lawsuits
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As Coronavirus Spreads in Nation's Jails, Inmates Sue Correctional Systems for Soap and Paper Towels
It’s one of the most basic ways to fight the spread of the coronavirus: soap and clean towels. But on Monday, people locked behind bars in Washington, D.C. and Texas had to sue correctional facilities in order to get them. Filed in federal court, the D.C. and Texas lawsuits accuse their respective prison systems of…
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Black Twin Brothers Beaten, Choked and Arrested for Minding Their Own Business in Front of Their Own Home, According to Lawsuit
Last March, two twin brothers from Rancho Cordova, Calif., joined the long list of black people who have reportedly been harassed by police officers and/or nosy neighbors for committing the horrific crime of…minding their own damn business. The Sacramento Bee reports that Carlos and Thomas Williams have filed two lawsuits against Rancho Cordova, Sacramento County…
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Supreme Court Rules Comcast Can Be Racist as Long as They’re Not Just Racist
In a major setback to entertainment mogul Byron Allen’s discrimination suit against Comcast, America’s highest court tossed out a lower court’s decision, essentially ruling that Allen must prove racism was the media conglomerate’s only motivating factor in rejecting a partnership with Allen’s black-owned company. In a 20-page, 9-0 decision, the United States Supreme Court tossed…
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Jury Rules Former TV Host Tavis Smiley, Accused of Sexual Misconduct, Must Pay PBS $1.5 Million for Violating Morals Clause
For the last several years, Tavis Smiley has demanded he have his day in court against his former employer, PBS. He got his wish in February, claiming that the network weaponized its morality clause against him; PBS counterclaimed that multiple, credible accusations of sexual misconduct and sexual harassment made his employment at PBS untenable. On…
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Black Man Sues After Hospital Co-worker Calls Him 'Boy' and Another Admits Fear of 'Big Black Men'
For black people working in predominantly white professional environments, it can often feel like having two jobs while only being compensated for one form of labor. Of course, if you’re looking for “microaggression suffrage pay” to be itemized on your check stub, you’re going to find yourself disappointed. So we’re often left to put up…
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You Can't Make This Up: Black Man Reports Racial Discrimination at Work to His Boss, Somehow Gets Arrested for His Trouble
Much like many of you reading this, Michael Fesser is black. Being black, our experiences in the workplace tend to differ from our unseasoned counterparts. Do Garrett and Zoey have to put up with being called racial slurs by their coworkers? Probably not, but Fesser told his boss that he did. Because he’s black. His…
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Jay-Z, Roc Nation File Federal Lawsuit Against Mississippi Prison Officials for Violent Conditions, 'Failure to Meet Basic Human Rights'
I’ve never spent a day of my life in prison, but after a recent rash of stabbings and violent attacks led to the deaths of five inmates housed at the Mississippi State Penitentiary, I’m pretty sure there’s a blatant disregard for the safety of those being kept behind bars. Evidently, Jay-Z feels the same way,…
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‘Conspicuously Deficient’: NAACP Challenges 2020 Census’ Ability to Count Communities of Color
The NAACP, in a lawsuit filed against the U.S. Census Bureau last Friday, is alleging the federal government is unprepared to accurately count America’s black residents—an issue that could result in political disenfranchisement and billions of dollars in losses for black and brown communities. The suit, filed alongside Prince George’s County, one of the country’s…
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Smirking All the Way to the Bank: Nick Sandmann Settles Lawsuit With CNN
If you thought 2020 was shaping up to be one hell of a year (in the literal sense), here’s another case to add to the file: Nick Sandmann, the Covington, Ky., prep school student perceived to be mocking a Native American at the Lincoln Memorial last year, just got paid. CNN settled with Sandmann’s family…
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With California's New State Law, Michael Jackson Accusers Can Now Sue for Sexual Abuse
Michael Jackson accusers Wade Robson and James Safechuck now can sue the late King of Pop’s estate. A new California state law that went into effect Jan. 1 allows victims of childhood sexual abuse until the age of 40 (up from 26) to file civil lawsuits. The two men, who have accused Jackson of sexually…