It was easy to sympathize with Richard Jewell, victim a decade ago of FBI bungling which led to his being falsely suspected in the Atlanta Olympics bombing. It’s not so easy to sympathize with his legal posture since then, which would be easily mistaken for an effort to vacuum the pockets of every media organization within reach. (Mark Fitzgerald, “Sob On Someone Else’s Shoulder, Richard Jewell”, Editor and Publisher, Jul. 25).
BetOnSports.com prosecution, cont’d
The arrest of company CEO David Carruthers while changing planes in Dallas, writes Jacob Sullum, “is part of a larger attempt by the U.S. government to impose its brand of repressive paternalism on countries with more tolerant policies.” (syndicated/Reason.com, Jul. 26)(earlier coverage, Jul. 20 here and here). More on online gambling, and bans on promoting it: Steve Chapman, “Who’s Afraid of Online Gambling?”, Chicago Tribune/Real Clear Politics, Jul. 23; Walter Williams, “Truly disgusting”, syndicated/Jewish World Review, Jul. 26.
Depositions, cont’d: “gratuitous cruelty”
151-proof rum is flammable, who knew?
By reader acclaim: “A woman who was allegedly severely burned by flaming rum during a Bacardi promotion sued the wine and spirits producer, claiming the product was defective and dangerous. …A bartender, who was not identified in the lawsuit, was pouring shots when a customer lit a menu on fire and placed it in the stream of alcohol.” Danielle Alleyne suffered severe burns as a result, the suit says. (“Florida Woman Sues Bacardi Over Injuries Allegedly Caused by Flaming Rum Shot” AP/FoxNews.com, Jul. 26).
Joe Jamail depositions: coming soon to community theater?
The notorious Joe Jamail/Edward Carstarphen deposition video (Apr. 8, Apr. 27) has been getting another round of attention thanks to new links from Andrew Sullivan and Dale Carpenter. Among a number of interesting reader comments at the latter site is this from John Steele (excerpt):
…For years now, I’ve been having my students do dramatic readings of both the famous Jamail depos. The reaction is usually a mixture of laughter and disgust. If anyone wants the two transcripts, shoot me an email….
Employees charged with crimes
Sued-if-you-do, sued-if-you-don’t files: “‘I think companies are concerned that if they take action against the employee, the employee may bring a claim. And if they don’t take action, others who are injured may bring a claim,’ said employment attorney Jonathan Segal of Wolf, Block, Schorr and Solis-Cohen in Philadelphia. Segal noted that companies are increasingly dealing with employees who miss work because of criminal offenses like drunk driving or assault charges.” (Tresa Baldas, “When Employees Face Criminal Charges, Employers Face a Dilemma”, National Law Journal, Jul. 20).
Duke lacrosse affair: when faculty fan flames
If prosecutor Mike Nifong could accuse students of ghastly crimes on the flimsiest of evidence (Jun. 24 and earlier posts), one reason might be that the atmosphere at Duke University was such that, early in the case, 88 faculty members could sign a manifesto fanning the flames of public opinion against the accused students. Robert K.C. Johnson on Cliopatria has many details on the so-called Group of 88. Of the 69 signatories who are permanent faculty, “58—an astonishing 84.1 percent—describe their research interests as related to race, class, or gender (or all three), in some cases to an extent bordering on caricature.” One professor opines that the “members of the team are almost perfect offenders in the sense that [critical race theorist Kimberle] Crenshaw writes about,” since they are “the exemplars of the upper end of the class hierarchy, the politically dominant race and ethnicity, the dominant gender, the dominant sexuality, and the dominant social group on campus.” (Jul. 19) (via Coyote). For more on the case, see postings at Jeralyn Merritt’s Talk Left and the group Friends of Duke University.
“Helmets could also detract from the surfing experience”
Gee, do you think? After successful campaigns for bicycle helmets, here comes pressure for helmets for pole vaulting, soccer and, yes, maybe even surfboard riding (Hugo Martin, “Today, helmets for all”, Los Angeles Times, Jul. 24).
“Those sybaritic patent attorneys”
Suing over Israel-Lebanon war
In Detroit, a group called the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee has filed a suit on behalf of about 30 people charging that “the federal government has failed to protect Americans from the fighting in Lebanon. … The committee is asking the court to order Washington to request a cease-fire between Israel and Lebanon.” (“Arab Group To Sue U.S. Government”, ClickOnDetroit.com, Jul. 24). Three Israeli lawyers are planning a lawsuit in U.S. courts demanding compensation from the government of Lebanon for war damage to property and businesses in northern Israel (Tani Goldstein, “Compensation claim against Lebanese gov’t in works”, YNetNews.com, Jul. 20). And according to news agencies, the government of Lebanon itself intends to demand billions of dollars from the government of Israel to compensate for the damage done by its bombardment. Curiously nothing is said in coverage of this last story about resorting to the U.S. courts — you mean there’s some other place to take a grievance? (“Lebanon: We’ll sue Israel for damages”, YNetNews.com, Jul. 23).