The world’s largest producer of phosphate for use as fertilizer The Mosaic Company, based out of Plymouth, Minnesota, has agreed to a historic $2 billion settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Justice (DOJ). The EPA accused the company of improperly storing and disposing over 60 billion pounds of phosphogypsum waste,
The lawsuit was initially filed in Connecticut Superior Court in Bridgeport; however Bushmaster successfully petitioned for the case to be moved to federal court shortly afterward. The plaintiffs are arguing the Bushmaster AR-15 assault rifle used in the shooting is too dangerous to be sold to the public, citing negligent entrustment, a provision which holds a company liable for damages occurring to a third party. Federal courts have usually ruled in favor of gun manufacturers in cases involving negligent entrustment. Although Bushmaster attorneys argued that including Riverview Gun Sales in the lawsuit was “meritless” and that the company was fraudulently named as a defendant in order to keep the case at the state level, Judge Chatigny remanded the case back to state court without issuing an opinion.
While the panel was in agreement with the first part of Judge Wilken’s ruling, Chief Judge Sidney R. Thomas disagreed with the other two judges on the merits of Wilken’s acceptance of the deferred-compensation option. Defending the majority opinion of vacating this portion of Wilken’s ruling, Judge Bybee wrote “The difference between offering student-athletes education-related compensation and offering them cash sums untethered to educational expenses is not minor; it is a quantum leap,” Bybee added, “Once that line is crossed, we see no basis for returning to a rule of amateurism and no defined stopping point.”
Nader is hoping that the museum will help to serve future generations in understanding the power of the consumer, the threats of the protections being removed as part of the conservative tort-reform agenda, which is an attempt to put caps on personal injury lawsuit awards. Nader said, “Tort law is being run into the ground, maligned, caricatured and slandered because it’s effective,” calling tort reform, “the cruelest movement I’ve ever encountered.”
The copyright laws involving campaign music are murky, as Gingrich had argued. Generally, the costs of litigation aren’t worth the challenge in court. Sullivan for one said he will not take legal action this time against Davis and Huckabee, but did say that the use of the song was personal. Sullivan told Rolling Stone, “I do not agree with Kim Davis’ stance and do not believe in denying gay rights and the freedom for all individuals to choose the lifestyle they want to live. Our Constitution, and the words of our Founding Fathers, stand tall for freedom, which is what America is all about. I find it ridiculous in this day and age that this fight against gay marriage has gone on, even after the Supreme Court’s ruling. Let’s stop!”
The 65 year-old had been serving in the House, representing Ohio’s 8th District since 1991, yet his seniority and leadership roles have not been able to quell dissent from conservatives in the party, most recently revolving around funding for Planned Parenthood potentially leading to a shutdown. Over 30 members of the House threatened a no-confidence vote over the Planned Parenthood issue; with such a vote meaning that Boehner would have to rely on Democratic votes to remain as Speaker next term.
The case may or may not end at the state’s Supreme Court, depending on whether or not the appeal is considered. If the Court declines the appeal, the case will head back to a jury trial in Marion County, however MacGill acknowledged that even a favorable ruling will still make for difficulties, saying that “we have a lot of work to do, and we have to prove a case.” If the Court accepts the case, and depending on the ruling, the state could be held liable for an undisclosed amount of damages.
Zimmer took time to lend support to the marijuana legalization movement as the keynote speaker in Los Angeles at the Cannabis World Congress and Business Expo on Friday. In his speech, Zimmer called the placement of marijuana on the Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, equating it to drugs like heroin and ecstasy, “the biggest con that has been perpetrated on this country in the last century.”
According to Senator Udall, the Gold King Mine Spill Recovery Act does three things. It “requires the EPA to compensate New Mexico communities that were impacted. It requires the EPA to keep monitoring the water quality in the Animas and San Juan rivers, and it would help prevent future disasters.”
The city is blaming Wells Fargo for the loss of millions of dollars of potential tax revenue, leading to budgetary limits for services like parks, policing, and libraries. City attorney Barbara Parker said in a statement after the filing, “Wells Fargo’s discriminatory conduct devastated individuals and communities, increasing poverty and wiping out or drastically reducing wealth for minority communities while bankers prospered.”