Discussed by Aidan Ellis and Tim Kevan at BarristerBlog (Feb. 1, Feb. 2).
Posts Tagged ‘United Kingdom’
UK: gay inns protest anti-bias law
How restrictions on free association can backfire, example #32,785: Hotel owners in Britain who cater to gay travelers say they could be forced out of business by regulations which would make it unlawful to indicate a preference for some guests based on sexual orientation. “At the end of the day, this is our home and as a landlord we have the right to refuse entry to anyone without giving a reason,” says the owner of the Guyz hotel in Blackpool. On the other hand, the civil-rights campaign Stonewall offers no sympathy: “What gay people gain through having an equality law is much more than whether we can just run gay hotels.” (Simon de Bruxelles, “Gay tourist hotels fear equality law”, Times Online, Feb. 1).
For their own good dept.
In the U.K., childhood obesity has now developed into a grounds for social service agencies to take kids away from their parents. (Sarah-Kate Templeton, “‘Fat police’ put children on abuse list”, Times Online, Jan. 28).
Tradeable permits for sinful foods?
Policy wonkery meets health nannyhood in a truly daft proposal from the David-Cameron-led Tories in the UK, a commission of which has deemed cakes and ale (at least in excess) to be “social pollutants”. One searches in vain for the “April Fool’s” giveaway tag. (Patrick Hosking, “Tories plan strict quotas for makers of fatty foods”, Times Online, Jan. 19) (via NRO “The Corner”).
Kids’ ice slides
Now endangered in Scotland. (Murdo MacLeod and Scott McCulloch, “Banned: ice slides in the school playground”, The Scotsman, Jan. 21).
Should retired judges practice law?
Not according to the view of many in Britain:
The London Solicitors Litigation Association has attacked Government proposals to allow some judges to return to private practice, warning that public perception of judicial impartiality could be compromised. The body, which represents around 800 City litigators, called the proposals “a retrograde step”.
(“The Water Cooler”, Times Online, scroll to Dec. 13). For the benefit of international readers, it should be noted that retired judges in the U.S. can and often do return to private practice. Most elect to practice relatively sedate forms of law, but an exception familiar to Minnesotans is former federal judge Miles Lord, whose personal injury practice, established after he departed his controversial tenure on the bench, has taken out full-page Yellow Pages ads touting his background.
January 4 roundup
Usually it’s Ted who posts these, but I don’t see why he should have all the fun:
- Latest ADA test-accommodation suit: law school hopeful with attention deficit disorder demands extra time on LSAT [Legal Intelligencer]
- John Stossel on Fairfax County (Va.) regulations against donating home-cooked food to the homeless, and on the controversy over Arizona’s Heart Attack Grill
- More odd consequences of HIPAA, the federal medical privacy law [Marin Independent Journal via Kevin MD; more here, here]
- UK paternalism watch: new ad rules officially label cheese as junk food; breast milk would be, too, if it were covered [Telegraph; Birmingham Post]; schoolgirl arrested on racial charges after asking to study with English speakers [Daily Mail via Boortz]; brothers charged with animal cruelty for letting their dog get too fat [Nobody’s Business]
- Stanford’s Securities Class Action Clearinghouse reports impressive 38 percent drop in investor lawsuit filings between 2005 and 2006, with backdating options suits not a tidal wave after all [The Recorder/Lattman]
- Ohio televangelist/faith healer sued by family after allegedly advising her cancer-stricken brother to rely on prayer [FoxNews]
- Legislators in Alberta, Canada, pass law enabling disabled girl to sue her mom for prenatal injuries; it’s to tap an insurance policy, so it must be okay [The Star]
- California toughens its law requiring managers to undergo anti-harassment training, trial lawyers could benefit [NLJ]
- Family land dispute in Sardinia drags on for 46 years in Italian courts; “nothing exceptional” about that, says one lawyer [Telegraph]
- “For me, conservatism was about realism and reason.” [Heather Mac Donald interviewed about being a secularist]
By reader acclaim: “Injured man wins damages for sex overdrive”
From the United Kingdom: “A devout Christian who said an accident at work boosted his libido and wrecked his marriage as he turned to prostitutes and pornography was awarded more than 3 million pounds in damages [last month]. Stephen Tame, 29, from Suffolk, suffered severe head injuries in a fall, transforming him from a loyal newlywed into a ‘disinhibited’ character who had two affairs.” (Reuters, Dec. 19; Rajeev Syal, “Man whose head injury inflamed his sex drive wins £3.2m payout”, Times Online, Dec. 20; Kathryn Lister, “£3m compo for sex mad hubby”, The Sun, Dec. 20).
UK patient: doc hurt my feelings by telling me to quit smoking
And she wins about $80,000 (plus attorneys’ fees) for her hurt feelings. Mrs. G delayed her caesarean a few minutes to have a pre-op cigarette; her coughing made her epidural more difficult, and Mrs. G and was criticized by anesthesiologist Dr. A, who noted the increased likelihood of surviving to see her daughter’s wedding if Mrs. G quit smoking. (Arthur Martin, “Doctor’s smoking jibe wins mother £44,000 payout”, Daily Mail, Dec. 21; Kevin MD blog). UK medical compensation has grown 30,000 percent in under ten years. The Daily Mail story also notes:
An employment tribunal heard that David Portman, 27, took 137 days off over a five-year period because of a series of ‘unfortunate accidents’.
When he took yet another week off because of his pet’s demise, bosses decided enough was enough and sacked him.
But Mr Portman won his claim for unfair dismissal – and this week walked away with undisclosed compensation reckoned to be at least £10,000.
The tribunal ruled his absences from work were all legitimate and mostly caused by injuries suffered in the course of his duties.
Mr Portman, who was based with Royal Mail in Sheffield, put his months off duty down to bad luck.
‘I felt really aggrieved when I was sacked without them taking into account my particular circumstances,’ he said.
“Unlike love…”
Thought for the day: “Unlike love, more law does not make the world a better place.” (Gary Slapper, Times Online (UK), Dec. 11).