Woman sues P.F. Chang’s, says restaurant’s higher prices for gluten-free food violate ADA

Corrected: A California woman is suing an Arizona-based restaurant chain over the surcharges it imposes for gluten-free menu items. The additional $1 charged by P.F. Chang’s China Bistro Inc. for gluten-free items violates the the Americans with Disabilities Act, the suit contends> It points out that many who order them…

Feb 9, 2015 3:55 PM CST

How many therapy ducks are too many? Veteran with PTSD and 6 ducks appeals

A former Ohio National Guardsman who served in Iraq and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression is appealing his October municipal-court conviction for keeping registered therapy ducks. Darin Welker, who had 14 ducks at his West Lafayette, Ohio, home when he was cited in June, says the therapy…

Feb 5, 2015 12:00 PM CST

People with disabilities want the Internet to be more accessible

Feb 1, 2015 3:00 AM CST

Gender identity disorder should be protected by ADA, transgender plaintiff argues

Can a transgendered individual sue for workplace discrimination? Yes, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said last year, and the question of whether gender identity disorder should be covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act is currently being litigated in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania U.S. District Court. Lawyers for…

Jan 21, 2015 4:30 PM CST

Drug-court judge resigns after ethics commission calls for her removal over alcohol-related conduct

A Florida drug court judge resigned on Tuesday, following a call by the state Judicial Qualifications Commission on Monday for her removal from the bench. Sober for nearly 20 years, Broward County Judge Gisele Pollack relapsed in 2013 after her mother’s death. She had been elected in 2004, and had…

Jan 7, 2015 10:10 AM CST

Removal from bench is recommended for judge who went to work at drug court while intoxicated

Sober for 20 years, a Florida judge who is an admitted alcoholic relapsed during a difficult time in her life. Disciplined for coming to work intoxicated on Dec. 17, 2013, Broward County Judge Gisele Pollack promised the state’s Judicial Qualifications Commission never to do so again. But on March 19,…

Jan 6, 2015 6:20 AM CST

Judge commits lawyer who tried to back out of agreed mental evaluation

A suspended Georgia lawyer won a delay of a contempt hearing last week by voluntarily agreeing to a psychiatric evaluation. But Christopher Nicholson was involuntarily committed the next day by the same judge, when he tried to leave the Georgia Regents Medical Center Hospital before the exam was complete. Hospital…

Jan 5, 2015 12:40 PM CST

Ethics trial continues for judge claimed to be delusional, even after she announces her retirement

An embattled Detroit judge who says she has already been suspended without pay, for the third time, announced Tuesday that she will retire from the bench. But the trial of legal ethics charges against 36th District Judge Brenda Sanders that began Monday will continue, the judge hearing the case said.…

Dec 11, 2014 5:50 PM CST

Former lawmaker faces spouse-abuse case; AG’s office says wife’s dementia precluded consent to sex

By all accounts, Donna Lou Young and Henry Rayhons were happily married. But the former Iowa lawmaker is now awaiting trial in a felony spouse-abuse case. He is accused of having sex with his wife in a nursing home when she was allegedly incapable of consent because of her dementia,…

Dec 9, 2014 4:40 PM CST

Judge is a no-show at legal ethics trial over claims she has psychotic delusions

Updated: A Detroit judge has declined to attend a legal ethics trial that began Monday over allegations that she has psychotic delusions and improperly claimed a medical disability to get leave. Relying on a letter sent by 36th District Judge Brenda Sanders to the local U.S. Attorney and a diagnosis…

Dec 8, 2014 1:44 PM CST

Amid talk of possible carry-on ban, plane passenger charged with using backpack as dangerous weapon

Concerned about possible airline-focused terrorism targeting flights to Europe during the December holidays, officials in both the United Kingdom and the U.S. have been talking about potential enhancements in security measures as part of a coordinated response. Among the options being discussed in both countries are a complete ban on…

Dec 4, 2014 4:00 PM CST

New mom will get stop-the-clock breaks to pump breast milk during bar exam

Told there was no procedure for appealing a decision by Illinois bar exam authorities not to provide stop-the-clock breaks when she needed to pump breast milk, Kristin Pagano nonetheless wrote a letter requesting reconsideration. On Tuesday, that request was unanimously granted by the Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar.…

Nov 26, 2014 9:30 AM CST

SCOTUS will consider cops’ ADA obligations when arresting mentally ill suspects

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday granted cert in a case that raises questions about police responsibilities when arresting mentally ill suspects. One of the issues in the case is whether the Americans with Disabilities Act requires police officers to provide accommodations when arresting an armed, violent and mentally ill…

Nov 25, 2014 2:39 PM CST

Expectant mom is denied extra time to breast pump during February bar exam

An expectant mother who plans to take the Illinois bar exam a month after she gives birth to her child has been denied extra time to breast pump. Kristin Pagano, a California lawyer who recently moved to Illinois with her husband, plans to breastfeed her newborn. Her due date is…

Nov 20, 2014 9:19 AM CST

BigLaw’s reliance on law-school rankings discriminates against the disabled, 3L’s suit alleges

A third-year student at Drexel University’s law school claims in a lawsuit against Dechert that its reliance on higher-ranked law schools in hiring discriminates against the disabled. The pro se plaintiff, William Joseph Hanrahan, has been diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome. Temple law professor Dave Hoffman writes about the suit (PDF)…

Nov 20, 2014 8:14 AM CST