National Roundup

Florida
Union objects to warning about confidentiality

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - The union representing actors who portray Mickey, Goofy and other characters at Walt Disney World filed a complaint Friday with a national labor board, challenging a policy that it says prevents the performers from revealing which animated figures they portray.

Teamsters Local 385 filed the charge with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging Disney was committing an unfair labor practice. A grievance was filed last week with the company. The two-week-old written policy prevents actors from publicly revealing in social media or traditional media which characters they play, according to the union.

So far, none of the 1,200 character actors at Walt Disney World have faced any disciplinary action, said Donna-Lynne Dalton, recording secretary for the Teamsters local.

"The performers are very concerned because you can't un-tell somebody something," Dalton said. "They have family and friends that already know this and have pictures of themselves in their performing roles. It's out there."

The confidentiality policy had been a subject of negotiations during past contract talks, but it never made it into a contract, union officials said.

"The company doesn't have the right to control social media postings," said Mike Stapleton, president of the Teamsters local. "Suddenly the company wants to pretend there aren't people behind those costumes and the Constitution doesn't extend to the theme park."

A Disney spokeswoman didn't have an immediate comment but promised to respond later in the day.

Disney has always discouraged actors from revealing who is behind the costume in order to preserve the fantasy peddled in its theme parks, but it has never before been a written policy, union officials said.

Dalton said performers may need to share which Disney character they've played in order to get acting jobs elsewhere, but they also respect the idea of keeping the "integrity" of the characters they play. That means not showing up in costume outside the theme parks or revealing to children that they're a performer who plays Minnie Mouse.

"I believe in character integrity and not destroying the magic, but these are performers," Dalton said. "A performer who plays Santa Claus and wants work, he goes out there and says, 'I played Santa Claus.'"

Tennessee
Former athletes' lawsuit over images dismissed

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought against several television networks and college conferences by 10 former college athletes who contended the networks and conferences profited from their names and likenesses without their permission.

The lawsuit was filed last fall in U.S. District Court in Nashville with former Vanderbilt safety Javon Marshall as lead plaintiff along with former teammates Eric Samuels and Steven Clarke.

District Judge Kevin H. Sharp ruled Thursday that the plaintiffs didn't show that they are entitled to be compensated for playing in televised games.

ESPN, CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox and the Southeastern Conference were among the defendants.

Plaintiffs also included former Washington football player Sean Parker; former Tennessee State basketball player Patrick Miller; former Tennessee football players Rod Wilks, Byron Moore and Marlon Walls; former Chattanooga football player Chaz Moore; and former Maryland-Eastern Shore basketball player Chris Conner.

Missouri
Disabled woman awarded $9M after sexual assault

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) - A mentally impaired northwest Missouri woman who gave birth after being sexually assaulted by her caregiver's husband has been awarded $9 million in a civil lawsuit.

A Buchanan County jury on Thursday awarded $3 million in actual damages and $6 million in punitive damages to the 35-year-old woman, identified only as Jane Doe in court proceedings. The woman's relatives originally sued Progressive Community Services and some employees, including the woman's caseworker, Alberta Hughes. All defendants except Hughes were dismissed from the case before Thursday's verdict, The St. Joseph News-Press reported.

The jury found the victim's guardian was 30 percent responsible for the actual damages, meaning Hughes would owe about $2.1 million.

Prosecutors argued that Hughes falsified records and failed to perform her job. She was required to keep the victim in sight at all times and be within 10 seconds reach. However, prosecutors said she consistently took Jane Doe to her home and left the woman alone with her husband, Tony Hughes, who was a convicted felon on parole at the time of the assault.

Tony Hughes, 52, pleaded guilty to felony sexual assault and is currently serving a seven-year sentence. DNA tests showed he was the baby's father.

"We fought long and hard for our client to get justice, and justice was delivered today by the jury's verdict," said Rose Briscoe, one of Jane Doe's attorneys.

Hughes' defense attorney, Steve Coronado, said he would file post-trial motions seeking a new trial and judgment. If those motions are unsuccessful, "we will very likely seek an appeal," he said.

He argued during trial that the sexual assault occurred while Jane Doe was being transported, which had been authorized by her guardian.

"Our position is that once the guardian had authorized the transportation, our client was no longer on clock and should not be held responsible for unanticipated acts," Coronado said.

Alaska
Same-sex couples will have to wed to keep benefits

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Same-sex couples under Alaska's employee union health care plan will no longer have access to those benefits unless they are married.

The Alaska Dispatch News reports starting July 1 the health plan will only be available for couples that are married. The decision by the board of trustees for the Alaska State Employees Association comes after an October ruling legalized same-sex marriage in Alaska.

Alaska began offering benefits to same-sex couples in 2005 after a state Supreme Court ruled that not extending benefits to couples solely because they couldn't marry violated their equal protection rights.

Board Chairman Mike Williams says fewer than 20 couples will be affected by the change.

The board moved forward with their decision despite a pending ruling that could overturn Alaska's same-sex marriage ruling.

Published: Mon, Jun 08, 2015