Court Roundup

Missouri AG sues St. Louis area butcher over fillers ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster has sued a St. Louis area butcher, alleging that the business is using fillers in his meat without telling customers. Koster said Tuesday that John's Butcher Shoppee, with businesses in Overland and Festus, was using beef heart and soy without listing them on the label. Beef heart and soy is cheaper than ground beef The fillers are not a public health risk, but Koster said customers should be told what is in the meat they buy. The Missouri Department of Agriculture found some samples were more than half beef heart. The department forbids the use of beef heart in ground beef because it has higher cholesterol than other meats. The owners of the business did not return phone calls from St. Louis-area media seeking comment. New Hampshire Concord man settles age discrimination suit CONCORD, N.H. (AP) -- A Concord man who says he was harassed for years and fired from his sales job at car dealership because of his age and hearing loss has settled a discrimination lawsuit he brought against the dealership. Leo Raymond was fired in 2008. He said in his suit filed last year against Bob Mariano Jeep Dodge Sales that two managers repeatedly used the term "old man" when paging him and told him he was not good at selling cars because he was too old. The 64-year-old Raymond said in the suit he suffered hearing loss while in the Air Force, and managers yelled in his ear while he was wearing hearing aids, knowing it caused pain. The Concord Monitor reports that settlement details are confidential. The dealer's general manager refused comment. Washington Appeals court OKs ban on DC sidewalk chalk protest WASHINGTON (AP) -- A federal appeals court has upheld a judge's decision that denied protesters the right to hold a sidewalk chalk demonstration outside the White House. The demonstrators in November 2008 alerted the District of Columbia that they planned to protest President Barack Obama's support for abortion rights and the anniversary of the Supreme Court's Roe vs. Wade decision. Patrick Mahoney, a protest leader, sued DC officials after police prevented him from using sidewalk chalk during the January 2009 demonstration. A federal judge rejected the lawsuit, and an appeals court affirmed that decision Tuesday. The court said the D.C. statute on defacement of public property is content-neutral and that city officials have a logical interest in controlling the appearance of the street in front of the White House. New York Judge nixes NYC officer's suit over horse accident NEW YORK (AP) -- A judge has reined in a New York City's police officer's lawsuit against the city over a mishap on horseback in 2004. A Manhattan judge dismissed William Rozakis' case Monday. Rozakis says the horse tripped on uneven pavement, fell and crushed him against a car while he was providing security for the Republican National Convention. His lawsuit faulted the city for the buckled roadway and sought unspecified damages. The city said it didn't have notice of a pavement problem. The judge said a map that showed a "pothole or other hazard" at that spot didn't match Rozakis' description specifically enough to count as official notice. Rozakis' lawyer didn't immediately return a call Tuesday. The city Law Department calls Rozakis' injuries unfortunate but says the court reached the right decision. Colorado Civil liberties groups sue over voucher plan CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (AP) -- Three civil liberties organizations filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging a school voucher plan adopted by Douglas County. The lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado, the American Civil Liberties Union, and Americans United for Separation of Church and State. ACLU Colorado director Mark Silverstein said the plan violates the Colorado Constitution's religious liberty provisions, which bar the use of public funds for religious schools. The district plans to designate up to 500 students to obtain educational funds from the state to help pay private school tuition. Already, 495 students have qualified to receive $4,575 vouchers to attend one of 19 public or parochial schools next school year, according to The Denver Post. Fourteen of the schools are religious, the newspaper said. Douglas County officials said the program includes rigorous accountability measures, and the district believes every student should be empowered to find their best educational fit. "Our district has a tradition of innovation and excellence -- we will always provide opportunities that are in the best interests of our students," a prepared statement by the district said. The Institute for Justice, a group based in Arlington, Va. that has intervened in support of other school voucher programs across the country, said it plans to get involved on behalf of the school district south of Denver. The Douglas County program is similar to others that have survived court challenges, said Michael Bindas, senior attorney for the group. The program will be found constitutional, he added, because it is neutral on religion and leaves the choice of school up to the parents. Silverstein of the ACLU doesn't agree with that assessment and said there are other reasons he believes the voucher plan won't survive a court challenge. He contends that state money meant for students in Douglas County schools will be diverted to private schools via the vouchers. Published: Thu, Jun 23, 2011