Public

Wells Fargo Already Playing Its ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ Card to Avoid Lawsuits Over Fake Accounts

Wells Fargo is facing multiple lawsuits from customers and employees over the long-running fake account fiasco that saw more than two million bogus, unauthorized accounts being opened in customers’ names. Even though lawmakers and consumer advocates have repeatedly asked the bank to not sidestep its liability by using an often-ignored clause in its customer agreement, lawyers for Wells Fargo …


Lawsuit by Teacher Allegedly Fired Over Central Park Five Lesson Dismissed

A federal judge Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit brought by a former New York City public high school teacher who claimed she was fired for teaching a unit about five men wrongly convicted in the 1989 gang rape of a Central Park jogger. U.S. District Judge John G. Koeltl ruled that Jeena Lee-Walker’s speech, as a public employee, was not protected by the First Amendment when she taught lessons about …



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.


A Product of Its Time: Cold War ‘Fruit Machine’ Now Basis for Federal Lawsuit

It’s not fiction — although it sounds like something straight out of a dystopian novel. The so-called “fruit machine” was a homosexuality detection system commissioned by the Canadian government during the Cold War — and developed largely by a psychologist at Carleton University in Ottawa — to keep LGBT people out of the public service or military. While the machine is long gone, its legacy is …


Airbnb’s Terms of Service Just Blocked a Racial Discrimination Case

Today in DC District Court, Airbnb successfully blocked a proposed class action alleging racial discrimination on the company’s platform. The lawsuit alleged systematic discrimination by Airbnb hosts, enabled by various design choices made by the company. But after today’s decision, there won’t be a public ruling on the discrimination itself.


Scandal Could Lead to Lawsuits Against Sugary Beverage Industry

Recent findings reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine show that the sugar-sweetened beverage industry has financially backed scientific researchers to discard a link between sugary beverage consumption and metabolic outcomes such as obesity and diabetes. It is the latest in a series of related scandals to rock the public health world. This news, coupled with the revelation that two of …



Lawsuit Challenges Denver’s Sweeps of the Homeless

When Jerry Burton’s sleeping bag and tent were removed by city workers from his campsite near a rapidly developing area close to downtown Denver, he was able to start over again with backup gear he keeps hidden for emergencies — whether his or someone else’s. Now he’s one of nine homeless people suing in federal court to try to stop the city’s sweeps of homeless encampments and, as he …


Taylor Swift Asks Judge to Seal Photos, Other Docs in DJ Groping Lawsuit

Taylor Swift has filed a motion to restrict public access to some of the documents involved in her lawsuit with a DJ who allegedly groped her. In September of 2015, former country radio DJ David Mueller filed a lawsuit that claims that he lost his job and prospective business opportunities because of allegations that he groped Swift during a 2013 meet and greet. In October of 2015, Swift filed …