Seattle, WA - Highline Medical Center Agrees to Settle Civil Rights Claims

Failed to Provide ASL Interpreter for Patient Recovering from Spine Surgery

Highline Medical Center, in Burien, Washington, a division of CHI Franciscan Health, reached a settlement today to resolve alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), announced U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes.

In 2011, a storm brought hurricane-force winds to the City
of Pasadena (City), uprooting more than 2,000 trees. One of
those trees fell on the home of Sarah and Christopher Dusseault,
causing severe property damage. Before it fell, the tree stood in a
parkway that abuts the Dusseaults’ property. Although the City
owned the tree, there is no record of who planted it.
In 2012

Defendants Barry Coggins and Collette Coggins, doing business as the Cherokee Bear Zoo (collectively, “the Zoo”), keep, care for, and exhibit bears. In 2013, Plaintiffs Peggy Hill and Amy Walker (collectively, “Plaintiffs”) visited the Zoo, and observed four of the Zoo’s bears living in what Plaintiffs believed to be an inhumane setting. In response, Plaintiffs brought the instant suit against the

A jury convicted Hemza Menade Lefsih, an Algerian native who entered the United States through the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, of immigration fraud. During Lefsih’s trial, the district court interjected numerous times, expressing skepticism of the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program and a negative impression of individuals who participate in the program. We find that this judicial intervention

This case calls upon us to reconsider our anomalous rule permitting the pretrial
restraint of a defendant’s innocent property pursuant to the federal criminal forfeiture
statute, 21 U.S.C. § 853. Arguing that the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Luis v.
United States, 136 S. Ct. 1083 (2016), undermined the jurisprudential foundation of our
earlier decisions interpreting that stat

For over a year, Appellant Marlow Humbert languished in pretrial solitary confinement, charged with committing a heinous act of sexual assault. The questionable investigatory strategies of Baltimore City Police Department (“BPD”) officers led to Humbert’s unlawful arrest. Afterwards, the officers failed to inform the State’s Attorney that the victim could not positively identify Humbert and that D

San Juan, PR - Owner of Arecibo Aquarium Business Pleads Guilty to Two Federal Lacey Act Felonies for Illicit Trafficking of Protected Corals

Aristides Sanchez, a resident of Arecibo, Puerto Rico, pleaded guilty on August 23, 2017 to two felony violations of the federal Lacey Act for collecting, purchasing, falsely labeling, and shipping protected marine invertebrate species as part of a

In this appeal we consider whether two plaintiffs, 86-year-old Frederick Mahan
(Fred) and his 79-year-old wife Martha Mahan (Martha),1 have stated a viable claim
under the Elder Abuse and Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act (the Elder Abuse Act or
the Act)2
against Charles W. Chan (Chan), the Charles W. Chan Insurance Agency, Inc.
(the Chan Agency), Omar Kaddoura (Kaddoura), C

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act,
a parent of a child with a disability can bring administrative
and judicial proceedings to challenge a school district’s
alleged violations of the Act, and, if the parent emerges as “a
prevailing party,” the parent is then eligible for an award of
attorneys’ fees. 20 U.S.C. § 1415(i)(3)(B). This case
presents the questi

Ken Kho filed a claim for unpaid wages with the California Labor Commissioner
(commissioner) against his former employer, OTO, L.L.C., doing business as One Toyota
of Oakland (hereafter One Toyota). After settlement discussions failed, One Toyota filed
a petition to compel arbitration. Under the arbitration agreement, which One Toyota
required Kho to execute without explanation dur

In this appeal from a suit to modify the parent-child relationship, Elicia Bailey, acting
pro se, appeals from the trial court’s final order that appointed Jeremy Gasaway the sole managing
conservator of the parties’ child, appointed Bailey possessory conservator with child support
obligations, and limited Bailey’s access and possession of the child to supervised visitation at
spec

Appellants, Jessica Parker Valentine and Bryan L. Parker (the “Parkers”), challenge the trial court’s order granting the motion of appellee, Interactive Brokers LLC (“IB”), to vacate an arbitration award. In two issues, the Parkers contend that the trial court erred in vacating the award.
2
We affirm.
Background
In their Second Amended Statement of Claim, the Parkers, pursuant to t

Springfield, MO - Two Detroit Men Sentenced for Robbing Springfield Jewelry Store

Two Detroit, Mich., men were sentenced in federal court on August 17, 2017 for robbing a Springfield, Mo., jewelry store.

Justin B. Anderson, 33, and Mark Anthone Pitts, 32, both of Detroit, were sentenced in separate appearances before U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips. Anderson and Pitts were each

Austin, TX - Two Aryan Brotherhood Members Sentenced to Federal Prison for 2016 Burleson County Carjacking

In Austin today, a federal judge sentenced Aryan Brotherhood members Roy Ates, Jr., and Chad Ryan Smith, to 180 months and 160 months in federal prison, respectively, for their roles in a 2016 Burleson County (TX) carjacking that resulted in the serious bodily injury to the owner of

Regency Corporation operated forprofit
cosmetology schools in 20 states. Each Regency Beauty
Institute offered both classroom instruction and practical
instruction in a “Regency Salon,” where members of the
public could receive cosmetology services at low prices.
Venitia Hollins was a Regency student, first at its Merrillville,
2 No. 15‐3607
Indiana, location, and

Union Pacific Railroad challenges
the legal authority of the Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission to continue an enforcement action after issuing
a right to sue letter and subsequent resolution of the underlying
charges of discrimination in a private lawsuit. The EEOC
petitioned the district court to enforce its subpoena for Union
Pacific’s employment records related to

The plaintiff in this case wants a
new trial based on a jury instruction he agreed to and admission
of two exhibits to which he did not object on the grounds
he argues on appeal. The plaintiff waived at trial the arguments
he raises on appeal, so we affirm the judgment of the
district court.
2 No. 14-2478
I. Factual and Procedural History
Plaintiff Walker has lived

Los Angeles, CA - ‘Shot-Caller’ of Boyle Heights Gang Controlled by Mexican Mafia Sentenced to 15-Year Prison Term in Federal Racketeering Case

One of the leaders of the Hazard street gang – a Mexican Mafia-controlled criminal enterprise that has been responsible for criminal activity in and around the Ramona Gardens housing complex in Boyle Heights for decades – was sentenced today to 15

In 2015, Dioka Okorie (Okorie) sued his employer, Los
Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and two of his
supervisors, Jacqueline Hughes (Hughes) and Cynthia
Jackson (Jackson) (collectively, Defendants), alleging, among
other things, discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.
In response, Defendants filed a special motion to strike the
complaint pursuant to section 425

Miami, FL - Marc Anton and Michael Thakur of the Southern District of Florida, with the assistance of the Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Counsel Steve Curran and National Security Division’s Trial Attorney Taryn Meeks.

James Gonzalo Medina pleaded guilty today to a federal hate crime for attempting to attack an Aventura, Florida synagogue, and to a charge of attempting to use

Detroit, MI - Volkswagen Senior Manager Pleads Guilty in Connection with Conspiracy to Cheat U.S. Emissions Tests

The former general manager of Volkswagen AG’s (VW) U.S. Environment and Engineering Office, who was a senior aide to VW’s head of engine development, pleaded guilty on August 4, 2017 for his role in violating the Clean Air Act in connection with VW’s sales of “clean diesel” ve

Ann Arbor, MI - Former FCA Executive Pleads Guilty in Scheme to Pay Off UAW Officials

A former financial analyst at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles US LLC (FCA) entered a guilty plea on August 8, 2017.

Jerome Durden, 61, of Rochester, Michigan pleaded guilty before United States District Court Judge John Corbett O’Meara in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

According to court records, Durd

Hattie Mae Tanner, who was convicted of
murder in 2000, argues that the district court erred by denying habeas relief on two grounds.
>
No. 15-1691 Tanner v. Yukins Page 2
First, Tanner argues that the Michigan Supreme Court unreasonably applied Ake v. Oklahoma,
470 U.S. 68 (1985), when it held that the trial court properly denied Tanner’s trial counsel
funding for a serolo

Litigation under the Public Records Act (PRA) (Gov. Code,1 § 6250 et seq.) is
one of the rare instances where a losing party may still be deemed a prevailing party
entitled to an attorney fee award. This is because the plaintiff has prevailed within the
meaning of the PRA when he or she files an action that "results in defendant releasing a
copy of a previously withheld document."

Concord, NH - Manchester Man Fined $40,000 for Filing False VISA Applications

Rohit Saksena, 42, of Manchester, New Hampshire, was sentenced on August 9, 2017 to serve three years of probation and pay a $40,000 fine for filing false visa applications.

According to court documents, Saksena is the president and chief executive officer of Saks IT Group LLC, a company based in Manche