Knotty Issues of eDiscovery
You should never betray the family…and one such betrayal resulted in trademark litigation over Mafia Wars. Now You are Part of the Family For those not familiar with Mafia Wars (or you spend a lot of time clicking “Ignore”), it is a game on social networking sites such as Facebook. […]
Read moreA Defendant in Georgia was convicted of multiple armed bank robberies and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The Defendant was sentenced to 2,005 months in prison for his crimes. On appeal, the Defendant claimed the District Court abused its discretion in admitting the “bad character evidence” of[…]
Read moreEvents can be announced on a social networking site with a few clicks of a keyboard. What happens when people attending an event announced on a social networking site get attacked by other event attendees? In Melton v. Boustred, the Defendant announced on MySpace he would hold a party at[…]
Read moreSocial networking websites can be a source of litigation and Human Resources nightmares. These sites can also blur the lines between one’s personal and professional life. In Marshall v. Mayor of Savannah a probationary female firefighter was first reprimanded and then fired for her conduct during the reprimand originating from her MySpace photos. Marshall[…]
Read moreA Defendant in a gang related murder and assault case sought to introduce evidence of the victim’s sister’s MySpace page to show the victim’s violent nature toward a rival gang; a propensity for violence; and that the victim started the fight that ended in his death. People v. Williams, 2010 Cal. App.[…]
Read moreThe Defendant, who was being investigated for Social Security Fraud, challenged his confession to Federal agents. United States v. Morales, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 122110 (S.D. Ga. Dec. 17, 2009). The tip-off that there had been Social Security Fraud? The Defendant’s MySpace profile. The Defendant denied any wrongdoing when initially interviewed[…]
Read moreA barista was fired from Starbucks for “inappropriate conduct and threatening violence to Starbucks and its employees.” Mai-Trang Thi Nguyen v. Starbucks Coffee Corp., 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 113461 (N.D. Cal. Dec. 7, 2009). The Plaintiff in turn sued for sexual harassment, retaliation, religious discrimination, violations of the California Occupational Safety[…]
Read moreA soldier was convicted for being absent without leave (AWOL) after finding out his Army unit’s deployment was extended to a year in Iraq. United States v. Scheuerman, 2009 CAAF LEXIS 812, 7-8 (C.A.A.F. 2009). The Defendant claimed he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, which is why he went AWOL. […]
Read moreA lot can happen in 140 characters. Someone can tag their way right into a lawsuit with a Wall to Wall Message, a public note or a Tweet. This is one of those cases. Procedural History In a defamation case, a Philadelphia attorney (Plaintiff Corcoran) with a boutique copyright practice[…]
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