Court Roundup

Colorado
Lawsuit alleges Chipotle owes OT pay to hundreds
DENVER (AP) — An employee of Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. has filed a lawsuit alleging the company has failed to pay overtime to hundreds of employees.

The class-action complaint filed last week in federal court in New York says the Denver-based restaurant chain has misclassified its “apprentices” as managerial, salaried employees who don’t qualify for overtime pay. The suit contends apprentices earn salaries of $40,000 but frequently work more than 40 hours a week performing the duties of hourly workers, including cooking and filling orders.

Plaintiff Maxcimo Scott is a general manager of a Chipotle in New York but says he sometimes worked up to 55 hours a week as an apprentice.

The lawsuit seeks back pay and damages.

Chipotle didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment. It has about 1,350 restaurants.

California
Amputee suing hospital for malpractice
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A Northern California man whose hands and legs were amputated is suing a hospital for medical malpractice.
The Sacramento Bee says 48-year-old Robert Downey blames the loss of his hands and limbs on Sutter Memorial Hospital, saying doctors failed to diagnose and treat him for an MSSA infection.
Methicillin-sensitive staphylococcus aureus is typically treatable with antibiotics if caught early.
During a news conference last week announcing the lawsuit, Downey lawyer Moseley Collins said the suit is designed to get Sutter Health to take responsibility and warn other hospitals about the consequences of malpractice.
Downey and his wife, Cheri, say the Sacramento hospital failed repeatedly to properly diagnose and treat the infection, even though their 11-year-old son had been treated for the similar infection at the hospital weeks earlier.

Connecticut
Lawyer: Client to plead guilty in woman’s death
STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) — The lawyer for a former New Haven mechanic whose murder conviction in the slashing death of a Stamford woman was overturned by the state Supreme Court says his client will likely plead guilty to the murder.
The Advocate of Stamford reports that attorney Francis O’Reilly said if a plea agreement goes forward, Harry Gonzalez will plead guilty to murder in the death of Joanne Trautwein.
He was convicted in 2007 of felony murder, robbery and kidnapping in the death of the 75-year-old former Greenwich teacher and was sentenced to 80 years in prison.
The Supreme Court ruled last year that a statement by Gonzalez should not have been admitted into evidence because he had not been read his rights.
The 45-year-old Gonzalez is serving a 25-year sentence for killing his New Haven roommate.

New York
Feds: Man sold drugs from ice cream truck
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — Prosecutors say a western New York pharmacy student has been accused of dealing drugs from an ice cream truck.
U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. says 23-year-old Abraham Reinhardt of Rochester sold hallucinogenic mushrooms and marijuana from the truck during the summer in Cheektowaga.
He says the St. John Fisher College student was arrested as he was about to sell 80 Oxymorphone tablets, some marijuana and hallucinogenic mushrooms in a store parking lot.
Authorities say that after his arrest, a search of Reinhardt’s home turned up more of those drugs.
Reinhardt was released on bail after an initial court appearance Thursday. He faces a drug possession charge that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
Court officials weren’t available to say if he has a lawyer.

Arizona
Parks director convicted in disorderly case
CASA GRANDE, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona’s State Parks director has been convicted of misdemeanor disorderly conduct for arguing with and shoving a man at a festival in Florence earlier this year.
Bryan Martyn was found guilty Thursday afternoon in Florence Municipal Court.
The Casa Grande Dispatch says the former Pinal County supervisor was ordered to pay an $813 fine after the judge held a non-jury trial.
Martyn argued with Christopher “Shon” White of San Tan Valley. White had criticized Martyn on his website.
Florence Town Attorney James Mannato says the exchange was loud and upsetting to bystanders and that’s disorderly conduct.
Defense lawyer Gary Husk argued both men’s conduct may have been rude or offensive but it didn’t qualify as seriously disruptive behavior.
Martyn says he’s disappointed and hasn’t decided if he will appeal.

Massachusetts
Retired officer is accused of taking ride fees
ATTLEBORO, Mass. (AP) — A retired police officer is facing charges for allegedly skimming nearly $5,000 from the coin-operated children’s rides he was paid to maintain at a North Attleborough mall.
Drew Framson of Norton pleaded not guilty Thursday in Attleboro District Court to stealing $4,900 from by CTM Group of Salem, N.H., and was released on personal recognizance.
The 52-year-old Framson is a retired Falmouth officer.
North Attleborough police say Framson was employed by CTM Group, collecting money and maintaining the rides at the Emerald Square Mall from April until July, when the company reported the missing money to police.
His lawyer tells The Sun Chronicle that Framson intends to fight the allegations.
The lawyer says Framson retired on medical disability after being injured apprehending a felon.

New York
Iranian citizen indicted for  plane part scam
NEW YORK (AP) — An Iranian man has been indicted in New York on charges that he plotted to illegally export military and civilian aircraft parts from the United States to Iran.
Alireza Moazami Goudarzi was charged in an indictment returned Thursday in federal court in Manhattan. The 28-year-old man was arrested by Malaysian authorities in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Oct. 24. Authorities say he’s in Malaysian custody pending extradition proceedings. It wasn’t clear if he had a lawyer.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said Goudarzi brazenly discussed a willingness to pay higher prices for military-grade aircraft parts to dodge an embargo affecting Iran.
He says Goudarzi was thwarted when a supplier called law enforcement authorities.
Authorities say Goudarzi’s shopping list in October 2010 included rotor blades for an attack helicopter and jet engines.

California
Lawsuit over teacher job rules can go to trial
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit seeking to overturn five California laws governing teacher employment and dismissal on grounds that they protect ineffective educators who harm children’s learning.
In an opinion released late Wednesday that details a bench ruling Friday, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Rolf Treu says he finds there are constitutional issues involved in the lawsuit, which was filed in May by the education reform group Students Matter on behalf of seven school children.
Two defendants, the state Department of Education and San Jose’s Alum Rock Union School District, requested the suit be dismissed, arguing constitutional issues were not at play in the suit.
But Treu found that school districts and the state had the responsibility to uphold students’ right to a fair and equitable education.