Tag Archives: lawsuits

Conservative website mogul and GOProud backer Andrew Breitbart is being sued by former USDA official Shirley Sherrod for his campaign to falsely discredit her. Via Salon: The suit stems from the notorious video Breitbart posted online last year, showing an out-of-context excerpt from a speech Sherrod gave to the NAACP Freedom Fund in March 2010. The clip suggested she had …

A lesbian couple in Tennessee has filed a lawsuit against the neighbor they believe burned down their house after repeatedly threatening to kill them. The Stuttes have been together 16 years, and while they’re not legally married, they did celebrate a civil ceremony at the Unitarian Universalist church in Oklahoma City. The complaint does allege taunts made by Millsaps that …

Some porn outfit sued in California court to stop the distribution of free online porn. The company wasn’t alleging that their content was being stolen, they just don’t like the idea of free porn, period. “The ubiquitous distribution of free adult videos through redtube.com has had a massive negative impact on the business model of adult website proprietors,” charged the …

In response to the lawsuit contending that they don’t use what the USDA defines as “beef” in their products, Taco Bell has taken the unusual step of mocking the suit with a series of retro superhero cartoons, a move NPR finds surprisingly amusing. (Tipped by JMG reader David)

Lambda Legal has settled its lawsuit against an Indiana school district after a 2006 incident in which a principal physically blocked the door of a high school prom in order to prevent a transgender student from attending in a dress. Via press release: “Gary School Corporation’s new policies and trainings will help to ensure that other students don’t face discrimination …

Taco Bell has been hit with a lawsuit which claims that what the company describes as “ground beef” does not meet the USDA’s definition. The suit claims that Taco Bell’s meat-like offering is filled with extenders and other non-meat substances listed in the lawsuit like water, “Isolated Oat Product,” wheat oats, soy lecithin, maltodrextrin, anti-dusting agent, autolyzed yeast extract, modified …

A New York college student is suing a Vegas hooker for $1.8M because she only stayed for thirty minutes instead of the agreed upon full hour. Unhappy customer Hubert Blackman said he was traumatized by the “tragic event,” especially when he called cops and they threatened to bust him, the Las Vegas Sun reported Thursday. “I also would like to …

That woman who fell into a mall fountain because she was texting and not watching where she was going? She’s suing the mall for not rushing to help her.

A federal judge in California has ruled that state employees may sue the federal government for excluding their partners from a long-term health care program. U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken of Oakland denied an Obama administration request to dismiss the suit Tuesday and signaled that she is likely to overturn provisions of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which denies …

In what is being hailed as a landmark decision, a British judge has ruled that the Christian owners of a seaside bed and breakfast broke the law when they denied lodging to a gay couple. Peter and Hazelmary Bull did not allow civil partners Martyn Hall and Steven Preddy to use a double room in their Cornwall B&B because it …

The Supreme Court has declined to hear the appeal of Bishop Harry Jackson, whose lawsuit demanded that Washington DC residents be allowed to vote on same-sex marriage. The court did not comment Tuesday in turning away a challenge from a Maryland pastor and others who are trying to get a measure on the ballot to allow Washingtonians to vote on …

Shepard Fairey has settled his long-running dispute with the Associated Press over their photograph of Barack Obama, which Fairey turned into his now-iconic “Hope” poster. In settling the civil lawsuit, “The A.P. and Mr. Fairey have agreed that neither side surrenders its view of the law,” The Associated Press said in a statement Wednesday. “Mr. Fairey has agreed that he …

Over the last seven days… Nevada: Pastor Otis Holland arrested for molesting a seven year-old girl. Holland was arrested last year on similar charges.New York: Pastor Jason LaPierre arrested for embezzling over $400,000 from a credit union.Ontario: Father James Boudreau arrested for sexual assault on a child.Belgium: Father Eric Dejaeger accused of molesting multiple children in Canada. He has already …

According to the Supreme Court’s public docket, the nine justices have scheduled a Friday meeting to discuss Jackson v. the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics, Bishop Harry Jackson’s lawsuit demanding that DC residents be allowed to vote on same-sex marriage. The Court is expected to announced on Monday if they will hear the case. Lou Chibarro reports at the …

Yesterday the Log Cabin Republicans filed a brief demanding that a San Francisco federal appeals court continue to hear their DADT repeal lawsuit. Lawyers for Log Cabin Republicans filed a brief Monday arguing that because the ban has not been lifted, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals needs to maintain its schedule in the government’s challenge to the lower …

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee has filed for bankruptcy due to all those pesky child molestation lawsuits. The move follows the recent failure of efforts to reach a mediated settlement of the claims and a court decision in November that makes insurance coverage of the claims unlikely, the archdiocese said in a statement. The archdiocese is appealing the decision to the …

The parents of Rutgers freshman Tyler Clementi have filed notice of possible intent to sue the school. Clementi jumped to his death from the George Washington Bridge earlier this year after other students webcast a sexual encounter he’d had with a man in his dorm room. The parents, Joseph and Jane Clementi of Ridgewood, N.J., filed legal notices with the …

You may recall my 2008 post about former Big Brother contestant Kent Blackwelder, who filed a $4M lawsuit against Specialty Publications (a distributor of Titan Media) because his daughter “accidentally opened” one of their promo packages which was mysteriously sent to his house. Blackwelder’s suit claimed that a five-second viewing of naked gay men caused his daughter to need counseling …

A lawsuit has been filed in Iowa claiming that the retention vote that resulted in the ouster of three state Supreme Court justices was illegal. According to the suit, by state law that issue should have been on a separate ballot. The ballot used Nov. 2 included the names of the justices standing for retention on the back of a …

A Virginia federal district court judge appointed by Dubya has ruled that parts of President Obama’s health care reform plan are unconstitutional. The lawsuit was brought by Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli. In a 42-page opinion issued in Richmond, Va., Judge Hudson wrote that the law’s central requirement that most Americans obtain health insurance exceeds the regulatory authority granted to …