A cybersecurity lawyer working for MITRE Corp. who brought a case against Reliance Standard Life Insurance Co. for disability benefits has managed to obtain a court directive that stops the insurer from reducing his disability payments due to his Social Security benefits. The counsel’s Social Security payments are based on his earnings, not his disability,…
In a recent noteworthy move, ABA President Mary Smith has brought forward a pressing issue that largely goes under-addressed in legal circles – the complexities faced by survivors of sexual assault during their bar admission process. Her call to the ABA commission to investigate the frequency and impact of queries in bar admissions which mandate…
A class action complaint filed this week alleges that New York prison officials have been violating state law by holding disabled inmates in solitary confinement. Solitary confinement, a controversial feature of the US penal system since the 18th century, can involve up to 24 hours of isolation each day for extended periods. Critics have often…
The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) released this Tuesday a comprehensive 67-page report detailing their findings and strategies to combat racial inequality in future U.S. elections in light of their monitoring of the 2022 U.S. midterm elections. Titled “Democracy Defended,” the report focuses particularly on voter experiences in seven southern states: Alabama,…
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has publicly criticized the Kenyan government for inadequate response to the severe nationwide floods, which have been ongoing since March. The catastrophic results of these floods, potentially intensified by the El Niño weather pattern, have led to the loss of 210 lives, displacement of some 33,100 households, and in total impacted…
Recently, a coalition of rights groups led by the Alabama State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) filed a lawsuit challenging four provisions of Alabama Senate Bill 1, Act No. 2024-33, informally known as “SB 1”. The legislation, which criminalizes aid in absentee ballot submission, has sparked significant controversy…
In Illinois, Federal Judge Keri L. Holleb Hotaling has sided with the Cook County Sheriff’s Office in an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) lawsuit brought forward by a former courthouse deputy. The plaintiff, Nicholas Adduci, has Type I diabetes and claimed that necessary social distancing accommodations for his condition were not provided during the COVID-19…
Class action lawsuits are on the rise as they’re increasingly driven by data breaches and ADA compliance issues, according to the inaugural Class Action Litigation Report by Lex Machina, a division of LexisNexis. The report reveals that class action filings have been steadily increasing from 2014 through 2020, marking a 10% dip in 2021 but…
California has filed a lawsuit against the city of Huntington Beach following the city’s passage of Measure A, a voter identification law. The controversial law permits (but does not mandate) the city to validate the eligibility of its electors using voter identification and to ensure ballot drop boxes’ compliance with existing laws. The crux of…
The world of legal affairs turns yet again with a selection of the latest developments to the attention of our legal professional readership. The story of OJ Simpson’s lawyer seeking to prevent the Goldman family from securing any of the estate, despite a judgment valued at over $100 million with interest, speaks volumes about the…
The US Department of Labor (DOL) has recently announced efforts aimed at boosting employment opportunities for workers with disabilities, making it simpler and fairer for their participation in the labor force. Various initiatives were disclosed over the past few weeks for this purpose. State labor agencies in Connecticut, Kansas, Minnesota, and New York will be…
Several advocacy groups including civil rights organizations, the ACLU, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and Alabama-based advocacy groups have filed a lawsuit against Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, Alabama’s 42 District Attorneys, and Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen. The suit is aimed at blocking Senate Bill 1 (SB 1), a law recently enacted in…
The New York court’s new regulation, allowing a single party in a case to seek disability adjustments independently of the other party, is attracting attention due to potential privacy and bias risks facing litigants and lawyers. Legal professionals and advocates for disability rights have both voiced their anxieties. Beneath the new rule, parties are permitted…
A Michigan federal judge recently ruled that attorneys who have disabilities, alongside a disability rights advocate, may continue with their proposed class action. Their aim is to encourage improvements in accessibility at numerous courthouses and government buildings across Michigan. This is in direct opposition to the state’s earlier stance, where it claimed immunity against the…
In Los Angeles, the legal services organization, Bet Tzedek, known for its regular in-person legal clinics, has recently extended its reach to a digital front. The clinics were designed to help self-represented individuals navigate the often complex process of conservatorship, a legal proceeding where a court appoints one person to manage the personal and financial…
Greenberg Traurig LLP has successfully arrived at a settlement in a disability discrimination case brought forward by a former legal assistant, according to an order filed in a Georgia federal court. The former employee claimed that her dismissal was a result of her chronic pancreatitis condition that required her to work remotely. The complainant stated…
The California State Bar has been recommended to respond to an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) suit alleging retaliation against a disabled veteran. The case emerged after the veteran sought an investigation by the Department of Justice (DOJ), following the Bar’s initial refusal to provide him with an adjustment. As per federal magistrate Judge Jeremy…
Global law firm Greenberg Traurig LLP has reached a settlement regarding claims of harassment and discrimination against a former legal assistant. According to the allegations, the discrimination began after the firm found out about her chronic illness. Jennifer Wagner, who served as a legal assistant for several decades at other firms and at the Georgia…
In a recent ruling, a former partner from leading law firm Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker could not claim long-term disability benefits due to his inability to present compelling evidence that his chronic fatigue syndrome required such coverage. The decision indicated that he failed to demonstrate essential proof about the severity of his condition…
In a recent legal turn of events, a Coca-Cola delivery man afflicted with Tourette Syndrome lost his disability lawsuit after being transferred to a different role. The delivery man, subject to involuntary outbursts of profanity and racial slurs due to his condition, was deemed not entitled to maintain his original role as per the court…
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has voiced disapproval over Israel’s proposed expansion of settlements in the West Bank, marking a significant shift in policy from the former Trump administration. The former administration had asserted that the expansion of settlements in the region did not infrort international law. The stark change in policy was outlined…
In a recent turn of events, a Colorado state judge has decreed that a law school graduate, who has visual impairments and ADHD, should be provided with additional time to take the upcoming bar examination. The directive was given to the state attorney licensing board, with the judge expressing confidence that the examinee would garner…
Judge Paul Engelmayer, sitting in the Southern District of New York, recently made public his skepticism towards the application of artificial intelligence in legal matters. Englelmayer’s sentiments followed an unsuccessful fee request that was calculated, in part, through the utilization of AI tool, ChatGPT. The criticized fee submission was made by the Cuddy Law Firm…
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) within the legal industry is under scrutiny once again, following a recent case in which a law firm looked to ChatGPT to help estimate its fees in a New York lawsuit. The federal judge in the case, US District Judge Paul Engelmayer, delivered a severe appraisal of the firm’s…
The JD-Next law school admissions exam is facing scrutiny over issues related to its reliability, validity and accessibility, according to Law.com. Numerous comments have been submitted in response to calls from the American Bar Association (ABA) and its council on Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar. Close to two dozen comments were received pertaining…