Original Story: freep.com
A civil settlement was reached Friday in the shooting death of Renisha McBride in Dearborn Heights, a case that generated national attention as a racially-charged killing. A Grand Rapids wrongful death attorney is following this story closely.
Wayne County Circuit Judge Daniel Hathaway approved the settlement, which arose from a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the family of McBride, a 19-year-old African-American woman shot by Theodore Wafer, a 55-year-old white man, on his porch on Nov. 2, 2013. Wafer was convicted of second-degree murder in her shooting and is currently serving a sentence of least 17 years.
The amount of the settlement between the attorneys for McBride and Wafer was kept confidential, said the McBride family's attorney, Gerald Thurswell. Thurswell represented McBride's mother, Monica McBride, and her father, Walter Ray Simmons, who appeared in court Friday. A San Francisco wrongful death lawyer represents clients in wrongful death cases and negligent accident claims.
Because of the confidentiality agreement, Thurswell wouldn't say how much Wafer has to pay the parents of McBride.
"The bottom line is that...no amount of money can ever compensate the family for the loss that they suffered each and every day, each and every minute," Thurswell said. "They lost their daughter. The sister lost a sister." A Detroit wrongful death attorney is reviewing the details of this case.
Under the influence of alcohol and marijuana, McBride got into a car accident a few hours before she was killed at about 4:30 a.m. She knocked on the door of Wafer's home, apparently seeking help. Wafer thought she was a potential intruder, and said he fired to protect himself.
Her death generated widespread attention, with some comparing it to the case of Trayvon Martin, an African-American teen shot dead in Florida in 2012. Activists said McBride was a victim of racial profiling that stereotypes African Americans and held protests calling for charges to be brought against the shooter. An Indiana wrongful death lawyer represents families who have lost a loved one due to the negligence of another party.
Showing posts with label racial profiling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label racial profiling. Show all posts
Monday, June 15, 2015
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
NAACP DROPS PLAN TO HONOR DONALD STERLING AMID RECORDING CONTROVERSY
Original Story: LATimes.com
The National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People announced Sunday that Donald Sterling will not receive an honor amid controversy over a recording said to be of the Clippers team owner making racist remarks.
The Los Angeles chapter of the NAACP had been scheduled to give Sterling the group's lifetime achievement award at its May 15 banquet.
"He is not receiving a lifetime achievement award from the NAACP," Lorraine Miller, NAACP interim vice president, told NBC's "Meet the Press."
Also, on Twitter, the NAACP announced Sterling "will not be receiving a lifetime achievement award from the LA Branch of the NAACP."
At the banquet, the NAACP chapter also planned to give its first "person of the year" awards to L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti and the Rev. Al Sharpton, according to the organization's website.
Garcetti's spokesman had said Saturday that the mayor was going to talk to the NAACP about the honor.
"In light of recent events, we will be discussing this event with the Los Angeles NAACP," Garcetti spokesman Yusef Robb had said.
The comments that TMZ attributed to Sterling prompted ire among civil rights activists.
Earl Ofari Hutchinson, president of the Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable, and a coalition of civil rights leaders demanded that Sterling apologize for “blatantly racist remarks he reportedly made about African Americans. "Sterling's racist digs at African Americans is no surprise."
Hutchinson added: "Black players have made his fortune with the Clippers and for him to disparage African Americans is beyond reprehensible. It demands a public apology, a Clipper fan protest and NBA official censure."
The Clippers have released a statement saying that the team does not know if the man recorded is Sterling but that the comments do not reflect Sterling's "views, beliefs or feelings."
Garcetti said through a spokesman Saturday that he condemns the "statements and sentiments" attributed to Sterling. L.A. City Councilman Bernard C. Parks, who represents a portion of South Los Angeles, went further, saying the council should take a formal position denouncing the remarks and demanding action from the NBA.
The NBA said it is conducting an investigation.
Sterling is known for his various charity events that have benefited organizations that help the needy, including nonprofits serving the local Latino and African American communities.
But there have also been accusations against him. He has strongly denied he is biased toward anyone and has pointed to his charitable work.
A Los Angeles County Superior Court jury rejected NBA great Elgin Baylor's wrongful-termination lawsuit against the Clippers. Baylor claimed he was harassed and subjected to age discrimination leading to his 2008 departure after 22 years as a Clippers executive.
When Baylor filed the suit in February 2009, he alleged that a racist culture existed at the Clippers. Baylor called it a "plantation mentality" in a deposition and alleged that Sterling rejected a coaching candidate, Jim Brewer, because he was black. But Baylor in 2011 dropped the race allegations from his suit.
Sterling and his wife, Rochelle, agreed to pay a record settlement of more than $2.7 million regarding allegations that they discriminated against African Americans, Latinos and families with children at scores of apartment buildings they own in and around Los Angeles.
The settlement was the largest ever obtained by the Justice Department in a housing discrimination case involving apartment rentals, officials said. Under the agreement, the Sterlings' insurers would pay $2.625 million to a fund for people who were allegedly harmed by their discriminatory practices, officials said. Sterling's attorney at the time said his client denied any wrongdoing and didn't discriminate.
The National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People announced Sunday that Donald Sterling will not receive an honor amid controversy over a recording said to be of the Clippers team owner making racist remarks.
The Los Angeles chapter of the NAACP had been scheduled to give Sterling the group's lifetime achievement award at its May 15 banquet.
"He is not receiving a lifetime achievement award from the NAACP," Lorraine Miller, NAACP interim vice president, told NBC's "Meet the Press."
Also, on Twitter, the NAACP announced Sterling "will not be receiving a lifetime achievement award from the LA Branch of the NAACP."
At the banquet, the NAACP chapter also planned to give its first "person of the year" awards to L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti and the Rev. Al Sharpton, according to the organization's website.
Garcetti's spokesman had said Saturday that the mayor was going to talk to the NAACP about the honor.
"In light of recent events, we will be discussing this event with the Los Angeles NAACP," Garcetti spokesman Yusef Robb had said.
The comments that TMZ attributed to Sterling prompted ire among civil rights activists.
Earl Ofari Hutchinson, president of the Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable, and a coalition of civil rights leaders demanded that Sterling apologize for “blatantly racist remarks he reportedly made about African Americans. "Sterling's racist digs at African Americans is no surprise."
Hutchinson added: "Black players have made his fortune with the Clippers and for him to disparage African Americans is beyond reprehensible. It demands a public apology, a Clipper fan protest and NBA official censure."
The Clippers have released a statement saying that the team does not know if the man recorded is Sterling but that the comments do not reflect Sterling's "views, beliefs or feelings."
Garcetti said through a spokesman Saturday that he condemns the "statements and sentiments" attributed to Sterling. L.A. City Councilman Bernard C. Parks, who represents a portion of South Los Angeles, went further, saying the council should take a formal position denouncing the remarks and demanding action from the NBA.
The NBA said it is conducting an investigation.
Sterling is known for his various charity events that have benefited organizations that help the needy, including nonprofits serving the local Latino and African American communities.
But there have also been accusations against him. He has strongly denied he is biased toward anyone and has pointed to his charitable work.
A Los Angeles County Superior Court jury rejected NBA great Elgin Baylor's wrongful-termination lawsuit against the Clippers. Baylor claimed he was harassed and subjected to age discrimination leading to his 2008 departure after 22 years as a Clippers executive.
When Baylor filed the suit in February 2009, he alleged that a racist culture existed at the Clippers. Baylor called it a "plantation mentality" in a deposition and alleged that Sterling rejected a coaching candidate, Jim Brewer, because he was black. But Baylor in 2011 dropped the race allegations from his suit.
Sterling and his wife, Rochelle, agreed to pay a record settlement of more than $2.7 million regarding allegations that they discriminated against African Americans, Latinos and families with children at scores of apartment buildings they own in and around Los Angeles.
The settlement was the largest ever obtained by the Justice Department in a housing discrimination case involving apartment rentals, officials said. Under the agreement, the Sterlings' insurers would pay $2.625 million to a fund for people who were allegedly harmed by their discriminatory practices, officials said. Sterling's attorney at the time said his client denied any wrongdoing and didn't discriminate.
DONALD STERLING'S WIFE HASN'T ESCAPED CONTROVERSY EITHER
Original Story: LATimes.com
An apartment tenant and managers claimed the wife of embattled Clippers owner Donald Sterling denigrated African Americans, Latinos and once posed as a health inspector, according to court records.
Rochelle Sterling denied she is a racist in a statement released to ESPN earlier this week and distanced herself from remarks captured on an audio recording said to be of her husband. The court documents offer a different perspective.
In a 2009 deposition, a tenant at one of the Sterling’s apartment buildings in Los Angeles County said that Rochelle Sterling called him a “black m—f—” during a discussion at the building.
“I asked her again, I asked her, ‘would you reduce the rent?’” Darrell Rhodes said in the deposition. “And she said, ‘who do you think you are, you black m—f—.’
“The way in which she said m—f— was more lower voiced, under her breath. She said black loud enough for me to hear, she said mother loud enough for me to hear. F— part was a little lower. I had to look at her lips to hear her say it. And I did.”
Rhodes, who filed a federal lawsuit against the Sterlings in 2007, alleged he was the target of discriminatory behavior by the Sterlings.
“Inflammatory remarks made directly to Darrell Rhodes by Shelley Sterling on several occasions indicate bias,” Rhodes wrote in a 2006 letter to the Sterlings that was entered into the court record. “We have been singled out in what we believe to be a discriminatory action.”
Rhodes’ lawsuit, along with an action by the Justice Department and other tenants, was part of a $2.765-million settlement in 2009. As part of the agreement, the Sterlings didn’t admit any wrongdoing.
In another deposition from 2009, former on-site manager Maira Oliva described Rochelle Sterling's visiting the apartment building she worked at on South Ardmore Avenue.
Oliva: “She said, ‘Oh, my God. This is so filthy. I can’t remodel my apartments the way that I want because Latinos are so filthy."
Attorney: “Did she say those exact words, ‘Latinos are so filthy’?”
Oliva: “I can’t remodel my building the way I want and that the building was filthy because of the Latinos."
In a 2004 deposition in a separate case, former property supervisor Sumner Davenport said Sterling expressed her dislike for children and “certain ethnic groups” in apartments.
Attorney: Did she say that [Donald Sterling] said he wanted to evict current tenants with children?
Davenport: “Yes. She didn’t want -- if they were playing in the hallway, if they were out hanging in front of the building, they didn’t fit the image.
Davenport sued Donald Sterling for sexual harassment in 2003 and lost at trial.
An August 2003 court order by U.S. District Court Judge A. Howard Matz in another housing discrimination lawsuit detailed Rochelle Sterling apparently posing as a health inspector while visiting a tenant’s apartment. A short video by one of the plaintiffs, Daryl Williams, documented the encounter in April 2003.
“[The] evidence is sufficient to support a finding that Rochelle Sterling did tell Plaintiff Williams she was a health inspector,” the order said. “Sterling’s failure to deny that she made that statement reinforces this conclusion.”
The order noted, however, the absence of evidence that Sterling entered the apartment.
“Sumner Davenport declares that when she worked for Sterling she often accompanied Rochelle Sterling on apartment inspections, that Rochelle Sterling would regularly pose as a government official in order to gain access to tenants’ apartments,” the order said.
The judge called the allegations “troubling,” but said they didn’t raise sufficient questions to support an injunction.
The Housing Rights Center, which filed the 2003 case, reached a confidential settlement with the Sterlings.
An apartment tenant and managers claimed the wife of embattled Clippers owner Donald Sterling denigrated African Americans, Latinos and once posed as a health inspector, according to court records.
Rochelle Sterling denied she is a racist in a statement released to ESPN earlier this week and distanced herself from remarks captured on an audio recording said to be of her husband. The court documents offer a different perspective.
In a 2009 deposition, a tenant at one of the Sterling’s apartment buildings in Los Angeles County said that Rochelle Sterling called him a “black m—f—” during a discussion at the building.
“I asked her again, I asked her, ‘would you reduce the rent?’” Darrell Rhodes said in the deposition. “And she said, ‘who do you think you are, you black m—f—.’
“The way in which she said m—f— was more lower voiced, under her breath. She said black loud enough for me to hear, she said mother loud enough for me to hear. F— part was a little lower. I had to look at her lips to hear her say it. And I did.”
Rhodes, who filed a federal lawsuit against the Sterlings in 2007, alleged he was the target of discriminatory behavior by the Sterlings.
“Inflammatory remarks made directly to Darrell Rhodes by Shelley Sterling on several occasions indicate bias,” Rhodes wrote in a 2006 letter to the Sterlings that was entered into the court record. “We have been singled out in what we believe to be a discriminatory action.”
Rhodes’ lawsuit, along with an action by the Justice Department and other tenants, was part of a $2.765-million settlement in 2009. As part of the agreement, the Sterlings didn’t admit any wrongdoing.
In another deposition from 2009, former on-site manager Maira Oliva described Rochelle Sterling's visiting the apartment building she worked at on South Ardmore Avenue.
Oliva: “She said, ‘Oh, my God. This is so filthy. I can’t remodel my apartments the way that I want because Latinos are so filthy."
Attorney: “Did she say those exact words, ‘Latinos are so filthy’?”
Oliva: “I can’t remodel my building the way I want and that the building was filthy because of the Latinos."
In a 2004 deposition in a separate case, former property supervisor Sumner Davenport said Sterling expressed her dislike for children and “certain ethnic groups” in apartments.
Attorney: Did she say that [Donald Sterling] said he wanted to evict current tenants with children?
Davenport: “Yes. She didn’t want -- if they were playing in the hallway, if they were out hanging in front of the building, they didn’t fit the image.
Davenport sued Donald Sterling for sexual harassment in 2003 and lost at trial.
An August 2003 court order by U.S. District Court Judge A. Howard Matz in another housing discrimination lawsuit detailed Rochelle Sterling apparently posing as a health inspector while visiting a tenant’s apartment. A short video by one of the plaintiffs, Daryl Williams, documented the encounter in April 2003.
“[The] evidence is sufficient to support a finding that Rochelle Sterling did tell Plaintiff Williams she was a health inspector,” the order said. “Sterling’s failure to deny that she made that statement reinforces this conclusion.”
The order noted, however, the absence of evidence that Sterling entered the apartment.
“Sumner Davenport declares that when she worked for Sterling she often accompanied Rochelle Sterling on apartment inspections, that Rochelle Sterling would regularly pose as a government official in order to gain access to tenants’ apartments,” the order said.
The judge called the allegations “troubling,” but said they didn’t raise sufficient questions to support an injunction.
The Housing Rights Center, which filed the 2003 case, reached a confidential settlement with the Sterlings.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Arizona Sheriff in Trouble with Feds
Story first appeared in USA Today.
Federal authorities said Wednesday that they plan to sue the Arizona sheriff and his office over allegations of civil rights violations, including the racial profiling of Latinos. San Diego Civil Rights Lawyers are following the case.
The U.S. Justice Department has been seeking an agreement requiring the sheriff's office to train officers in how to make constitutional traffic stops, collect data on people arrested in traffic stops and reach out to Latinos to assure them that the department is there to also protect them.
The defendant has denied the racial profiling allegations and has claimed that allowing a court monitor would mean that every policy decision would have to be cleared through an observer and would nullify his authority.
Justice Department officials told a lawyer for the sheriff on April 3 that the lawman's refusal of a court-appointed monitor was a deal-breaker that would end settlement negotiations and result in a federal lawsuit.
The notice of intent to file civil action came Wednesday from the Assistant U.S. Attorney General in a letter to a the defense lawyer.
It's been more than 100 days since the sheriff's office received the department's findings report and federal authorities haven't met with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office counsel since Feb. 6 to discuss the terms of a consent agreement.
Last December, the Justice Department released a scathing report accusing the sheriff's office of racially profiling Latinos, basing immigration enforcement on racially charged citizen complaints and punishing Hispanic jail inmates for speaking Spanish in Arizona's most populous county.
The sheriff is also accused of having a culture of disregard for basic constitutional rights, according to a Raleigh Immigration Lawyer.
The civil rights allegations have led some critics to call for his resignation, including the National Council of La Raza, a prominent advocacy group for Latinos.
The sheriff's office also is facing criticism over more than 400 sex-crimes investigations — including dozens of alleged child molestations — that hadn't been investigated adequately or weren't examined at all over a three-year period ending in 2007.
The sheriff has apologized for the botched cases, reopened 432 sex-crimes investigations and made 19 arrests.
Separate from the civil rights probe, a federal grand jury has been investigating Arpaio's office on criminal abuse-of-power allegations since at least December 2009. That grand jury is examining the investigative work of the sheriff's anti-public corruption squad.
The self-proclaimed toughest sheriff in America has been a national political fixture who has built his reputation on jailing inmates in tents and dressing them in pink underwear, selling himself to voters as unceasingly tough on crime and pushing the bounds of how far local police can go to confront illegal immigration.
For more law related news, visit the Nation of Law blog.
For national and worldwide related business news, visit the Peak News Room blog.
For local and Michigan business related news, visit the Michigan Business News blog.
For healthcare and medical related news, visit the Healthcare and Medical blog.
For real estate and home related news, visit the Commercial and Residential Real Estate blog.
For technology and electronics related news, visit the Electronics America blog.
For organic SEO and web optimization related news, visit the SEO Done Right blog.
Federal authorities said Wednesday that they plan to sue the Arizona sheriff and his office over allegations of civil rights violations, including the racial profiling of Latinos. San Diego Civil Rights Lawyers are following the case.
The U.S. Justice Department has been seeking an agreement requiring the sheriff's office to train officers in how to make constitutional traffic stops, collect data on people arrested in traffic stops and reach out to Latinos to assure them that the department is there to also protect them.
The defendant has denied the racial profiling allegations and has claimed that allowing a court monitor would mean that every policy decision would have to be cleared through an observer and would nullify his authority.
Justice Department officials told a lawyer for the sheriff on April 3 that the lawman's refusal of a court-appointed monitor was a deal-breaker that would end settlement negotiations and result in a federal lawsuit.
The notice of intent to file civil action came Wednesday from the Assistant U.S. Attorney General in a letter to a the defense lawyer.
It's been more than 100 days since the sheriff's office received the department's findings report and federal authorities haven't met with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office counsel since Feb. 6 to discuss the terms of a consent agreement.
Last December, the Justice Department released a scathing report accusing the sheriff's office of racially profiling Latinos, basing immigration enforcement on racially charged citizen complaints and punishing Hispanic jail inmates for speaking Spanish in Arizona's most populous county.
The sheriff is also accused of having a culture of disregard for basic constitutional rights, according to a Raleigh Immigration Lawyer.
The civil rights allegations have led some critics to call for his resignation, including the National Council of La Raza, a prominent advocacy group for Latinos.
The sheriff's office also is facing criticism over more than 400 sex-crimes investigations — including dozens of alleged child molestations — that hadn't been investigated adequately or weren't examined at all over a three-year period ending in 2007.
The sheriff has apologized for the botched cases, reopened 432 sex-crimes investigations and made 19 arrests.
Separate from the civil rights probe, a federal grand jury has been investigating Arpaio's office on criminal abuse-of-power allegations since at least December 2009. That grand jury is examining the investigative work of the sheriff's anti-public corruption squad.
The self-proclaimed toughest sheriff in America has been a national political fixture who has built his reputation on jailing inmates in tents and dressing them in pink underwear, selling himself to voters as unceasingly tough on crime and pushing the bounds of how far local police can go to confront illegal immigration.
For more law related news, visit the Nation of Law blog.
For national and worldwide related business news, visit the Peak News Room blog.
For local and Michigan business related news, visit the Michigan Business News blog.
For healthcare and medical related news, visit the Healthcare and Medical blog.
For real estate and home related news, visit the Commercial and Residential Real Estate blog.
For technology and electronics related news, visit the Electronics America blog.
For organic SEO and web optimization related news, visit the SEO Done Right blog.
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