A Superior Court judge has allowed a lawsuit against the state to proceed on grounds that conditions at troubled Bridgewater State Hospital may violate the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, a ruling that underscores the controversial use of seclusion and restraints at the facility. The lawsuit, filed by the families of three former Bridgewater patients, claims that officials discriminate …
A new federal rule that would give bank customers greater ability to participate in class-action lawsuits drew criticism from the industry, but local community banks aren’t much worried. Small bank officials say their scale and more folksy approach keeps them out of court more effectively than crimping the rights of their customers in small print. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wants …
A mistrial has been declared in a civil rights lawsuit brought by a Pittsburgh police officer who clerked for the former chief. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review says U.S. District Judge Joy Flowers Conti granted the mistrial after Officer Tonya Montgomery-Ford said her attorney was too ill to continue. Attorney Sam Cordes reported feeling dizzy Tuesday and wasn’t in …
A judge in California has ruled that Uber can be sued over sexual assault committed by its drivers, Consumerist reported on Friday. Uber had moved to dismiss two charges of sexual assault filed against the company, arguing that it can’t be held liable for the assaults because of technicalities regarding the employment status of its drivers.
A federal jury Friday awarded former Lorain County Coroner Dr. Paul Matus nearly $1.4 million in a lawsuit over his 2013 firing as medical director of the county’s General Health District. Paul Matus David Cuppage, one of Matus’ lawyers, said that the jury verdict confirmed their contention that the health district breached its contract with Matus and retaliated against him for defending …
Small Texas towns struggled with sex offender laws RHOME, Texas — At least 23 Texas towns have now repealed local sex offender ordinances after the threat of legal action forced many to strip their laws, or end up in court. Earlier this year, the small Wise County town of Rhome repealed its ordinance. Mayor Michelle Pittman says as a “general law” community of less than 5,000 people, they were …
Alaska’s House of Representatives has filed an appeal in state Supreme Court to halt Medicaid expansion by Gov. Bill Walker’s administration. The notice of appeal was filed Thursday afternoon in Anchorage.
A court hearing in a lawsuit seeking to overturn Kansas’ cutoff of Medicaid funds to two Planned Parenthood affiliates has been canceled at the state’s request. The hearing, originally scheduled for this morning, was to take up Planned Parenthood’s request for a temporary restraining order blocking the state’s action. Bonyen Lee-Gilmore, a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid- …
Court documents show Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam has agreed to be deposed under specific conditions in civil lawsuits against his truck-stop chain over failing to pay promised fuel rebates. Haslam was ordered deposed next Wednesday in a lawsuit filed by Alabama-based Wright Transportation, one of several companies suing Pilot Flying J. Haslam wants the deposition delayed until after an …
Last March, the United States Supreme Court held that a putative class action is not mooted when a defendant offers the named plaintiff complete relief but the plaintiff does not accept the offer. Campbell-Ewald Company v. Gomez, 136 S. Ct. 663 (2016). That decision left open the question of whether a settlement offer—coupled with an actual tender of complete relief—would …