Counties

Monroe County Joins 100 Counties Nationwide in Opioid Lawsuit

Monroe County has joined more than 100 counties in the U.S. in a lawsuit against the companies that distribute, market and create opioid drugs. Monroe County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo made the announcement Wednesday about the lawsuit. The litigation aims to recoup the various costs each county has incurred as a result of the opioid epidemic.


Appeals Court Upholds Decision on Lawsuit

A lawsuit claiming local public defenders are overworked and not properly representing offenders is likely headed to the state supreme court. The lawsuit filed in 2015 was dismissed by a Shelby County judge, and that decision recently was upheld by the Indiana Court of Appeals. But one of the attorneys …


County May Join Opioid Lawsuit

St. Lawrence County legislators have agreed to meet with an attorney about the possibility of joining a class action lawsuit against companies that manufacture opioids. County Attorney Stephen D. Button said several months ago he was contacted by several firms involved in large-scale, multi-defendant opioid litigation. “They were interested in gauging the county’s interest in pursuing …


Oakland Joins Lawsuit Challenging Trump Order on Sanctuary Cities

The city of Oakland this week joined dozens of other cities and counties around the country in filing a “friend of the court” brief supporting a lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s executive order to deny federal funds to sanctuary cities. On Wednesday, 34 cities and counties, including Oakland, New Orleans, Chicago, Salt Lake City and Los Angeles, filed the brief in …


Updated: Judge Approves Settlement Barring ICE Cooperation

A federal judge has given preliminary approval to a class action lawsuit settlement that would ban the San Juan County Detention Center from cooperating with federal authorities on immigration holds. The Friday decision came as the Trump administration publicly shamed counties and cities that don’t cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The settlement is a result …


Federal Lawsuit Targets BLM Planning Rule

Kane County is among six rural counties in the West asking a federal court to rip up a new Bureau of Land Management planning rule they say diminishes their voice on crafting land use plans. The lawsuit, filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for Utah, involves Kane County, Big Horn County, Wyo. ; Chaves County, New Mexico; Custer County, Idaho; Garfield County, Colorado; …


US Justice Department Shows Interest in NAACP Lawsuit Challenging NC Voter Roll Purges

The U.S. Justice Department has filed a statement of interest in the NAACP lawsuit challenging elections boards in three North Carolina counties where voters complain they were inaccurately purged from voter rolls. The NAACP went to federal court in Winston-Salem on Wednesday seeking intervention from U.S. District Judge Loretta Biggs. In their lawsuit filed Monday, the NAACP and voters from …


Chesterfield County Registrar Accused of Concealing Voting Records in Lawsuit

A federal lawsuit has been filed against Chesterfield County registrar Larry Haake, for allegedly refusing to disclose election records. The Public Interest Legal Foundation claims those records show foreigners improperly registered to vote in Virginia. The group is also suing Susan Reed, the registrar in the City of Manassas, for the same reason.


Judge: County’s Lawsuit Against Oregon Likely a Class Action

A judge signaled he plans to certify Linn County’s timber lawsuit against the state as a class action, meaning it would include other counties. The county filed the lawsuit earlier this year, asserting insufficient logging had cost it and more than a dozen other timber-rich counties more than $1.4 billion. The complaint says the counties turned over ownership of forestlands …


Oregon, Linn County Spar in Court Over Timber Lawsuit

State attorneys told a judge that Linn County shouldn’t be allowed to represent other timber counties in a lawsuit that seeks $1.4 billion from Oregon because of its forest-management practices. The county wants the case to proceed as a class action. Scott Kaplan, an attorney for the state, said during oral arguments Wednesday that would be impractical because there are different …