National Roundup

Missouri
Ex-St. Louis prosecutors disciplined over police cover-up
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday disciplined two former St. Louis assistant prosecutors for their role in the cover-up of a police officer’s assault of a handcuffed man.

Judges unanimously agreed to block former assistant circuit attorneys Ambry Schuessler and Katherine Dierdorf from working as lawyers indefinitely. The court found they violated attorney ethics by keeping quiet after finding out about the assault in 2014.

Authorities alleged that former detective Thomas Carroll was on duty in July 2014 when he assaulted a man who was found to have a credit card that belonged to Carroll’s daughter and had been stolen from her car.
Later at a police station, according to federal prosecutors, Carroll ignored a supervisor’s orders to stay away from the man and confronted him in an interview room, ultimately throwing the still-handcuffed man into a chair before tossing him against a wall and punching him.

Carroll later pleaded guilty to a felony count of deprivation of rights under color of law and was sentenced for more than four years in prison.

Missouri Supreme Court judges wrote in their disciplinary decision that the day after the suspect was arrested, Carroll described the attack to Dierdorf and Schuessler in a phone call.

During the conversation, the judges wrote, Schuessler “made light of the assault” and demeaned the victim.

Judges found Dierdorf and Schuessler also didn’t immediately act when they found out fellow circuit attorney Bliss Worrell filed a false charge against the suspect for resisting arrest in order to cover up the detective’s assault.

Instead, the judges found that Schuessler and Dierdorf repeatedly lied to their supervisors and the FBI about how much they knew and when they learned about the assault.

Judges ruled that Schuessler can reapply to practice law in two years, and Dierdorf can reapply in three years.

Dierdorf’s attorney, Michael Downey, said they are disappointed with the decision. He said Dierdorf has been working as an “ethical and effective” public defender since leaving the circuit attorney’s office.

Worrell, the prosecutor who filed charges against the suspect who was assaulted, resigned and pleaded guilty to a count of misprision of a felony after acknowledging she concealed her knowledge of the assault.
Worrell was sentenced to 18 months of probation.

Oregon
Airbnb settles discrimination suit brought by black women
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Airbnb has settled a lawsuit brought by several Oregon women who said the site allowed vacation rental owners to discriminate against customers based on race.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports African American plaintiffs Pat Harrington, Carlotta Franklin and Ebony Price alleged that by requiring and disclosing users’ full names and photographs, Airbnb allowed its hosts to discriminate against black users in violation of Oregon’s public accommodation laws.

Airbnb changed its policies in 2018 so hosts using its platform can choose not to require photos, and said photos would only be shown to hosts after they accept a booking. It did not announce any further changes Tuesday.

In separate statements, Airbnb and the plaintiffs’ attorneys said the website had renewed its commitment to the 2018 change regarding photos and would “review and update the way profile names are displayed to hosts as part of the booking process.”

Missouri
Parents, school district reach settlement after teen’s death
FAYETTE, Mo. (AP) — The parents of a 17-year-old who died by suicide have reached a settlement with the Missouri school district he attended.

Angela and Michael Suttner sued the Howard County School District and several school officials after their son, Kenneth Suttner, shot himself in December 2016. They claimed the district didn’t protect their son despite knowing he was being bullied by students and teachers at Glasgow High School.

The Columbia Missourian reports a Boone County judge approved the confidential settlement Monday.

The case drew attention when the teen’s former Dairy Queen manager was charged after an inquest into Suttner’s death. The manager, Harley Branham, pleaded guilty last month to third-degree assault and was sentenced to two years’ probation.

The Suttner family also reached a confidential settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit against Dairy Queen.

Florida
Pregnant woman sues airlines in dispute over comfort dog
MIAMI (AP) — A pregnant Florida woman is suing American Airlines, claiming she and her emotional support dog were mistreated by a flight attendant on an April trip from Miami to Los Angeles.

News outlets report Avigail Diveroli is seeking at least $75,000 in damages in the negligence lawsuit. It says she suffers from severe anxiety and confirmed with the airline twice that her “medically necessary comfort animal,” Simba, could travel with her.

Once on the plane, the lawsuit says, an attendant screamed at Diveroli saying the dog could not be in the cabin because it’s an FAA violation. The suit says the berating continued as the attendant downgraded Diveroli from business class and quarantined the dog in a bathroom.

A representative for American Airlines told outlets they would not comment.

South Carolina
Deputy caught in child sex sting by own department
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina sheriff’s department says it caught one of its own deputies last week in a child sex sting that netted over a dozen other people.

The State reports Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott announced the arrest of Deputy Derek Vandenham on Tuesday. Twelve other law enforcement agencies assisted in “Operation Relentless Guardian,” during which deputies pretended to be 13- to 15-year-old girls and chatted with men online.

The men who solicited sex from the “girls” were arrested at an agreed upon meeting site. Lott says the meetup site was changed so Vandenham wouldn’t know he was about to be arrested and the uniformed deputy arrived in his patrol car. He was immediately fired.

The sting also led to the arrest of former transportation commissioner 72-year-old John Norton Hardee.