Pennsylvania since 1978, but four year-end rulings from the state's Supreme Court indicate the state won't be going the way of neighboring New Jersey, which abolished the death penalty, any time soon, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The state's deputy att