Judge

Judge Tosses Out That Defamation Lawsuit Against HBO and John Oliver

A West Virginia judge has granted HBO and John Oliver’s request to have a defamation suit against them dismissed, according to The Hill. The case in question was brought against Oliver by coal CEO Bob Murray, who the comedian heavily mocked on a 2017 installment of his HBO series, Last Week Tonight. Murray threatened to sue Oliver for his comments’ which ranged from accusations …



Trump’s Lawyers to Ask Judge to Toss Emoluments Lawsuit

Lawyers for President Donald Trump are asking a federal judge to toss a civil lawsuit accusing the president of violating the Constitution because his businesses accept money from foreign governments. In a court hearing in New York on Wednesday, Justice Department lawyers were expected to argue that the ban on foreign money is meant only to address gifts or emoluments to the …


Federal Judge Denies Injunction, Class-Action Status on Sweeps Suit

A federal judge ruled Oct. 4 that sweeps of homeless people and their belongings may continue as a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the city of Seattle’s rules regarding the practice moves through the court. Judge Ricardo Martinez denied motions filed by attorneys representing the plaintiffs — four homeless individuals impacted by sweeps, the Real Change Homeless Empowerment …


Federal Judge Tosses Lawsuit Accusing UnitedHealth of Overbilling Medicare

A federal judge rejected a lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice alleging UnitedHealth Group inflated government reimbursement by submitting information that made Medicare Advantage members appear sicker than they were, Reuters reports. U.S. District Judge John Walter in Los Angeles ruled Thursday the DOJ’s lawsuit failed to name corporate officials of the Minnetonka, Minn.-based insurer who signed documents confirming …


Whistleblower Lawsuit Filed in California Against UnitedHealth Group Is Dismissed

A federal judge has dismissed a whistleblower lawsuit against Minnetonka-based UnitedHealth Group that alleged the nation’s largest health insurer wrongly received higher payments from Medicare based on false information about enrollee health problems that could have been corrected. The ruling, handed down late last week in the U.S. District Court for Central California, does not halt a …



Lawsuit Says Jacksonville Can’t Jail Defendants for Being Too Poor to Pay Bail

A new lawsuit could upend Jacksonville’s system of detaining poor defendants charged with minor crimes. The lawsuit filed Thursday says Jacksonville’s system of money bail — that is, someone charged with a crime must pay a set amount to be released without regard to the defendant’s ability to pay — violates poor defendants’ rights to equal protection under the law. The current system allows the …


Utah Legislature May Review Liquor Law at the Center of ‘Deadpool’ Lawsuit

The Utah State Legislature may review a law struck down by a federal judge in a lawsuit over alcohol, sex and the movie “Deadpool.” A federal judge on Thursday night sided with Brewvies in its lawsuit against Utah’s Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, ruling the state statute violated the movie theater-and-bar’s First Amendment rights. Brewvies faced revocation of its …


Judge Will Rule Soon Whether Lawsuit Involving Statues Goes to Trial

A local judge will reveal later this month whether a lawsuit that followed the City Council’s February 6th decision to remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee can proceed to trial. Following a Friday afternoon hearing, Charlottesville Circuit Court Judge Rick Moore indicated he might make a decision within two to three weeks. A prolonged furor over the …