Miscellaneous Documents and Cases
D.A.R.E. Sues Reporter for False Article
D.A.R.E., an anti-drug group, is suing former associate editor of The New Republic, Stephen Glass, for writing a defamatory article about the organization. Glass was fired by The New Republic in May after he admitted to making up facts in at least 27 of the 41 articles he wrote for the periodical. D.A.R.E. filed suit on June 29, 1998 accusing Glass of "invent[ing] facts, people and scenarios, falsely describing them in detail" in two articles Glass wrote on D.A.R.E.
DNA Tests Link Albert to Sex Accuser
The results of DNA tests conducted by a Virginia Crime lab have linked NBC sportscaster Marv Albert to a woman who has accused him on sexual assault and sodomy. Here are the DNA test results, released August 11, 1997.
Documents Related to the Issue of Cameras in the Courts
Nuclear Weapons Hearings at the World Court
FBI Ends Investigation of Jewell in Olympic Bombing Case
NFL Player Alleges Retailiation for Past Discrimination Suit
Bryan Cox, a linebacker with the Chicago Bears football team, alleges that the National Football League singled him out for excessive fines in retaliation for a Title VII claim he filed in 1994. In the earlier litigation, Cox successfully compelled the League to institute a policy of ejecting fans whose behavior is racially offensive. Here is the May 21, 1997 complaint.
NY Knicks Make Move on a Different Court
Four members of the New York Knicks basketball team went to court May 16, 1997 after being
suspended for leaving the bench when a brawl broke out during
Game 5 of their playoff series with the Miami Heat. A federal judge
denied the players' request for a TRO barring NBA Commissioner
David Stern from enforcing the suspension pending a review by
one of two NBA arbitrators. Patrick Ewing, Allan Houston,
Larry Johnson and John Starks brought the suit with the NBA
Players' Association. Charlie Ward, also suspended, was not
involved in the suit.
NY Yankees v. Major League Baseball
The New York Yankees baseball team and Adidas, a sports wear manufacturer, filed suit in
Florida federal court May 6, 1997 against the other twenty-seven major league baseball teams and their licensing agencies. They alleged that major league
baseball acted illegally to restrain competition in licensing arrangements for apparel featuring team trademarks.
Lawyers v. NCAA
The Trial Lawyers for Public
Justice allege that an NCAA discriminates against minorities by
requiring a minimum score of 820 on the SAT to participate in college
athletics as a freshman. This is the Jan. 13, 1996 class action
complaint.
Alejandre v. Republic Of Cuba
This is one of three suits filed by families of men killed when the Cuban Air Force shot down two civilian aircraft on Feb. 24, 1996. The suits, filed on October 31, 1996, allege violations of the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act and the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996. The same counsel filed similar complaints on behalf of the families of Carlos Alberto Costa and Mario de la Pena, also killed in the incident.
Survivors of Nazi Regime Sue Swiss Banks for Seized Assets
Owners of assets looted by the Nazi regime, slave laborers forced to work under the Nazis and depositors to a number of Swiss banks filed a class action suit October 21, 1996 against three Swiss banks. The plaintiffs allege that the banks conspired to launder and conceal Nazi assets in violation of Swiss federal banking laws and international neutrality agreements.
Teamsters President Sues Jimmy Hoffa Jr. for Libel
Ron Carey, General President of the Teamsters union, claims that he was libelled by
James Hoffa, Jr., his opponent in an upcoming union election. Carey alleges in a suit filed
September 25, 1996 that the defendants have repeatedly published false claims that
Carey's alleged ownership of $2 million in UPS stock caused him to negotiate a contract
more favorable to the company than to the union membership.
"Dole Man" Letter
"Soul Man," a song written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter, has been popularized by the likes of Sam and Dave and the Blues Brothers. Hoping some of the song's popularity would rub off on them, the Dole campaign changed the song's chorus to "...I'm a Dole man..." and played it extensively at rallies. In a letter dated August 29, 1996, Rondor Music International, Inc., which owns the rights to the song, asks the Dole-Kemp campaign to stop using "Soul Man" without permission. Rondor says they "find it particularly shocking that someone who aspires to hold the highest elected office in this country would so flagrantly disregard the exclusive rights granted to authors by the United States Constitution." Without conceding that it had violated Rondor's rights, the Dole campaign has agreed to stop using the song.
Church Burning Civil Suit
On June 21, 1995, the Macedonia Baptist Church in Bloomville, South Carolina burned to the ground. In a suit filed August 22, 1996 against the Christian Knights of the Ku Klux Klan-Invisible Empire and four of its members who were indicted for their involvement in the church fire, the church alleges that the fire was racially-motivated and designed to intimidate the Church's congregation, disrupt its activities, and discourage it from holding property in the area.
Is Vegetarianism A Religious Belief?
Vegetarianism is a religious belief under Title VII according to this
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission determination in the case
of a vegetarian bus driver who refused to personally distribute
coupons for free hamburgers to his passengers.
Defending a Freeman
Former federal prosecutor Peter Robinson is defending alleged Freeman John Patrick McGuire, who is charged with threatening two Sonoma County, California judges and illegal possession of firearms by an ex-felon. Robinson was Court TV's guest
Aug. 20, 1996, for a live event in America Online's Odeon Center Stage. The following is a transcript.
Olympic Bombing Lawsuit
A bystander at the recent bombing of a concert presented in
connection with the Atlanta Olympic Games is suing AT&T; (the
sponsor of the park), Richard Jewell (the security guard who first
noticed the suspicious package), the company contracted to provide
security in the concert area, and the organizers of the Games. The
complaint cites the lack of warning given to bystanders during the 25
minute period between the report of a suspicious object and the
explosion. The complaint also accuses the defendants of failing to
properly conduct background checks on new applicants for security
positions.
Should Convicted Killer Profit?
Should the killer of Polly Klaas make money from her death?
California Attorney General Daniel Lungren filed this suit against
Richard Allen Davis under the state's Son of Sam law. Lungren seeks
$4,000 that Davis was to be paid by "Hard Copy," a syndicated
television news program. "Hard Copy" officials said the fee was for
use of still photos of the killer, not a fee for granting an interview
recently taped with the killer in the Santa Clara Jail. Funds
recovered by the suit would be placed in trust for the family of Polly
Klaas.
Aping the Ape Man
This action, filed Aug. 6, 1996, arises out of the defendants' apparent unauthorized creation, distribution and selling of "Jungle Heat," a pornographic movie allegedly based on the plaintiff's world famous Tarzan and Jane characters. The "defendants' 'Jungle Heat' film is nothing more than a lewd, vulgar and highly offensive film[,] . . . " according to the heirs of the creator of "Tarzan, the Ape Man."
Ownership of Stolen Nazi Art
The descendants of a husband and wife murdered in concentration camps during World War II are suing to regain artwork stolen as spoils of war. Daniel Searle bought Landscape with Smokestacks, a pastel by Edgar Degas, for $850,000 in 1987. Searle has allegedly refused to return the Degas. The plaintiffs allege that Searle took inadequate precutions to ensure that the 1987 seller had clear title to the work.
Wisconsin Company Files Libel Suit Against Catholic Newspaper
Briggs & Stratton Corporation, a manufacturer of small engines operating in the Milwaukee area for the last 87 years, filed this libel suit against a weekly newspaper called the National Catholic Reporter. The newspaper published articles on possible layoffs at the company that included references to the morality of the executives making the decision and quotes that allegedly suggested that the company would be responsible for increased crime and divorce and the exploitation of female Mexican workers who might be used in new facilities.
"Natural Born Killers" on Trial
A Louisiana woman left paralyzed by a robber who shot her after watching "Natural Born Killers" claims Hollywood is partly to blame. Patsy Byers was working at the Time Saver store when 18-year-old Sarah Edmondson came in, shot her and stole money from the cash register. Edmondson later told police that she and her boyfriend Benjamin Darrus took drugs and went on a shooting spree after repeatedly watching the Oliver Stone movie. In her lawsuit, Byers' claims Stone, Warner Bros. and several other defendants knew or should have known that the movie "would cause and inspire people such as the defendants to commit crimes." The case has pitted best-selling novelist John Grisham against Stone. Grisham has urged lawsuits against the movie, claiming it glamorizes casual mayhem and bloodlust. Grisham was friends with Bill Savage, a businessman fatally shot by Edmondson and Darrus.
California Court Rejects "Three Strikes" Rule
In this June 20, 1996 ruling, the California Supreme Court gave judges the power to ignore the state's "three strikes and you're out" rule. The court said judges should be allowed to retain their authority to consider different factors when imposing a sentence.
China Weapons Smuggling Case
A federal grand jury has indicted 14 people and a Georgia company in a scheme to smuggle several million dollars worth of automatic weapons into the United States from China. The indictment came after federal agents smashed an arms smuggling ring that they said involved two government-run Chinese munitions firms. This press release and affidavit outline the building of the government's case.
Judge Blasts Simpson Prosecutors, Legal Profession
U.S. Appeals Judge Stephen Reinhardt decries "the serious erosion in the way America views two of its most respected and essential institutions -- the bench and the bar." He cites the political pressure placed on Judge Baer to reverse his ruling in a search and seizure drug case as an example of the "inexcusable attacks on the independence of the judiciary by our political leaders."
Judge Reinhardt also blasts Marcia Clark and Christopher Darden for trying to profit from the O.J. Simpson trial after botching the case with "some of the most bizarre trial tactics employed in the history of American jurisprudence." Here is the June 4, 1996, speech that he delivered before the Beverly Hills Bar Association.
Political Attacks Prompt Federal Judge To Resign
This is the resignation letter U.S. Court of Appeals Judge H. Lee Sarokin submitted to President Clinton on June 4, 1996.
"It is apparent that there are those who have decided to "Willie Hortonize" the federal judiciary, and that I am to be one of their prime targets. As a result, I expect that my decisions will continue to be used against you and others in the upcoming campaign, but I cannot and will not alter them because they might. I had intended to remain on the court so long as I was physically and mentally able, but the constant politicization of my tenure has made that lifetime dream impossible for me.," the judge wrote.
Republican presidential candidate Robert Dole had targeted Sarokin for a ruling he made as a federal trial judge in 1991, in favor of a homeless man who was ejected from a public library because of poor hygiene.
Federal Judge Removes Himself from Drug Case
Federal Judge Harold Baer has removed himself from the case that landed him at the center of a national controversy. The judge's decision to throw out $4 million worth of narcotics seized from a defendant's car was criticized by President Clinton and politicans from both parties. The judge later reversed himself, allowing the narcotics evdience to be used at trial. In this opinion and order, he denied a defense motion that he disqualify himself, and then recused himself.
Flight 103 Victims Sue Libya
The victims and victims' families of Pan American Flight 103 filed this lawsuit against the Libyan government for its alleged role in the 1988 terrorist bombing of the plane over Scotland.
ABC's Hatchet Job
A recent ABC special took a careful (and critical) look at the legal profession. It's hardly surprising that lawyers are bristling. Was the report objective? A group of attorneys has some doubts.
A Witch Hunt in Georgia?
This is a motion for a new trial in a slander case officials of the Nigerian Christian Church in Georgia. The church leaders called six immigrants "witches" in public. The plaintiffs claim that this caused them and their families to be shunned by the community.
The initial proceeding ended in a $3 million judgment against the church.
A Screenwriter's Divorce
In the divorce settlement of Joseph Eszterhas -- the Hollywood screenwriter whose work includes "Basic Instinct" and "Showgirls," -- and his wife, the issue arises as to whether story "ideas" can be considered community property. Mrs. Eszterhas claims that a screenplay called "Foreplay," sold after the divorce property settlement had been completed, was based on a screenplay and a one-paragraph treatment that Mr. Eszterhas wrote before their separation. She asks that the proceeds from the sale of "Foreplay" should be considered part of the pre-separation property. Mr. Eszterhas contends that since ideas are not copyrightable, they cannot be considered property, and more to the point, not community property. The following is Mr. Eszterhas's Nov. 2, 1995 trial brief.
The Ren and Stimpy Show
The cartoon characters of the Ren and Stimpy Show are the subject of a $100 million lawsuit against MTV and its parent company Viacom.
In the following complaint, the characters' creator, John Kricfalusi, alleges the defendants intentionally entered into licensing agreements that continue into the period of his company's exclusive merchandising rights.
Proctor & Gamble: Satanism
In this complaint, Procter & Gamble alleges that an Amway salesman defamed P&G; and promoted a boycott of P&G; products by circulating rumors associating P&G; with satanism.
Attached exhibits include the transcript of a message left on the Amway voicemail system saying that the president of P&G; appeared on the Phil Donahue show and stated that "a large portion of the profits from the Procter & Gamble products go to support his satanic church."
The Sperm King Case
In this complaint, the operator of a New York City sperm bank claims he was libeled by New York Magazine in an article entitled "The Sperm King." In the article, the operater is quoted calling state-mandated employee certification a "joke" and describing himself as being "above the law."
Militias In America
This is the Anti-Defamation League's state-by-state report on militia-style groups. The report, written following the Oklahoma City Bombing, analyzes militia-style groups in forty states.
Cali Cartel Indictment
This is the federal indictment of 59 alleged Cali cocaine cartel operatives. It charges that three lawyers in Miami secured false affidavits, used drug money and helped convey threats against cartel enemies.
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