A former Tennessee pastor and girls basketball coach is in jail after child sexual abuse charges were brought against him. He is charged with aggravated sexual battery and three counts of statutory rape by an authority figure after being accused of having inappropriate interactions with two teen...
Settlement Reached for Boy who Killed Himself After Being Bullied
The family of an 8-year-old boy who took his life after being bullied at school has reached a settlement with the school district. The boy had been repeatedly bullied by classmates at his Ohio elementary school, leading to his suicide in 2017. The $3 million settlement also includes regular monitoring...
Pope Francis Approves Church Law Rewrite Concerning Sex Abuse Penalties
In a monumental change in Catholic church law, Pope Francis has approved revisions to the penalties for sexual abuse of minors and pornography. The church’s penal system had been in place since the 1980s. With the recent rewrite, the laws will provide for stricter and clearer penalties for clergy...
U.S. Department of Education Memorandum Protects LGBTQ Rights
In a legal memo distributed on June 16, 2021 by the U.S. Department of Education, schools may not discriminate against students due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. Schools that violate this inclusive interpretation of Title IX may cause harm, the notice indicated.
However, in...
G&E Obtains Favorable Ruling in Wrongful Death and Disability Discrimination Case
In a recent decision, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia held that Plaintiff’s claims for wrongful death and disability discrimination under the Rehabilitation Act can proceed. This follows a motion to dismiss by defendant CoreCivic, Inc., who operates the Stewart...
Discrimination Affects LGBTQ People of Color in Disproportionate Ways: New Study
Research out of Cornell University indicates “shockingly disproportionate harms” imposed upon LGBTQ people of color. The research, released by several LGBTQ rights organizations, shows that discrimination takes place among black LGBTQ individuals at a disproportionate rate compared to white LGBTQ...
Two Blind Elementary Students Sexually Abused by Vision Specialist
In a recent sexual abuse lawsuit, two young girls who are legally blind allege that they were abused by a vision specialist. The complaint names Livonia and Garden City, both Michigan public school systems, as defendants, as well as school principals, superintendents, and the vision specialist....
Wrongful Death Suit Cites Negligence and Discrimination on Behalf of Transgender Immigrant
Following the death of Roxsana Hernandez, a Honduran transgender immigrant living with HIV, law firm Grant & Eisenhofer, Transgender Law Center, and the Law Office of Daniel Yohalem filed a complaint on behalf of Ms. Hernandez’s family. The trio of civil rights advocates aims to hold the U.S....
Fired Basketball Coach Awarded $2.5 Million In Racial Discrimination Lawsuit
A Colorado high school basketball coach won a $2.5 million judgment after a jury determined he was the victim of wrongful termination in 2017. The employee claimed he faced racial discrimination when he was terminated from Sand Creek High School where he served as Assistant Coach to the boys’...
$34M Racial Discrimination Suit to Settle with Edward Jones
Financial services firm Edward D. Jones & Co. has been ordered to pay $34 million to settle a racial discrimination class action lawsuit. The plaintiffs, a class of 800 current and former African American financial advisers, allege that the company routinely deprived them of profitable assignments....
Transgender Employee Fired Based on Gender Identity, Lawsuit Alleges
In a wrongful termination case filed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, a transgender nursing assistant alleges that she was fired from her job at Genesis HealthCare due to her gender identity. The plaintiff alleges harassment beginning in February 2020 when a nursing director purportedly...
Lawsuit Against Connecticut Diocese and Late Priest Alleges Sexual Assault
In another sexual abuse lawsuit brought against a Catholic diocese in Connecticut, the plaintiff alleges he was raped by a former priest at his sister’s wedding in 1992 when he was nine years old. The lawsuit claims the church knew that the defendant, now-deceased Kiernan Ahern of the Diocese...