Attorneys

Amid Lawsuit, County Says Its Ability to Oversee Prosecutors’ Office Is ‘Limited’

In the wake of a civil lawsuit against the Merrimack County Attorney’s Office, the county’s three commissioners said Monday they have limited oversight of the department and the decisions of its top prosecutor, who is chosen by voters. “While the Board of County Commissioners is generally responsible for overseeing all aspects of county government, the elected County Attorney is solely responsible for overseeing the functions of the County Attorney’s office, including its investigative, prosecutorial and law enforcement functions,” Commissioners Chairwoman Tara Reardon wrote in a letter distributed Monday. “As a result, the Commissioners are limited in their ability to determine how the County Attorney’s office is run and where it focuses its efforts.” Last week, former sexual assault investigator Jennifer Adams sued Merrimack County and County Attorney Robin Davis, who is accused of creating a hostile work environment since taking over more than seven months ago. Through her attorney Charles Douglas, Adams has brought multiple civil claims against Davis and the county in Merrimack County Superior Court, including intentional infliction of emotional distress, gender discrimination and aiding and abetting unlawful discriminatory practices. Adams is seeking


Rutledge Files Motion to Dismiss Complaint in Death Row Lawsuit

Attorney General Leslie Rutledge filed a motion on Tuesday to dismiss death row inmate Jack Greene’s request to suspend his execution, claiming that the court has no jurisdiction to halt his impending execution.  Greene’s attorneys recently filed a motion in Jefferson County, asking for a hearing to determine whether Greene is legally competent enough to be executed. …


IRS Officials Say Testimony Could Endanger Them in Tea Party Lawsuit

IRS officials facing a Tea Party lawsuit over alleged targeting say their lives would be in danger if they testify publicly. The federal lawsuit in Cincinnati is one of several filed against the IRS over its handling of applications for tax-exempt status from conservative groups. Lois Lerner and Holly Paz have indicated in court filings that they received death threats and have …


Men File Sex Abuse Lawsuit Against Boy Scouts, Mormon Church

Five men who say they were sexually abused as kids while in the Boy Scouts of America are suing the organization and the Mormon church because they say both groups fraudulently presented the Boy Scouts as a safe, wholesome activity for boys. The men filed the lawsuit Monday in Boise’s U.S. District Court. They contend that the Boy Scouts of America and The Church of Jesus Christ …


New Lawsuit Alleges Reporter Kelly Wright Viewed as ‘Jim Crow’ of Fox News

Attorneys representing 11 current and former Fox News employees announced on Wednesday that they have filed a lawsuit against the network for racial discrimination. The complaint, which seeks class action status, includes allegations from current anchor Kelly Wright. Wright claims in the lawsuit that current network President Bill Shine would regularly ask him about race, such as how black and …


Jeremy Johnson to Invoke Fifth Amendment in Campaign Scheme Lawsuit

On Tuesday, as the FEC case restarted in Salt Lake City’s U.S. District Court, Johnson’s attorney said his decision not to cooperate with the government stems in part from the Swallow case. Johnson was ordered to a 30-day jail sentence for refusing to testify and has been held in solitary confinement since he was returned to a California federal prison where he is serving an 11-year sentence …


Uber Anticipated Lawsuit Over Ex-Google Exec Immediately, Lawyers Say

Uber Technologies Inc. was considering buying the driverless-car startup of a former Google engineer two days after he resigned from the tech giant, and was already anticipating a lawsuit if it did, attorneys for Google parent Alphabet Inc. GOOG, +0.07%GOOGL, +0.08% said in federal court here Wednesday. The new evidence appears to affirm allegations by Google’s driverless-car …


This Class-Action Lawsuit May Offer Hope for Student Loan Borrowers in Bankruptcy

A student loan giant has agreed to suspend collection activities on the debt of certain borrowers who filed for bankruptcy, providing at least temporary relief for potentially thousands of people and signaling that there may be a viable path to discharging some student debts in bankruptcy. As part of an ongoing class-action lawsuit filed against student loan servicer Navient, the company has …


SquareTrade’s Lawyers Claim Plaintiff’s Request for Forensic Copy of Amazon Storefront Is ‘Overreaching’

Attorneys continue to square off in a class action lawsuit brought against California’s SquareTrade Inc. that alleges the company deceived consumers with a fraudulent protection plan sold on Amazon.com. On March 20, attorneys for the San Francisco-based company responded to a request from attorneys for plaintiff Adam Starke, who filed the lawsuit on behalf of …


Trial Begins Over Petco Diseased Rat Lawsuit

A trial is underway in San Diego involving a lawsuit against Petco after a boy died from a disease contracted from a pet rat bought at Petco. 10-year-old Aiden Pankey died in 2013 from rat bite fever two weeks after his pet rat bit him. In opening statements, attorneys for the Pankey family said they were sold a diseased rat by Petco that should have …