At a Glance

 WBA annual party set for December 12

The Women’s Bar Association will hold its 31st Annual Holiday Party on Thursday, December 12 at the Great Lakes Culinary Center in Southfield. 

The event is scheduled from 5:30-8 p.m. The center is located at 24101 West Nine Mile Rd.

A silent auction is planned to benefit the “Tiane Brown Fund” at the Wayne State University Law School. Brown was the WSU Law student recently found dead in her car, the apparent victim of a homicide. 

Ticket prices are $35 for law students, $45 for WLAM members, $50 for non-members and $55 at the door.  

For information, contact Kristin Pursley at kpursley@patentco.com.

 

Judge can’t dodge suit in case of child, booze

DETROIT (AP) — A federal judge is refusing to throw out a lawsuit against a Wayne County judge in a dispute over a child who was temporarily removed from his parents after mistakenly drinking alcohol at a Detroit Tigers game.

U.S. District Court Judge Avern Cohn says Judge Judy Hartsfield has no immunity. She had a practice of signing blank forms and leaving them to be filled in by authorities to remove children from parents.

Leo Ratte was seven years old in 2008 when his father mistakenly gave him “Mike’s Hard Lemonade.” University of Michigan professor Christopher Ratte says he didn’t know it had alcohol.

Authorities took steps to put Leo into protective custody for several days. Leo’s parents say their rights were violated by the judge’s practice of signing blank orders.

High court will uphold tax penalty

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court says two Texans’ partnership doesn’t keep the IRS from penalizing them for what the agency called a sham tax shelter.

The Supreme Court upheld the agency’s 40 percent penalty against Gary Woods and Billy Joe “Red” McCombs, who held ownership positions with the San Antonio Spurs and the Minnesota Vikings.

The two men were involved in a tax shelter that was disallowed by the IRS. The agency then billed Woods and McCombs for the past taxes and added a 40 percent penalty, which they challenged in court.

A federal appeals court panel threw out the penalty. But Justice Antonin Scalia said for the unanimous court that the lower court’s decision was reversed, the penalty was legal and could be applied in this case.

 

Justices say case  should be moved

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court says an agreement between two companies over where lawsuits against each other can be filed should be honored.
 
The high court ruled unanimously Tuesday for Atlantic Marine Construction Co., which had hired J-Crew Management, Inc. to provide construction labor and materials for the construction of a child development center at Fort Hood in Texas.

Their agreement included a clause that any lawsuit would be heard in Virginia. 

But when J-Crew sued, it filed in Texas and the courts refused to move the case to Virginia as specified in the contract.

The high court said terms of the deal should be followed.
 

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