Author Archives: Lawyer Team

About Lawyer Team

This blog scans breaking news to find significant and interesting legal settlements. Lawyer.com is a directory website for lawyers. Featuring the best search in its field, lawyer.com connects people who need legal advice to the most qualified professionals who can provide it.

NYC Cop On His Own For Pepper Spraying

Lone police officer

Anthony Bologna, a man infamous among Occupy Wall Street protesters, who even warranted the nickname, Tony Baloney, is being sued for pepper spraying a crowd of protesters on September 24, 2011. Three women involved in the protest are filing the lawsuit as well as two additional protesters.  They claim that Anthony Bologna, a Deputy officer, violated their free speech and civil rights.  His actions were described as having “no legal reason,” and therefore the city of New York will not financially back Mr. Bologna for his actions regarding the protesters.  Instead the Captains Endowment Association, an organization that represents NYPD officers in the rankings of Captain, Deputy and Surgeon, will be covering Mr. Bologna’s lawsuit costs.  The Deputy was only docked 10 vacation days and given a departmental discipline which was an outrage to some who saw the viral video of the pepper spraying on YouTube.

Read more

Chicago Police Tortured Confessions out of Suspects

Unfair treatment?

Two men who were allegedly tortured by Chicago police during former Detective  Commander John Burge’s tenure have been awarded over $7 million in damages to settle their lawsuit against the city. Michael Tillman spent over 20 years in prison for a murder he did not commit as a result of Burge’s military-inspired torturing. Tillman was approved for $5.3 million of the settlement money. The other $1.8 million was issued to David Fauntleroy, who spent 23 years in jail on the strength of another torture-induced confession to murder and armed robbery.  If the Chicago City Council approves both settlements, the total taxpayer cost of Burge’s case will exceed $40 million.  Because of the timing of the settlement, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley will not be questioned about his involvement with Burge’s reign of terror, which is something the whole city was looking forward to.

Continue reading →

Madonna Flashes Swastikas Over FN President’s Face

A pop icon

Is anyone even surprised by Madonna’s escapades anymore?  At the age of 53, she still has the power to offend and insult pretty much anyone that steps in her path, including the president of France’s National Front Party, Marine Le Pen.  On July 14, Madonna held a concert for her French fans at the Stade de France just north of Paris.  To Le Pen’s astonishment and disgust, Madonna displayed a video during one of her songs, “Nobody Knows Me”, flashing images of political figures Pope Benedict, Hu Jintao, Sarah Palin (no surprise here), and Marine Le Pen.  Maybe Le Pen would have been honored by her inclusion in a Madonna concert, but the world leaders were depicted as Neo Nazis with swastikas on their foreheads.  This whole charade was Madonna’s response to Le Pen’s beliefs on Muslim immigration and their relations in the EU.  Le Pen wants to return to the Franc and put a stop to illegal Muslim immigration, which Madonna describes as “intolerance”.  Although Marine Le Pen has not taken action yet, there is talk of a lawsuit against the American singer for her onstage antics.  And, of course, she has demanded an apology.

Read more

Middle Finger to the Law

Justice

“Cops keep firing in my environment / middle finger to the law.”  These immortal words from New York rapper Nas were most likely running through Robert Bell’s head on August 6, 2011, except there were no guns involved and Nas was nowhere to be seen.  Mr. Bell left the Slaughtered Lamb Pub in Greenwich Village, NY and decided to give three policemen a little piece of his mind.  He flipped them the bird and seconds later was arrested for disorderly conduct, obscene gesture, public alarm, and annoyance.  His stated reason for throwing the universal gesture was not only to insult the three personally, but also because he just does not like cops in general.  Robert Bell has filed a lawsuit against the city for violating his constitutional rights on what he believes is protected speech.  On top of that, he is suing for assault, false arrest, and, my favorite, emotional distress.

Read more

Paper or Plastic? Payment Preference May Be Pricey

Which method of payment?

Retailers and credit card issuers settled last week on terms that will allow vendors to apply surcharges to customers who choose to pay by credit. The additional charge, if implemented, will be used to compensate for small fees the vendor assumes for processing the transaction. This charge can typically range from 1.5 to 3 percent of a purchase when using plastic. And while most merchants are not expected to take advantage of the ruling, don’t expect the ones who do to exercise the same power that several Long Island gas stations have demonstrated.

Continue reading →