LEGAL NEWSLINE

An Ohio physician, Thomas Romano, 74, of Wheeling, West Virginia, has been sentenced to seven years in prison for unlawfully distributing opioids from his clinic. The sentence comes after Romano was found guilty of 24 counts of unlawfully distributing controlled substances in violation of the Controlled Substances Act.The court documents revealed that Romano's pain management clinic in Martin’s Ferry, Ohio, was a hub where individuals traveled long distances to obtain prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances. The prescriptions issued by Romano greatly...

OVW, the Office on Violence Against Women, recently commemorated Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, highlighting the theme of "Building Connected Communities." The agency emphasized the importance of collaboration and community support in preventing sexual assault and aiding survivors. According to OVW, creating strong, connected communities is crucial for ensuring the safety and well-being of all individuals.Speaking about the impact of sexual assault, OVW expressed a commitment to addressing systemic barriers and providing support to survivors. They...

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (Legal Newsline) - A class action lawsuit over the alleged presence of chemicals known as PFAS in Kerrygold butter products will get to proceed.

LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) - Lawyers who won their client $70,000 in an employment dispute can collect half a million dollars in fees, but no additional interest, a California appeals court ruled

LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) - Class action lawyers say they've tested StubHub's method for figuring out "estimated" fees on tickets and discovered the company shows the same discrepancy every time.

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (Legal Newsline) - New York personal injury lawyers are caught in a lawsuit alleging they conspired with health care providers to exaggerate claims in pursuit of "windfall" recoveries in the tort system.

DENVER (Legal Newsline) - A group representing Colorado apartment building owners is challenging new regulations requiring them to decrease their energy consumption.

A Maryland man, Andra Shirone Thompson, has pleaded guilty to charges of defrauding Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act loan programs and commercial equipment financing companies. Thompson admitted to his involvement in a scheme that involved submitting fraudulent applications for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans for companies he controlled, resulting in a fraudulent gain of $716,375.Furthermore, Thompson was part of a conspiracy that defrauded equipment financing companies by submitting false...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, America First Legal (AFL) has issued a legal demand letter to Northwestern University President Michael Schill concerning allegations of violating federal laws in order to appease pro-Hamas protestors on campus.The letter from AFL addresses the recent "Agreement on Deering Meadow" entered into by Northwestern University, which AFL claims violates multiple federal laws, including Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as well as 8 U.S.C. §§ 1324b.According to AFL, the agreement aims to support Palestinian faculty and students,...

Hahn Air Lines GmbH, a privately owned company based in Germany, and its Minneapolis-based subsidiary Hahn Air USA Inc. (collectively Hahn Air) have agreed to pay $26.8 million to resolve allegations that Hahn Air violated the False Claims Act by knowingly failing to remit to the United States certain travel fees that Hahn Air collected from commercial airline passengers flying into or within the United States.According to Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, "Companies that benefit from air travel...

Sixty-two alleged gang members from Arecibo, Puerto Rico, have been charged with drug trafficking and firearms violations following a federal grand jury indictment. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland expressed gratitude to various law enforcement agencies for their efforts in the operation, stating, "The residents of public housing projects deserve better than to be terrorized by violent drug trafficking gangs." ATF Director Steven Dettelbach emphasized the commitment of law enforcement to protect innocent residents from gun violence and drug dealing in public housing...

CHARLESTON — West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey’s office has joined a coalition of 21 states in a lawsuit opposing an ATF rule that was intended to close a loophole regarding private gun sales.

The Justice Department has filed a statement of interest in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, backing the right of private citizens to bring lawsuits to enforce Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke emphasized the importance of this right, stating, “The right to vote is the foundation of our democracy, and it is the right on which all other rights depend.” She highlighted the role of private parties in enforcing the Voting Rights Act, enabling countless Americans to vote free from discrimination.U.S....

MOUNT HOREB, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is currently investigating an incident that occurred in the Village of Mount Horeb, Wis. on the morning of Monday, May 1, 2024.According to the DCI, the Mount Horeb School District was placed on lockdown due to a safety threat. The Mount Horeb Police Department responded to a report of an individual with a weapon outside the middle school and subsequently used deadly force to address the threat. The subject involved, who was a student from the Mount Horeb School...

On May 1, 2024, the Justice Department held a significant meeting with Jewish community stakeholders, coinciding with the commencement of Jewish American Heritage Month. The gathering was aimed at addressing the surge in antisemitic hate crimes and ensuring the safety and well-being of Jewish communities across the nation.During the meeting, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland reiterated the Department's commitment to combating antisemitic hate crimes. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division provided insights into the...

Insight Global LLC, headquartered in Atlanta, has agreed to pay $2.7 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by failing to implement adequate cybersecurity measures to protect health information obtained during COVID-19 contact tracing.According to Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, "The resolution announced today reflects our continuing commitment to ensure that government contractors fulfill their cybersecurity obligations. Failure to do so can compromise sensitive...

"A Pennsylvania man was sentenced yesterday to 14 years and seven months in prison for possessing deepfake child sexual abuse material (CSAM) depicting numerous child celebrities. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on two separate occasions, James Smelko, 57, of Pittsburgh, possessed and accessed pictures that digitally superimposed the faces of child actors onto nude bodies and bodies engaged in sex acts. Smelko possessed the pictures at his home in Pittsburgh. After law enforcement discovered the pictures during a search of Smelko’s computer, he...

NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) - The Masters golf tournament faces litigation over its use of the Facebook Pixel, which sends video clip viewers' information to the social media giant.

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (Legal Newsline) - Red Lobster lies when it claims its biscuit mix makes 10 servings, a class action lawsuit alleges.

SALT LAKE CITY (Legal Newsline) - A man who claims a defective safety harness caused him to fall 37 feet to the ground can’t sue the distributor in Utah after his case was tossed out for lack of evidence in New Jersey, the Utah Supreme Court ruled.