Sues Cosby for sexual assault, defamation
Constand sues Cosby for an unspecified amount of money on allegations of sexual assault and of defamation stemming from statements that Cosby and his agents made about her to news outlets. Constand says she was director of operations for the Temple women’s basketball program when she met Cosby, one of the school’s most famous alumni and a trustee. She alleges she was visiting Cosby’s Main Line mansion in early 2004 when he gave her pills that he said were “herbal medication” to help her cope with stress. After consuming the pills, she said, she felt hazy but remembered Cosby touching her breasts and genitals.
In legal filings, Cosby denies assaulting Constand. He says the two were acquaintances who sometimes dined alone together or with friends.
$127,500 sexual harrassment payout
Tammy Brevik receives a $127,500 settlement after she sues Palmer, claiming he sexually harassed her when she worked for for him in his Minneapolis dental practice from 1999 to 2005.
I believe my sex was a factor… in that many of Dr Palmer’s comments concerned my breasts, buttocks and genitalia. I also believe that my termination was in retaliation for reporting the conduct because I was terminated the day my lawyer contacted Dr Palmer regarding the harassment.
Palmer denies any wrongdoing but agrees to the payment. He is ordered to take a jurisprudence exam and complete an ethics course.
IRS reviews tax-exempt status
The Internal Revenue Service reviews the tax-exempt status of the NAACP, citing concerns over a speech given by Chairman Bond at its annual convention in Philadelphia. The IRS tells the association it has received information that Bond conveyed “statements in opposition of George W. Bush for the office of presidency” and specifically that he had “condemned the administration policies of George W. Bush in education, the economy and the war in Iraq. Bond defends his remarks:
This is an attempt to silence the NAACP on the very eve of a presidential election. We are best known for registering and turning out large numbers of African-American voters. Clearly, someone in the I.R.S. doesn’t want that to happen. It’s Orwellian to believe that criticism of the president is not allowed or that the president is somehow immune from criticism.
Seven members killed, three arrested
A team of vigilantes kills seven members and arrests another three near the town of Damboa in Borno State near the Chad border. Bags confiscated from sect members contain AK-47s.
EU impose sanctions
European Union foreign ministers agrees to impose sanctions against Zimbabwe, and to withdraw EU election monitors still in the country. Officials say the EU will cut off 128m euros in development aid.
The EU remains seriously concerned at political violence, serious violations of human rights and restrictions on the media …which call into question the prospects for a free and fair election.
Portugal and Greece are reported to have opposed the imposition of sanctions and to have favoured the continued pressure of EU monitors inside Zimbabwe.
Sues Howard University
Dolezal sues Howard University, alleging that the university denied her a teaching assistant job, further employment, and a scholarship because she is white. The lawsuit also claims that Professor Smith, chair of the Art Department, specifically kept Dolezal from serving as a teaching assistant one semester and removed some of her artwork from a student exhibition, instead favoring the work of African-American students. Suit:
[Howard University is] permeated with discriminatory intimidation, ridicule, and insult.
Netherlands legalises gay marriage
Netherlands is the first country in the world to officially declare that its citizens are allowed to get married to whomever they desire.
We are always a bit ahead of other countries. We had those discussions years before other countries even started.
Escapes
Guzman escapes from the Puente Grande prison in Guadalajara, having served only eight of his twenty-year sentence. The prison is considered one of the most secure in Mexico having only 100 inmates. Apparently Guzman hides in a laundry cart while a guard wheels it out the prison doors. The guard allows Guzman to get into his car and then drives him out of the prison facilities. None of the other guards check the car. Mexico’s Secretary for Internal Affairs:
All the force of the state will be used to find Guzman and investigate those responsible for the escape. Guzman’s flight is incomprehensible given the precise instructions that have been given to make sure prisoners of the state are guarded and supervised.
Arrest: 10 months in federal prison
Ver is prosecuted for selling a product on Ebay called “Pest Control Report 2000”, a firecracker used by farmers to scare deer and birds off their fields. Ver says he was the only merchant prosecuted, and that even the manufacturer was simply asked to stop selling the item.
The reasoning for the prosecution became crystal clear after a meeting with the US prosecuting attorney and the under cover ATF agents from the debate. In the meeting, my attorney told the prosecutor that selling store bought firecrackers on Ebay isn’t a big deal and that we can pay a fine and do some community service to be done with everything. When the prosecutor agreed that that sounded reasonable one of the ATF agents pounded his hand on the table and shouted “…but you didn’t hear the things that he said!” This summed up very clearly that they were angry about the things that I had said, not the things that I had done.
To avoid a seven or eight year sentence Ver signs a plea agreement and is sent to Lompoc Federal Penitentiary for ten months, followed by three years probation.
Wins damages
Mills wins $316,700 in damages for an accident involving British police motorcyclist PC Osborne. The case is settled out of court without any admission of guilt from Mills for the loss of her left leg. Mills issues a statement saying she only sued Osborne after he pursued his own claims against her for stress, anxiety, and loss of overtime due to a sprained wrist.
I feel a sense of relief that this is all over and this has ended in the right ruling for the public, not just myself.
Sues Napster
Metallica files a lawsuit against Napster in Central District of California, alleging Napster encourages piracy by allowing its users to download trade copyrighted songs. The suit, which also names the University of Southern California, Indiana University, and Yale University, accuses Napster of violating copyright infringement law and the Racketeering Influenced & Corrput Act (RICO). Drummer Ulrich says:
We take our craft — whether it be the music, the lyrics, or the photos and artwork — very seriously, as do most artists. It is therefore sickening to know that our art is being traded like a commodity rather than the art that it is. From a business standpoint, this is about piracy — a.k.a taking something that doesn’t belong to you; and that is morally and legally wrong. The trading of such information — whether it’s music, videos, photos, or whatever — is, in effect, trafficking in stolen goods.
Arrested: selling alcohol to minors
Houser is arrested and convicted on three counts of selling alcohol to a minor at Rusty’s Buckhead Pub. The bar is closed. After an unsuccessful fight with the city to reopen the bar, during which he flies a Nazi flag from the building, Houser leaves the area. Police:
He was pretty frustrated with the police department and the judicial system generally, and his response was he had a Nazi flag attached to his building. If it wasn’t the size of a sheet, it was pretty close…He was erratic, angry, short-tempered.
Sues Lennon aide
Ono files a lawsuit in New York against Seaman, Lennon’s former assistant. Ono claims Seaman stole priceless personal items – including unreleased recordings, love letters, paintings, and hundreds of photographs – belonging to Lennon. The suit alleges Seaman devised an elaborate plan called Project Walrus – after the Beatles song I Am The Walrus – to steal Lennon’s belongings. The lawsuit was prompted by Seaman accusing Capitol Records of copyright infringement by using a picture of Lennon with his son Sean in a compact disc box set. He claims he shot the photograph himself. The company is suing Seaman separately.
Two more murder charges
West is charged with the murders of Shirley Robinson and Alison Chambers following the discovery of more human remains in the garden of his Gloucester home.
Bail denied
A district court orders Guzman to be held without bail in a maximum security prison 35 miles west of Mexico City on charges of possession of cocaine and illegal weapons.
Indictment unsealed
The indictment is unsealed in the U.S. Attorney’s office in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania after Guzman’s arrest. U.S. Assistant Attorney:
The arrest of Chapo deals a serious blow to the amount of heroin and cocaine traveling into this country and may well have an influence on the amount of arms being exchanged for drugs.
The U.S. Attorney is seeking his extradition for prosecution in Harrisburg on charges of conspiracy to smuggle heroin and cocaine and to launder drug proceeds.
Arrested
Guatemalan authorities detain Guzman and hand him over to Mexican authorities near Tapachula. He is wanted on charges of drug trafficking, murder and kidnapping. He denies the charges saying that he is a corn and bean farmer who was sightseeing in Guatemala.
Convicted of computer fraud
[alert]Note: Exact year is unknown.[/alert]
According to Reuters, blog posts Karpeles wrote in 2006 say he was arrested twice in France before he was 21 for computer fraud-related charges. One resulted in a 3-month suspended sentence. French authorities in Tokyo said they have seen confirmation of one prior conviction, but do not have details.
Indeed, during my misspent youth, I made a huge, huge mistake. Enough silliness that I found myself locked into custody and brought temporarily placed in the “mousetrap” (souricière: possibly “n.f. (pol.): ‘Baited trap’ laid by the forces of law-and-order.”). This was followed by an investigation of more than a year, which eventually ended in a trial.
I will not give too much detail about what I did wrong, just say it concerns payment systems on the Internet. I spent two years taking risks becoming larger, perhaps because it was an exciting side … whatever, I ended up getting arrested (in rather bizarre circumstances, noting that when I was arrested, I was just in a police station to file a complaint for something else).
Karpeles then notes he had to undergo psychiatric review, and that it was the psychiatrist who gave him an interest in Japan.
Then I had the right to visits to a shrink. And it turned out, after much discussion, this psych was also interested in Japan (except that a psychologist there earns a rather good living, and they can go regularly) … And I had a agreement with the therapist. The agreement was rather simple. I had to do historical research in the history of Japan and write a report. Obviously it was not so complicated for me, but I could still see and more interesting things about some of the history of Japan.
In the end he stated in his report (which I have a copy) that I was not responsible for my actions, and that the abuse of cannabis was bad for my mental health. I was rather shocked (I never, oh, ever smoked substances “illegal”, I swear on it), then after thinking a lot, I finally concluded that it was can not be so bad as that. In the end, the trial was not concluded too bad for me (3 months suspended sentence disappearing after 5 years, and nothing in the criminal record).
Files suit against Ivana
Trump files a $25 million lawsuit against Ivana, for $25 million, saying she broke a gag clause in their divorce agreement by failing to keep quiet about his affairs. The suit accuses his ex-wife of:
Willful, deliberate and surreptitious disclosure [of his personal, professional and financial dealings].
Divorce settlement
The Trumps settle their divorce. Ivana gets a settlement of $14 million dollars, a 45-room mansion, an apartment in the Trump Plaza, and $650,000 annually. The deal is similar to their prenuptial agreement. Trump will retain the 50-room triplex they shared at the top of Trump Tower, New York. Due to Donald’s precarious financial situation, Ivana’s lawyers say she wants to take the money now rather than hold out for a better deal. If Trump is forced to file for personal bankruptcy protection, the lawyers feared that Ivana would be just one of her ex-husband’s many creditors. Donald had asked his bankers this week for $10 million to pay for the settlement, but the banks confirmed yesterday that they had refused. He said he would come up with the money, but it remains unclear where the $14 million will come from because he gets a living allowance of only $375,000 a month from the banks. Donald:
I’m very happy that this is behind me and I think it’s a real positive step for everyone.