|
|
|
Courts weighs scrapping huge California water pact
Industry News |
2011/11/21 09:31
|
A vanishing lake figures large in a court battle over how Southern California gets it water, a high-stakes dispute with consequences that could ripple throughout the western United States.
A California appeals court is considering whether to overturn a landmark 2003 agreement that created the nation's largest farm-to-city water transfer and set new rules for dividing the state's share of the Colorado River. A three-judge panel of the 3rd Appellate District in Sacramento will hear arguments Monday and is expected to rule within three months.
Farmers and environmentalists involved in the lawsuit argue the pact is deeply flawed, while California water agencies say it is critical to keeping an uneasy peace on the river. The court has given each side 45 minutes to make its case and asked lawyers to focus on whether the state of California violated its constitution by essentially writing a blank check to restore the shrinking Salton Sea.
California long used more of the Colorado River than it was granted under agreements with Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and Mexico. Its overindulgence was never a big problem until Sunbelt cities like Phoenix witnessed explosive growth and other states clamored for their full share. Drought only exacerbated tensions. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Missouri Supreme Court upholds strip club restrictions
Industry News |
2011/11/16 09:47
|
The Missouri Supreme Court has upheld a 2010 state law imposing restrictions on strip clubs and other sexually oriented businesses.
In a unanimous decision Tuesday, the court rejected claims from the adult entertainment industry that the law infringed on free expression rights and was passed in violation of legislative procedures.
The court said there was enough evidence to support the Legislature's belief that the restrictions served a government interest in minimizing negative effects from sexually oriented businesses.
The law requires sexually themed businesses to close by midnight. It also bans full nudity, alcohol, minors and touching between semi-nude employees and customers.
The Supreme Court's ruling affirms a prior decision by a Cole County judge. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ala. county files for largest municipal bankruptcy
Industry News |
2011/11/10 09:43
|
Alabama’s most populous county filed what became the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history in an effort to retake control of its beleaguered sewer system and wipe away as much of its whopping $4.15 billion in debt as possible.
Jefferson County’s Chapter 9 filing on Wednesday gives it protection from creditors while it develops and negotiates a plan for adjusting its debts. It could accomplish that by extending debt maturities, reducing the amount of principal or interest, or refinancing the debt by obtaining a new loan.
Perhaps the biggest is the potential impact on the county’s 658,000 residents, who could be asked to pay higher sewer rates. Officials say it’s too early to assess the full impact, though bankruptcy filings can lead to layoffs, tax increases, pension reductions for public workers, and spending cuts on things like schools and roads. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
US appeals court upholds Obama health care law
Industry News |
2011/11/08 09:20
|
A conservative-leaning panel of U.S. appellate judges on Tuesday upheld President Barack Obama's health care law as constitutional, helping set up a Supreme Court fight.
A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for Washington issued a split opinion upholding the law. The court agreed to dismiss a Christian legal group's lawsuit claiming the requirement that all Americans get health insurance is unconstitutional and violates religious freedom.
The requirement has been the subject of several lawsuits, with some judges across the country ruling it unconstitutional and others upholding the law. That means the Supreme Court is sure to decide the fate of Obama's signature law. The high court is expected to decide soon, perhaps within days, whether to accept appeals from some of those earlier rulings.
The suit in Washington was brought by the American Center for Law and Justice, a legal group founded by evangelist Pat Robertson. It claimed that the insurance mandate violates the religious freedom of those who choose not to have insurance because they rely on God to protect them from harm. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Saxena White P.A. Files a Securities Fraud Class Action
Industry News |
2011/11/08 09:20
|
Saxena White P.A. announces that it has filed a class action lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on behalf of investors who purchased Agnico-Eagle Mines Limited common stock on the New York Stock Exchange between April 29, 2010 and October 19, 2011, inclusive.
The action charges Agnico-Eagle and certain of its officers with violations of Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder. The Complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, the Company's financial results were artificially inflated by virtue of the fact that the Company concealed material adverse problems present at its Goldex Mine which eventually forced the Company to shut down the mine and write off a $260 million investment in the mine.
On October 19, 2011, Agnico-Eagle issued a press release titled, Agnico-Eagle's Goldex mine to suspend production during investigation and remediation of water inflow and ground stability issue; book value of Goldex to be written off. The Company announced that it was suspending mining operations and gold production at its Goldex mine in Val d'Or, Quebec effective immediately. This unexpected closure forced Company to take a $260 million write off of its investment. This news shocked the market, resulting in an 18.54% decline in the value of Agnico-Eagle's stock on October 19th after the news was revealed. On that day, the shares of Agnico-Eagle closed at $46.51, down $10.59, on unusually high New York Stock Exchange volume.
You may obtain a copy of the complaint and join the class action at www.saxenawhite.com. If you purchased the shares of Agnico-Eagle Mines Limited between the period of April 29, 2010 and October 19, 2011, inclusive, you may contact Joe White or Greg Stone at Saxena White P.A. to discuss your rights and interests.
If you purchased Agnico-Eagle Mines Limited during the Class Period of April 29, 2010 and October 19, 2011, inclusive, and wish to apply to be the lead plaintiff in this action, a motion on your behalf must be filed with the Court no later than January 6, 2012. You may contact Saxena White P.A. to discuss your rights regarding the appointment of lead plaintiff and your interest in the class action. Please note that you may also retain counsel of your choice and need not take any action at this time to be a class member.
Tel: (561) 394-3399
Fax: (561) 394-3382
www.saxenawhite.com |
|
|
|
|
|
|
High court considers Ga. suit over false testimony
Industry News |
2011/11/03 08:45
|
The Supreme Court seemed unlikely on Tuesday to allow employees at a privately run federal prison to be sued by an inmate in federal court, despite his complaint that their neglect left him with two permanently damaged arms.
Justices heard appeals from lawyers representing employees of the GEO Group, formerly known as Wackenhut Corrections Corp, who work at the privately run Taft Correctional Institution in Taft, Calif. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled inmate Richard Lee Pollard could sue GEO officials for his treatment after he fell and fractured both of his elbows.
Pollard said GEO officials put him in a metal restraint that caused him pain, and refused to provide him with a splint, making his injuries worse and causing permanent impairment. He sued in federal court for money, claiming GEO officials had violated the Eighth Amendment prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.
The federal appeals court allowed his lawsuit against the GEO officials to move forward. Courts normally don't allow government employees to be sued in those types of lawsuits, but the high court has authorized some if constitutionally protected rights have been violated by the federal employee and there is no state court remedy. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Court reluctant on plea bargains after sentencing
Industry News |
2011/11/01 10:15
|
The Supreme Court seemed reluctant Monday to allow criminals to ask for a previously offered plea bargain after they've been sentenced, despite the inmates' claim of misconduct by their lawyers including neglecting to tell their clients that a deal had been offered.
Asking judges to go back and figure out on appeal whether a suspect would have taken a plea deal before a trial, whether a judge would have accepted it, whether a prosecutor would have withdrawn it or whether the negotiations would have fallen apart is simply unworkable, said Justice Anthony Kennedy, who is often a tiebreaker votes on divisive issues.
The high court heard appeals from two different sets of prosecutors who had their cases overturned by appeals courts that said criminals were denied their Sixth Amendment effective assistance of counsel because of mistakes during plea negotiations. The Supreme Court has amplified that by saying that counsel's representation must not fall below an objective standard of reasonableness and that there must not be a reasonable probability that, but for counsel's unprofessional errors, the result of the proceedings would have been different.
In the first case, Anthony Cooper's conviction for shooting a woman in the thigh and buttocks after missing a shot to her head was overturned by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati because his lawyer gave him bad advice. His lawyer told him not to take a plea offer that could have had him out of prison in four years, thinking that there could not be a finding that Cooper intended to murder his victim. |
|
|
|
|
|
Legal News RSS Feed
