Timothy Parlatore, a top attorney for Donald Trump, has left the former president’s legal team, becoming the latest lawyer to depart as Trump faces multiple criminal investigations. According to reports, prosecutors have gathered evidence from dozens of witnesses in both cases, many of whom have now testified to grand juries in Washington. Parlatore told The Washington Post that he notified Trump directly of his departure on Tuesday and that his exit "had nothing to do with the underlying case.” The decision was first reported by CNN.
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried is reportedly hoping that a recent US Supreme Court decision on the scope of fraud prosecutions will help his legal case after facing charges linked to the collapse of his cryptocurrency exchange. However, many lawyers are predicting that it will not make much difference and Bankman-Fried's chances of having charges dropped remain slim. Bankman-Fried has requested that most of the charges be dismissed, arguing that some were based on a theory of fraud centered around depriving a victim of economically valuable information rather than tangible property.
A group of 25 US states led by Republicans has asked a federal judge in Texas to scrap a Biden administration rule allowing socially conscious investing by retirement plans. Lawyers contend that it will imperil Americans' retirement savings. Congress voted in March to repeal the rule, but Democratic President Joe Biden rejected the proposal in the first veto of his presidency. The Department of Labor says the rule failed to account for the positive impact of ESG investing can have on returns. The case is with U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a conservative appointee of former Republican President Donald Trump.
Two Miami-based litigation partners, Laura Besvinick and Julie Nevins, have left Stroock & Stroock & Lavan for Clyde & Co. Stroock has suffered from a number of exits, and is rumoured to be considering a merger with Boston-based Nixon Peabody, although both firms have refused to confirm the reports.
Mark Cuban, Dallas Maverick’s owner, has filed two motions with a federal court in Miami, accusing lawyers attempting to sue him for allegedly breaching securities laws by inducing investors to open interest-bearing accounts at a now-bankrupt crypto lending firm Voyager Digital. Cuban’s lawyers at Brown Rudnick and Fowler White Burnett asked U.S. District Judge Roy Altman of Miami to deny a request by lawyers at The Moskowitz Law Firm and Boies Schiller Flexner to file a second amended class action complaint, arguing that plaintiffs and their counsel have engaged in bad-faith litigation. They believe the assertion includes “manufactured” allegations already proven to be false. In a separate motion for sanctions for allegedly prolonging frivolous litigation, Cuban argues that the Moskowitz firm and name partner Adam Moskowitz knew or should have known that neither of their Florida class representatives had a viable claim.
A federal appeals court is considering restricting access to a key abortion medication, which was first approved over two decades ago and has since become part of more than half of US abortions. The three judges on the panel questioned lawyers for the government and the drug manufacturer about why mifepristone could be prescribed by medical professionals other than doctors and why the drug could be sent by mail instead of being dispensed in person. The judges also appeared to accept the suggestion that new restrictions on mifepristone could result in fewer women requiring emergency care following medication-induced abortions. The Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, a Christian conservative group of anti-abortion doctors and others, filed a lawsuit arguing that the FDA improperly cleared the medication for use and later allowed the drug to be mailed, violating federal law. The legal fight around abortion has moved away from laws like Roe v Wade towards questions around medical access to mifepristone, with lawmakers in multiple states limiting and banning the procedure.
A key lawyer for former US President Donald Trump has left the legal team working on a probe into the retention of classified documents. Timothy Parlatore said his departure had nothing to do with Trump and was not a reflection on his view of the Justice Department's investigation, which he has long called misguided and overly aggressive. Other lawyers continue to represent Trump in Washington investigations. Trump is being investigated by the Justice Department special counsel over the possession of hundreds of classified documents at his former home, Mar-a-Lago, and into possible efforts to obstruct that probe.
Supreme Court of Canada hears media arguments against publication ban in Amanda Todd case
CBC
23-05-17 19:42
A group of media companies, including CBC News, Global News, Postmedia, CTV News, Glacier Media, CityNews, the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star, has argued at Canada's Supreme Court that a criminal code's blanket publication ban for jury trials breaches freedom of the press. Such a case could set a precedent for how Canadian courts utilise the code, which is intended to preserve the right to a fair trial by preventing information being broadcast or published in the run-up to a jury delivering its verdict.
Elizabeth Holmes, founder of blood-testing company Theranos, will begin serving her sentence on 30 May, following a failed attempt to remain at liberty while she appeals a conviction for fraud and conspiracy in 2022. Holmes, who gained acclaim and funding for her startup claims while still a teenager, was handed an 11-year sentence and ordered to pay $452m in restitution to investors. Holmes’ co-defendant, former romantic and business partner Ramesh “Sunny,” Balwani is currently serving nearly 13 years in prison after being convicted on 12 fraud and conspiracy charges last month.
Superiors of the Massachusetts Air National Guard member, Jack Teixeira, had raised concerns internally on multiple occasions about his handling or viewing of classified information prior to him being charged with leaking highly-classified military documents. Teixeira was accused of sharing the documents on Discord, a social media platform, and allegedly continued to leak even after being admonished by superiors. The documents appear to detail US and NATO aid to Ukraine and US intelligence assessments regarding US allies.
Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes and former COO Ramesh Balwani have been ordered to repay $125m to Rupert Murdoch as part of their court-ordered restitution of $452m following their conviction for investor fraud. Murdoch invested $100m in the biotech firm between 2014 and 2015 alongside supporters including Bill Clinton and Henry Kissinger. Lawyers for the pair have suggested they do not have the funds to repay the $425m balance. Holmes has failed in an attempt to remain free while appealing her 11-year prison sentence for the fraud.
Several hundred young people, mostly in their 20s, were recruited by San Francisco-based outsourcing company Sama to work in its Nairobi hub moderating Facebook content. In a lawsuit against Sama and Facebook owner Meta, 184 petitioners are alleging human rights violations and wrongful termination of contracts. The case, one of the largest of its kind, has potential global implications for the conditions of tens of thousands of moderators employed to filter out the most toxic material from social media networks. The cases are the first filed outside the US that seek to change through court procedures how moderators of Facebook content are treated. In 2020, Facebook paid out $52m to settle a lawsuit and provide mental health treatment for American content moderators. Many moderators in Kenya who spoke to The Financial Times said the work left them psychologically scarred, plagued by flashbacks and unable to maintain normal social relations.
These Toronto lawyers want South Asian newcomers to know their employment rights
CBC
23-05-18 09:00
The Tareekh Pe Tareekh: Know Your Employment Rights campaign, launched last year by two Toronto lawyers, is helping South Asian newcomers and immigrants learn their rights at work. The organisers produce informational videos in a range of South Asian languages, covering subjects including basic information from the Employment Standards Act, in which workers are advised to identify if they are being exploited. The clips, which have been viewed by thousands of people, have doubled the amount of calls to co-organiser, the South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario, while targeting unpaid wages and the abuse of international student employees.
Judge upholds NDA arbitration clause in Tiger Woods dispute with ex-girlfriend
CNN
23-05-18 13:13
A Florida judge has denied an attempt by Erica Herman, the ex-partner of professional golfer Tiger Woods, to declare a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) unenforceable. Herman had argued that the agreement was void because of allegations of sexual harassment against 15-time major champion Woods. It is alleged that Woods forced Herman to sign the NDA. The new federal law to invalidate the agreement under sexual misconduct allegations was also challenged. Judge Elizabeth Metzger of the 19th Circuit Court in Florida ruled against Herman's claims that the NDA was invalid and unenforceable, allowing the arbitration process to proceed.
Hyundai and Kia have agreed to pay a more than $200m settlement over rampant car thefts of their vehicles. The settlement covers around nine million US owners and includes up to $145m for out-of-pocket losses for consumers who had cars stolen.
A judge in Florida has ruled that Erica Herman, restaurant manager and former girlfriend of Tiger Woods, must follow a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) she was trying to get voided. Herman claimed the NDA was invalid due to a 2022 US law that lowers the enforceability of NDAs in harassment or abuse situations. The judge stated that Herman presented no evidence of sexual misconduct. Herman is attempting to sue Woods and the home trust he ownsfor $30m, claiming that she was locked out of her shared home in Hobe Sound, Florida, after being tricked into packing for a vacation. Woods denied any tenancy agreement was reached. Wednesday’s decision means the case will be heard privately in arbitration. Lawyers for Herman failed to provide any proof of misconduct that would have led to the NDA being made invalid.
Student protesters at Stanford Law School prevented US Circuit Court Judge Kyle Duncan from delivering a guest lecture. Duncan, who is on the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals, had been invited by student organisation the Federalist Society to talk about the impact of his court’s decisions on rulings by the Supreme Court. Liberal students denounced Duncan for allegedly threatening rights of some groups, including LGBTQ+ individuals and black voters. Around 100 protesters jeered the Federalist Society students when they entered the lecture room. A group of between 50 and 70 protesters continued to shout personal insults and use vulgar language to disrupt the speech. Although the law school has guidelines prohibiting disruption, none of the five school administrators present attempted to enforce them. Duncan stated later that he believed the event had been a “setup”.
The ABC could use a new public interest defence to defend itself from a defamation suit brought against it by former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann over a National Press Club address by Brittany Higgins. Lehrmann is suing the ABC for broadcasting the address and publishing a YouTube video. The ABC denies it defamed Lehrmann and argues the proceedings should be dismissed because he didn't meet the legal requirements for a concerns notice prior to filing the lawsuit. The case will test the defences available for live broadcasts.
American photo agency Backgrid has refused a request from lawyers representing Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, to release all footage and images taken during an alleged car chase of the couple on Tuesday night. The request followed a claim from the couple’s representatives that they were followed by photographers for over two hours after leaving an awards ceremony in Manhattan. Backgrid responded to the demand, stating that “property belongs to the owner of it: Third parties cannot just demand it be given to them, as perhaps Kings can do.”
The state of California is looking to take a leaf out of the book of counsels of every other state in America by mandating that lawyers report any misconduct by their peers They must report fraud, misappropriation of funds, and any other criminal acts or conduct that reflect adversely on law practitioners. The new “snitch rule” has been recommended to the California Supreme Court, which has the final say on adoption, by the State Bar of California’s board of trustees. However, almost 200 lawyers have submitted comments opposing the rule, while non-attorneys have predominantly submitted comments in favor of the change.
