A year ago, we discussed a bizarre case where a colonoscopy patient (identified only as “DB”) is suing over abusive comments made about him by his doctors . . . while he was under anesthesia. “DB” had failed to turn off his cellphone which continued to record comments of the doctors ridiculing him, his body, and his character. While the alleged defamation did not leave the operating room (that is until his lawsuit), he alleged that it was still defamation and Dr. Tiffany Ingham and others for $1.35 million in damages for defamation, infliction of emotional distress and illegally disclosing his health records. Well, after a three-day trial, a Fairfax County jury ordered the anesthesiologist and her practice to pay him $500,000.
Category: Bizarre
Keith Hartley may have accomplished the ultimate. First, he caught a foul ball at a major league game. Second, he did it with one hand while bottle feeding 7-month-old son, Isaac. Finally, he caught a ball that was hit by a Cub (Jason Hammel) and about to be caught by Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. That is the stuff of legend.
I have written columns and blogs through the years about the disturbing trend on U.S. campuses toward free regulation and controls. In the name of diversities and tolerance, college administrators and professors are enforcing greater and greater controls on speech –declaring certain views or terms to be forms of racism or more commonly “microaggressions.” The latter term is gaining support to expand the range of controls over speech and conduct to include things that are indirect or minor forms of perceived intolerance. The crackdown seems most prevalent in California where lists of “micro aggressions” seems to be mounting as a macroaggression on free speech. The new list of verboten terms out of University of California (Berkeley), headed by Janet Napolitano, captures the insatiable appetite for speech regulation. The school has asked faculty to stop using terms like “melting pot” or statements like “I believe the most qualified person should get the job.” They are now all microaggressions. Not only are school buying into the concept of microaggressions and speech regulation, but they are shaping a generation of students who seem to look for any possible interpretation of terms to take offensive at.
The Islamic State terror group (ISIS) appears to be preparing to destroy one of humanity’s greatest treasures: the ancient city of Palmyra. The Islamic extremists want to destroy any Western or non-Islamic forms of architecture or art or culture in their total devotion to the Koran. We have written about the past destruction of cities like Nimrod and Hatra that have left the civilized world in shock. Now, the group appears to have it sights on Palmyra, one of the most extensive and beautiful of the ancient cities left in Syria.
Continue reading “ISIS Plants Land Mines and Explosives Around Ancient City of Palmyra”
Despite heroic efforts of Chinese animal rights activists, the controversial Yulin Festival in China’s southern Guangxi province occurred on Sunday with the slaughter of up to 40,000 dogs and 10,000 cats — a practice widely condemned for its cruelty. Thousands of cats and dogs have been slaughtered at the Yulin Festival despite government promises to end the practice which has been condemned internationally on grounds of animal cruelty.
We have previously discussed “policing for dollars” or “churning” where they seize cash, particularly on highways, as suspected drug money even without actually arresting or charging the drivers. It raises a huge amount of money for police departments and has been widely criticized as abusive. The latest victim of churning appears to be Charles Clarke, 24, who was on his way to take classes at the University of Central Florida. He was stopped at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport in Hebron, Ky. with his life savings that he was taking with him for safe keeping and to support his education. Since he could not “prove” the source of the money, agents seized the $11,000 and, despite dropping all charges against him, has thus far refused to return the money despite Clarke’s efforts.
We have often discussed the plight of women in Muslim nations as they fight virtual chattel status in some areas and religiously based discrimination. However, even with this long history of abuse of woman, Farah Ann Abdul Hadi, 21, could be forgiven for being a tad confused. Hadi wowed the audience at the Southeast Asia games with an amazing performance that garnered her nation six medals, including two gold medals. She was then denounced by a chorus of clerics and others for wearing a “revealing” leotard.
By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
The historical sin of Vanity once again proved a disadvantage to a suspect wanted in the alleged shooting of a Seattle victim.
Seattle Police spotted a vehicle having the fugitive’s last name on a custom vanity plate. The rest came certainly a blow to his pride.
Continue reading “Fugitive Found Driving Car With His Name On License Plate”
There is another controversy over the veracity of representations of minority status in Washington. We previously discussed the controversy raised by the allegedly false claims of Senator Elizabeth Warren that she is a Native American. In this case, however, the accused is the head of a NAACP chapter and she is being accused of lying by her own mother. Worse yet, some have suggested that Rachel Dolezal, who is the head of the NAACP’s chapter in Spokane, planted hate mail at her office.
Continue reading “NAACP Official Faces Accusations That She Is White . . . From Her Mother”
The police in Overton Texas have scored another victory over neighborhood lemonade stands. We have periodically seen these cases where police swoop down on stands run by kids in one of the oldest traditions of American life. I do not blame the police as much as the City of Overton for failing to have a code that can accommodate such kid lemonade stands or a modicum of discretion afforded to police in the enforcement of city permit regulations. In the meantime, Andria and Zoey Green’s business is closed by order of the city.
Continue reading “Texas Police Shutdown Girls’ Lemonade Stand As Unlawful “Peddlers””
Laquanda Newby, 25, hardly put the best case forward at her surrender for child abuse. She was charged after leaving her children inside a hot car outside of a Sam’s Club. However, when she appeared at the courthouse to turn herself in, she was later accused of leaving her children in a locked car with the windows rolled up. She is now charged with three counts of contributing to the delinquency or abuse of a child after for the abandonment outside of the Henrico County Courthouse on Monday, June 8, 2015.
We have previously discussed the disastrous reign of FIFA President Sepp Blatter, who made himself and the soccer organization notorious for mismanagement and corruption. Yet, like any organization of “made men,” Blatter was immune from virtually universal contempt until recently when a criminal investigation put him directly into harm’s way.
Continue reading “FIFA Flob: Soccer Organization’s $29 Million Film Makes $609 In Debut”
In a case that is likely to be repeated with greater regularity in the coming years, a man is accused of criminal damage to property in swatting a drone out of the air in California. Many people view the increasing use of drones with cameras to be a nuisance and have taken actions against the drones or their operators, as we previously discussed. In this case, however, the neighbor of Michael Luzansky, owner of Lucky7Drones, has his neighbor on videotape walking across the street to swat the drone out of the air with his teeshirt. It seems like a rather straight-forward case of criminal damage but it raises the issue of what reasonable limitation should be put on drone operators who are irritating people on beaches and parks with this new technology.
Colorado police in Greenwood Village seem to follow the same approach to home invasion as the major at the battle of for the South Vietnamese town of Ben Tre: “It became necessary to destroy the town to save it.” The logic however escaped Anna Mumzhiyan and her fiance John Lech. Police chased a shoplifter who was believed to be armed to their home. The Walmart shoplifter, Robert Seacat, (left) was met by a SWAT team including the most all-too-common armored cars. Not willing to wait him out, the police proceeded to punch holes through the walls of the home and plant explosives — destroying walls and leaving the home uninhabitable. They got their man and the homeowners got a collapsing wreck of a home. Police are still debating whether they are liable for the damage.
Atlanta lawyer and inventor Scott Horstemeyer has responded to a critical posting on one of his patent as “stupid patent of the month” by filing what is clearly the stupid lawsuit of the month. The defendant is the Electronic Frontier Foundation which only expressed its opinion on the patent but Horstemeyer appears to believe that the expression of such opinions can be defamation. Also named is Daniel Nazer, the EFF lawyer who wrote the post.