April 2023 - ECO LEGAL

NJ man charged in fatal hit-and-run of Bristol Township man after ‘road rage’ incident

A New Jersey man is charged in the hit-and-run death of a Bristol Township man last month.

On Friday, Daniel Stephen Dietrich, 45, was arraigned on charges alleging he struck Jason Smith, 47, at a Bristol Township McDonald’s, then fled the scene on Feb. 5.

Dietrich, of Palmyra, Burlington County, is charged with homicide, accidents involving death of personal injury and accidents involving death or personal injury while not licensed. He was sent to Bucks County Prison without bail.

Bristol Township police and Bucks County Detectives received an anonymous tip Thursday about the vehicle that struck Smith, according to court documents. Smith was fatally struck by a truck while in the parking lot of McDonald’s along Route 13, also called Bristol Pike, about 4 p.m.

Jason Smith with his fiancée Elise Poore. Smith, of Bristol Township, was killed in a hit-and-run outside a McDonald's in the township last month. Police have not identified who struck him — Jason Smith with his fiancée Elise Poore. Smith, of Bristol Township, was killed in a hit-and-run outside a McDonald’s in the township last month. Police have not identified who struck him

The tip included a picture of the truck, which investigators were able to track down to a home in Palmyra.

Police surveilled the home and found Dietrich, who had an active warrant for his arrest in Cinnaminson, New Jersey, entering the truck, police said. Dietrich was then taken into custody.

Dietrich spoke to police, and told them he had an altercation with Smith on Feb. 5, court documents state. He said he had gotten onto Route 13 from Interstate 95, and he may have cut Smith off when he was merging, police allege.

District Attorney Matt Weintraub said during a news conference Monday morning that the two engaged in a verbal altercation while in their vehicles along Route 13 before getting to the McDonald’s.

Dietrich told police that Smith refused to go through a green light at the intersection of Haines Road and

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South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh appeals conviction of murdering wife, son

Circuit Court Judge Clifton Newman on March 3 sentenced Murdaugh to prison for the remainder of his life.

Published Mar 09, 2023 • 1 minute read

Alex Murdaugh is led outside the Colleton County Courthouse by sheriff’s deputies after being convicted of two counts of murder, in Walterboro, S.C., Thursday, March 2, 2023. Photo by Chris Carlson /THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Richard “Alex” Murdaugh, the South Carolina lawyer convicted last week of murdering his wife and son, appealed his conviction and life sentence on Thursday, according to court records.

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Prominent US civil rights lawyer Jasmine Rand on being an ally and fighting against racism

Jasmine Rand (Supplied)

Renowned US lawyer Jasmine Rand has spent much of her career fighting to get justice for the families of Black people who have died as a result of state violence.

As a female lawyer trying to break through in a male-dominated world, Ms Rand, who runs her own law firm in Miami, Florida, has faced myriad obstacles.

But she’s also experienced inequality from the other, more privileged side. As a white woman working on civil rights cases, Ms Rand acknowledges that she will never fully understand the racial injustice that she works so hard to fight.

“Early on in my career, I acknowledged the limitations I have based on my race because I will never understand what it is to be Black and I will never understand what it’s like to be discriminated against (in that way),” Ms Rand, who’s from Vermont in Washington, told The Independent.

“It’s a unique position to be in, where I’m working in this area as a lawyer and an academic but can never fully understand because I’m not a racial minority.”

She adds: “My goal is to serve my brothers and sisters. I think when you’re serving with really a pure heart, people see that.”

She is arguably best known for her work with the families of Trayvon Martin – a Black teenager who was shot dead by a neighbourhood watch coordinator in Florida in 2012 while walking home from a trip to a convenience store – and George Floyd – whose death at the hands of a white police officer in 2020 sparked global protests – but has won multimillion-dollar cases in catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death cases and state violence cases.

After receiving her law doctorate, Ms Rand began working with Benjamin Crump, a leading civil rights attorney

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Jayne Conroy named to hair relaxer products injury MDL leadership

ALTON – Simmons Hanly Conroy has announced the firm’s named shareholder Jayne Conroy has been appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee (PEC) for the hair relaxer products injury multidistrict litigation (MDL) in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

“It is an honor to be invited to help lead this critical litigation that will help women pursue and receive justice and compensation from developing cancer and other harm caused by these chemical hair straightener products,” Conroy said.

One of the preeminent litigators of the nation’s plaintiffs’ bar, Conroy was appointed by U.S. District Judge Mary M. Rowland to the hair relaxer products PEC. The case is In re: Hair Relaxer Marketing Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division.

Studies have shown that chemical hair relaxers and straighteners contain multiple dangerous additives and chemicals that are known to be carcinogenic and can also disrupt a woman’s hormones. The hair relaxer products litigation alleges that use of chemical hair relaxers results in reproductive system cancers of the ovaries, uterus, and the endometrium, the lining of the uterus.

Due to complex issues that are anticipated throughout the duration of the litigation and the multiple different defendant manufacturers of the products, as well as common questions of fact and law involved in each of the claims, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation decided in February to consolidate and centralize all hair relaxer lawsuits as part of an MDL.

In addition to the PEC for the hair relaxer products injury MDL, Conroy serves or has served on dozens of other court-appointed leadership committees in complex legal actions of national scope. Currently, these include:

• Co-lead of the ongoing National Prescription Opiate Multidistrict Litigation before U.S. District Judge Dan A.

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Murdaugh’s lawyers to deliver closing arguments in South Carolina murder trial

(Reuters) – Lawyers for disbarred South Carolina attorney Richard “Alex” Murdaugh will deliver closing arguments on Thursday, their last chance to convince the jury that their client was not involved in the grisly murders of his wife and youngest son.

Murdaugh, the 54-year-old scion of an influential legal family in an area west of Charleston, has been charged with fatally shooting his wife Maggie, 52, and youngest son, Paul, 22, at dog kennels on their estate on the night of June 7, 2021.

He faces 30 years to life in prison if found guilty.

Murdaugh’s attorneys will be following the state’s lead prosecutor Creighton Waters’s final remarks to the jury on Wednesday that portrayed Murdaugh as a serial liar and argued that only he could have committed the murders.

Court is set to resume at 9:30 a.m. ET (1430 GMT) on Thursday

The case has drawn intense media coverage given the family’s immense political power in and around Colleton County, where the trial is taking place. For decades until 2006, family members served as the leading prosecutor in the area, and Murdaugh was a prominent personal injury attorney in the state.

Throughout the trial, Murdaugh’s lawyers have sought to portray their client as a loving family man who, while facing financial troubles and suffering from a powerful addiction to opioids that led him to lie and steal, would never harm his wife and child. They have also tried to float alternative theories about the murders, with Murdaugh testifying that he believed someone angry over a deadly boating accident in 2019 involving Paul likely sought revenge on his son.

Prosecutors have argued that Murdaugh committed the murders to generate sympathy and distract from a litany of financial crimes, including the theft of millions of dollars from his law partners and

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South Africa: Labour Appeal Court Orders NEHAWU to Inform Members of Strike Interdict or Face Legal Consequences

The Labour Appeal Court on Monday, 13 March interdicted any further strike action from Nehawu, pending further legal action. In a hard-hitting judgment, the court ordered the Cosatu-affiliated union to make sure its members know about the interdict or face legal consequences. Nehawu agreed to suspend the strike for 72 hours to consult, though also stated they have a mandate to appeal this order. The SANDF has also confirmed that the army medical corps would be deployed to hospitals in crisis.

The court ordered that the union will be held responsible if word of the national interdict is not sufficiently distributed among its members. Several provincial interdicts are already in place. The South African Defence Force also confirmed that the army medical corps would be deployed to hospitals in crisis, after the National Department of Health asked for help, as hospitals are left with skeleton staff due to the ongoing Nehawu strike.

After delivering a scathing ruling against Nehawu and police inaction to stop the violence associated with the strike, the Labour Appeal Court this morning interdicted the ongoing public service strike until the finalisation of further legal proceedings.

The order allows for an interdict obtained by the government to…

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Employees must do their part regarding accommodation of disabilities

Howard Levitt and Hani Shamsi

We are frequently asked about an employer’s duty to accommodate employees with disabilities. Legally, employers must reasonably accommodate an employee’s physical or mental disability, as long as the cost and requirement to do it is within the employer’s means. But any workplace accommodation is a two-way street, requiring both parties to cooperate to fulfill their obligations. So what happens when an employee refuses to cooperate?

Refusing to cooperate in the accommodation process is a terminable offence. An adjudicator appointed by the Ministry of Labour recently upheld an employee’s termination with just cause, following the employee’s repeated refusals to cooperate with the employer’s efforts to accommodate his disability.

The individual most recently worked as a warehouse assistant for telecommunication company. He joined the company in 2007 and in 2013 injured his right ankle while working as a cable technician. Following a workers compensation claim, he returned to work within one month. He was later involved in a motor vehicle accident, re-injured his right ankle and was accommodated with work in the company’s warehouse. He completed a Functional Abilities Evaluation (FAE), indicating that his physical restrictions required he take microbreaks during work and was placed on modified duties accordingly.

He was then asked to attend an Independent Medical Exam (IME) to understand his current physical restrictions and how to continue accommodating him. The employee refused to participate in the IME, stating that the company had sufficient medical information. Following the company’s numerous requests and the employee’s repeated refusals to comply, the employee was terminated with just cause.

He then filed a complaint under the Canada Labour Code for unjust dismissal, a remedy for employees dismissed or constructively dismissed by federally regulated employers. An adjudicator determined that the employee unreasonably refused to participate in the IME. The adjudicator

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South Carolina attorney Murdaugh appeals conviction of murdering wife, son

(Reuters) – Richard “Alex” Murdaugh, the South Carolina lawyer convicted last week of murdering his wife and son, appealed his conviction and life sentence on Thursday, according to court records.

Murdaugh, 54, a member of a powerful South Carolina family, was found guilty on March 2 on two counts of shooting his wife Maggie, 52, and youngest son, Paul, 22, on their family estate on June 7, 2021.

Attorneys for Murdaugh, who prosecutors said carried out the murders as part of an attempt to hide a drug addiction and theft of millions of dollars, filed a notice of appeal before the state’s appeals court.

Circuit Court Judge Clifton Newman on March 3 sentenced Murdaugh to prison for the remainder of his life, with terms for both murders to run consecutively. It was the sentence requested by prosecutors, who did not seek the death penalty.

The scion of an influential legal family in an area west of Charleston, Murdaugh had faced a minimum of 30 years in prison for each of the two counts of murder under South Carolina law, as well as up to 10 years for two related firearms charges.

For decades until 2006, Murdaugh family members served as the leading prosecutor in the area, and Murdaugh was a prominent personal injury attorney in the state.

Murdaugh has maintained his innocence.

During his trial, prosecutors said Murdaugh fatally shot his wife and son to distract from an array of financial misdeeds, including the theft of millions of dollars from his law partners and clients, money used to feed a years-long addiction to opioids and support an expensive lifestyle.

Murdaugh’s lawyers tried to paint their client as a loving family man who, while facing financial difficulties and a drug addiction, would never harm his wife and child.

(Reporting by

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Hey budtender, take me to the Ganja Giggle Garden! A pot-crawl round LA’s boutique cannabis stores | Design

‘Do you know what terpenes are?” says our glamorous host, pointing to four glass domes spotlit on a table, each containing mysterious lumps of black rock. The surrounding walls of this small room in Los Angeles are lined with mirrors, topped with neon arches that glow lilac, pink and purple, their reflections forming a trippy maze of arcades extending into infinity. It looks like some kind of cosmic chapel, an intergalactic shrine to precious meteorites, but this is Wyllow, one of the city’s new breed of boutique cannabis dispensaries, determined to elevate the humble herb to dizzying new heights.

Our hostess lifts one of the domes with a flourish and offers me a whiff. A rich, citrusy bouquet with piney undertones wafts forth, recalling lemon peel and woodland walks. Another dome’s scent is more smoky, a third musky and earthy with sweet notes of clove. It feels like I’m at a fancy wine-tasting, not a place to score weed.

“Terpenes are the volatile hydrocarbons that give plants their aroma,” she explains, sounding like the science bit of a shampoo commercial. “And they give different strains of cannabis their unique highs.” These rocks in front of us are not chunks of aged, vintage hash, as I had naively assumed, but lava stones scented with particular terpenes. Sniffing them is just the introduction to this curated cannabis shopping experience, the first step on my journey into the US’s mind-bending $30bn (£24.5bn) marijuana retail industry.

‘We wanted to make an inviting space for the canna-curious’ … Camille Roistacher opening her store Wyllow. — ‘We wanted to make an inviting space for the canna-curious’ … Camille Roistacher opening Wyllow.

As America’s hippie capital of peace, love and good vibes, California has long had a relaxed relationship to pot. It was the

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Best-selling author Tara Moss prepares for legal battle with former doctor

Model and best-selling author Tara Moss will be examined by three doctors as she prepares to go to court with her former doctor whom she accuses of negligence leading to a disability.

The 49-year-old was represented by lawyers in the NSW Supreme Court on Wednesday as she prepares for a trial over allegations related to her ill health.

The Canadian-born author is suing her former GP, Dr Chris Coghill, over claims he failed to diagnose a hip condition during eight consultations over 18-months.

Dr Coghill vehemently denies the allegations and is preparing to defend the matter in court.

Ms Moss alleges his negligence caused her ongoing pain, disabilities, and economic loss after she had to put parts of her multi-hyphenate career on hold.

The court was previously told that she required ongoing assistance and was seeking an “extremely large claim” against her former doctor.

On Wednesday, the court was told the award-winning human rights advocate would be assessed by three doctors in April before the trial.

Ms Moss’ lawyer Hilbert Chiu explained his client would return to Australia from Canada, where she now lives, in late April.

She would be available to be examined by the specialists a day after she touches down, he told the court.

The reports of the doctors will be crucial for the trial, which will feature complex medical issues and the expertise of multiple doctors.

Mr Chiu said he would also seek to rely on the testimony of Ms Moss’s treating physician and psychologist in Vancouver, available via video link, regarding “treating Ms Moss’s chronic pain”.

However, Dr Coghill’s lawyer Duncan Graham said the defence were still waiting on significant medical and financial records from overseas sources.

He told the court that Canadian medical records and documents related to economic loss overseas would need to

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Haaland Wades Into Thorny Land Exchange Fight in Alaska

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A day after the Biden administration approved a major Alaska oil project, U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland waded into another thorny battle in the state — a long-simmering dispute over building a road through a national wildlife refuge to provide health care access for a remote, and largely Indigenous, community.

Building the road would involve a contentious land exchange, and after Haaland visited King Cove a year ago, she told reporters she was “in a learning process” regarding the issue. On Tuesday, she withdrew a 2019 agreement finalized during the Trump administration that has been the subject of ongoing litigation, citing a lack of public participation and environmental review. She also expressed concerns about impacts on subsistence uses and wildlife.

“I believe deeply in the need to protect our lands and waters and honor our obligations to Tribal Nations. Respecting Tribal sovereignty means ensuring that we are listening – really listening – to Tribal communities,” Haaland said in a statement, saying she is a “lifelong conservationist.”

She said she has instructed her team to begin a process to review prior land exchange proposals, with consultation, conservation and subsistence goals in mind.

The road through Izembek National Wildlife Refuge has been a priority for Alaska’s Republican U.S. senators, Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, both of whom crossed party lines to confirm Haaland’s nomination as Interior Secretary and were vocal in seeking approval of the Willow oil project. Sullivan denounced Haaland’s decision Tuesday as a delay tactic.

Political Cartoons

The oil project in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska is the largest in Alaska in years and angered environmentalists who see it as flying in the face of President Joe Biden’s climate goals. Trustees for Alaska, which is representing conservation groups that challenged the Trump-era land exchange, filed

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Who Is Liable for Injuries if a New York City Bus Hurt You?

Photo Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/RlHI0cCNThY

New York has one of North America’s most extensive transportation networks, with millions of people relying on buses for public transport each year. Unfortunately, bus accidents sometimes occur. Suppose you were involved in an accident with a New York city bus. In that case, you should immediately contact an NYC Bus Accident Lawyer and sue the at-fault parties, especially if you were seriously hurt. But who exactly is liable for your injuries in a New York City bus accident?

york-city-bus-accident-liability”New York City Bus Accident Liability

If you are a passenger on a New York City bus and that bus is involved in an accident, whoever owns and operates that bus is liable for your injuries. Of course, other parties may be liable for your injuries, such as a distracted driver that caused the crash, a manufacturer that produced faulty equipment, or an entity responsible for that vehicle’s maintenance or road maintenance.

This is also partially the case if you are a pedestrian or driver involved in a New York City Bus accident. Most New York City buses are owned and operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority/NYC Transit Authority/ Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority (MTA/NYCTA/MaBSTOA).

Those authorities are responsible for keeping their passengers safe, both in terms of properly maintaining their vehicles, providing safety exits, and other safety measures, and regarding hiring and training drivers who undergo background checks to ensure they are qualified.

Filing a Claim

It doesn’t matter whether the bus was owned or operated by the entities and their employees mentioned above or if you were involved with other public or private buses because proving liability implies taking the same steps.

However, finding out who is liable as soon as possible matters because other laws might come

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Environmental groups sue to stop ConocoPhillips’ newly approved Willow oil project in Alaska

Pipes leaving from ConocoPhillips’ CD5 drill site on Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. CD5 was the first drill site on Native-owned land within the boundaries of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

Conservation groups said Tuesday they have filed a lawsuit in federal court to stop approval of the massive Willow oil project on Alaska’s North Slope that was announced by the Biden administration a day earlier.

Nonprofit environmental law firm Trustees for Alaska filed the 63-page lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Anchorage on behalf of the groups.

The suit asserts that the Interior Department and its agencies violated an array of laws when authorizing the project sought by ConocoPhillips in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska.

[Biden administration approves development of Alaska’s Willow oil project]

The groups filing the lawsuit are the Alaska Wilderness League, the Northern Alaska Environmental Center, Environment America, Sierra Club, The Wilderness Society and Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic.

“Once again, we find ourselves going to court to protect our lives, our communities, and our future,” said Siqiñiq Maupin, executive director of Sovereign Iñupiat. “The Biden administration’s approval of the ConocoPhillips Willow project makes no sense for the health of the Arctic or the planet and comes after numerous calls by local communities for tribal consultation and real recognition of the impacts to land, water, animals, and people.”

A spokesperson with the Interior Department on Tuesday said the agency had no comment on the filing.

“The Willow project’s development began in 2017 and has followed a nearly five-year-long regulatory process overseen by the Bureau of Land Management,” Rebecca Boys, a spokeswoman for ConocoPhillips Alaska, said in a statement. “We believe the (Bureau of Land Management) and cooperating agencies have conducted a thorough process that satisfies all legal requirements.”

“The final (environmental review)

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Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company Hires Anthony Spencer, New Regional Sales Director in Georgia

Anthony Spencer will oversee sales in the national life insurance carrier’s Georgia region

CANTON, Mass., March 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company, insurance solutions for individuals and at the workplace;elm:context_link;itc:0″ class=”link “a national provider of insurance solutions for individuals and at the workplace, today announced the appointment of Anthony Spencer as Regional Sales Director in its Distribution and Business Development department. Spencer will oversee workplace sales in the Georgia region for the life insurance carrier.

Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company announces the appointment of Anthony Spencer as Regional Sales Director in Georgia.

“We’re excited to have Anthony part of the Workplace Solutions sales team,” said Joshua Police, Executive Vice President – Distribution and Business Development at Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company. “With his experience, expertise and network of producer relationships he will be an important asset for growing the Boston Mutual Life presence in the Georgia markets.”

Spencer has an extensive background in sales and business development, and brings more than 20 years’ experience to Boston Mutual Life. Prior to joining Boston Mutual Life, he served as District Sales Manager at Colonial Life in Atlanta. Spencer holds a bachelor’s of science degree in business management from Catawba College in North Carolina.

“Boston Mutual Life has a great brand story, customer journey and quality product offering. I’m looking forward to sharing the brand, customer experience and product portfolio with our producer partners and customers in the region,” said Anthony Spencer, Regional Sales Director – Georgia at Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company.

To contact a Regional Sales Director in Georgia, click here. To learn more about Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company, please visit https://www.bostonmutual.com/.

About Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company

Founded as a progressive life insurance company in

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Why it pays to have a lawyer on your side

It’s likely that everyone, at some point during their life, will need a lawyer.

The best time to hire a lawyer is before you take any action that might have legal implications, such as: before you sign a contract, create a will, seek child custody, or are charged with a crime.

If you’re faced with any of these legal issues, among others, it’s important to have someone on your side who can navigate the legal process and ensure your interests are protected.

Your lawyer should be a trusted advisor, to help you understand your legal rights and obligations, and a formidable negotiator, to get you the best possible results.

Leonard Kompa, a practicing B.C. lawyer since 1988, assumes both these roles. As principal of LPK Law Corporation, he recently established his firm in New Westminster, and brings over 30 years of legal and courtroom experience to meet his client’s needs.

He uses his experience in negotiation, mediation, and courtroom and tribunal advocacy to assist his clients in resolving their legal issues. As well, he endeavours to resolve matters out-of-court; however, when necessary, he vigorously advocates his client’s interests in court. And Kompa knows all too well what it means to put forth a strong fight.

“Leonard has cerebral palsy and brings a certain fight-for-your-life kind of passion to his work because he knows what it’s like to be the underdog,” says Sheila Raadschelders, director of administration, LPK Law.

Kompa’s practice areas include, divorce law, family law, property division, spousal and child support, criminal law (criminal defence), and personal injury law. He tends to specialize in family and litigation. “Those are his favorites,” reveals Raadschelders. “He’s your guy if you have a contract dispute, a strata issue, or a family problem.”

Business contracts

There’s a lot of legal

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Help for crime victims drops to ‘crisis level’ in WA

When Heaven Strothers learned two of her children had been sexually abused by her then-husband, it felt like “the floor shattered and fell out from underneath” her.

She didn’t know what to do until a prosecutor connected her with the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center. The people there saved her oldest daughter from “falling through the cracks,” said Strothers, who agreed to the use of her name in discussing the abuse. The Seattle Times typically does not name crime victims or make them identifiable without consent.

Strothers’ oldest was abused for nearly a decade, and a younger daughter for potentially a year, based on her medical history, until Strothers’ ex-husband was arrested in March 2014. Strothers became a single mother overnight. She tried to help her kids heal while filing for divorce.

Strothers’ ex-husband pleaded guilty later that year. Her daughters spent months in therapy, obtained through the resource center, to come to terms with what happened.

The agency “was super-helpful for me as a parent, because I didn’t know what I was about to face,” Strothers said. “I just was so lost.”

Because of cuts to federal funding, the heads of the resource center and other victim services in Washington worry they may not be able to help as many people as they do today.

Washington’s network of crime victim services — which includes sexual assault resource centers, domestic violence programs and child advocacy centers — want $132 million in state funding for the next two years, citing an increase in demand coupled with the decrease in federal funds.

The groups detailed their request in a letter to lawmakers saying the victim services network “has never been weaker” financially.

“As one organization shuts down or a survivor or family is placed on a waitlist, the remaining network of

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Campaigners lose High Court battle over axed ‘pop up’ High Street Kensington cycle lanes

High Street Kensington cycle lanes (Elliot Wagland)

A bid to have a decision not to reinstate “pop-up” cycle lanes in High Street Kensington declared illegal has been thrown out by the High Court.

Walking and cycling campaigners had sought a judicial review of the way Kensington and Chelsea council axed the cycle lanes in December 2020 after complaints from a number of residents and businesses.

But Mr Justice Lane, in a written judgement on Tuesday, dismissed the claim from the Better Streets for Kensington & Chelsea group and found in favour of the Tory-run council.

Better Streets said afterwards: “We are sorry to report that we have lost our judicial review case on the removal of the cycle lanes on High Street Kensington.

“We are not going to appeal the judgement, and so this marks the end of a legal process that began in December, 2020.

“No-one seriously thinks that removing a safety scheme after seven weeks, before it’s even been completed, makes sense.”

London Cycling Campaign chief executive Dr Ashok Sinha said the ruling was a “hollow victory by a borough that seems happy to put people cycling on its streets in danger”.

He added: “It remains imperative that Kensington and Chelsea makes this key cycling corridor safe in line with their own stated policies and the transport strategy of the Mayor and Transport for London.”

A council spokesperson said: “The judge has ruled in the council’s favour and dismissed the claim made by Better Streets.

“Our priority is to make Kensington and Chelsea a greener, safer and fairer place to live. We are happy to put legal challenges aside and look forward to working together on productive improvements to our streets.

“We commissioned independent research on travel patterns on our roads from the Centre for

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State investigators accuse 5 of staging car crash in Miami-Dade to defraud insurance companies

MIAMI – With the help of surveillance cameras and a witness who reported to have seen it all from a nearby church, state investigators uncovered a group’s alleged plot in Miami-Dade County to defraud Geico and Bristol West insurance companies.

Investigators with the Florida Department of Financial Services identified the five suspects as two drivers — Ernesto Estrada Rodriguez, and Orlando Hernandez Gonzalvo — and three passengers: Dayin Acosta, Yasmandi Ortega Montano, and Daniel Hernandez Brito.

The department’s bureau of insurance fraud reported Estrada, 32, was driving a 2021 Toyota with Acosta, 32, and Ortega, 33, that was insured by Bristol West, and Hernandez Gonzalvo, 28, was driving a 2017 Mercedes Benz with Hernandez Brito, 20, that was insured by Geico.

The Toyota crashed into the Mercedes Benz on Sept. 13, 2021, at the intersection of Northwest 24 Avenue and 99 Street, near the Bible Baptist Church, in Miami-Dade’s West Little River neighborhood, according to an arrest report.

Bristol West’s claim was for about $124,655 and included two payments to Estrada for about $27,410 and $10,160; two to Acosta for about $28,660 and $10,195; and two to Ortega for about $36,030 and $12,200, according to an arrest report.

Geico’s claim was for about $30,140 and included two payments to Hernandez Gonzalvo for about $16,150 and $780, and two to Hernandez Brito for about $12,410 and $800, according to an arrest report.

Before the crash that cost the insurance companies about $155,000, a witness saw three cars going around the block several times and then two of them slowly meet at the intersection, while the other waited nearby and flashed the headlights before the other two flashed their headlights back, according to an arrest report.

The Toyota stopped at the intersection before the Mercedes Benz accelerated and crashed into it,

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On the Move: Tracking the Ins and Outs of California Lawyers

Entertainment firm Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard announced a new co-head of the firm’s entertainment practice, new co-heads of the firm’s Los Angeles office, a partner promotion, and further development of the art law group.  Frederick P. Bimbler is joined by Caitlin S. DiMotta in heading up the firm’s entertainment practice. Bimbler services his portfolio of clients on both coasts and will co-head management of the firm’s Los Angeles office with partner Sarah Conley Odenkirk. Pooneh Aminian of the firm’s Los Angeles office has been elevated to partner.

Nossaman announced that Michelle McCarthy has joined the firm’s newly formed pensions, benefits and investments group. She serves as a partner in the Los Angeles office, and joins from McDermott Will & Emery. McCarthy’s practice focuses on advising clients of all types regarding every facet of employee benefits law, including the design, structure, implementation, administration, and termination of pension health and welfare benefit plans. Her experience in the employee benefits area includes the representation of clients in collective bargaining, litigation, restructuring and mergers and acquisitions, among other things.

JAMS, private provider of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services worldwide, announced the addition of retired Judge Glenda Sanders to its panel. Sanders joins JAMS after a career spanning 42 years. She served as a judge of the Orange County Superior Court for 20 years, including six years on the Complex Civil Litigation Panel. Based in the Orange County Resolution Center, Sanders will serve as an arbitrator, mediator, special master/referee and neutral evaluator, handling administrative, business and commercial, class action and mass torts, construction defect, employment, health care, intellectual property, personal injury and torts, and professional liability disputes.

Goldberg Segalla added Bohden Cole to the firm’s civil litigation and trial group in Orange County. Cole was previously with Bremer Whyte Brown &

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Admin, legal raps await personnel that allowed MT Princess Empress to sail sans permit

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is holding for possible administrative and legal action and deeper probe PCG inspectors who allowed the ill-fated MT Princess Empress to leave port although it had no certificate of public convenience (CPC).

These inspectors are being held in their unit while the PCG is getting more data on the sinking of the tanker that was carrying 800,000 liters of industrial oil.

This is according to Vice Admiral Rolando Punzulan Jr., PCG deputy commander for operations, who appeared before the Senate committee on environment, natural resources and climate change chaired by Senator Cynthia A. Villar.

The PCG said there was no check on the departure checklist for the presence of a CPC as issued by the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) that is a requirement before a vessel is allowed to leave port.

The MT Empress Tanker was acquired in 2022 by RDC Reield Marine Services Inc.

When grilled by Senator Francis ‘’Chiz’’ Escudero, Fritz Tee, vice president of RDC, testified that MT Princess Empress had sailed nine times from Bataan to Manila without a CPC.

The tanker sank off the coast of Naujan, Oriental Mindoro on its way from Bataan to Iloilo last February 28.

Tee said they applied for an amended CPC last November 2022.

“So nine times from whatever area it left port, the Coast Guard was supposed to inspect it and the Coast Guard saw that there was no amended CPC yet covering this vessel. That means this is already them ninth oversight on the part of Coast Guard,” Escudero said.

CPC is a license to operate or an authorization issued for the operation of public services for which no franchise, either municipal or legislative, is required by law such as a common carrier.

Escudero also learned that the ship was not

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