National Round Up

Georgia: Sheriff vows strong defense in teacher’s lawsuit
RINGGOLD, Ga. (AP) — The sheriff of Catoosa County says he will defend his detectives and himself vigorously against a lawsuit by a former kindergarten teacher acquitted of charges she molested three young girls.

The federal lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Rome by lawyers for 37-year-old Tonya Craft of Soddy-Daisy, Tenn., says she lost her career, her home and custody of her daughter because of the conduct of those involved in the case.

The 19 defendants in the lawsuit include the Catoosa County sheriff’s department, the child advocacy centers, parents of Craft’s accusers, social workers and a child therapist.

Sheriff Phil Summers says he feels confident that he and his department will be vindicated by the court.

Most of the defendants could not be reached for comment.

North Carolina: Shelter must hold animal with adoption request
LUMBERTON, N.C. (AP) — A judge has dismissed parts of a lawsuit charging cruelty at an animal shelter in North Carolina but has left in place a major part of the complaint.

Multiple media outlets reported that District Court Judge Stanley Carmical ruled Monday on the lawsuit involving the Robeson County animal shelter.

Carmical issued an injunction preventing the shelter from euthanizing an animal for at least 24 hours after a rescue group sends a fax expressing plans to adopt the animal. Carmical says the order will stay in place throughout the case.

He dismissed two other parts of the lawsuit, ruling that the shelter’s policy of keeping at least half of its kennels empty for cleaning isn’t illegal. He also says the county doesn’t have to use a voluntary fostering program.

Minnesota: Drywall company,  Latino workers settle lawsuit

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Latino workers have settled their class-action discrimination lawsuit against a Twin Cities drywall company.

The agreement calls for Mulcahy Inc., of Mahtomedi, to pay between $2.5 million and $6 million, depending on when the payment is made. The lesser amount applies if the payment is made by Jan. 15.

The employees said they were paid below minimum wage and less than white co-workers, required to work overtime at a substandard rate and denied economic and health benefits.

Mulcahy attorney, Lindsay Zamzow, tells the St. Paul Pioneer Press that class-action cases are time consuming and expensive, so the company decided to settle.

North Dakota: Postal worker sues for sexual harassment
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — An employee at the Bismarck post office says she’s a victim of sexual discrimination and harassment.

Shirley Puklich has filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking damages believed to be more than $50,000. She says she has suffered emotional and economic damages, including lost wages and job benefits.

The lawsuit also alleges retaliation for complaints filed by Puklich, who says her job was reposted and her work schedule was changed.

Arizona: Groups seek new judge in case against new law
PHOENIX (AP) — Civil rights groups seeking to throw out Arizona’s new immigration law have asked that their case be transferred to a judge who is already considering another challenge to the law.

The American Civil Liberties Union, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund and other groups are asking that their lawsuit be transferred from U.S. Magistrate Mark Aspey to U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton.

Bolton has already been assigned to hear a challenge by a Washington-based researcher.

The civil rights groups say both lawsuits make similar claims and could later be consolidated if the presiding judge feels it’s appropriate.

In all, five challenges to the law been filed. Each was assigned to a different federal judge.

California: Quaid sues drug maker over his babies’ overdoses

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Actor Dennis Quaid has sued the pharmaceutical company that makes the blood thinner heparin following the overdoses that threatened the lives of his newborn twins three years ago.

Quaid sued Deerfield, Ill.-based Baxter Healthcare Corp. in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday.

The suit seeks unspecified damages and alleges that packaging caused the drug mix-up at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

The lawsuit says heparin and a lower-dose version called Hep-Lock are both packaged in similar blue vials with small print on the labels.

The case argues that Baxter should have recalled the heparin vials because the company knew infants had died because of similar medication errors.

Quaid and his wife settled with the hospital for $500,000 in June 2009.

The Food and Drug Administration recalled the drug in March 2008 because of contamination.

California: Questions linger over 20-year-old car bombing

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Environmental activists are remembering the day 20 years ago when two members of the radical Earth First group were injured by a pipe bomb that exploded in their car in Oakland.

Darryl Cherney, who survived the 1990 explosion with the late Judi Bari, said Monday that he and others are still following new leads to determine who planted the bomb that went off as the pair were on their way to an anti-logging event.

Bari, who died of cancer seven years later, was seriously injured.

The FBI arrested Bari and Cherney, alleging the bomb exploded accidentally while they were transporting it. But prosecutors declined to file charges. The two filed a lawsuit for false arrest and a federal jury awarded them $4.4 million.