Jury finds racism in deputy's case;

Black supervisors in the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department were acting out of racism when they called a group of Latino deputies the "Mexican Mafia" and disciplined a member, jurors found Thursday.

Angel Jaimes, a 19-year veteran of the department, was harassed because of his Mexican origin by his supervisors, who, according to testimony, said the station "was run by Mexicans and they were going to change that," the panel concluded.

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Posted by Phoenix Arizona Personal Injury Attorneys and Lawyers

Paralegal Pleads Guilty to Taking $1.7 Million From Firm

A former paralegal at a South Windsor, Conn., law firm has pleaded guilty to stealing $1.7 million from her employer to pay her gambling debts.

Patricia Baddeley-Meehan of Ellington, Conn., admitted in her plea Thursday that she took the money between 2003 and 2007 from her employers, the Berman & Russo law firm.

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Posted by Phoenix Auto Accident Lawyers

Asking for Details of Workers' Illness Causes a Legal Migraine for Employers

A recent lawsuit against retail chain Dillard's Inc. is highlighting what some claim is a growing problem in the workplace: employers asking too much information about workers' illnesses when asked for sick leave.

In the Dillard's case, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claims that one California store required employees to reveal the specific nature of their illness in order to deem sick leave as an excused absence. The EEOC argues that this policy violates the Americans With Disability Act (ADA). EEOC v. Dillard's, No. 08-CV-1780 (S.D. Calif.).

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Posted by Phoenix Arizona DUI Attorneys

Ore. Court Rules Frozen Embryos Can Be Destroyed

PORTLAND Ore.

The Oregon Court of Appeals has ordered six frozen embryos destroyed after ruling they can be treated as personal property in a divorce.

The court ruled unanimously on Wednesday that an agreement leaving the final decision up to the ex-wife must be followed.

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Posted by Phoenix Arizona DUI Attorneys

Conn. High Court Rules Same-Sex Couples Can Marry

Connecticut's Supreme Court has ruled that same-sex couples have the right to marry, making that state the third behind Massachusetts and California to legalize such unions.

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Posted by Phoenix Construction Site Accident Lawyer

Gravett & Gravett: Divorce Attorneys Who Help Couples Save Their Marriages

When most people think of divorce attorneys, they imagine lawyers who work with people to dissolve their marriages. However, a law firm in New York state, Gravett & Gravett, goes a step further: they help troubled couples to try to save their marriages.

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Posted by Phoenix Arizona DUI Attorneys

Sex offenders sue over Halloween restrictions law says Stay at home, post sign, no candy for kids. ACLU says Limits are too vague and add punishment.

St. Louis - Four Missouri sex offenders are challenging a new state law that confines them to their darkened homes on Halloween and restricts them from contact with children that night.

Their lawyer says the law leaves them uncertain of whether they can even costume their own children or grandchildren.

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Posted by Phoenix Arizona Personal Injury Attorneys and Lawyers

Supreme Court Opens Term With Tobacco Case

On the opening day of its fall term, the Supreme Court jumped right into a controversial case in which tobacco companies are seeking to block litigation in state courts over health claims made about "light" cigarettes. By the end of Monday's hourlong arguments in Altria Group v. Good, most justices appeared to agree with Altria -- the parent company of Philip Morris -- that the federal cigarette labeling law pre-empts state tort suits like the one before the Court. In August 2007, the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled that the suit, in which a group of Maine smokers allege that claims of reduced tar and nicotine were false, was not pre-empted.

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Posted by Phoenix Construction Site Accident Lawyer

Walgreens Loses Bid to Block Ban on Tobacco Sales

A San Francisco law banning the sale of tobacco products in pharmacies, possibly the first of its kind in the country, will go into effect today after surviving an attempt by Walgreens to halt it.

The Deerfield, Ill., company had sought a preliminary injunction Tuesday in Superior Court, arguing that its suit challenging the law is likely to succeed and that its stores would suffer millions of dollars in lost revenue in the meantime.

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Posted by Phoenix Wrongful Death Lawyer