All articles tagged with #law
Judge Jacqueline Becerra granted a preliminary injunction, ruling FIU likely violated the First Amendment by disciplining seven students who silently protested FIU’s ICE partnership; the court blocked enforcement of the indoor 'expressive activities' ban and paused disciplinary actions, noting the protest did not disrupt the event. The case, involving the FIU ICEBreakers, continues as campus free-speech protections remain at issue.
Raquel Lee Bolleau, a former child actor, filed a Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit against Walt Disney Co. alleging a middle-aged Disney employee repeatedly raped and supplied alcohol to her when she was 14 during the 2001 film The Poof Point, with abuse said to be visible on set and not intervened. The suit claims Disney executives blamed her for the deterioration of her health and canceled a future role, and it frames the case as part of a broader pattern of failures tied to Weinstein and a convicted coach. Disney denies the allegations.
A Penn State cocaine-trafficking investigation led to the withdrawal of Thomas Robinson's admission to New England Law Boston, despite a full-tuition O’Connor scholarship; authorities say he was a supplier in a fraternity drug operation, and his father—an attorney—faces related charges in the case.
The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned most of a $130,000 judgment against James O’Keefe and Project Veritas tied to a 2016 undercover video of Democracy Partners, ruling that publishing footage obtained by subterfuge isn’t protected by the First Amendment and that much of the harm stemmed from lawful undercover reporting elsewhere; the court wiped out the large damages and may have reduced the award to a nominal amount, a decision welcomed by O’Keefe and prompting consideration of next steps by Creamer’s attorney.
A Texas appeals court reduced Alex Jones’s $50 million verdict for claiming the Sandy Hook mass shooting was a hoax to $1.5 million, saying the harassment evidence didn’t exceed the state’s $750,000 cap. The Connecticut judgment remains at about $1.4 billion. Jones has sought bankruptcy protection and Infowars may be leased to The Onion’s Global Tetrahedron as part of efforts to fund judgments, while the Supreme Court previously declined to hear the larger award.
A jury ruled that The New York Times defamed an Alabama college football player in a defamation lawsuit, delivering a verdict against the newspaper regarding statements about the player.
A Texas-born baby with hypoplastic left heart syndrome is at the center of a multi-state surrogate custody fight. The surrogate, McKenna West, says her decision to carry the child isn’t political theater and emphasizes giving the infant a chance at life after a Norwood procedure, amid ongoing court battles across Alaska, California, and Texas over parental rights and the child’s medical care.
The Justice Department asked the Sixth Circuit to revive criminal charges against Kilmar Ábrego García that a district judge dismissed as vindictive, arguing the indictment rested on evidence and the law—not retaliation for his deportation dispute. The charges arise from a 2022 Tennessee traffic stop, and Ábrego’s defense contends the case was politically motivated, while prosecutors maintain the indictment was properly pursued.
Unions (including UAW and AFT) and college groups are suing DHS in Massachusetts to block a final rule that would cap international students’ stay in the US at four years, require extensions, and also limit J-1 exchange visitors to four years and I visas to 240 days. The plaintiffs argue the rule violates the Administrative Procedure Act and failed to adequately weigh costs or respond to public comments, potentially hurting colleges and the US’s global talent competitiveness; they seek a preliminary injunction before the September 15 effective date.
A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from relocating the FBI headquarters to the Reagan Building in Washington, D.C. and from redirecting funds intended for the Greenbelt site after it was chosen by the GSA, ruling the move violates the Administrative Procedure Act and would cause irreparable harm to Maryland and Prince George’s County, effectively nullifying the relocation plan.
A baby named Rumi, born via surrogacy in Texas and diagnosed prenatally with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, underwent a Norwood procedure as part of a multistate legal battle over care and custody between the surrogate and the child’s biological parents. The Texas attorney general had sought a court order to ensure lifesaving treatment, while the parents insist they always prioritized the child’s health and privacy, with Rumi recovering in Texas under medical care.
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear President Trump’s bid to overturn a jury verdict awarding $5 million to writer E. Jean Carroll for alleged sexual abuse and defamation, after he sought reconsideration of a June ruling. The court rarely grants such requests, and Trump has already paid the award plus interest. He also faces a separate defamation appeal over an $83 million judgment, linked to immunity questions, with a decision not expected until later this year.
The Supreme Court declined to reconsider Trump’s bid to avoid paying about $5.6 million to E. Jean Carroll after a 2023 civil verdict, leaving the Carroll judgment intact and tying into a separate 2024 defamation award of $83.3 million; the court gave no reasons for the denial, and the immunity argument was not central to this appeal.
A coalition of 29 state attorneys general led by California accuses Meta of harmful design choices on Facebook and Instagram and COPPA violations, seeking nationwide injunctive relief and changes to age-verification, reporting, and algorithms. A California victory could force sweeping platform redesigns with major implications for ad revenue and AI investment, and is described as potentially 'astronomical' in scale by opponents and observers.
Netflix has asked a California federal judge to dismiss Tyra Banks’ defamation suit over the ANTM documentary Reality Check, arguing the film fairly presents Banks’s perspective and the documentary’s directors thoroughly interviewed participants. Banks alleges she was manipulated into participating and that only a fragment of her lengthy interview was used to create a misleading narrative, seeking damages and a jury trial. Netflix says it stands by the documentary and will vigorously defend it, and Banks’ side has urged Netflix to release the full unedited footage for viewers to judge. The case touches on sensitive topics from the show’s legacy to a contestant’s alleged assault, and production was paused for harassment training; the matter remains unresolved as the legal battle continues.