Harassment Case Against Steven Seagal Dismissed
Steven Seagal is weird, but this lawsuit was weirder still.
Employment Law
An Even Longer Sentence Has Been Found
I hope that since April 26 you have been able to spend some time contemplating the stupendous ginormitude of the one sentence that comprises the Mittal Steel Point order, each of its 538 words so carefully chosen and placed with…
More Failures to Keep a Low Profile When Falsely Claiming Disability
Two recent stories again make the point that if you have decided to commit fraud by falsely claiming to be disabled, you really should try not to draw attention to your not-disabled self. Ronald Hunt, an interior designer in California,…
ANOTHER REASON NOT TO USE ALL CAPS, NOT THAT YOU NEED MORE THAN ONE REASON
One of the bad habits that lawyers have trouble breaking is using all capital letters, especially in the headings of legal documents. (Okay, not nearly as interesting as the bad habits Tiger Woods has trouble breaking, but I think enough…
Facebook Pics Prove You Aren’t Disabled, Insurer Tells Depressed Woman
A Canadian woman who has been on long-term leave from her job since being diagnosed with major depression had her benefits taken away after her insurer found pictures of her on Facebook having fun. After Nathalie Blanchard's benefit checks suddenly…
Cell-Phone Conversation Blamed for Accident at Sea
From a recent report of filings in San Francisco Superior Court: Bryerton v. Westar Marine Services, CGC-09-493160 (10/2/09) Marine personal injury action. The plaintiff was throwing a line to another ship when his ship's captain, who was distracted and talking…
A Sentence Rarely Found in Legal Pleadings
Link: Brant v. The Chop Shop, Inc., Civ. No. 09-3464 (E.D. Pa. filed Aug. 31, 2009) (PDF)Link: On Point News
Funkytown’s Crazy Co-Mayors
I'm a little miffed that my hometown, Kansas City, waited until after I moved away to elect crazy people to run it. Actually, the voters elected one person, Mark Funkhouser, to be mayor, but he brought along his wife Gloria…
LucasFilm Employee Alleges She Was Called An “Ewok”
From yesterday's report of filings in San Francisco Superior Court: Tabitha Totah v. Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd., CGC-09-490959 (7/30/09) Employment complaint for race discrimination, sexual harassment and wrongful termination. The plaintiff was fired because, as her supervisor said, "You needed to…
Judge Who Lost Pants Loses Another Suit
It seems that our old friend Roy L. Pearson, Jr., he of the $65 million pants, has recovered sufficiently from losing that case to get on with losing another one. This one was a wrongful-termination lawsuit against the District of Columbia,…