LEGAL NEWSLINE

Following a nine-day trial, a federal jury in the Southern District of Florida has convicted Shannima Yuantrell Session, also known as Shalamar, 47, from Lake Placid, Florida. He was found guilty on 13 charges related to sex trafficking nearly a dozen women and girls. Session compelled some victims to commit commercial sex acts between July 2011 and July 2013, while others were forced into similar acts between February 2016 and February 2019.

Heather Lombardini, 47, of Okemos, will stand trial in the 30th Circuit Court in Ingham County following a decision by Judge Kristen Simmons in the 54A District Court in Lansing. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced that Lombardini was bound over on charges of Uttering and Publishing and Forgery, both carrying potential 14-year sentences.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed supplemental motions in ongoing lawsuits against Travis County and Bexar County over unlawful voter registration programs. The move follows the discovery that a resident, deceased since 1980, received a voter registration application.

Attorney General Gentner Drummond is appealing an injunction that has halted the enforcement of Oklahoma's new immigration reform law. Drummond has asked the U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse a preliminary injunction issued by a federal judge on June 28, just days before the law was set to take effect. The injunction came at the urging of the Biden-Harris Administration.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of the Interior, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Biden Administration officials. The lawsuit challenges the classification of the dunes sagebrush lizard as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

James B. Nutter & Company, a former mortgage lender based in Kansas City, Missouri, has agreed to pay $2.4 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act and the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act of 1989. The company allegedly underwrote Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECM) insured by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’s Federal Housing Administration (FHA) that did not meet program eligibility requirements.

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has joined a coalition of 22 states in filing a friend-of-the-court brief. This brief urges a federal court to deny requests to dismiss a lawsuit brought by survivors and family members of those killed during Hamas's October 7, 2023, terrorist attack. The lawsuit, filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, seeks to hold AJP Educational Foundation Inc., also known as American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), and the National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP)...

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) has described a federal judge’s decision to overturn a $4.7 billion jury verdict against the NFL in a class-action lawsuit filed by "Sunday Ticket" subscribers as a positive step toward ensuring a fair civil justice system.

The U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) has released a report on third-party litigation funding (TPLF). It asserts that TPLF operates with little transparency and often at the expense of those its mission is to help.

New York Attorney General Letitia James and the City University of New York (CUNY) Board of Trustees Chairperson William C. Thompson, Jr. announced the establishment of the Ruschell Boone Scholarship. This memorial fund honors the late award-winning journalist and supports West Indian students pursuing journalism degrees at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY or Baruch College.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has announced a lawsuit against ExxonMobil, alleging the company engaged in a long-term campaign of deception regarding the recyclability of plastic products. Filed in San Francisco County Superior Court, the complaint claims that ExxonMobil misled Californians for decades through public statements and marketing that suggested recycling could manage the increasing plastic waste produced by the company.

The Colorado Department of Law is launching a new funding initiative to help schools develop and test innovative smartphone policies aimed at promoting learning and student wellness, Attorney General Phil Weiser announced today during a roundtable discussion in Mesa County Valley School District 51.

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced that 82 firearms were turned in at a community gun buyback event in Saranac Lake. The event, hosted by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and the Saranac Lake Police Department, is part of an ongoing effort to combat gun violence and enhance public safety. Additionally, an extra 180 firearms were collected from a similar event in Amsterdam, totaling 262 guns secured on the day. Since taking office in 2019, Attorney General James has removed over 7,662 guns from New York state.

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced that 180 firearms were turned in at a community gun buyback event in Amsterdam. The event was hosted by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and the Amsterdam Police Department as part of an ongoing effort to combat gun violence. In addition to the guns collected in Amsterdam, an additional 82 firearms were secured from a similar event in Saranac Lake, bringing the total number of guns collected on this day to 262. Since taking office in 2019, Attorney General James has removed more than 7,662 guns from New York communities.

A L.A. federal judge has tossed class action lawsuits against the makers of Proactiv and other acne medicines that contain benzoyl peroxide. The judge said the FDA has declared the medications safe, so plaintiffs can't cite a controversial private lab's findings that they are not

MARTINSBURG – A conservative podcaster has filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit saying Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign claimed he supports a dictatorship.

Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell joined a coalition of 16 attorneys general in urging the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to open a civil rights investigation into the recent raids by the Texas attorney general’s office that targeted Latino voting rights organizers, candidates for office, and volunteers.

Attorney General Anthony G. Brown announced the sentencing of Brittney Georgette Payne, 33, of Baltimore, Maryland, relating to the theft of a debit card from a resident of Keswick Multi-Care Center, a nursing home located at 700 W. 40th Street in Baltimore.

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the recovery of $750,000 in stolen wages for employees of Best Wireless, a retail cell phone company. The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) found that Best Wireless engaged in multiple labor violations, including illegal wage deductions and failure to pay overtime. These practices affected approximately 450 employees across New York City, Long Island, and Rockland County.

Director Rachel Rossi of the Office for Access to Justice (ATJ) traveled to Kansas this week to engage with stakeholders about the access to justice challenges rural communities face and to discuss innovative solutions. The visit built upon the ongoing work of ATJ to address the rural access to justice gap in the United States.