A federal judge in Texas has declared a 156-year-old ban on at-home distilling unconstitutional, siding with a group advocating for the legalization of personal spirit production. This ruling marks a shift in the regulation of homemade alcoholic beverages, potentially paving the way for hobbyists to distill spirits like whiskey and... Read More »
The family of Harris Wolobah, a 14-year-old from Worcester, Massachusetts, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit following his tragic death after participating in a social media trend, the "One Chip Challenge." The lawsuit, filed on Thursday (July 11), alleges that the Paqui brand, owned by the Hershey Co., and Walgreens,... Read More »
The U.S. Copyright Office has finalized a new rule to guarantee that songwriters who exercise their termination rights to regain control of their music will receive streaming royalties. This ruling addresses concerns that previous policies would have continued to send royalties to former owners, even after songwriters reclaimed their rights.... Read More »
Former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer is facing a wrongful death lawsuit following an incident in which he allegedly struck and killed a pedestrian in Alhambra, California. The lawsuit was filed on Wednesday (July 10) by Ashley Sanchez, the daughter of Israel Sanchez, who was 47 years old... Read More »
Elon Musk secured a legal victory with the dismissal of a lawsuit alleging he failed to pay $500 million in severance to thousands of Twitter employees laid off following his acquisition of the social media company, now rebranded as X. U.S. District Judge Trina Thompson in San Francisco ruled on... Read More »
The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (PCUCPA) is a bill in Congress that would ban abortions after 20 weeks gestation. The bill says that fetuses in the womb are able to react “to stimuli that would be recognized as painful if applied to an adult human, for example, by recoiling.”... Read More »
California law, not a federal statute, governs whether carjacking qualifies as an aggravated felony that justifies a deportation penalty. The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on July 2 that a man convicted of carjacking without force may remain in the United States. This ruling partially denied the defendant’s... Read More »
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office have banned the anonymous messaging app "NGL: ask me anything" from being used by anyone under 18. This decisive action follows allegations that the app was inappropriately marketed to minors and facilitated cyberbullying and harassment. The settlement, announced... Read More »
Boeing has agreed to plead guilty to misleading air safety regulators prior to two deadly 737 MAX crashes, marking a significant concession that will label the world’s largest aerospace company a felon. This development comes after a federal court filing late Sunday. The plea agreement involves Boeing formally acknowledging its... Read More »
The Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act (EFASASHA or the Act) was signed into law in March 2022. Sponsored by Senator Kirstin Gillibrand (D-NY), the new law stops employers from requiring their workers to enter into arbitration regarding incidents related to sexual assault or harassment in... Read More »
Former KCAL-TV anchor Jeff Vaughn has filed a $5 million lawsuit against the California-based television station, alleging that his termination was motivated by racial discrimination due to being white. Vaughn, who was dismissed in September after eight years with the CBS-owned station, claims he was never provided a reason for... Read More »
Last week, a federal judge in Texas backed a challenge to a nationwide ban on noncompete agreements, which restrict employees from joining rival firms. The ruling came shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court expanded judicial authority to challenge federal agencies' rule-making power, affecting the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) proposed ban... Read More »
On Friday, Kansas' highest court permanently barred the state from enforcing a law that banned the most common second-trimester abortion procedure. The Kansas Supreme Court ruled that the ban violated the state constitution’s right to abortion, which the court had recognized in a 2019 decision. The 5-1 ruling by the... Read More »
A fired Uber driver’s class action suit that alleged his dismissal occurred because racial discrimination caused his low ratings on post-ride passenger surveys was dismissed by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on June 24. The appellate court said the driver’s allegations were insufficient to support his claims because he... Read More »
Microsoft has agreed to pay $14.4 million to resolve allegations by the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) that the company penalized employees for taking legally protected forms of leave. The settlement follows a multi-year investigation into the tech giant's employment practices. The CRD accused Microsoft of retaliating against and discriminating... Read More »
