Arrested Monday in LA as airline stowaway, woman is released Wednesday, arrested again Thursday

A California woman who seemingly is fixated on ticketless airline travel is no longer a problem for San Francisco airport officials after succeeding in stowing away on a Monday night flight to Los Angeles. Marilyn Jean Hartman, 62, is now in the news again after being found at LAX on…

Aug 7, 2014 10:40 PM CDT

Veterans with disability claims will get free legal help in ABA pilot program with VA

The ABA is cooperating with the Department of Veterans Affairs in a pilot program to provide free legal representation to vets with pending disability claims. The Veterans’ Claims Assistance Network, known as ABA VCAN, is getting underway with pilot sites in St. Petersburg, Florida, and Chicago, according to an ABA…

Jul 10, 2014 10:44 AM CDT

Walgreens employee fired for eating $1.39 bag of chips accepts $180K settlement

A diabetic woman fired after nearly 18 years on the job for eating a $1.39 bag of chips before she paid for it has accepted a $180,000 settlement of her disability discrimination claim. The settlement by Walgreens with Josefina Hernandez, 57, was announced Wednesday by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission,…

Jul 2, 2014 9:30 PM CDT

EEOC case alleging ADA violations against Womble Carlyle nixed by federal judge

A North Carolina federal judge on Thursday granted a summary judgment motion in an Americans with Disabilities Act case that the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission brought against Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, siding with the firm. According to the Triangle Business Journal, the firm fired Charlesetta Jennings, a support services…

Jul 1, 2014 5:50 PM CDT

Facebook appeal claims DA’s request for data on 381 people violates Fourth Amendment

Facebook is contesting the Manhattan District’s Attorney’s right to obtain Facebook information for 381 people, though a judge already forced the social network to release the information. Facebook filed an appeal last Friday, and documents in the case were unsealed on Wednesday, report the New York Times and a Facebook…

Jun 27, 2014 1:06 PM CDT

Lawyer who complained of ‘electronic torture’ by ‘illegally implanted microchips’ still practices

A veteran Florida lawyer complained in a written filing earlier this year that her opposing counsel is subjecting her to “electronic torture” through “illegally implanted microchips.” However, Janice L. Jennings remains in practice in Florida. And at least one of her clients, required by a federal judge to do so,…

Jun 16, 2014 4:27 PM CDT

Deaf inmate says prison violated ADA by not providing sign-language interpreters

A deaf inmate has filed a federal lawsuit against the Oregon Department of Corrections, contending that the state violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to provide him with a qualified sign-language interpreter. David D. VanValkenburg, 48, says he was systematically excluded from full participation in intake interviews, classroom…

Jun 13, 2014 3:53 PM CDT

Banks face a slew of suits over their ADA-violating ATMs

Jun 1, 2014 9:20 AM CDT

State bars may probe applicants’ behavior, but not mental health status, says DOJ

Jun 1, 2014 9:00 AM CDT

Suspended without pay, judge asks top state court to treat her alcoholism as a disability

One of three Broward County judges charged with driving under the influence in a little more than six months has asked the Florida Supreme Court to reconsider its decision to suspend her without pay. Judge Gisele Pollack, 56, is asking that her alcoholism be treated as a disability and seeking…

May 29, 2014 10:30 PM CDT

LSAC to pay $7.73M, change LSAT policies in settlement of ADA suit

In a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over Law School Admission Test policies concerning the disabled, the Law School Admission Council has agreed to pay $7.73 million and stop flagging test scores of those who were given extra time, among other policy revisions. The LSAC did not admit…

May 20, 2014 10:30 PM CDT

Court tosses suit claiming Drake law school discriminated by barring service-dog-in-training

The Iowa Supreme Court has dismissed a suit that claimed Drake University’s law school discriminated on the basis of disability by barring from class a dog being trained by a law student as a service animal. The former law student who sued, Nicole Shumate, worked as a service-dog trainer, but…

May 12, 2014 5:18 PM CDT

Suit claims Princeton violated rights of suicidal student by pressuring him to leave

A pending lawsuit against Princeton University claims the school discriminated against a suicidal student by pressuring him to leave and exposing medical confidences. The closely watched suit (PDF) raises “a sensitive issue shrouded in legal murkiness,” the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) reports. Most suits against schools involving suicides are…

May 1, 2014 4:45 PM CDT

Work attendance can mean telecommuting, 6th Circuit says in reasonable accommodation case

Attendance at work is an essential part of many jobs, but it can’t be assumed to mean an actual presence at a physical site, the Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently found in an Americans with Disabilities Act reasonable accommodation case. The action was brought by the Equal…

Apr 24, 2014 10:53 PM CDT

Lawyer is tossed out of court for wearing shorts after knee surgery

A Dallas lawyer has filed a recusal motion against a judge who refused to allow him in the courtroom because he was wearing shorts after his knee surgery. James Lee Bright says he is unable to wear pants because of a leg brace and tubes that connect to an ice…

Apr 15, 2014 12:03 PM CDT