Weekly Briefs: BigLaw firm settles 'mommy track' suit; ban on scraped court data challenged
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Morrison & Foerster settles ‘mommy track’ suit
Morrison & Foerster has settled with two remaining plaintiffs in a lawsuit contending that the law firm discriminates against lawyer moms. In a joint filing, plaintiffs Sherry William and Joshua Ashley Klayman joined the law firm in a March 22 stipulation of dismissal. They provided no details of settlement terms but said in a joint statement they are “pleased to have resolved this matter in a positive way for all involved.” (Bloomberg Law)
Suit challenges ban on scraping court records
A First Amendment lawsuit filed Wednesday challenges South Carolina’s ban on automated collection of court records. The plaintiff is the South Carolina NAACP, which wants to obtain housing court records that could be used to help tenants at risk of eviction. The suit was filed on behalf of the group by the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of South Carolina and the NAACP. (American Civil Liberties Union press release, the March 30 lawsuit)
Navy fuel ship will be named for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
The U.S. Navy will name a fuel ship after the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to honor her fight for women’s rights. Ships in the same class as the future USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg honor people who fought for civil and human rights. Two other ships in the class are named after the late Justices Earl Warren and Thurgood Marshall. (The New York Times, NBC News, U.S. Navy press release)
Judge resigns after groping allegation
A Massachusetts judge accused of groping a court employee has agreed to resign. Judge Paul Sushchyk was accused of groping the female co-worker at a bar after a judicial education conference in 2019. Sushchyk resigned Monday, less than a week after the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court suspended him without pay. Sushchyk was still being paid after he was transferred to administrative duties in February 2020. He had claimed that the grope was no more than a momentary touch as he tried to steady himself because of the effects of hip surgery and a long day of work. (MassLive.com, WCVB5)
Former Kentucky prosecutor pleads guilty to wire fraud
Michael Hogan, a former county attorney for Lawrence County, Kentucky, pleaded guilty to wire fraud charges Tuesday in a case stemming from $365,000 in county funds that were paid to his wife, Joy Hogan, a legal secretary in the county office. The money came from the Lawrence County Delinquent Tax Account and should have been spent on operating expenses for the office, according to a press release. Michael and Joy Hogan pleaded guilty to wire fraud, and Michael Hogan also pleaded guilty to federal program theft. The plea agreement required Michael Hogan’s resignation. (Department of Justice press release, the Lexington Herald-Leader)
