Tag Archives: settlement

President Obama Appeals Injuction to Stop NDAA

Constitutional rights

 

Federal Judge Katherine recently put in place a permanent injunction to block the Obama Administration from implementing the indefinite detention portions of the 2011 National Defense Authorization Act.  President Obama has appealed this decision. In this law, American citizens’ right of due process and trial by jury have been severely weakened if not destroyed.  Any citizen considered an ‘associated force’ to terrorism may be held indefinitely.  This ambiguous language has left many to question what specifically an ‘associated force’ means.

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Fist Pumps Turn to Knuckle Sandwiches in Seaside Heights

Jersey Shore drama

In a year-old lawsuit, former Seaside Heights resident Joseph Alfieri claimed three members of the Seaside Heights Police Department choked, kicked, and sprayed him with tear gas after allegedly entering his house without consent.  The incident occurred in April of 2009 after Mr. Alfieri’s girlfriend, who was also arrested earlier that night, told the police that he had assaulted her. Upon the department’s release, Mr. Alfieri’s girlfriend returned to his residence and demanded her car keys.  He refused and told her to come back the next day.  The three officers, including the one who had arrested his girlfriend, later arrived and entered his home.  Alfieri claimed facial lacerations and a wrist injury among the physical abuse he received as well as emotional distress.  While the department is not admitting liability, Alfieri received $63,500 in the settlement.

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Johnson & Johnson Settles Over Breast Growth Issues in Boys

New kind of bra?

Aron Banks, a 21 year old man was the first person to take Johnson & Johnson to court in Philadelphia after he grew breast tissue while taking the drug Risperdal. Although the Food and Drug Administration approved Risperdal for treating psychotic disorders in adults, this drug has never been approved for children. Steve Sheller, one of Bank’s attorneys claimed that the breasts were large enough to require surgery. Which caused Banks to sustain psychological trauma treatment as a child. When asked about the terms of the settlement, Sheller noted that they were confidential, but that “The case was resolved and the client is satisfied.”

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Hot Coffee, Tort Reform & the Civil Justice System

Hot coffee

 I recently saw a documentary, Hot Coffee. It discusses the idea of tort reform and bogus lawsuits. When one thinks of frivolous lawsuits, the case of Liebeck v. McDonald’s comes to mind.  Stella Liebeck went to McDonald’s with her son.  She was the passenger. After purchasing her coffee in the drive-thru, her son parked the car.  Stella placed the coffee between her legs while she took off the lid.  The 180 degree coffee spilled on her cotton pants absorbing it through the skin. The result was severe 3rd degree burns. Look up pictures and you will be shocked at the damage. The trial uncovered hundreds of past cases and proved that there was no reason to hold the coffee at that temperature. The jury decided to give Ms. Liebeck a few minutes of McDonald’s national coffee sales for her pain & suffering. That figure amounted to roughly $3 million dollars. The verdict was then lowered substantially by the judge; a power passed by the state legislature.

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OMG! One Direction Gets To Keep Their Name!

Not a fan

British boy band One Direction has recently settled with an American punk band of the same name who attempted to sue the band declaring they had the name first. The California-based punk band, who mostly plays local fairs and bars, claim to have been using the name since 2009.  In maybe the least punk-rock move ever, the American One Direction reportedly asked for $1 million dollars and and a percentage of the teenybopper’s future success. The settlement did include a monetary exchange, but the amount remains undisclosed.

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