BOSTON -- A federal judge found a school district did not violate a school board member's rights by firing her after discovering her history of creating and promoting homophobic, transphobic and anti-critical race theory content on TikTok. Supervisors’ comments that they found her content “disgusting” and “a ball of hate” does not show that her firing was motivated by mere disagreement with her posts, but were explicitly connected to the posts’ impact on student learning.
NEW YORK — A federal judge dismissed copyright claims against the rapper Ginuwine brought by the co-author of a soul single, "Help Me Put Out The Flame (In My Heart)," alleging that the rapper used the introduction to his song in two songs — "Paper Chase," and "Toe 2 Toe." The three-bar guitar riff is substantially similar to prior works in the public domain, and subtle rhythmic differences are not enough to merit copyright protection.
NEW YORK — A federal judge dismissed a trademark suit against AMC over the network's depiction in its show "Better Call Saul" of a crooked tax preparation service called "Sweet Liberty Tax Services,” filed by the real Liberty Tax Service. To the extent the TV show used the tax service's marks, they were used in furtherance of the show's plot, highlighting the use of patriotic imagery to hide the characters' tawdry crimes.
Yakima, Wash. -- A federal judge declined to issue a preliminary injunction that would enjoin the State of Washington from enforcing its 2022 law banning the sale of gun magazines with the capacity to hold more than 10 rounds. The gun owners failed to show that they are likely to prove that the Second Amendment covers large capacity magazines.
MADISON, Wis. — The government transparency watchdog group American Oversight is suing a “secret panel” formed by Wisconsin House speaker Robin Vos to investigate the possibility of impeaching state Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz if she refuses to recuse herself from lawsuits seeking to toss voting maps drawn by the Republican legislature.
BROOKLYN — A federal court in New York dismissed, for lack of personal jurisdiction, a customer’s product liability claims against REI’s CEO and a member of its board of directors after his trekking poles bent and gave way while he was hiking in the Catskills, causing him to break several bones. He could not show how supposedly unlawful actions were attributable to senior management.
MIDDLESEX, Mass. — A federal court in Massachusetts affirmed the dismissal of a bereaved mother’s lawsuit against a school district and social worker after her son, a high school student, died by suicide. The social worker failed to notify the student’s parents or conduct a risk assessment after learning he was drinking alcohol and crying at school, and that his girlfriend was worried he would hurt himself. But these are not affirmative acts and cannot be considered causes of his suicide.
BANGOR, Maine — A federal court in Maine denied a delivery company’s effort to prevail on a widow’s negligence and wrongful death claims against it after a box truck driver hit her car head-on, killing her husband and injuring her. It is not evident that the employee was acting in his personal capacity, rather than in the scope of his employment, at the time.
ALBANY, N.Y. — A federal court in New York awarded a gun rights advocacy group over $447,000 in attorney fees and costs after the U.S. Supreme Court agreed with its claims that a state law preventing gun owners from carrying firearms outside their homes for self-defense violated their constitutional rights. The amount is reduced from the $1.2 million initial demand.
BROOKLYN — A federal court in New York granted Hobby Lobby’s motion to transfer its fraud and contract claims against an antiquities dealer to the Western District of Oklahoma. The dealer allegedly sold the retailer several stolen pieces of ancient Egyptian papyri; because the purchase was arranged in Oklahoma City, and this is where the primary witnesses live, transfer is approved.
HOUSTON — Darryl George's school district is discriminating against him because of his dreadlocks, in violation of his civil rights and the CROWN Act, which aims to prohibit race-based hair bias, according to a suit filed against the Texas governor and attorney general in federal court.
