
• Iowa judge says a sheriff denied the applications of a father and son for concealed weapons permits in retaliation for their political activism. "This is a great reminder that the First Amendment protects the sole individual who may be a gadfly, kook, weirdo, nut job, whacko, and spook, with the same force of protection as folks with more majoritarian and popular views." Dorr v. Weber
• 5th Circuit rules that a school district violated the religious freedom of a Native American boy by requiring him to wear his long hair in a bun on top of his head or in a braid tucked into his shirt. The boy "has a sincere religious belief in wearing his hair uncut and in plain view." A.A. v. Needville Ind. Sch. Dist.
• 11th Circuit denies a challenge to an ordinance restricting handouts of food to the homeless in Orlando parks. "[W]e are unpersuaded that the conduct of simply feeding people ... is expressive for First Amendment purposes." First Vagabonds Church v. City of Orlando
• Boston judge slashes a jury award in an illegal music downloading case from $675,000 to $67,500. "The award in this case ... lacks any rational foundation and smacks of arbitrariness." Sony v. Tenenbaum
• Iowa Supreme Court suspends a voyeuristic attorney indefinitely for peeping on women through windows. "[W]e cannot overlook the serious, egregious, and persistent nature of [Mark] Templeton’s misconduct and the effect it had on his victims." Disciplinary Board v. Templeton
• Pennsylvania judge strikes down the state's blasphemy law in a case brought by a film producer who wanted to name his company "I Choose Hell Productions." "'Choosing hell' may be an irreverent choice for a corporate name, but under the Constitution, this fact alone cannot be the basis for its suppression from the public debate." Kalman v. Cortes
• Cancer patient sues Wal-Mart for firing him after discovering that he uses medical marijuana for pain relief. "[N]o corporation doing business in Michigan should be permitted to flout state laws protecting patients who use medical marihuana in accordance with state law." Casias v. Wal-Mart Stores
• 11th Circuit rules that the operator of an Internet porn dorm was engaged in illegally operating a business in a residential zone. "Business objectives are the sole reason individuals are paid to live and engage in sexual activities at the 27th Street residence." Flava Works v. City of Miami

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"Religulous" Rev Sued for $600,000 "Scheme of Lies" |
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Two former followers of Florida preacher Jeremiah Cummings may have dealt his defamation lawsuit against the makers of the documentary “Religulous” a fatal blow by alleging he conned them out of $600,000 through a “well-designed scheme of deception and lies.”
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Rev. Jeremiah Cummings
Elsie Carter and Rodney Daryl-Jones say in a fraud and racketeering suit filed June 3 against Cummings that he behaved like a latter-day Elmer Gantry while serving as pastor of the Amazing Life World Outreach Church in Raleigh, N.C., deceiving them into making contributions to the church which he pocketed for himself.
Cummings built the church “on a foundation of lies, deception and greed,” the complaint says, even pretending to be married to a co-pastor “when in fact they were an unmarried couple living under circumstances of adultery.” He is married to Nancyah Cummings, the vice-president of the Amazing Life International Fellowship in Orlando, Fla.
Carter says she was defrauded of more than $400,000 in contributions to the church of money and property including a 2007 S550 Mercedes and another $151,000 she invested in Cummings' Messiah Records in the belief that it would be used to produce a CD by a singer named “Prophetess” Syvonia McCoy. Daryl-Jones alleges he lost $51,000.
The allegations could be potent ammunition for Lionsgate Corp., the distributor of “Religulous,” whom Cummings sued in January for inducing him to appear in the film under false pretenses and, yes, falsely portraying him as a charlatan.
In interview footage included in the film, host Bill Maher pokes fun at Cummings' expensive suit and lizard shoes, contrasting his attire with the humility of Jesus. The minister stutters when Maher challenges him with the Biblical quotation, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
“I am made to appear to be some money hungry preacher, which is the typical stereotype of black preachers,” Cummings told Beliefnet. According to Carter and Daryl-Jones' suit, he was positively ravenous for money as pastor of the Raleigh church. “Defendant Cummings ... took advantage of his position as pastor in order to financially and economically better himself at the expense of Plaintiffs and other members of the church,” it says.
Female parishioners, the plaintiffs allege, were wooed into supporting Cummings' “exorbitant need for money and material things,” with Carter signing over the Mercedes to him and the church. When she demanded the return of the vehicle, he sold it “for grossly under its market value and converted the funds to his personal use.”
As for Messiah Records, Cummings has connections to the music business going back to his days as a member of the soul group Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes. Proceeds from the McCoy CD were supposed to go toward furthering the church's ministry works, the suit says, but the funds invested by Carter and Daryl-Jones “were used personally to benefit” Cummings.
Carter also says the minister breached his fiduciary duty by engaging in a romantic relationship with her “which fostered confusion and disruption of the church” -- no doubt because he was "married" to the co-pastor.
Cummings last month turned down an offer from Lionsgate to settle his defamation suit, in which he is seeking $50 million in damages. It's probably safe to say he won't be getting another settlement offer any time soon.
By Matthew Heller 6/12/09
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Sex Harassment Claims Hit Actor Affleck, 'Bones' Star
A producer of a film about actor Joaquin Phoenix, an extra on the set of the TV show “Bones,” an assistant property master, and a makeup artist are among the plaintiffs in a recent epidemic of lurid Hollywood lawsuits.
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Jury Goes 'Wild' in Woman's Privacy Case Over Video
A Missouri jury has gone wild in a case of involuntary nudity, finding that a woman consented to appearing topless in a “Girls Gone Wild” video by playing to the camera before another person pulled her top down.
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Actress Facing $750K Award to Therapist
Soap opera star Hunter Tylo may have to pay more than $750,000 in damages and attorney fees to a psychotherapist whom she sued more than four years ago for negligent treatment of her children, On Point has learned.
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Reporter Sues Hotels Over Peephole Videos
In an unusual premises liability case, ESPN reporter Erin Andrews has sued the operators of three hotels for allowing a stalker to surreptitiously videotape her naked through peepholes in the doors to her rooms.
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Students Challenge Rubber Fetus Ban
The suspensions of seven pro-life students at two Roswell, N.M., high schools for distributing rubber fetuses have given birth to a lawsuit that takes the First Amendment protections for student speech into uncharted territory.
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Distress Claim Barred in Hotel 'Ménâge à Trois' Case
A former employee of a luxury Miami Beach hotel who says her billionaire boss invited her to join him in a “ménâge à trois” cannot sue him for infliction of emotional distress, a judge has ruled, finding his alleged behavior, while “obnoxious,” was not “objectively outrageous.”
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Chuck E. Cheese Settles Molesting Mascot Suit
A Missouri woman who claimed a Chuck E. Cheese mascot groped her breast has settled her lawsuit against the operator of the restaurant chain, On Point has learned.
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Stovell v. James Subject: LeBron's paternity Document: Complaint
U.S. v. Arizona Subject: Illegal immigration Document: Complaint
Rosenberg v. Google Subject: Negligent navigation Document: Complaint
Smith v. Hooters Subject: Weight discrimination Document: Complaint
City of Ontario v. Quon Subject: Text-message privacy Document: Opinion
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Rosenberg v. Musical Arts Assn. Court: Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Common Pleas Subject: Defamation, age bias
Mecozzi v. City of Los Angeles Court: L.A. Superior Subject: Police brutality Verdict: $1.7 million
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Jose Padilla v. John Yoo Date: 6/14/10 Court: 9th Circuit Hearing: Oral arguments in human rights case.
Perry v. Schwarzenegger Date: 6/16/10 Court: USDC, N. Calif. Hearing: Closing arguments in trial of challenge to gay marriage ban.
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