TTLA Annual Meeting: REGISTER ONLINE BY DEC 3 & SAVE $279 | Formerly the TTLA Annual Conference, our December event is now the Annual Meeting & Advanced PI CLE! We've streamlined this event and we're now offering a one-day Advanced PI CLE, along with the Annual Membership & Board Meeting, President's Luncheon, and a spectacular Holiday Party with dinner and dancing with the famous Lee Roy Parnell. Click on the headline to learn more! |
Female Military Officers File Suit over Combat Policy |
| A former Marine Corps officer has joined a lawsuit against the Defense Department over policies that exclude females from direct ground combat. In the suit, Capt. Zoe Bedell claims the policy "limited her potential for promotion" because her combat leadership experience is not officially recognized by the military. The policy, the suit claims, closes off many career fields for women. Lee Romney and Alexandra Zavis, LA Times 11/27/2012 | Read Article: LA Times |
Third Man Files Sex Abuse Suit Against Elmo Puppeteer |
| A third man has come forward and filed a lawsuit against Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash, accusing him of sexual abuse. This plaintiff says Clash assaulted him when he was 16 years old. The plaintiff documented the experience in an unpublished book, calling Clash "Mr. Tickler" in one of the chapters. Kristi Palma, Boston Globe 11/28/2012 | Read Article: Boston Globe |
Gay Men File Suit over 'Straight' Therapy |
| A group of four gay men in New Jersey have filed a lawsuit against a Jewish counseling service over a program they were forced to participate in as teens aimed to "turn them straight." In their suit, the men say the sessions were "humiliating and involved nudity, pillow beating and physical and verbal assaults." Court documents show the therapy tactics used by the center have been discredited by major medical associations. Barbara Ross , New York Daily News 11/27/2012 | Read Article: New York Daily News |
3 BP Workers Face US Judge Over Gulf Disaster Felony Charges |
| Three men who worked for British oil giant BP at the time of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico rig explosion and oil spill are expected to plead not guilty and announce their intent to fight felony charges arising from the disaster when they are arraigned in federal court. U.S. District Judge Ivan Lemelle will likely set trial dates for BP well-site leaders Donald Vidrine and Robert Kaluza and former executive David Rainey at a hearing in New Orleans. BP, which intends to plead guilty at a later date, was arraigned before the same judge Tuesday on manslaughter and other charges. Harry R. Weber, blog, Houston Chronicle 11/28/2012 | Read Article: Houston Chronicle |
War Contractor: Feds Should Pay Lawsuit Damages |
| An Iraq war contractor that lost an $85 million verdict to a group of sickened Oregon soldiers has filed a lawsuit seeking to force the federal government to pay the soldiers' damages. In early November, 12 Oregon National Guard soldiers won the verdict against Kellogg Brown and Root, an engineering and construction firm that helped lead the reconstruction work in post-war Iraq. The soldiers were exposed to a toxin while guarding an Iraqi water plant. In the new lawsuit, KBR also demands that the government pay more than $15 million in its attorneys' fees. At the heart of the suit is a so-called indemnification clause that KBR alleges it agreed to with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in March 2003. The clause was designed to protect KBR against "unusually hazardous risks" in its work in Iraq. Associated Press, CBC News 11/28/2012 | Read Article: CBC News |
Tobacco Companies Must Admit They Lied on Products, Ads |
| U.S. tobacco companies including Altria Group Inc. and Philip Morris USA were told by a judge they must publish warnings with their products, in advertisements and on their websites saying they lied to the public about the health hazards of smoking. U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler in Washington yesterday ruled on the text of so-called corrective statements proposed by the Justice Department. According to the ruling, one states: “Tobacco companies intentionally designed cigarettes to make them more addictive.” Another says: “All cigarettes cause cancer, lung disease, heart attacks, and premature death.” The statements stem from the government’s 1999 case against the tobacco industry. In 2006, Kessler found the defendants, also including Reynolds American Inc. (RAI)’s R.J. Reynolds Tobacco and Lorillard Inc. (LO)’s Lorillard Tobacco, violated anti- racketeering law by conspiring to hide cigarettes’ risks. Tom Schoenberg, Bloomberg 11/28/2012 | Read Article: Bloomberg |
Judge: Discrimination Suit Against School To Proceed |
| A federal judge has ruled that an assistant dean at Texas Southern University may proceed with a discrimination lawsuit against the school. In her suit, the woman claims she was treated unfairly because she is Caucasian. She says that when a new dean of the laws school was put in place in September 2009, she was targeted for discrimination and treated more harshly than other African American employees. Robert Stanton, Houston Chronicle 11/21/2012 | Read Article: Houston Chronicle |
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