Category Archives: Legal News

Plaintiff counsel withdrawing from personal injury case caused by workplace mold exposure

July 10, 2016 admin

Nicholas Malfitano Jul. 5, 2016, 2:39pm

PHILADELPHIA – Plaintiff counsel in the case of a woman who claims she became disabled after long-term exposure to mold in her workplace has opted to leave the litigation associated with those claims.

Neil I. Mittin of Gay Chacker & Mittin filed a motion to withdraw appearance on May 5, explaining plaintiffs Julie Hice Carter and Ernest Carter of Smyrna, Del. had not responded to numerous attempts at contact, in order to proceed with proper litigation of their claims. Due to this presumed lack of cooperation, Mittin felt he had no choice but to withdraw from the case.

On June 30, Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas ordered Mittin’s withdrawal be permitted.

Hice Carter was hired by the Therapeutic Center at Fox Chase Villa at the Bridge in Ambler, formerly known as St. Mary’s Villa for Children and Families, in December 2012. In July 2013, Hice Carter says she began to notice black spots on the carpet and walls of bedrooms and bathrooms of St. Francis and St. John buildings at her workplace. Hice Carter says she reported this condition to the administrator of the program and the buildings’ maintenance supervisor, to no avail.

In August 2013, Hice Carter says she began to suffer a cough, shortness of breath, headaches and sinus congestion, among other respiratory ailments. The following month, she was allegedly unable to breathe at work and was admitted to the emergency room at Riddle Memorial Hospital – adding her symptoms worsened anytime she was in the aforementioned workplace buildings.

On Sept. 24, 2014, Hice Carter stated she became disabled from her employment due to the respiratory difficulties she developed as a result of prolonged mold exposure.

Hice Carter alleged she suffered reactive airway disease, acute bronchitis, asthma, cough, rhinitis plus damage to her lungs, nerves, nervous system, and other ills and injuries, resulting in a permanent loss of bodily function. Hice Carter added she possessed none of these conditions prior to her employment.

Read Full Article – http://pennrecord.com/stories/510941915-plaintiff-counsel-withdrawing-from-personal-injury-case-caused-by-workplace-mold-exposure

Blog, Business Law, Civil Rights, Family, Legal News, Personal Injury, Supreme Court

Duluth diocese sues insurers to cover abuse lawsuits

July 10, 2016 admin

Mark Reilly Managing Editor Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal

The Diocese of Duluth, which entered bankruptcy proceedings after a $4.9 million verdict in a child sexual abuse case, wants to ensure that its insurance companies help pay the bill.

The Duluth News-Tribune reports that the diocese is suing five insurance companies— Liberty Mutual Group, Catholic Mutual Relief Society of America, Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co., Church Mutual Insurance Co. and Continental Insurance Co. — to compel them to participate in a mediation process between the church and 125 people who have filed abuse claims.

The diocese filed for bankruptcy last December. It’s facing many claims apart from the already-announced $4.9 million verdict and has an annual budget of just $3.3 million.

The lawsuit against insurers is similar to one filed by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, which is also in bankruptcy and sued its insurance companies in 2014, accusing them of improperly rejecting its claims to cover the cost of the church’s settlement with victims of clergy sex abuse.

Read Full Article – http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/news/2016/07/05/duluth-diocese-sues-insurers-to-cover-abuse.html

Blog, Civil Rights, Legal News, Supreme Court

Court rejects state’s appeal in KKK highway cleanup case

July 8, 2016 admin

BY KATE BRUMBACK Associated Press

Dismissing an appeal on a technicality, Georgia’s highest court granted a victory to a Ku Klux Klan group that has been seeking for years to participate in a state-run highway cleanup program

ATLANTA

Dismissing an appeal on a technicality, Georgia’s highest court granted a victory to a Ku Klux Klan group that has been seeking for years to participate in a state-run highway cleanup program.

The Georgia Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected the state’s appeal of a lower court decision that the state had violated the KKK group’s free speech rights. The Department of Transportation filed its appeal incorrectly, leaving the high court without authority to consider its merits, the opinion said.

The state attorney general’s office, which represents the department, is reviewing the decision and considering its options, spokesman Nicholas Genesi said in an email.

The north Georgia KKK group applied to join the state’s Adopt-A-Highway program in May 2012, hoping to pick up litter along part of Route 515 in the Appalachian Mountains. The program was started in 1989 to get volunteers to clean up sections of roads in the state. In exchange, the Department of Transportation posts a sponsorship sign along the road with the program logo and the volunteer group’s name.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/article87664407.html#storylink=cpy

Blog, Criminal, Legal News

L.A. Now California: This just in LOCAL L.A. Now Violent crime in California rose 10% in 2015, state attorney general says

July 7, 2016 admin

By Bettina Boxall

After two years of decline, the number of violent crimes in California rose by 10% in 2015, although the overall crime rate remained among the lowest in decades.

The numbers were up in all major categories of violent crime compared with those of 2014, according to reports released Friday by the state attorney general’s office.

Homicides increased 9.7%, and robbery and aggravated assault climbed by more than 8%.

Hate crimes followed the same trend, with a 10.4% jump. The vast majority of the uptick involved religious bias. Anti-Muslim and anti-Jewish incidents were up, as were those targeting Latinos.

Although the number of burglaries dropped, total property crimes climbed by 8.1%, driven by a significant rise in motor vehicle thefts.

Despite the upswing, overall violent and property crime rates per 100,000 were lower last year than in 2010, and remained dramatically lower than the peaks of the 1980s and 1990s.

Statewide, 1,861 people were slain in 2015, compared with more than 4,000 in 1993.

In 2009, the number of homicides across California dipped below 2,000 for the first time since 1974 and has fluctuated below that number ever since.

Read Full Article – http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-violent-crimes-20160701-snap-story.html

Blog, Criminal, Legal News

Hollywood’s Most Sensational Mug Shots REVEALED

July 6, 2016 admin

By Noelani Montero

Posted on Jul 5, 2016 @ 7:03AM

Lindsay Lohan has several mugshots under her belt, but her first booking photo from 2007 might be the best! She was arrested on July 24 in Santa Monica, Calif., after officers suspected she was driving under the influence. Cops also discovered a small amount of cocaine in her pocket. She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one day in jail and 10 days of community service. She spent 84 minutes behind bars before being released due to “overcrowding.”

Singing sensation Bruno Mars was arrested in 2010 in Las Vegas for cocaine possession. The charges were later dismissed. Three years later, the star addressed his legal trouble in an interview with GQ Magazine. “I was young, man! I was in f–king Vegas,” the singer said. “I wasn’t thinking!”

Michelle Rodriguez was arrested in Hawaii in 2005 after she was suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol. In April 2016, a judge had her choose between 240 hours of community service or 5 days in jail. She chose the jail time and also paid a $500 fine.

Amanda Bynes was arrested in 2012 for DUI after she hit a police car in West Hollywood. In 2014, she entered a plea deal for the charge, promising to serve three years probation and to pay a fine.

Artis Leon Ivey Jr., a.k.a. Coolio, was arrested in Las Vegas in 2012 after he and a friend were stopped for a routine traffic violation. When cops ran his name through the system, they found he had two active bench warrants and he was arrested on the spot!

Heather Locklear definitely did not look her best in her 2008 mugshot! She was arrested in Santa Barbara for driving under the influence of a controlled substance after a witness called cops out of fear for the actress’ safety. In 2009, the case was dismissed after she promised to serve an informal three-year probation, pay a $700 fine and complete a 12-hour road safety class.

Shia La Beouf was arrested in Austin, Texas, in 2015 for public intoxication. Onlookers reportedly recalled that the Transformers star was behaving erratically outside a bar. He then started running down the street and jaywalked right in front of patrol officers. The status of the case is unknown at this time.

TV dad Bill Cosby was arrested in December 2015 and criminally charged for the alleged 2004 sexual assault of Andrea Constand. He was released on $1 million bail. The controversial case is ongoing.

On Jan. 23, 2014, Justin Bieber was arrested on suspicions of driving under the influence and drag racing in Miami Beach. He admitted to officers that he had been drinking alcohol, taking prescription drugs and smoking marijuana. He was eventually charged with DUI, resisting arrest and driving with a suspended license. Later on in 2014, the singer accepted a plea deal that required him to donate $50,000 to a youth charity and to attend anger management classes.

Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. was arrested in 1996 for possession of a controlled substance. He was stopped for speeding on a Los Angles highway and was promptly arrested when cops found cocaine, heroin and a pistol in his car. In December 2015, California governor Jerry Brown issued an official pardon for the crime.

Khloe Kardashian was arrested for driving under the influence on March 4, 2007. Just over a year later she reported to jail again for violating her probation and was sentenced to 30 days in jail. She was released three hours later due to overcrowding.

Blac Chyna was arrested at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas on Jan. 29, 2016, after causing a scene at the airport. She was eventually charged with third degree felony possession and public intoxication. She was released from prison on $8,000 bail, and the case is ongoing.

Sourced From – http://radaronline.com/photos/celebrity-mugshots-jail-drugs-drinking/

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