Latest news with #JamesDonato
San Francisco Chronicle
29-04-2025
- San Francisco Chronicle
S.F. gang member sentenced to 7 years in prison for gun possession
A longtime member of San Francisco's Norteños gang convicted of unlawfully possessing guns was sentenced to seven years in prison, prosecutors said Monday. U.S. District Judge James Donato also sentenced Nicholas Addleman, 38, of Vallejo, to three years of supervised release after he serves his prison term, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California. Addleman previously served five years in state prison for assault with a deadly weapon and shooting at an inhabited dwelling, prosecutors said. A few months after his release in October 2022, police found two guns in Addleman's car during a parole search, prosecutors said. After Addleman admitted the guns were his and his DNA was found on the grip of one of the guns, he was charged with felon in possession of a firearm, to which he pleaded guilty to in September 2023, prosecutors said. In February 2024, days before he was expected to be sentenced, Addleman fled from pretrial supervision and a court issued a warrant for his arrest, prosecutors said. He was arrested in December and police searched his Vallejo home to uncover multiple assault rifles, large capacity magazines and suspected gun silences, according to prosecutors.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Judge allows UC Berkeley antisemitism lawsuit to proceed
A district judge ruled Monday that an antisemitism lawsuit accusing the University of California, Berkeley of inaction regarding harassment of Jewish students can proceed. District Judge James Donato in a 5-page ruling said the suit alleging the university violated the civil rights and equal protection rights of Jewish students could move forward. 'Taken as a whole, the FAC plausibly alleges disparate treatment with discriminatory intent and policy enforcement that is 'not generally applicable,'' the judge wrote. 'The FAC also plausibly alleges that Berkeley was deliberately indifferent to the on-campus harassment and hostile environment,' he added. The judge dismissed one claim that involved contracts with legal academics. The case was brought on by the Louis D. Brandeis Center and Jewish Americans for Fairness in Education. The Hill has reached out to the university for comment. The case comes as dozens of universities are under investigation by the Department of Education for alleged inaction on antisemitism. Columbia University had $400 million of funding paused over similar accusations, and billions of dollars in Harvard University contracts and grants are under review due to the same allegations. The Trump administration has made combating antisemitism a top priority for the Education Department, with the president signing an executive order on the matter and creating a federal antisemitism task force. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
02-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Judge allows UC Berkeley antisemitism lawsuit to proceed
A district judge ruled Monday that an antisemitism lawsuit accusing the University of California, Berkeley of inaction regarding harassment of Jewish students can proceed. District Judge James Donato in a 5-page ruling said the suit alleging the university violated the civil rights and equal protection rights of Jewish students could move forward. 'Taken as a whole, the FAC plausibly alleges disparate treatment with discriminatory intent and policy enforcement that is 'not generally applicable,'' the judge wrote. 'The FAC also plausibly alleges that Berkeley was deliberately indifferent to the on-campus harassment and hostile environment,' he added. The judge dismissed one claim that involved contracts with legal academics. The case was brought on by the Louis D. Brandeis Center and Jewish Americans for Fairness in Education. The Hill has reached out to UC Berkeley for comment. The case comes as dozens of universities are under investigation by the Department of Education for alleged inaction on antisemitism. Columbia University had $400 million of funding paused over similar accusations and billions of dollars in Harvard University contracts and grants are under review due to the same allegations. The Trump administration has made combatting antisemitism a top priority for the Education Department, with the president signing an executive order on the matter and creating the federal antisemitism taskforce.
Reuters
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
UC Berkeley antisemitism lawsuit can proceed, judge rules
April 2 (Reuters) - A federal judge said Jewish groups may pursue a lawsuit accusing the University of California, Berkeley, of tolerating an "unrelenting" stream of antisemitic harassment toward Jewish students and faculty. In a decision made public on Tuesday, U.S. District Judge James Donato said two Jewish groups may pursue equal protection, free exercise of religion, and civil rights claims against school officials including University of California President Michael Drake and former UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ. Donato said the plaintiffs plausibly alleged that Jewish students and professors were treated differently at UC Berkeley because they are Jewish, and that the school was "deliberately indifferent to the on-campus harassment and hostile environment." The San Francisco-based judge also dismissed a contract-based claim. Lawyers for the defendants did not immediately respond on Wednesday to requests for comment. The plaintiffs are the nonprofit Louis D. Brandeis Center and Jewish Americans for Fairness in Education, a nationwide group whose members include UC Berkeley staff and students. Many top U.S. colleges and universities have been accused of tolerating antisemitism and mishandling protests following Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack against Israel. Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump canceled $400 million of federal funding for Columbia University over its alleged failure to police antisemitism. His administration also sent letters, opens new tab to 60 schools including UC Berkeley in March, warning of possible enforcement actions if they did not address antisemitic harassment and discrimination. John Coghlan, a lawyer for plaintiffs in the UC Berkeley lawsuit, called Donato's decision "an overwhelming victory" for his clients. "We're looking forward to continuing to fight for the Jewish community at Berkeley," he said in an interview. "To the extent there is greater momentum toward combating antisemitism, that helps our case." The case is Louis D. Brandeis Center Inc et al v Regents of the University of California et al, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 23-06133.
Reuters
27-01-2025
- Business
- Reuters
US judge in Facebook data privacy case rejects class action bid
Jan 27 (Reuters) - A federal judge in California has refused to allow millions of Facebook users to band together as a class in a lawsuit accusing the social media company of duping them about its privacy safeguards in order to maintain market dominance. San Francisco-based U.S. District Judge James Donato on Friday rejected, opens new tab key evidence that the plaintiffs presented to justify certifying the case as a class action against Facebook parent Meta Platforms (META.O), opens new tab. The judge ruled that the consumers could not rely on an expert's findings that Meta would have paid its users $5 a month for their personal data in a competitive market. The expert estimated nationwide damages of more than $52 billion. Meta had called, opens new tab the expert's analysis 'junk science' and had urged Donato to bar the plaintiffs from using it. The company has denied any wrongdoing. In a statement, Meta welcomed Donato's ruling and said the company 'faces fierce competition for the time and attention of people and businesses.' The consumers' lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Granting class action status can place extra pressure on a corporate defendant to settle, especially in cases where a company faces claims of billions of dollars. Donato is presiding over a consolidated lawsuit that was first filed in 2020. The consumers told the court, opens new tab that Facebook users trusted the company's "abundant (and false) assertions that Facebook respects their privacy and gives users full control over what data it collects and who uses their data and how." The consumer plaintiffs had asked Donato to certify a class of Facebook users between 2016 and 2020. Meta in a court filing said the named plaintiffs in the lawsuit 'found personalized value' and enjoyment in using Facebook, and did not base their decision to use the platform on alleged misstatements about its privacy protections. The case is Maximilian Klein et al v. Meta Platforms, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 3:20-cv-08570-JD. For plaintiffs: Shana Scarlett of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro and Kevin Teruya of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan For Meta: Sonal Mehta, David Gringer and Ari Holtzblatt of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr Meta must face shuttered photo app's antitrust lawsuit, US appeals court rules
