legal proceedings

  • Former Abercrombie CEO Jeffries Pleads Not Guilty to Sex Trafficking

    Mike Jeffries, the former longtime CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, pleaded not guilty on Friday to charges of running an international sex trafficking scheme while leading the clothing retailer. Jeffries, 80, who headed Abercrombie from 1992 to 2014, entered his plea to one count of sex trafficking and 15 counts of prostitution before U.S. Magistrate…

  • Judge Blocks Virginia’s Move to Purge Voter Rolls as Election Day Nears

    A U.S. federal judge on Friday blocked Virginia from removing individuals it claimed had not proven their citizenship from its voter rolls. The judge stated that this action violated a federal prohibition on purging large numbers of voters within the final 90 days before an election. U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles ordered the state…

  • Court Skeptical of Tesla Investors’ Bid for New Trial Over Musk’s 2018 Tweets

    A federal appeals court on Friday seemed unlikely to overturn a jury’s verdict that cleared Tesla CEO Elon Musk and his company of liability regarding allegations that they misled investors. This case stems from Musk’s 2018 social media post claiming he had “funding secured” to take Tesla private. During oral arguments at the San Francisco-based…

  • Appeals Court Says Counting Ballots Received After Election Day is Illegal

    A U.S. appeals court ruled on Friday that states cannot count mail-in ballots received after Election Day, siding with Republicans in a case that challenges Mississippi’s five-day grace period. The conservative three-judge panel from the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals did not strike down Mississippi’s law, but it raised questions about mail-in…

  • How a US Judge Injected Culture Wars Into Boeing 737 MAX Plea Deal

    A Texas federal judge with a history of supporting conservative causes has introduced uncertainty into Boeing’s agreement to plead guilty over two fatal 737 MAX crashes. U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor seized on a single sentence in the deal regarding the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) diversity policy. Last week, O’Connor unexpectedly asked the parties…

  • McDonald’s Hit With Lawsuit After Colorado Man Sickened in E. Coli Outbreak

    A Colorado man has filed what appears to be the first lawsuit against McDonald’s over an E. coli outbreak linked to Quarter Pounder burgers that has killed one person and sickened nearly 50 others. On Wednesday, the lawsuit, filed in Circuit Court in Cook County, Illinois, alleges that Eric Stelly ate food from a Greeley,…

  • Law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld has announced an end to its eight-year legal battle with former attorney Kristy Wagner, who alleged discrimination following a severe injury from a 2011 zip-lining accident. On Tuesday, attorneys for both Wagner and Akin filed a joint stipulation of dismissal in federal court in Washington, D.C. The…

  • Judge Approves UFC Fighters’ $375 million Wage Settlement

    A federal judge in Las Vegas has preliminarily approved a class action settlement requiring the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to pay $375 million to fighters who claim they received inadequate compensation for their bouts over the years. U.S. District Judge Richard Boulware II’s decision represents a “monumental achievement” that will provide significant relief to hundreds…

  • Prosecutors Say Alaska Judge’s Misconduct Warrants Vacating Man’s Conviction

    Federal prosecutors in Alaska have moved to vacate Johnny-Lee Preston Burk’s assault conviction, citing undisclosed personal relationships involving the presiding judge and a prosecutor. This motion, filed on Tuesday, marks a significant development as it represents the first time prosecutors have sought to overturn a conviction in one of the 44 cases linked to now-former…

  • Sanitation Firm Settles EEOC Sex Bias Claims for $3.1 Million

    A Georgia sanitation company will pay $3.1 million to settle an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) lawsuit alleging that it refused to hire women as truck drivers. Managers allegedly referred to female applicants as “prissy girls” who were “taking a job away from a man.” U.S. District Judge J.P. Boulee in Atlanta approved the settlement…