Latest news with #JohnDoes
Toronto Star
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Toronto Star
The Hockey Canada trial lays bear a battle in the escalating war for men's humanity
The woman alleging sexual assault by a group of junior hockey players says she's unsure if all of the men in the room were involved. Her suit names four, not five, John Does because when she regained consciousness, John Doe 5 was 'standing in the corner … crying throughout the remainder of the [alleged] assaults.' These details aren't from the ongoing criminal trial of five members of Canada's championship 2018 World Junior hockey team. They're from another case, a $3.75 million civil suit filed in March that names four men, the Ontario Hockey League and the Canadian Hockey League as liable for the alleged actions of Windsor Spitfires players at a party in 1984. Such a long, short time ago. Opinion articles are based on the author's interpretations and judgments of facts, data and events. More details
CBS News
20-04-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Officers who attended Trump's Jan. 6 rally petition Supreme Court to allow their anonymity in public records
Four Seattle police officers who attended President Trump's "Stop the Steal" rally on Jan. 6, 2021, which preceded the attack on the United States Capitol that day, have petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to keep their names out of public records related to the insurrection. The group, which consists of current and former officers at the Seattle Police Department, initially sued the city of Seattle to prohibit Jan. 6 investigative records from being released without their names redacted. But the Washington Supreme Court ruled against them in a decision earlier this year, in which the justices unanimously found the officers failed to show that disclosing their names in public filings would violate their right to privacy, as the lawsuit claimed. "At its core, this appeal involves whether a government agency can ignore the chilling effect resulting from an employer requiring an employee to disclose their off-duty political activities and attendant impressions or motivations associated therewith, followed by widespread dissemination to those who deliberately seek this information to subject these public servants to vilification without the commission of any misconduct whatsoever," reads the latest petition to the nation's highest court. Using the pseudonyms John Does 1, 2, 4 and 5 in the petition , the officers have acknowledged they were present at the Washington, D.C., rally held by Mr. Trump to protest the certification of the 2020 election results and former President Joe Biden's victory. However, the officers say they did not commit any crimes and cite a subsequent investigation by Seattle's Office of Police Accountability that determined the four did not engage "in unlawful or unprofessional conduct" at the event. That investigation found two other Seattle police officers who also attended the rally had trespassed near the Capitol, and, on a disciplinary committee's recommendation , both were fired. The probe recognized that attending Mr. Trump's political gathering was a protected act under the First Amendment, and the recommendation was based on the pair's violation of departmental policies within the Seattle Police Department. Of six Seattle officers who attended the rally, it said three had not violated policies and a conduct evaluation for a fourth officer who attended was inconclusive. All six Seattle officers, including the four John Does petitioning the Supreme Court, were interviewed. In those interviews, the officers apparently "were required to disclose their political beliefs, affiliations, reasons for attending the Rally, and their mental impressions as to the content of the Rally," according to the petition, which says they were "compelled to participate" in the investigation "under threat of termination" from the police department. The petition's respondents are the Seattle Police Department and Sam Suekoa, now an attorney, who filed public records requests as a law student seeking to disclose documents related to the investigation, such as the interview transcripts. Neil Fox, an attorney for Sueoka in this case, told the Associated Press on Saturday that their legal team was "reviewing the Does' motion for a stay." CBS News contacted an attorney representing the John Does for comment, but did not receive an immediate response. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Miami Herald
27-03-2025
- Miami Herald
Men file false sex abuse claims against ex-priest in racketeering scheme, IL suit says
A Catholic archdiocese has filed a lawsuit accusing a group of men of submitting dozens of false sex abuse claims against a defrocked priest to get millions in settlement payments. 'I got to get on the money train,' a man said during a phone call in state prison in 2013 to an unnamed man involved in the scheme, according to the lawsuit. He also asked the man how much money he got from a settlement payment from the archdiocese, the suit said. The 38-page lawsuit, filed by the Archdiocese of Chicago on March 24, cites more recorded phone conversations between different men talking about how 'easy' it would be to bring claims against the Catholic Church. The men are all referred to as John Does in accordance with court orders. Associated by gang affiliation, friendship or family, the web of men was recruited, bribed, paid and coached on how to successfully pursue false claims of sex abuse in exchange for a part in the anticipated settlement, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit says the false claims have diverted 'resources devoted to real victims' and reduced the ability to 'expeditiously resolve claims by real victims.' 'We trust and believe people when they come forward with abuse claims,' James Geoly, general counsel for the archdiocese, said in a news release. 'These individuals have violated that trust and have attempted to take advantage of it.' Defrocked Illinois priest Illinois has a grim history of child sex abuse by members of the Catholic clergy. In May 2023, Attorney General Kwame Raoul published a 696-page report, which found that over about seven decades, at least 1,997 children have been abused by 451 Catholic clerics and religious brothers across the state's dioceses. One of the 'most infamous' child abusers in the state is former priest Daniel McCormack, who has more than 100 accusations of sex abuse against him and was committed under the Sexually Violent Persons Commitment Act in 2017, according to the Attorney General's Office. McCormack is accused of abuse in each of the false claims, with many saying the abuse happened in connection with a basketball team he coached, according to the lawsuit. False claims The lawsuit says three John Does, who all received settlements in 2012 and 2013, 'quickly exhausted' the money, giving them a reason to call on others to bring false claims for profit. Once more men received settlements, they used the money on trips to Miami and Las Vegas, parties, and lavish cars and clothing, according to the lawsuit. Two cases based on similar accusations have been ruled as fraud, and more than a dozen other claims have been abandoned, the lawsuit states. The Archdiocese of Chicago is seeking injunctive relief for the claims filed by the group as well as monetary damages, according to the lawsuit. 'While we cannot erase the past, including the misconduct of priests who committed real harms, we can try to ease the pain and suffering of survivors through accountability and support,' Geoly said. 'False claims make it necessary to investigate all claims more aggressively, which places a greater burden on true survivors.'
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Yahoo
20 additional victims file complaint against Army over sexual abuse by JBLM doctor
Attorneys have filed new federal complaints against the Army on behalf of 20 additional John Does who were sexually abused by Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) doctor Michael Stockin. In January, Stockin was sentenced to over 13 years in prison for sexually abusing over three dozen patients in the span of several years. The complaints filed on March 3 allege that the Army is liable for Stockin's actions under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) because it was negligent in hiring, supervising, and retaining Stockin. The complaints also allege that the Army lacked protocols to keep patients and visitors safe from sexual abuse. 'Dr. Stockin has been sentenced for his criminal conduct. But now the focus must turn to holding the Army accountable for its role in allowing this rampant abuse to persist,' said attorney Christine Dunn. 'The number of victims we represent has nearly doubled in the last two months alone. There is no doubt that this is one of the biggest sexual assault scandals ever faced by the military. There will be no justice for my clients – and the many other victims out there – until the Army takes responsibility for what happened to these men.' The complaint also alleges that the military knew of Stockin's abuse but continued to allow him to practice. ALSO READ: 'I kept replaying the way he violated me': JBLM Army doctor faces over 50 sexual assault charges The Army launched an investigation into Stockin in 2022 after receiving multiple complaints, according to Michelle McCaskill, a spokesperson with the U.S. Army Office of Special Trial Counsel. He was suspended from patient care and was given administrative duties. He was formally charged in August 2023 with 23 counts of abusive sexual contact. In January 2024, the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel referred 52 charges and specifications, stemming from allegations by 41 male patients he treated between 2019 and 2022. Following Stockin's sentencing, the firm representing the victims said their office became 'inundated with calls' from additional victims who were looking to hold the Army accountable. 'Had the Army better screened Dr. Stockin when hiring him, or better supervised his patient interaction, Dr. Stockin would not have been in a position to sexually abuse me and other patients. The fact that Dr. Stockin was able to sexually abuse over 100 patients, and potentially many more, is evidence that the Army was negligent in its supervision of Dr. Stockin. Furthermore, the Army negligently allowed Dr. Stockin to continue seeing patients even after the Army publicly claims to have received complaints about Dr. Stockin in February 2022. Furthermore, the Army negligently failed to put in place or enforce policies and procedures to minimize the risk of sexual assault of patients. Dr. Stockin was allowed to examine patients without a chaperone present,' said victims in a joint suit statement. These latest filings now make 42 FTCA complaints against Stockin and the Army. Initial filings encompassed 22 John Does. KIRO 7 has reached out to JBLM for a response to the filings and is waiting to hear back.
CBC
30-01-2025
- Business
- CBC
'Copycat' websites targeted in 'whack-a-mole' court battle with pirate 'Soap2Day' streamers
Whoever — and wherever — John Does 1 to 4 are, the individuals behind the mysterious Soap2Day streaming websites owe some of the world's biggest content producers a lot of money. But at least they're helping break new Canadian legal ground. A Federal Court judge issued reasons last week for an extraordinary ruling targeting 'copycat' websites of the popular but elusive Soap2Day service in what he called a "whack-a-mole" battle by companies like Netflix, Bell Media and Disney to protect their products from internet piracy. Judge Simon Fothergill also ordered John Does 1 to 4 to pay more than $22 million to the content producers, owners and distributors who obtained the order, forcing internet service providers to block both existing Soap2Day websites and any copycats identified in the future. "The plaintiffs report a growing trend, whereby infringing platforms that are successfully deactivated are promptly replaced by copycat sites," Fothergill wrote. "Platforms such as 123movies, Popcorn Time and Pirate Bay have all been shut down or blocked at one time or another, only to be replaced by identical sites with similar names." A six-year evolution Fothergill's ruling traces the six-year evolution of attempts to use the courts to crack down on piracy — starting with a groundbreaking 2019 ruling that saw a judge issue Canada's first nationwide blocking order. In that case — which was appealed all the way up to the Supreme Court of Canada — Bell Media, Group TVA Inc. and Rogers went after GoldTV, an online service offering subscribers thousands of traditional TV channels for as little as $15 a month. Fothergill called the order in the GoldTV case "static" — involving specific domain names and IP addresses — because the scofflaw's subscription model made "it comparatively easy to verify whether subsequent domains and IP addresses were associated with the original platform." "By contrast, the Soap2Day platforms do not use a subscription-based model but rather derive revenue primarily from advertisements," the judge wrote. "It is therefore difficult to determine whether new domains operating under the banner of Soap2day are operated by the same people or are otherwise related." In the years since, the internet pirates have become more savvy, and the content providers have sought to fight them with increasingly more flexible injunctions from the court. 'Multi-sport blocking order' In 2022, another Federal Court judge issued what he called a "dynamic" site-blocking order to stop the unauthorized broadcast of live National Hockey League games. According to that decision, NHL broadcasters claimed the "static" order against GoldTV wouldn't work for them "because the pirates have adopted new measures to avoid detection and defeat site blocking, including moving their infringing content from site to site on a regular basis." "Court approval would be impossible prior to each new blocking step because these efforts need to happen in real-time in order to be effective," the judge wrote. "Most fans watch hockey games live rather than recording them to watch later. This combination of factors means that blocking of unlawful streaming of live NHL broadcasts must happen while the broadcast is underway." The 2022 decision — which was another first of its kind — provided insight into the popularity of free streaming services. Over a one-month period in 2021, Rogers claimed an average of 20,000 of their internet subscribers accessed "known illegal IPTV services on a daily basis." "During one evening when a playoff game between Montreal and Toronto was broadcast (a highly popular event) at least 25,000 Bell Canada Internet subscribers accessed the unauthorized streaming services," the judge in that case wrote. In principal, the "dynamic" order means that broadcasters can give internet service providers a rolling, minute-by-minute list of sites to block as streamers hop from website to website while the games are happening. Last year, yet another Federal Court judge issued a "multi-sport blocking order" — expanding on the "dynamic" ban on illegal streaming of live hockey to include NBA basketball, premier league soccer, ultimate fighting and other sports, including the World Junior Hockey championships. 'Everything, absolutely EVERYTHING' Forthergill's order includes a lengthy list of TV shows and movies ranging from Muppets Most Wanted to Stranger Things and Dawn of the Dead — all shown on various incarnations of Soap2Day in violation of copyright. The judge levied damages of millions against the John Does behind Soap2Day for their "repeated, blatant, notorious and intentional misconduct." The other part of the ruling cites a confidential set of conditions for a website to be considered a copycat, allowing content producers to regularly update the list of sites to be blocked as new Soap2Day pretenders arise. Despite the order, a CBC reporter was able to find a website purporting to be Soap2Day this week and to stream the opening minutes of Oscar contender A Complete Unknown. "We have everything from Hollywood's latest releases to Bollywood blockbusters, available for viewing on Soap2day almost immediately upon release," the website said.
