Los Angeles Superior Court

May 4 2011

Sexual orientation discrimination and retaliation

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Jury selection is under way in the trial of a lawsuit by a Los Angeles police sergeant who alleges he was discriminated against, harassed and the victim of retaliation because he is gay.

Sgt. Ronald Crump worked in the LAPD's Media Relations Section from December 2008 until July 2009. He sued the city five months later in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging sexual orientation discrimination and retaliation.

Apr 19 2011

Anson Williams, Don Most, Marion Ross, Erin Moran and the estate of Tom
Bosley

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—A $40 million breach-of-contract lawsuit filed today on behalf of five members of the "Happy Days'' cast against CBS alleges the actors are owed money for merchandise sales related to the comedy series, which ended its run 26 years ago.

Anson Williams, Don Most, Marion Ross, Erin Moran and the estate of Tom Bosley say in the Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit that the merchandise includes comic books, T-shirts, lunch boxes, greeting cards and DVDs.

Mar 18 2011

False advertising

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Calabasas-based Fuel Doctor, which makes a small device it claims can increase vehicle miles per gallon by 25 percent, was sued by a consumer who says it did nothing for her car.

Mlissa Drinville filed her lawsuit Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging false advertising and unfair competition.

She is asking for an injunction to stop the company from claiming the device increases fuel efficiency, along with unspecified damages. She also wants to add other consumers to the suit and make it a class action.

Mar 15 2011

Paranoid mental state

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—A British national was convicted today of murdering two people, including the niece of singer Al Jarreau, at a condominium in Tujunga more than nine years ago.

The Los Angeles Superior Court jury deliberated about six days before finding Neil Graham Revill, 38, guilty of first-degree murder for the slaying of Kimberly Crayton and of second-degree murder for Arthur Davodian's killing.

Mar 10 2011

Local congregations were a major target

Attorney General Kamala D. Harris is seeking restitution and civil penalties totaling $803,100 in a scam that defrauded 33 African American churches in Southern California of thousands of dollars on bogus computer kiosks.

Promoters promised that the leased kiosks would enhance the experience of parishioners, but the scheme ended up creating big church debts.

Across Black America

Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines throughout the country.
 

Alabama
Freeman A. Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will address the annual African American Business Council luncheon on June 28. Hrabowski, who is chairman of President Barack Obama’s Advisory Commission on Education Excellence for African Americans, has a national reputation for his work studying the performance of minority students in math and science. Hrabowski, named one of the 10 best college presidents in the country by Time magazine, was a child leader in the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham in the 1960s.
 

Arkansas
The Liberty Counsel filed a motion and a brief in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas seeking to intervene on behalf of a Concepts of Life crisis pregnancy center to defend against a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Reproductive Rights. The groups seek to impose a permanent injunction before the Human Heartbeat Protection Act goes into effect July 18. Liberty Counsel also filed a brief opposing the ACLU’s request for an injunction. The “Heartbeat” bill states that when a woman seeks an abortion at or after the 12th week, doctors must test for a fetal heartbeat before an abortion is performed and inform the pregnant mother that the child in her womb has a heartbeat. If a heartbeat is detected, a woman cannot have an abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, and if a mother’s life is in danger. “As we promised when the legislation was introduced, Liberty Counsel will defend this law without reservation for the people of Arkansas, born and pre-born,” said Matt Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel. “No right is more foundational than the right to life. Without life, all other rights are irrelevant,” concluded Staver.