Federal appeals court rules against Detroit residents in water suit
DETROIT (AP) — A federal appeals court has affirmed the earlier dismissals of a lawsuit by a group of Detroit residents seeking to stop the city’s water department from cutting service to customers behind in their bills.
The ruling was filed Monday by the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati.
Bankruptcy and federal district courts had earlier dismissed the suit.
In 2014, the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department disconnected service to more than 30,000 customers due to unpaid bills.
The residents in the lawsuit wanted the courts to stop the shutoffs, force the water department to restore already interrupted service and implement a payment plan based on residential customers’ income.
Detroit later announced payment plans and other ways for poor residents to maintain service.
Justice denies state appeal to halt sex offender ruling
LANSING (AP) — A U.S. Supreme Court justice has rejected Michigan’s request to halt a lower court decision that found the state unconstitutionally put additional restrictions on sex offenders long after their convictions.
Justice Elena Kagan denied Tuesday the emergency appeal for a stay.
In August, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said changes to Michigan law in 2006 and 2011, which included retroactively restricting sex offenders’ movements near schools, penalize offenders as “moral lepers.”
The appeals court denied Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette’s request to block the decision during appeal. So did Kagan.
Schuette’s office couldn’t immediately be reached to comment.
Michigan has the country’s fourth-largest sex offender list, with more than 42,000 registrants.
Michigan prohibits all registrants from living, working or loitering within 1,000 feet of school property.
Two charged with conspiring to steal trade secrets
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — Two former employees of a Connecticut-based defense contractor have been indicted on charges connected to the theft of company trade secrets.
Federal prosecutors said Monday that 45-year-old Jay Williams, of Griswold, and 33-year-old Jared Dylan Sparks, of Ardmore, Oklahoma, are charged with conspiracy to steal, upload, transmit and possess stolen trade secrets.
Sparks is also charged with theft of trade secrets.
Authorities say in 2010 and 2011 they worked at LBI Inc., a Groton-based contractor that designs and builds unmanned underwater vehicles for the Navy.
Prosecutors allege the men uploaded proprietary information from LBI into Dropbox accounts before they began working for another company that had developed software for LBI’s vehicles.
Williams’ lawyer did not return messages seeking comment. Court records do not list a lawyer for Sparks.
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