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Texas energy group asks court to halt fracking ban
Headline Topics |
2014/11/07 10:56
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A North Texas city that sits atop a natural gas reserve is preparing for an extended court battle after voters made it the first in the state to ban further hydraulic fracturing — a fight that cities nationwide considering similar laws will likely be watching closely.
An industry group and the state's little-known but powerful General Land Office responded quickly to the measure Denton approved Tuesday night, seeking an injunction in District Court to stop it from being enforced.
Battling the fracking ban will be Texas Land Commissioner-elect George P. Bush's first fight. The founding partner of an energy and infrastructure consultancy, Bush promoted the economic benefits of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, throughout his campaign.
The ban could have a domino effect in Texas, threatening an "energy renaissance" in shale resources accessed with the drilling technique, said David Porter, a commissioner on the Texas Railroad Commission, the state's oil and gas regulator.
Scores of cities in other states have considered similar bans over health and environmental concerns. Measures aimed at restricting fracking passed Tuesday in Athens, Ohio, and California's San Benito and Mendocino Counties, but failed elsewhere in those states.
The proposal in Denton, a university town about 40 miles north of Dallas, was a litmus test on whether any community in Texas — the nation's biggest oil and gas producer — could rebuff the industry and still thrive.
The courts must "give a prompt and authoritative answer" on whether Denton voters had the authority to ban fracking, Texas Oil and Gas Association attorney Tom Phillips, a former chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court, said Wednesday. |
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Las Vegas Accident & Injury Attorney
Lawyer News |
2014/11/07 10:55
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Drummond Law Firm has a tremendous amount of experience in both the litigation and settlement of personal injury matters. When you become the victim of personal injury, it is important that you meet with an attorney who can help you defend your rights against the insurance companies. One client of Attorney Craig W. Drummond was awarded twelve times the amount of her medical costs in 2011! This was one of the largest dental injury jury verdicts ever awarded in the state of Nevada. The Las Vegas Accident & Injury Attorneys at the Drummond Firm are here for you.
In 2013, Drummond successfully represented a client in front of the Supreme Court of Nevada. In landmark case Humphries v. New York-New York Hotel & Casino, 129 Nev., Adv. Op. 85 (Nov. 7, 2013), the doors were opened for patrons to sue the bar/property/casino for not keeping them safe in the event of an attack (instead of the actor in the attack).
Just as the big insurance companies have lawyers protecting their interests, the little guy should have someone looking out for them too. Our lawyers will communicate directly to you, without middle men, to keep you updated about your case. In addition to legal protection, we have a network of medical professionals to help you heal from injuries sustained as well.
Drummond Law Firm will work on your injury case on a contingency fee, meaning we collect 0 money from you upfront. We are paid directly out of the amount we recover for you. Before you commit to us, we will explain in detail about how this process works. Our fees are always reasonable and fair, and in addition to explaining how we are paid, we will explain your future payment as well. |
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Appeals court takes on NSA surveillance case
Headline Topics |
2014/11/05 12:58
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A conservative gadfly lawyer who has made a career of skewering Democratic administrations is taking his battle against the National Security Agency's telephone surveillance program to a federal appeals court.
Activist attorney Larry Klayman won the first round in December, when U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, a Republican appointee, ruled that the NSA's surveillance program likely runs afoul of the Constitution's ban on unreasonable searches. The government appealed.
In court filings in preparation for Tuesday's argument, the Justice Department told three Republican-nominated appeals judges that collecting the phone data is of overriding and compelling importance to the nation's security.
Former NSA systems analyst Edward Snowden revealed the phone data collection effort a year and a half ago, triggering a debate over privacy rights and surveillance.
In New York, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit recently heard arguments in an appeal of a judge's opinion that found the surveillance program legal.
The three appeals judges in the Washington case have generally come down on the government's side on national security issues. |
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Nevada court says Strip club dancers are employees
Headline Court News |
2014/11/04 14:45
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In a legal decision with wide implications for strip clubs in Sin City, the Nevada Supreme Court ruled Thursday that dancers at one Las Vegas club are employees, not independent contractors, and are entitled to be paid minimum wage.
The unanimous ruling Thursday in a 2009 class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of six dancers at Sapphire Gentlemen's Club could change the landscape statewide in a business where dancers have for decades depended on tips and even paid "house fees" to establishments that allowed them to work.
"Given that Sapphire bills itself as the 'World's Largest Strip Club,' and not, say, a sports bar or nightclub," the high court said, "we are confident that the women strip-dancing there are useful and indeed necessary to its operation."
Mick Rusing, the Tucson, Arizona, attorney who represented plaintiff Zuri-Kinshasa Maria Terry and five other dancers in the initial case, said the ruling might directly effect more than 6,500 current and former members of the affected class, dating to about 2006.
Rusing said they could be entitled to a combined $40 million in back wages, plus the return of house fees.
"And it keeps going up every month," Rusing said. "As employees, you get a lot of rights. The girls are entitled to be paid. At very least, minimum wage."
Sapphire officials and the attorneys who represented the company before the Supreme Court didn't immediately respond to messages.
The Supreme Court ruling, written by Justice Kristina Pickering, declared clubs are not exempt from provisions of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.
That includes worker compensation and sexual harassment rules, Rusing said. |
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North Carolina Worker's Compensation & Social Security Disability
Network News |
2014/11/04 14:43
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We at DiRusso & DiRusso have been helping those in our area with legal need for the past 23 years. Located near Mount Airy, North Carolina, we are grateful for the citizens of Surry County for consistently choosing us for legal representation. Our staff takes pride in this distinction and we believe it is wise that our clients chose local
counsel.
Unlike firms in the larger cities, it is important to us that our clients speak directly with DiRusso and DiRusso, not assistants or paralegals. This local touch extends to our knowledge of the local employers, local court officials, and local employers. It is of upmost importance that we are available to you and sensitive to the needs of
the area.
In addition to being local, we also have the expertise and resources to advocate for you, no matter who you're going against. We at DiRusso and DiRusso are here to listen compassionately about the difficult time you may be having, while also being solution-oriented. Our attorneys are dedicated to representing their clients, and nobody else. We will provide you with current rules, cases, and codes to keep you up to date with the law.
Call us today to speak with an attorney regarding your case. Your initial consultation concerning Personal Injury, Social Security Disability, and Workers' Compensation is always free.
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Divorce Litigation and Child Custody & Visitation in Northern Virginia
Lawyer News |
2014/10/30 09:56
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The Law Offices of Tenecia P. Reid is dedicated to providing outstanding and creative legal solutions to clients throughout Northern Virginia.
The Law Offices of Tenecia P. Reid is here to help you determine how to achieve your goals and maintain your interests. Our exemplary legal counsel assists those throughout Northern Virginia who need an honest assessment of their legal situations. We will advocate on your behalf, advise you on the best course of action, and inform you of the financial and time commitment needed for success.
We specialize in both uncontested divorce cases as well as those with child support, custody, alimony, property, relocation, and other complications. In addition to divorce cases we also have experience with contempt actions, paternity issues, and injunctions, and
protective orders.
Call us today for a consultation, and our attorneys will assist you in traversing the legal system and finding the best outcome for your situation.
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Marine wants new charges in Iraq war crime tossed
Press Release |
2014/10/30 09:55
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The Marine Corps should not be retrying a sergeant whose murder conviction in a major Iraq war crime case was overturned by the military's highest court after he served half of his 11-year sentence, his defense attorneys say.
Civilian defense attorney Chris Oprison said he has filed nine motions that he will present during a two-day hearing for Lawrence Hutchins III that starts Thursday at Camp Pendleton Marine Corps base, north of San Diego.
"We think all these charges should be dismissed," Oprison said. "What are they trying to get out of this Marine? He served seven years locked up, away from his wife and family. Why are they putting him through this again after he served that much time?"
The military prosecution declined to comment.
The Marine Corps ordered a retrial for Hutchins last year shortly after the ruling by the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces that found his rights were violated by interrogators in 2006 when he was detained in Iraq and held in solitary confinement without access to a lawyer for a week.
The new defense team is asking the judge to let them go to Iraq to interview witnesses in the village of Hamdania, where Hutchins led an eight-man squad accused of kidnapping an Iraqi man from his home in April 2006, marching him to a ditch and shooting him to death. Hutchins has said he thought the man was an insurgent.
Before his release, the Marine, from Plymouth, Massachusetts, had served seven years in the brig for one of the biggest war crime cases against U.S. troops to emerge from the war. None of the other seven squad members served more than 18 months.
The military last summer re-charged Hutchins. Among the charges is conspiracy to commit murder, which Oprison said is double jeopardy. Hutchins was convicted of murder at his original trial and acquitted of murder with premeditation.
Hutchins' defense attorneys also say the military compromised his case when its investigators raided defense attorneys' offices at Camp Pendleton in May. Oprison said investigators rifled through privileged files that held "the crown jewels" of Hutchins' defense case. |
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