House

Dickson Settles Lawsuit With House of Hope Homeless Nonprofit

A lawsuit the nonprofit House of Hope filed against the City of Dickson nearly three years ago was recently settled after a Dickson City Council vote this month. The settlement amount was $20,000, which was to pay for The House of Hope’s legal fees, said Dickson city attorney Jerry Smith. The House of Hope was seeking $300,000 based on the organization’s leadership belief that the city prevented the nonprofit from being able to “fulfill its religious mission to minister to the needs of those whom it serves” by voting against a homeless shelter in the Downtown Dickson area. In the lawsuit, the organization’s leadership said the plan was to provide faith-based counseling, a prayer room, food, clothing, shelter and transportation to “homeless and needy individuals.”


Lawsuit Filed Over Waffle House Shooting in Tennessee

The mother of a woman who was killed in a shooting at a Tennessee Waffle House last year has filed the latest lawsuit over the attack. News outlets report 21-year-old DeEbony Groves’ mother filed the suit seeking $100 million and a jury trial. The suit was filed against Travis Reinking and his father, Jeffrey Reinking. The lawsuit contends he shot and killed Groves with a gun he wasn’t supposed …


Fredericksburg Voters Who Were Given Wrong Ballots Drop Lawsuit

The Fredericksburg-area voters who had sued for an election do-over after dozens voted in the wrong Virginia House of Delegates races Nov. 7 have dropped their lawsuit. In a joint filing earlier this month, with the numerous state and local officials named as defendants in the suit, Dolores and Kenneth Lecky and other plaintiffs agreed the case should be dismissed. U.S. District …



Outside Group Readies Lawsuit on Trump’s Religious Exemption Order

At least one group is gearing up to file legal challenges against President Trump’s executive order intended to make it easier for religious groups to participate in politics without risking their tax-exempt status, though another has said it isn’t worth the trouble. The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) said Thursday it had a 17-page complaint ready to be filed in the federal District …


White House: ACLU Lawsuit Threat Shows Anti-Religion, Anti-Gop Bias

The White House said the American Civil Liberties Union showed its true colors Thursday by threatening a lawsuit to block President Trump’s executive order that protects political speech by religious institutions and faith-based groups. “I don’t think anybody is surprised at the ACLU wants to come out against Republicans,” said White House deputy press secretary Sarah Sanders. “They talk about …


Lifeguards May Lose Lawsuit Liability

Lifeguards protecting county beaches will no longer be immune to lawsuits. On Thursday, the Senate approved SB 562, which relates to the sunset of Act 170, a measure that protects county lifeguards assigned to any beach from lawsuits. “Act 170 has been a very special honor and recognition for our lifeguards, one not granted to any other professionals.


Judge Allows Lawsuit Over Pa. House’s Prayer Policy to Proceed

A federal judge on Friday ruled an alliance of “nonbelievers” can proceed with suing the Pennsylvania House of Representatives over its opening invocation policy. Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which is sponsoring the litigation along with American Atheists, welcomed the decision by U.S. District Judge Christopher Conner to allow the case to move to a full hearing. “The …


Survivors of Oakland Halfway House Fire File Lawsuit

Residents of the building have filed a lawsuit over a fire in West Oakland that left four people dead. Candice Nguyen reports. Survivors of a deadly fire that tore through a West Oakland halfway house last month sued their former landlord and the nonprofits that acted as master tenants Wednesday in Alameda County Superior Court, saying their slum-like housing conditions were illegal and led to …


Lawsuit Seeks White House Visitor Logs

A coalition of government watchdog groups plans to sue the Trump administration on Monday with the aim of compelling the White House to continue President Barack Obama’s practice of releasing logs of lobbyists and others who visit the complex. Since President Donald Trump took office in January, the website where such records had been publicly available has gone dark, and White House officials …