Strauss v. Horton
Gay couples sue to block enforcement of California's Proposition 8 ban on same-sex marriage, saying it "strike[s] directly" at constitutional rights of equal protection.
Authors Guild v. Google
Google agrees to pay authors and publishers $125 million as part of a "historic" settlement of class action suits involving online access to books through Google Book Search.
Steele v. TBS
Boston-area musician sues Jon Bon Jovi and others for $400 billion, alleging the rocker's song "I Love This Town" is a ripoff of a "love song" he wrote for "his beloved Red Sox."
• Cookbook author Missy Chase Lapine, allegedly slandered by Jerry Seinfeld, says she has "never felt so frightened and vulnerable as the day my daughter, 7 years old, came home from school and asked, "Mom, what is an assassin?" Seinfeld had joked on the "David Letterman Show" that "if you read history, many of the three-name people do become assassins.” Lapine v. Seinfeld
• North Carolina Court of Appeals refuses to issue an injunction requiring pop singer Clay Aiken to endorse a book about him. "Our courts cannot be used to force celebrities or their family or friends into making endorsements for another person's profit." Holleman v. Aiken
• Iowa Court of Appeals affirms the liability of a school district for failing to take adequate steps to prevent the physically aggressive behavior of a high-school basketball player. Andrew McSorley struck an opposing player in the head with his elbow during a game in 2004.
Brokaw v. Winfield-Mt. Union Community
Sch. Dist.
• Illinois middle school student wants the termination of a teacher who allegedly told other students to slap her for being inattentive "and, in fact, the other students slapped the minor plaintiff in the head."
Torres v. Valley View Community Sch. Dist. 365U
• Florida Supreme Court declines to recognize the tort of false light invasion of privacy. "[T]he benefit of recognizing the tort, which only offers a distinct remedy in relatively few unique situations, is outweighed by the danger of unreasonably impeding constitutionally protected speech ..." Jews for Jesus v. Rapp
• Actor David Duchovny denies having any Californication with a tennis instructor and sues a British newspaper for saying he did. "Daily Mail has caused substantial harm to Duchovny, in complete disregard of the truth and of even a semblance of journalistic integrity." Duchovny v. Daily Mail
• Kentucky settles a political blogger's free-speech suit, agreeing to only block access to blogs on state-owned computers "if pursuant to a reasonable, viewpoint-neutral standard that applies equally to all websites, whether or not those websites can be described as 'blogs.'" Nickolas v. Fletcher
• News service researching a 1964 auto accident involving John McCain files a Freedom of Information Act suit seeking U.S. Navy hospital records. "The personal history and military career of a Presidential candidate are matters of high importance to the American public." National Security News Service v. U.S. Dept. of the Navy
• Civil liberties group challenges the new federal law shielding phone companies from liability for cooperating in warrantless wiretapping. "At stake are the privacy rights of every American ..." In re NSA Telecom Records Litigation
• Louisiana appeals court rules that a marriage between first cousins in Iran "is valid in Louisiana and is not a violation of a strong public policy." Ghassemi v. Ghassemi
Motel Found Liable for Kids' Viewing of Hardcore Porn
A Tennessee woman who thought her children were safe watching the Disney Channel when she left them in a motel room has won $85,000 in damages from the motel for failing to prevent them from accessing a hardcore porn channel.
A Los Angeles Superior Court jury found the Value Lodge motel of Artesia liable for the psychological trauma the two daughters, aged 8 and 9, of Edwina McCombs suffered as a result of seeing what her lawyers described as “hardcore pornography with close-up images of people engaged in various homosexual sexual acts.”
McCombs's witnesses included a forensic psychologist who testified that the children would need another two years of therapy and a hotel management expert who said the motel was negligent in not using a “menu” system to avert unexpected exposure to the adult channel on its in-room cable TV.
The jury's award, consisting of $65,000 in economic damages and $20,000 for emotional distress, may be the first of its kind against a hotel or motel. “If hotels don’t have lock-outs that prevent young children from being involuntarily subjected to pornography, they will be liable,” said plaintiff's co-counsel Eliot F. Krieger.
After checking into the Value Lodge, McCombs, who was vacationing in Southern California, put the Disney Channel on for her daughters while she used the bathroom. As they tried to switch to “Nickelodeon or whatever,” Krieger told Adult Video News, they found the porn on Channel 12.
“We don't know how long they were watching, but for some period of time, because mom hears a knock on the door and one of the kids says, 'Mom, there's something terribly wrong,'” Krieger said.
The motel claimed to have posted signs informing guests they could have the adult channel turned off by the front desk, but plaintiff's expert Alan Snyder told the jury he had never been to a family-type motel that offered direct access to porn.
The psychologist, Dr. Michael Perrotti of Yorba Linda, Calif., testified that a child’s mind is like the hard drive of a computer and that pornographic images, once implanted, are difficult to remove.
That testimony sounds like a bit of a stretch –- according to AVN, there are no peer-reviewed studies of the effects on young children of viewing sexually explicit material. Some online commenters on the case, moreover, have questioned McCombs's parenting.
“Whatever happened to personal and parental responsibility?” asked one. “I would never leave my kids with full access to a hotel TV without checking what was on all channels and making sure the desk knew no porn was allowed in my room for the duration of my stay.”
But if there is a standard of care for in-room cable, the Value Lodge certainly seems to have fallen below it. And the defense was willing to settle the case for $50,000.
“It's just $30,000 more. We're OK,” defense attorney Max C. Chiang said of the verdict.
The failure of wildlife officials in Utah to warn campers of the “known risk” of a specific bear makes them liable for the fatal mauling of an 11-year-old boy, the parents of Samuel Ives argue in court papers. more
Is There Room on Web for Two "Funky" Chicks?
In a colorful legal battle between “personal” bloggers, “Funky Brown Chick” will have to show more than surface similarities between her eponymous website and “funkyblackchick.com” to prevail on her trademark infringement claims. more
Manager Blames Movie for Use of Racial Slur
A former Wyeth Pharmaceuticals manager says she wasn't expressing racial bias when she described herself as the “head nigger in charge” in front of an African-American employee -– she just had the phrase “fresh in my mind” after seeing the movie “Lean on Me.”
more
Dirty Dancer Settles with Town -- to Tune of $275K
After a six-year legal battle over dirty dancing, a North Carolina town has agreed to pay $275,000 to a woman whom it had banned from its community center because of her “sexual gyrations.”
more
Careless Cart Loading Alleged in Death Case
Florida premises liability law appears to be generous enough toward plaintiffs that Home Depot could be held liable for the death of a customer who was allegedly struck by an overloaded shopping cart being pushed by another customer.
more
Parents, Hospital Clash over Meaning of Death
A legal showdown over the meaning of death pits an ultra-Orthodox Jewish couple who believe there is life while the heart still beats against the Washington, D.C., hospital which wants to remove their brain-dead son from life support.
more
Plaintiff in God Lawsuit Appeals to Higher Power
Despite having no earthly hope of prevailing, Nebraska State Sen. Ernie Chambers has appealed to a higher legal power in his lawsuit against God, which was dismissed because he has not served the defendant. more
Staring at Breasts Not Harassment, Says Jury
The former administrator of Grafton, Mass., did not sexually harass his secretary by staring at her breasts, a jury has ruled, apparently agreeing with the defense that his eye movements were “normal mannerisms” caused by a medical condition. more
Penis Pump Judge's Staff Settle Claims for $340K
The misconduct of former Creek County District Judge Donald Thompson, who masturbated with a penis pump while presiding over trials, has ended up costing Oklahoma taxpayers $340,000 in settlements of lawsuits filed by two of his employees. more
No Coddling for Colleges That Coddle Athletes?
Civil rights plaintiffs have won another victory in a case involving the coddling of college athletes as a judge ruled that a rape victim can sue former Arizona State University football coach Dirk Koetter for putting her in danger she would otherwise not have faced. more
Priest's Affair Said to Breach Duty as Confessor
As pickup lines go, “Your presence struck me like a thunderbolt” is passably original. But it was allegedly uttered by a priest who, according to a $125 million lawsuit, exploited the power of the confessional to seduce a female parishioner. more
Nelson v. American Apparel Subject: "Sham" Arbitration Document: Opinion
