Latest news with #retaliation
Washington Post
20 hours ago
- General
- Washington Post
Trump's law firm sanctions, harshly rejected in court, still have impact
President Donald Trump's attempts to punish law firms that employed his perceived foes or handled cases he disliked have been bitingly rejected by courts, with three federal judges lambasting them as retaliatory and unconstitutional. Trump has lashed out at multiple firms in his second term, moving to strip their government contracts, suspend employees' security clearances and block their access to federal buildings and officials.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Federal lawsuit claims sheriff and employees retaliated against Portage County man
A Portage County man has filed a federal lawsuit against the county's sheriff and two sheriff's office employees alleging retaliation over claims the man posted on Facebook. The lawsuit, filed by William Lane in U.S. Sixth District Court for the Northern District of Ohio on May 6, names Portage County Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski, Robert James and Michael Davis, along with Portage County, as defendants. According to a complaint filed with the lawsuit, James is a corporal and Davis a captain with the sheriff's office. Court records did not identify legal representation for the defendants as of May 30. A phone message seeking comment from the sheriff's office was not immediately returned. The lawsuit was filed by William Lane, a Diamond resident in Palmyra Township. According to the 12-page complaint, Lane wrote a series of posts he called "The Bad Bruce Exhibit" on Facebook in which he accused Zuchowski, James, and Davis of being "dishonest, vindictive, incompetent, and corrupt." Lane's posts, according to the complaint, included allegations of various acts of wrongdoing against Davis, Zuchowski and unnamed sheriff's office employees. Lane also posted about a recently settled civil suit the cities of Kent, Ravenna and Streetsboro filed against the sheriff over the distribution of money and assets that had been owned by the defunct Portage County Drug Task Force that the cities and sheriff's office were members of; Zuchowski urging "supporters to record names and addresses of persons who supported Kamala Harris in the 2024 Presidential election;" and a claim that Zuchowski kept a "hit list" of people he saw as political enemies. Lane also encouraged Portage County voters to support Zuchowski's opponent, Jon Barber, in the November election, during which Zuchowski ultimately won a second four-year term. The complaint alleges that someone identifying himself as "Jonathan Porter" posted false allegations about Lane on a Facebook page entitled "Will Lane Exhibit," which has since been deleted. The allegations included that Lane is a narcotics user and dealer and a "woman beater." Also posted were Lane's phone number and email and home addresses, the complaint alleges. The complaint alleges that "James, acting with Zuchowski's knowledge and consent, actually posted the 'Will Lane Exhibit,' and created Jonathan Porter to conceal James', and Zuchowski's involvement with the publication of the Will Lane Exhibit." The complaint also alleges that "Davis, acting with the knowledge and consent of Zuchowski, contacted an Ohio State Agency to inquire about the possibility of cancelling Lane's license to grow industrial hemp." Lane is licensed by the state to grow hemp on his property for the production of legal CBD oil. Lane's complaint alleges all of these actions were retaliation for Lane's posts, which the complaint asserts "are true," and therefore protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The complaint says that the alleged actions by the defendants "caused Lane to suffer substantial emotional and psychological distress." The complaint alleges that the defendants retaliated against him for exercising his constitutional rights; Portage County is liable because it "created a culture of corruption in the Sheriff's Office, and permitted that culture of corruption to embed itself in the Sheriff's Office, and to grow;" and that Lane was libeled, slandered and defamed. Lane is requesting a total of more than $5 million in punitive and compensatory damages, as well as court costs. Lane previously sued Portage County and three sheriff's deputies in connection with an allegation that his civil rights were violated during an April 2023 traffic stop in Ravenna Township. A federal judge dismissed the suit in April. More: Federal judge dismisses hemp farmer's lawsuit against Portage County, sheriff's deputies Reporter Jeff Saunders can be reached at jsaunders@ This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Portage County man claims sheriff and employees retaliated against him
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Former ‘Doctor Odyssey' Crewmembers Sue Disney Over Sexual Harassment On Set
Former crewmembers on Doctor Odyssey have sued 20th Television and parent company Disney over alleged sexual harassment and retaliation on the set of the medical drama. Caroline Mack, Alicia Haverland and Ava Steinbrenner, in a lawsuit filed on Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, claim they were targets of an 'unchecked campaign of sexual harassment' in which their supervisor bombarded them with sexual comments and unwanted touching. They say they were ultimately fired after they complained of the alleged misconduct to management. More from The Hollywood Reporter 'Doctor Odyssey' Remains at Sea: No Season 2 Decision Yet at ABC 'Grey's Anatomy,' 'Shifting Gears' Among Five ABC Renewals, 'Doctor Odyssey' in Limbo 'Doctor Odyssey' Addresses the (Almost) Throuple in the Room The plaintiffs reported to assistant prop master Tyler Patton, whose supervisor was his wife Tammie Patton. Tyler Patton was previously involved in a lawsuit from a former Universal Network Television employee, who advanced sexual harassment and retaliation allegations on the set of House. In that complaint, the employee Carl Jones claimed Patton groped his genitals and invited women from various production departments to engage in sexual activity. The lawsuit details a culture on the set of Doctor Odyssey in which Tyler Patton, who's not named as a defendant in the complaint, and his male colleagues repeatedly commented on their sexual preferences, with the intention of watching women in their orbit react uncomfortably to the commentary. In one incident, Tyler Patton allegedly referred to one of the former crewmembers as 'mumbles' and told her to 'swallow the cum before you talk.' Another involved him asking aloud to other employees why 'no one had broke her' yet, the lawsuit claims. He regularly responded to benign statements with 'that's what she said,' a sexual joke popularized from The Office, the complaint stated. The complaint claims that Tyler Patton regularly texted others pornographic materials, grabbed women crewmembers' butts, placed his arm around their necks and gave lingering hugs. The lawsuit alleges that Tyler Patton texted the props department, including his wife, prop master Tammie Patton, a link appearing to reference a new story that former President Joe Biden was dropping out of the 2024 presidential race. When they clicked, the crewmembers say they were directed to a webpage showing a naked male with an erect penis. Tyler Patton subsequently walked away and allegedly exclaimed, 'If I wasn't fucking the boss, I'd be fired.' Mack later reported the incident to the human resources department and her union, which confirmed that 20th Century and Disney were aware of the alleged misconduct, the lawsuit says. This included complaints of the production mishandling replica firearms. Tyler Patton was terminated shortly after the complaint was issued, says the lawsuit, which notes that Tammie Patton started to retaliate against the plaintiffs by assigning them demeaning tasks and threatening their employment. The entire props department, outside of Tyler Patton's replacement, was later laid off in response to continuing complaints. 20th 'then almost immediately hired a whole new set of employees to replace Plaintiffs and other Props Department employees for the Dr. Odyssey Season 1 project,' states the complaint. 'Clearly, no 'lay off' had occurred. Instead, Defendants wiped the Prop Department's slate clean to avoid having to deal with any remaining employee-relations issues tied to Tyler Patton's and Tammie Patton's misconduct.' Since then, the plaintiffs claim they've been blacklisted from working on 20th and Disney productions. The lawsuit brings claims for sexual harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination and negligent hiring, among other claims. It seeks unspecified damages. 20th and Disney didn't respond to requests for comment. The first-year drama from 20th and Ryan Murphy Television, starring Joshua Jackson as a cruise-ship physician, remains in limbo as the only current ABC scripted series still awaiting word on its future. Best of The Hollywood Reporter How the Warner Brothers Got Their Film Business Started Meet the World Builders: Hollywood's Top Physical Production Executives of 2023 Men in Blazers, Hollywood's Favorite Soccer Podcast, Aims for a Global Empire
Reuters
2 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
US appeals court rules for watchdog Media Matters in fight over Texas subpoena
May 30 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Friday rejected Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's demand for internal records from liberal watchdog group Media Matters, calling the state's probe a retaliatory campaign against the nonprofit. In its ruling, opens new tab, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upheld a lower judge's order that blocked a Texas subpoena for financial records and other information from Media Matters. 'Tellingly, Paxton has not offered any argument to dispute that the investigation was retaliatory,' Circuit Judge Harry Edwards wrote. Edwards called the Paxton probe 'an arguably bad-faith investigation.' Texas launched its investigation of Media Matters in late 2023, immediately after Elon Musk's social media platform X sued the organization in federal court. In that ongoing lawsuit, X alleges that Media Matters defamed it in a report that said major advertisers' brands had appeared next to right-wing extremist content. Media Matters has defended its reporting. The Texas attorney general's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday's ruling. In a statement, Media Matters president and chief executive Angelo Carusone called the court's decision a victory for free speech. A lawyer for Media Matters, Aria Branch, said the D.C. Circuit's decision should warn state attorneys general that "any attempt to intimidate and harass through baseless investigations will be met with decisive rejection from the courts." Texas sought financial records in its request to Media Matters, in addition to communications with major corporate advertisers and X employees. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission recently indicated it is also investigating Media Matters, according to a document seen by Reuters. The FTC, in a civil investigative demand, asked Media Matters to hand over any communications it had with other groups that evaluate misinformation and hate speech in news and social media. Carusone blasted the FTC probe in a prior statement and said the Trump administration has abused 'the power of the federal government to bully political opponents and silence critics." A spokesperson for the FTC declined to comment on the Reuters report. The case is Media Matters for America et al v. Texas Attorney General Warren Kenneth Paxton Jr, U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, No. 24-7059. For Media Matters: Aria Branch of Elias Law Group For Paxton: Lanora Pettit of the Texas attorney general's office Read more: FTC probes Media Matters over Musk's X boycott claims, document shows Media Matters accuses Musk's X of 'abusive' tactics in new lawsuit Musk's X likely to lose records appeal in Media Matters case, court says
Globe and Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Trump's new tax bill contains ‘sledgehammer' to hit back against foreign digital taxes
U.S. President Donald Trump would have the power to retaliate against countries that impose special digital service taxes on large U.S. technology companies like Amazon AMZN-T and Alphabet GOOG-Q, under a provision in the sweeping tax bill that Congress is considering. 'If foreign countries want to come in the United States and tax US businesses, then those foreign-based businesses ought to be taxed as well,' said Rep. Ron Estes, a Kansas Republican who helped craft the provision. Some 17 countries in Europe and others around the world impose or have announced such taxes on U.S. tech products like Meta's META-Q Instagram. Germany announced on Thursday it was considering a 10% tax on platforms like Google. Canadian business groups press Ottawa on digital tax as U.S. bill targets investors Trump signs memo to impose retaliatory tariffs for digital taxes The levies have drawn bipartisan ire in Washington. Democrats who oppose much of the tax bill have not spoken out against the retaliatory tax provision, found in Section 899 of the 1,100-page bill. Trump has been pressing foreign countries to lower barriers to U.S. commerce. Under the bill, Congress would empower his administration to impose tax hikes on foreign residents and companies that do business in the U.S. The U.S. Constitution gives Congress, not the president, the power to decide on taxes and spending. The provision could raise $116 billion over the next decade, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation. But some experts warned that an unintended consequence of retaliatory taxes could be less foreign investment in the U.S. 'This new Section 899 provision brings a sledgehammer to the idea that the United States will allow itself to be characterized as a tax haven by anyone,' said Peter Roskam, former Republican congressman and head of law firm Baker Hostetler's federal policy team. The House of Representatives narrowly passed the bill on May 22, and it now heads to the Senate. Democrats broadly oppose the Republicans' tax and spending bill, which advances many of Trump's top priorities such as an immigration crackdown, extending Trump's 2017 tax cuts and ending some green energy incentives. Section 899 would allow the Treasury Department to label the foreign tech taxes 'unfair' and place the country in question on a list of 'discriminatory foreign countries.' Some other foreign taxes also would be subject to scrutiny. Once on the list, a country's individuals and its companies that operate in the U.S. could face stiffer tax rates that could increase each year, up to 20 percentage points. Joseph Wang, chief investment officer at Monetary Macro, said Section 899 could help Trump reduce trade imbalances because if foreign investment decreases it could depreciate the U.S. dollar. This in turn could spur exports of U.S. products by making them cheaper overseas. Portfolio interest would remain exempt from any tax Trump imposes, but some experts cautioned that taxing foreigners could quell foreign investment in the U.S. 'Foreign investors may change their behaviour to avoid the taxes in various ways, including potentially by simply investing elsewhere,' said Duncan Hardell, an adviser at New York University's Tax Law Center. Wall Street analysts also predict this tax provision could pick a fight over foreign capital. The new approach follows the 15% minimum global corporate tax deal negotiated by the administration of Democratic former President Joe Biden. Republicans, led by Rep. Jason Smith of Missouri, chairman of the House tax committee, opposed that approach, arguing it unfairly benefits Chinese companies. Foreign countries have invoked that global minimum to slap higher taxes on U.S. tech firms, if they concluded that generous U.S. tax credits for research and development pushed their tax burden below that 15% threshold. Trump in February directed his administration to combat foreign digital taxes, but they were not addressed in the trade deal announced in May between the U.S. and the United Kingdom, which imposes a 2% levy on foreign digital services. It was unclear if the Treasury Department would actually use the new authority if it becomes law, or if the mere threat of action would convince other countries to change course. The department did not share its intended strategy when asked.
