The federal government has relied on chemical analysis to monitor the safety of food since the mid-1800s. Since the passage of the Pure Food and Drugs Act in 1906, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has become the nation’s largest consumer protection agency. While the overall goal of the agency... Read More about New Legislation Introduced to Ensure Food Safety
The heirs of a Grammy and Academy Award-nominated composer of a Disney movie song lost their battle for DVD royalties when a Court of Appeals reversed a Los Angeles Superior Court’s decision to give them over $1 million in jury awards and damages. In a unanimous opinion by Presiding Justice... Read More about Composer’s Heirs Lose Over $1 Million in Royalties from Disney After Appeals Court Reverses Judgment
A federal judge has blocked a Texas order that targeted migrants after the Justice Department filed suit against the state to keep state troopers from targeting and stopping vehicles that transport migrants. Governor Gregg Abbott issued the executive order last Wednesday on the grounds that stopping vehicles that were transporting... Read More about Federal Judge Blocks Texas Order Which Stops Transported Migrants
Remember the childhood nursery game that begins, “This little piggy went to market?” If that little piggy wants to be sold in California, regardless of where it was raised, the Ninth Circuit has ruled that its producers must meet a state law that prevents cruelty to animals that are raised... Read More about Pork Producers Lose Challenge to CA Law Preventing Cruelty to Animals
The men’s soccer union has joined in on the U.S. women’s soccer team’s call for equal pay. Last Friday, the head of the U.S. National Soccer Team Players Association (USNSTPA), which represents players for the men’s team, filed an amicus brief in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. In their... Read More about Men’s Soccer Backs Women’s National Team in Push For Equal Pay
Marlo Spaeth, who has Down Syndrome and was fired from Walmart, handily won a drawn-out legal battle against the giant retailer. Spaeth’s sister, Amy Jo Stevenson, worked with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in their lawsuit against Walmart. Walmart, the largest private employer in the US, has over... Read More about After a Six-Year Legal Battle, Walmart must pay $125 Million in Damages to Woman Fired with Down Syndrome
On July 29, 2021, the California insurance law firm Gianelli & Morris filed a class action complaint in the United States District Court for the Central District of California. The case is Brenda Honeycutt v. Anthem, Inc. (Case No.: 2:21-cv-6124). The complaint seeks benefits due under the insurance policy at... Read More about Class Action Lawsuit Against Health Insurance Company Alleges Improper Coverage Denial for Necessary Medical Treatment
At the onset of the pandemic, a federal moratorium on evictions was put in place by the Centers for Disease Control. Last Saturday, the moratorium which had been extended several times throughout the pandemic had reached its end. President Biden explained that the moratorium would no longer be in effect... Read More about Uncertainty Looms after CDC Eviction Ban Lifted
A once-private bitter divorce between Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt is making legal news. Judge John W. Ouderkirk was ordered to step down after Jolie successfully accused of him taking sides with her former husband. Pitt did not agree to remove the judge from their case. The judge handling the... Read More about As Private Judge Ouderkirk is Dismissed from Case, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie Fight Over Shared Custody of Five Minor Children
California no doubt leads the nation in protecting the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) residents living in senior-care facilities. But now, one of the key provisions of a four-year-old landmark LGBT-senior protection bill has been struck down by a state appellate court. The court ruled it is... Read More about Appeals Court Strikes CA Statue Criminalizing “Misgender” Speech by Staff at Senior-Living Facilities
Vacationers planning a cruise that leaves from a Florida port might want to unpack their swimsuits if they want to travel without fear of COVID-19. A new ruling from an appeals court has reinstated a law, struck down by a lower court, that said ships leaving the state can no... Read More about Cruise Ships Sailing from Florida Can’t Require Vaccines—Again
California Lawmakers Consider Bill to Stop Employers from Discriminating Based on Marijuana Use. Untold Californians are currently basking in the rapidly expanding recreational marijuana industry. Pot has become so mainstream in California that dispensaries are offering home delivery and advertising on billboards. Yet some California employers are still, rightly or... Read More about California Legislature Asks: Is What You Smoke at Home Your Boss's Business?
Texas’ efforts on border security have ramped up as the state has begun arresting migrants for trespassing if they cross the border. This move is part of Gov. Abbott's latest border control efforts under what has been dubbed Operation Lone Star. As part of the initiative, Abbott announced that the... Read More about Texas Set To Arrest Migrants Who Cross The Border Illegally
On July 19, 2021, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland banned the use of warrants, subpoenas or court orders to seize reporters’ records from communications firms, publishers, or the reporters’ employers in attempts to discover confidential sources when leaks are being investigated. The prohibition applies to testimony, telephone records, metadata, documents,... Read More about Attorney General Tells Prosecutors Not to Seize Reporters’ Records
On July 22, 2021, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York announced the seizure of 17 “manuscripts and scrolls” of community records from Jewish communities in what are now Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine. The manuscripts disappeared during the Holocaust and were assumed lost. They were... Read More about Community Records Thought Lost in the Holocaust Seized by Authorities After Turning up at New York Auction House