Ohio
Family, university reach $5.3M deal in cop shooting
CINCINNATI (AP) - The family of a man shot and killed by a University of Cincinnati police officer who pulled him over for not having a front license plate has reached a $5.3 million settlement with the school.
The deal announced Monday gives the family of Samuel DuBose $4.85 million and promises free undergraduate tuition for his 12 children. The agreement also provides for a memorial commemorating DuBose and an apology from the university.
"I want to again express on behalf of the University of Cincinnati community our deepest sadness and regrets at the heartbreaking loss of the life of Samuel DuBose," University of Cincinnati President Santa Ono said in a statement. "This agreement is also part of the healing process not only for the family but also for our university and Cincinnati communities."
DuBose, 43, was shot and killed behind the wheel of his car on July 19 after Officer Ray Tensing stopped him near campus over the missing a license plate, which is required by Ohio law.
Tensing was charged with murder and has pleaded not guilty.
Tensing said that after he stopped the car, Dubose refused to provide a driver's license and get out of the car.
A struggle ensued as DuBose tried to drive away, and Tensing said he fired because he feared being dragged under the car, his attorney said.
A trial date has not yet been scheduled.
The university settlement also provides for the DuBose family to participate in meetings with a Community Advisory Committee, which is soliciting community input on police reform and will review the results of an external audit of the university's police force.
"The example here demonstrates to communities hurting all over the country that positive results can be achieved through this type of cooperation," said attorney Billy Martin, who helped mediate the settlement.
Louisiana
Judge from desegregation case found dead
PINEVILLE, La. (AP) - A judge who made national headlines in the 1980s for defying a federal desegregation order has been found dead in his law office.
Pineville police say in a news release that the 83-year-old attorney, Richard "Dick" Lee, apparently died Friday from an accidental bullet wound, the Town Talk reported. Police say the investigation is continuing.
In 1980, Lee ruled that parents of three white girls could transfer their custody to friends so the girls could stay at an all-white school. Federal courts overruled him.
Lee said his "Buckeye Three" rulings were not about race, but about whether federal courts have any say over family law.
In a 1986 case about purging voter rolls, he ruled that state Republicans were illegally trying to shed black voters during a U.S. Senate race.
Lee told the Town Talk in 2002 that he planned to keep working as an attorney as long as he could.
"It's all about helping people. That's what this profession is all about," he said.
He said he got letters of support from around the world during the "Buckeye Three" case. He said he always remained convinced that he was correct, and also remained friends with the federal judge in the case, U.S. District Judge Nauman Scott.
He sometimes ran afoul of his profession.
He went into rehabilitation after being arrested on misdemeanor charges while drunk in Alexandria. He stayed in office, but lost his next judicial election.
The Louisiana Supreme Court suspended him in 2004, for violating the rules of professional conduct by, among other things, improperly sending papers related to a case to a judge after the case was closed, and later arguing with and making "extremely vile and insulting remarks" to the judge.
He was suspended for six months, with all but 45 days deferred.
Louisiana
Teen accused of stealing speech signed by Obama
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Baton Rouge police say a student's speech introducing President Barack Obama and autographed by the president was in a book bag stolen from her car.
But Cpl. Don Coppola Jr. says police arrested the alleged thief, found the bag in a trash bin, and returned the speech to Che'dra Joseph.
Her car was among vehicles broken into during a basketball game Friday at McKinley High, where Obama spoke Thursday. Police say 17-year-old Keondrae Ricks was arrested Saturday, after trying to get cash after a purchase using a stolen credit card. It was not clear whether he had an attorney who could comment.
Joseph tells WBRZ-TV she had tried to contact the White House to get another signed copy of her speech. She says that while she was getting her car window fixed, police called to say they'd found the original.
California
Actor, lawmaker fight bogus film memorabilia
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Luke Skywalker actor Mark Hamill has seen it time and time again: "Star Wars" fans with movie posters and other memorabilia that they believe were signed by him.
The autograph often turns out to be bogus.
Weary of seeing fans victimized by unscrupulous dealers, Hamill has teamed up with California Assemblywoman Ling Ling Chang to extend protections that apply to sports memorabilia to all signed collectibles sold by dealers in the state.
The pending bill would require certificates of authenticity for signed memorabilia sold by dealers, and entitle duped consumers to as much as 10 times the cost of a forged item in civil court.
State law already offers those remedies for signed sports memorabilia.
Hamill said it makes no sense that film fans don't get the same protections as sports fans from faked autographs.
In 1999, the FBI's San Diego office led a massive investigation of forgery rings, which culminated in the arrest of a half-dozen forgers and the seizure of merchandise valued at millions of dollars, including a baseball supposedly signed by Mother Teresa and the autographs of George Washington, Marilyn Monroe and John F. Kennedy.
"In a way, it seems futile to try and counter what is clearly a very lucrative market," Hamill told the newspaper. "But we can't let them get away with it."
Published: Tue, Jan 19, 2016
