Iowa
Black man says a trucking company fired him because he wouldn’t cut off his dreadlocks
A Black man alleges in a lawsuit that an Iowa trucking company fired him as a driver because he wouldn’t cut off his dreadlocks, the latest in a series of incidents across the country over an issue activists have dubbed hair discrimination.
Drew Harvey, 26, of Crete, Illinois, accused Des Moines-based TMC Transportation of racism in the lawsuit filed last week in state court against the company and two of its employees. The company didn’t immediately respond Monday to phone and email messages from The Associated Press seeking comment.
Similar issues have arisen in places like Texas, where a Black high school student was suspended because of his dreadlocks. And in Kansas, the American Civil Liberties Union raised concerns over a grade school forcing an 8-year-old Native American boy to cut off his hair after he grew it out for cultural reasons.
In Iowa, Harvey was hired as a flatbed truck driver in June. But one day after beginning orientation, his instructor told him to report to human resources, where he was told his hair was creating a “safety issue” and that he needed to cut his deadlocks or be fired, the lawsuit said.
According to the lawsuit, Harvey said his hair was “important to his culture and spirituality” and he offered to address the concerns by trimming his hair, styling it differently, wearing it in a hair wrap or purchasing a different hard hat.
But the lawsuit said the company told him the proposals weren’t acceptable. Fired, he was sent home on a bus in tears, the lawsuit said.
The suit said the policy was inconsistently enforced and a violation of the Iowa Civil Rights Act. Harvey said that during his short time with the company, he observed several non-Black male and female workers who had long hair. The suit said he was even more upset when he learned online that TMC previously fired another Black man for the same reason.
Harvey is seeking unspecified damages for lost wages and emotional distress.
California
Accused bus hijacker charged with murder and kidnapping
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A man who allegedly hijacked a city bus in Los Angeles, killed a passenger and held its driver at gunpoint last Wednesday has been charged with murder and kidnapping, authorities said.
Lamont Campbell, 51, was charged with numerous felonies related to the hijacking, including carjacking, assault with a semi-automatic handgun, robbery, and felon in possession of a gun, Los Angeles county prosecutors said Monday.
Campbell is alleged to have shot and killed 48-year-old Anthony Rivera on his way home from work. He also allegedly threatened and robbed another passenger with the weapon.
Prosecutors said Campbell first boarded the Metro bus at about 12:30 a.m. in South Los Angeles on Sep. 25, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office. After forcing the driver to continue driving by holding him at gunpoint, he led police cars on a slow chase through downtown for an hour before they were able to deploy spike strips to stop the bus and perform a hostage rescue.
The other passenger, who was injured and quickly released, has not been identified.
“Metro’s 12,000 employees deserve to be safe at work and our nearly 1 million customers deserve to be and feel safe as they travel to and from their homes, work, and leisure activities,” Metro CEO Stephanie Higgins said in a statement.
Los Angeles district attorney George Gascon said at a press conference Monday that Campbell had an extensive criminal record, the Los Angeles Times reported. Officials also commended the bus driver, Dennis Contreras, for his bravery and remaining calm.
Rivera’s family told KABC-TV that Rivera, a former national guardsmen, was only a few blocks away from home when the gunman boarded the bus.
“He was just trying to get home from his very long shift as a parking lot attendant at Dodger Stadium,” Rivera’s cousin Sarah Beck said. “All he wanted to do was just get home safely, but he never made it home.”
The family called for more safety measures to protect passengers that depend on public transit.
“I just miss him dearly,” Rivera’s mother, Teresa Flores, told KABC-TV. “There’s so much I want to say and I just can’t. I’m just dumbfounded they took my son. ... He’ll always be with me, he’s my heart.”
If convicted of all his charges, Campbell faces a maximum sentence of 90 years, eight months to life in prison.
Virginia
Jury awards $300 million to women who alleged sex abuse by doctor at children’s hospital
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A jury has ruled in favor of three women who alleged they were sexually abused while patients at a Virginia children’s hospital, awarding them a total of $300 million in damages.
The jury in Richmond Circuit Court on Friday awarded each woman $60 million in compensatory damages and $40 million in punitive damages, WTVR-TV reported.
A total of 46 former patients sued the Cumberland Hospital for Children and Adolescents in New Kent, which treats vulnerable children, and Dr. Daniel Davidow, the hospital’s longtime medical director. In this first trial, the three former patients alleged that Davidow inappropriately touched them during femoral pulse exams.
“To have a group of people — a group of strangers — to look at them, to listen to them, to tell them that they believe them, that they believe in them, it broke them down, it broke them down in tears immediately,” said Kevin Biniazan, the women’s lawyer. “It brook us all down in tears.”
Davidow’s attorney, Bob Donnelly, told the jury during opening statements that Davidow “unequivocally denies” the sexual assault allegations. Donnelly said the femoral pulse exam conducted by Davidow dates back to the 1960s and 1970s and is a “standard examination.”
Davidow was acquitted of felony sex abuse charges against two other former patients after a criminal trial in April.
The next civil trial is scheduled in March.
Florida
Financial adviser indicted in alleged illegal tax shelter scheme
GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) — A Florida financial adviser has been indicted in an alleged scheme to promote and operate an illegal tax shelter through which he stole some of his clients’ funds, federal prosecutors said Friday.
Stephen T. Mellinger III, of Delray Beach, Florida, conspired with several others to defraud the Internal Revenue Service in 2013 by promoting an illegal tax shelter, according to the indictment returned Wednesday by a federal grand jury in Gulfport, Mississippi, and unsealed Thursday.
Mellinger was charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, aiding in the preparation of false tax returns, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and money laundering. If convicted of all charges, he could be sentenced to up to 68 years behind bars.
Court documents did not list an attorney for Mellinger who could speak on his behalf. An arraignment date has not been set.
Mellinger allegedly instructed his clients participating in the tax shelter to transfer money to a company he or his co-conspirators controlled in the amount they wished to claim as a deduction on their tax returns. The conspirators then returned the money to a bank account that clients controlled, subtracting a percentage fee that they charged for their services, according to the indictment.
Mellinger allegedly earned more than $3 million in fees from the shelter.
In addition, in 2016, the federal government seized funds from some of Mellinger’s clients who were engaged in a scheme to defraud health care benefit programs, including TRICARE, the U.S. Department of Defense’s health care benefit program, according to the indictment.
Mellinger conspired with a relative to take advantage of the seizure to steal some of the money that those clients had transferred and then laundered the money, according to the indictment.
Ultimately, he used some of the stolen funds to buy a home in Delray Beach, Florida, the indictment said.
New Hampshire
ACLU lawsuit challenges state’s voter proof-of-citizenship law
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A lawsuit filed Monday challenges a New Hampshire law that would require proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote and photo identification when casting a ballot, saying it is one of the most restrictive voting laws in the nation.
The new law was set to take effect after the November elections. Republican Gov. Chris Sununu signed the bill earlier this month.
The lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire in U.S. District Court in Concord on behalf of the Coalition for Open Democracy, the League of Women Voters of New Hampshire, the Forward Foundation, and five voters. It names New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella and Secretary of State David Scanlan as defendants.
Laws like this that “create unconstitutional roadblocks to voting and which could stop thousands of eligible voters from participating in an election, have no place in our state,” Henry Klementowicz, deputy legal director at the ACLU of New Hampshire, said in a statement.
The lawsuit asks a judge to block enforcement, saying federal courts have weighed in on the matter before. A similar law in Kansas, which required proof of citizenship for state and federal elections, was found in 2018 to violate both the U.S. Constitution and the National Voter Registration Act.
In August 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed some parts of a law requiring proof of citizenship to be enforced in Arizona as the legal fight continues in lower courts. The ACLU of New Hampshire said that Arizona does not require proof of citizenship for federal elections.
Under New Hampshire’s current law, those who don’t bring photo IDs to the polls can sign an affidavit attesting to their identity and are required to provide documentation within seven days. The new law would eliminate voter identification exceptions and would require those registering to vote to show a passport, birth certificate or other evidence of citizenship.
“This newly enacted voter registration requirement creates confusion, raises doubts for voters, and leaves them feeling hampered by the process,” Liz Tentarelli, president of the League of Women Voters New Hampshire, said in a statement Monday. “Instead of creating unnecessary barriers to voters, we need our elected officials to advance meaningful legislation that ensures New Hampshire voters can make their voices heard.”
A spokesperson for the state attorney general’s office, Michael Garrity said in a statement, “We will review the complaint and respond as appropriate.”
Sununu signed the bill on Sept. 12. It is set to become law two months after that.
“We have a proud tradition and proven track record of condition elections that are trusted and true,” he said at the time. “Looking forward to the next decade or two, this legislation will instill even more integrity and trust in the voting process.”
Voting by noncitizens is prohibited in federal elections and is not allowed in any state elections, although a handful of municipalities nationwide allow it in limited circumstances. While illegal voting by noncitizens is extremely rare, the possibility that it could happen on a wider scale because of the influx of migrants at the southern border has become a theme of Republican campaign messaging this year.
In Washington, Republicans are trying to push through the SAVE Act, a proof-of-citizenship mandate for voters, as part of wider legislation aimed at avoiding a partial government shutdown this fall.
Black man says a trucking company fired him because he wouldn’t cut off his dreadlocks
A Black man alleges in a lawsuit that an Iowa trucking company fired him as a driver because he wouldn’t cut off his dreadlocks, the latest in a series of incidents across the country over an issue activists have dubbed hair discrimination.
Drew Harvey, 26, of Crete, Illinois, accused Des Moines-based TMC Transportation of racism in the lawsuit filed last week in state court against the company and two of its employees. The company didn’t immediately respond Monday to phone and email messages from The Associated Press seeking comment.
Similar issues have arisen in places like Texas, where a Black high school student was suspended because of his dreadlocks. And in Kansas, the American Civil Liberties Union raised concerns over a grade school forcing an 8-year-old Native American boy to cut off his hair after he grew it out for cultural reasons.
In Iowa, Harvey was hired as a flatbed truck driver in June. But one day after beginning orientation, his instructor told him to report to human resources, where he was told his hair was creating a “safety issue” and that he needed to cut his deadlocks or be fired, the lawsuit said.
According to the lawsuit, Harvey said his hair was “important to his culture and spirituality” and he offered to address the concerns by trimming his hair, styling it differently, wearing it in a hair wrap or purchasing a different hard hat.
But the lawsuit said the company told him the proposals weren’t acceptable. Fired, he was sent home on a bus in tears, the lawsuit said.
The suit said the policy was inconsistently enforced and a violation of the Iowa Civil Rights Act. Harvey said that during his short time with the company, he observed several non-Black male and female workers who had long hair. The suit said he was even more upset when he learned online that TMC previously fired another Black man for the same reason.
Harvey is seeking unspecified damages for lost wages and emotional distress.
California
Accused bus hijacker charged with murder and kidnapping
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A man who allegedly hijacked a city bus in Los Angeles, killed a passenger and held its driver at gunpoint last Wednesday has been charged with murder and kidnapping, authorities said.
Lamont Campbell, 51, was charged with numerous felonies related to the hijacking, including carjacking, assault with a semi-automatic handgun, robbery, and felon in possession of a gun, Los Angeles county prosecutors said Monday.
Campbell is alleged to have shot and killed 48-year-old Anthony Rivera on his way home from work. He also allegedly threatened and robbed another passenger with the weapon.
Prosecutors said Campbell first boarded the Metro bus at about 12:30 a.m. in South Los Angeles on Sep. 25, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office. After forcing the driver to continue driving by holding him at gunpoint, he led police cars on a slow chase through downtown for an hour before they were able to deploy spike strips to stop the bus and perform a hostage rescue.
The other passenger, who was injured and quickly released, has not been identified.
“Metro’s 12,000 employees deserve to be safe at work and our nearly 1 million customers deserve to be and feel safe as they travel to and from their homes, work, and leisure activities,” Metro CEO Stephanie Higgins said in a statement.
Los Angeles district attorney George Gascon said at a press conference Monday that Campbell had an extensive criminal record, the Los Angeles Times reported. Officials also commended the bus driver, Dennis Contreras, for his bravery and remaining calm.
Rivera’s family told KABC-TV that Rivera, a former national guardsmen, was only a few blocks away from home when the gunman boarded the bus.
“He was just trying to get home from his very long shift as a parking lot attendant at Dodger Stadium,” Rivera’s cousin Sarah Beck said. “All he wanted to do was just get home safely, but he never made it home.”
The family called for more safety measures to protect passengers that depend on public transit.
“I just miss him dearly,” Rivera’s mother, Teresa Flores, told KABC-TV. “There’s so much I want to say and I just can’t. I’m just dumbfounded they took my son. ... He’ll always be with me, he’s my heart.”
If convicted of all his charges, Campbell faces a maximum sentence of 90 years, eight months to life in prison.
Virginia
Jury awards $300 million to women who alleged sex abuse by doctor at children’s hospital
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A jury has ruled in favor of three women who alleged they were sexually abused while patients at a Virginia children’s hospital, awarding them a total of $300 million in damages.
The jury in Richmond Circuit Court on Friday awarded each woman $60 million in compensatory damages and $40 million in punitive damages, WTVR-TV reported.
A total of 46 former patients sued the Cumberland Hospital for Children and Adolescents in New Kent, which treats vulnerable children, and Dr. Daniel Davidow, the hospital’s longtime medical director. In this first trial, the three former patients alleged that Davidow inappropriately touched them during femoral pulse exams.
“To have a group of people — a group of strangers — to look at them, to listen to them, to tell them that they believe them, that they believe in them, it broke them down, it broke them down in tears immediately,” said Kevin Biniazan, the women’s lawyer. “It brook us all down in tears.”
Davidow’s attorney, Bob Donnelly, told the jury during opening statements that Davidow “unequivocally denies” the sexual assault allegations. Donnelly said the femoral pulse exam conducted by Davidow dates back to the 1960s and 1970s and is a “standard examination.”
Davidow was acquitted of felony sex abuse charges against two other former patients after a criminal trial in April.
The next civil trial is scheduled in March.
Florida
Financial adviser indicted in alleged illegal tax shelter scheme
GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) — A Florida financial adviser has been indicted in an alleged scheme to promote and operate an illegal tax shelter through which he stole some of his clients’ funds, federal prosecutors said Friday.
Stephen T. Mellinger III, of Delray Beach, Florida, conspired with several others to defraud the Internal Revenue Service in 2013 by promoting an illegal tax shelter, according to the indictment returned Wednesday by a federal grand jury in Gulfport, Mississippi, and unsealed Thursday.
Mellinger was charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, aiding in the preparation of false tax returns, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and money laundering. If convicted of all charges, he could be sentenced to up to 68 years behind bars.
Court documents did not list an attorney for Mellinger who could speak on his behalf. An arraignment date has not been set.
Mellinger allegedly instructed his clients participating in the tax shelter to transfer money to a company he or his co-conspirators controlled in the amount they wished to claim as a deduction on their tax returns. The conspirators then returned the money to a bank account that clients controlled, subtracting a percentage fee that they charged for their services, according to the indictment.
Mellinger allegedly earned more than $3 million in fees from the shelter.
In addition, in 2016, the federal government seized funds from some of Mellinger’s clients who were engaged in a scheme to defraud health care benefit programs, including TRICARE, the U.S. Department of Defense’s health care benefit program, according to the indictment.
Mellinger conspired with a relative to take advantage of the seizure to steal some of the money that those clients had transferred and then laundered the money, according to the indictment.
Ultimately, he used some of the stolen funds to buy a home in Delray Beach, Florida, the indictment said.
New Hampshire
ACLU lawsuit challenges state’s voter proof-of-citizenship law
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A lawsuit filed Monday challenges a New Hampshire law that would require proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote and photo identification when casting a ballot, saying it is one of the most restrictive voting laws in the nation.
The new law was set to take effect after the November elections. Republican Gov. Chris Sununu signed the bill earlier this month.
The lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire in U.S. District Court in Concord on behalf of the Coalition for Open Democracy, the League of Women Voters of New Hampshire, the Forward Foundation, and five voters. It names New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella and Secretary of State David Scanlan as defendants.
Laws like this that “create unconstitutional roadblocks to voting and which could stop thousands of eligible voters from participating in an election, have no place in our state,” Henry Klementowicz, deputy legal director at the ACLU of New Hampshire, said in a statement.
The lawsuit asks a judge to block enforcement, saying federal courts have weighed in on the matter before. A similar law in Kansas, which required proof of citizenship for state and federal elections, was found in 2018 to violate both the U.S. Constitution and the National Voter Registration Act.
In August 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed some parts of a law requiring proof of citizenship to be enforced in Arizona as the legal fight continues in lower courts. The ACLU of New Hampshire said that Arizona does not require proof of citizenship for federal elections.
Under New Hampshire’s current law, those who don’t bring photo IDs to the polls can sign an affidavit attesting to their identity and are required to provide documentation within seven days. The new law would eliminate voter identification exceptions and would require those registering to vote to show a passport, birth certificate or other evidence of citizenship.
“This newly enacted voter registration requirement creates confusion, raises doubts for voters, and leaves them feeling hampered by the process,” Liz Tentarelli, president of the League of Women Voters New Hampshire, said in a statement Monday. “Instead of creating unnecessary barriers to voters, we need our elected officials to advance meaningful legislation that ensures New Hampshire voters can make their voices heard.”
A spokesperson for the state attorney general’s office, Michael Garrity said in a statement, “We will review the complaint and respond as appropriate.”
Sununu signed the bill on Sept. 12. It is set to become law two months after that.
“We have a proud tradition and proven track record of condition elections that are trusted and true,” he said at the time. “Looking forward to the next decade or two, this legislation will instill even more integrity and trust in the voting process.”
Voting by noncitizens is prohibited in federal elections and is not allowed in any state elections, although a handful of municipalities nationwide allow it in limited circumstances. While illegal voting by noncitizens is extremely rare, the possibility that it could happen on a wider scale because of the influx of migrants at the southern border has become a theme of Republican campaign messaging this year.
In Washington, Republicans are trying to push through the SAVE Act, a proof-of-citizenship mandate for voters, as part of wider legislation aimed at avoiding a partial government shutdown this fall.
