Tag Archives: lawsuit

Disney Sues Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis For “Targeted Govt Retaliation”

Disney Sues Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis For “Targeted Govt Retaliation”

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And its about damn time Mickey!

The yearlong fight over “Don’t Say Gay| has strained what had long been a cozy relationship between Florida’s government and the state’s best-known employer and attraction of tourist dollars Disneyworld.

The fight between Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida and the Walt Disney Company is headed to court. On Wednesday, a board appointed by Mr. DeSantis to oversee government services at Disney World voted to nullify two agreements that gave Disney vast control over expansion at the 25,000-acre resort complex. Within minutes, Disney sued Mr. DeSantis, the five-member board and other state officials in federal court, claiming “a targeted campaign of government retaliation.”
Last year, under pressure from its employees, Disney criticized a Florida education law labeled “Don’t Say Gay” by opponents and halted political donations in the state — and landed in the cross hairs of Mr. DeSantis, who put a plan in motion to revoke Disney World’s self-governing privileges. Disney’s lawsuit accused Mr. DeSantis of a “relentless campaign to weaponize government power against Disney in retaliation for expressing a political viewpoint.”
Via The NY Times
Donald Trump’s Arraignment Scheduled For Tuesday April 4 At 2:15PMMillion Defamation Lawsuit Against CNN

Trump Files $475 Million Defamation Lawsuit Against CNN

Featured, Gay News Domestic & U.S. Politics, Gay News From Around The Globe, , , ,

Via Bloomberg News

Former President Donald Trump sued CNN for defamation, claiming the cable news network has escalated a campaign of libel and slander against him recently because it fears he’ll run for re-election in 2024. Trump is seeking at least $475 million in damages, according to the filing. CNN has attempted to taint Trump “with a series of ever-more scandalous, false, and defamatory labels of ‘racist,’ ‘Russian lackey,’ ‘insurrectionist,’ and ultimately ‘Hitler,’” the former president’s lawyers said in the suit filed Monday in federal court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Court in Florida? Isn’t CNN based in Atlanta?

Legal Zoom should open a satellite office at Mar-a-Lago.

Federal Appeals Judge Rules Hate Group's Conversion Therapy "Religious Freedom" Lawsuit is Bullshit

Federal Appeals Judge Rules Hate Group’s Conversion Therapy “Religious Freedom” Lawsuit is Bullshit

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A three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has ruled against Brian Tingley, a licensed marriage counselor represented by the anti-LGBT hate group Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) alleging that a 2018 Washington State law banning conversion therapy for minors violated his freedom of speech and religion.

ADF attorneys argued that Tingley used “nothing but ordinary counseling methods” when addressing children’s “sexual-orientation and gender-identity struggles.” His attorneys also said that he didn’t conspire with parents to turn their kids straight. Instead, he said only worked with children who wished not to be LGBT, regardless of their parents’ wishes.

The court wrote, “In relying on the body of evidence before it as well as the medical recommendations of expert organizations, the Washington Legislature rationally acted by amending its regulatory scheme for licensed health care providers to add ‘performing conversion therapy on a patient under age eighteen’ to the list of unprofessional conduct for the health professions. “[States don’t] lose the power to regulate the safety of medical treatments performed under the authority of a state license merely because those treatments are implemented through speech rather than through scalpel,” the court added. “[Tingley] is free to express and exercise his religious beliefs; he is merely prohibited from engaging in a specific type of conduct while acting as a counselor.”

ADF lead counsel Roger Greenwood Brooks told Law and Crime that his group of course plans on appealing.

*Alliance Defending Freedom is a 501(c)(3) organization, with an IRS ruling year of 1993, and donations are tax-deductible. You can complain to the IRS by CLICKING HERE.

Kathy Griffin Testifies Over Viral Video Lawsuit Of Adult Harassing Teen In Prom Dress

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In April 2021, a 59-second video of Sam Johnson was posted online. In the clip, the businessman is seen standing next to an 18-year-old teenage boy named Dalton Stevens who wore a dress to his prom and bothers and berates him..

“I chose what I want to wear, so you can f— off,” the teen told Johnson. The businessman then said, “you look like an idiot.

Kathy Griffin retweet the video with the message, “If this is Sam Johnson in Nashville, Tennessee, the CEO of @VisuWell , healthcare-tech-growth strategist, married to Jill Johnson where they may reside in Franklin, Tennessee, it seems like he’s dying to be online famous.”

Johnson said Griffin’s tweet led to VisuWell firing him as CEO and removing him from the board. Days after the comedian fired off the message, the company released a statement distancing itself saying it, “unequivocally condemns the behavior exhibited by Sam Johnson.” So of course child abusing adult homophobe Johnson is suing Griffin for “doxxing” him.

In the lawsuit, Johnson’s lawyer wrote, “Ms. Griffin is a malign internet provocateur and is notorious for her disturbing posts on various social media platforms, especially Twitter. Her preferred method of online harassment is to “dox” private citizens.” and said the video was “incomplete, edited, and out-of-context.” His lawyer wrote, “The Video Clip only showed one minute of an incident that had been developing for over one hour. The implication created by the Video Clip—that Mr. Johnson instigated a confrontation to bully two LGBTQIA+ teenagers at a hotel—was deeply misleading.”

In her response, Griffin said, “This case tests a core feature of our democracy: the ability to participate in debate on a public issue without fear of punishment and involves a widely publicized incident in which [Samuel Johnson], a local health care executive berated a gay high school student who was taking prom pictures at the Harpeth Hotel in Franklin, Tennessee, early on a Saturday evening.”

Human Rights Campaign Settles Racism Lawsuit w/Former Prez Alphonso David

Fired Human Rights Campaign Pres Alphonso David Sues Over Racial Discrimination (Even though it’s really not.)

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The former president of the Human Rights Campaign, Alphonso David t, sued the organization in federal court on Thursday, alleging that he was underpaid and then terminated “because he is Black” instead of the reason given which for helping former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo respond to allegations of sexual misconduct.

David was named nearly a dozen times in the damning report by New York Attorney General Letitia James, suggesting David assisted in efforts by Cuomo’s staff to discredit a woman alleging sexual misconduct in Cuomo’s office

In his lawsuit, filed in the Eastern District of New York, David contends that he was fired “because he is Black” and that the group “maintained discriminatory employment practices. “while discussing his contract renewal, HRC board members “acknowledged” and claims that he was paid less than his white predecessor “because of his race.”  While it is true David’s salary was lower than his predecessor (Chad Griffin $570,446.00 2019 – David $517,269.00 in 2020 but his amount of “other compensation” is higher. And yes. The bloated over-paid salary is over a HALF A MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR!)

Although David insists no wrongdoing, investigation findings indicate after his his former tenure as counselor to Cuomo was over, that he kept the personnel file for an employee within the office accusing the governor of sexual misconduct, then assisted in efforts to leak that file to the media in an attempt to discredit her. It’s also reported that David allegedly said he would help find individuals to sign their names to a draft op-ed that sought to discredit the survivor.

House Republicans Introduce Federal Version of "Don't Say Gay" Bill

Federal Judge Rules Against LGBT YouTuber Content Creators In ‘Censorship’ Lawsuit

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A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender YouTube content creators who said the company violated their First Amendment rights by “censoring” their clips.

In a decision issued Wednesday, U.S. District Court Magistrate Virginia DeMarchi in San Jose ruled that Google and YouTube are “private entities,” as opposed to government officials, and therefore are not bound by the First Amendment’s prohibition against restricting speech. “Plaintiffs do not state a claim … for violation of the First Amendment because defendants are not state actors,” – Judge Virginia DeMarchi

MediaPost

The lawsuit brought by the  Divino Group — which distributes GNews! via YouTube — and other LGBT content creators. claimed that YouTube “censored” them by preventing ads from running in some of their videos, placing age restrictions on clips, and tagging other clips with a “restricted mode” aka “mature” audiences designation.

Judge DeMarchi dismissed the claim that Google violated the users’ free speech rights with prejudice — meaning that Divino and the others can’t redraft their complaint and bring that claim again citing a ruling that a federal appellate court sided with Google last year, in a similar lawsuit brought by the anti-LGBT Prager University.

READ MY LIPS: Deaf Man Sues PornHub for Lack of Closed Captioning

READ MY LIPS: Deaf Man Sues PornHub for Lack of Closed Captioning

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A deaf man in Brooklyn, NY has filed a class-action lawsuit against the adult website PornHub alleging the site is in violation of federal law because he can’t fully enjoy the porn videos the site provides because they don’t provide closed captioning.

Yaroslav Suris claims that the popular porn site has violated his and others’ rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act because the deaf and hearing-impaired can’t understand the audio portion of the skin flicks.

Suris claime that he had tried to watch and could not fully enjoy titles that included ‘Hot Step Aunt Babysits Disobedient Nephew,’ ‘Sexy Cop Gets Witness to Talk’ and ‘Daddy 4K ,’ but couldn’t get through the dialogue in the flicks for lack of subtitles.

The lawsuit claims: “The websites are ‘places of public accommodation’ which deny equal access to their video content which is available to hearing individuals and violates the ADA,” according to the lawsuit.

The ADA prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in areas of “employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications and access to state and local government programs and services,” according to the US Department of Labor.

PA Man Sues U.S. Postal Service For Being Fired Because He Is Gay

PA Man Sues U.S. Postal Service For Being Fired Because He Is Gay

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A former postal worker identified as John Doe to protect himself from retribution, filed a lawsuit on Friday in federal court alleging that he was discriminated against and subjected to harassment at the hands of his co-worker and was fired from his job because he’s gay.

Via MetroWeekly:

The lawsuit claims Doe was a letter carrier in Hanover Township, Pa., for the U.S. Postal Service for 12 years before he was fired on Aug. 19.

According to the lawsuit, one of his co-workers relayed several gay slurs used by co-workers to describe Doe, including a “sick faggot.” Another worker called him “Glinda,” a reference to the “Good Witch” from The Wizard of Oz. Still other co-workers complained that his shorts were too tight. And one supervisor allegedly said, “I fucking swear to God I’m gonna get his ass fired.”

According to the lawsuit, the mailman was fired for allegedly kicking a co-worker, Lisa Williams. Doe claims Williams lied about the incident. He was charged with harassment for the alleged incident, but the charge was dismissed. 

After he was fired, another co-worker told Doe that Williams said “I’m so glad they finally got rid of that fruitcake.”

Williams waited four to six days before reporting the kicking incident to police. Supervisors then waited 40 days after the alleged incident before conducting a pre-disciplinary interview with the letter carrier and waited 53 days before issuing a “notice of removal.”

“Defendants acceded to Ms. Williams’ discriminatory bias and hate by wrongfully terminating Doe,” the lawsuit claims.

John Doe is asking to be reinstated in his job and be paid for the time since he was terminated, as well as damages for pain, suffering, and embarrassment suffered as a result of his firing. Dow who is HIV+ has fallen into a deep depression , because without his employment and insurance it’s unclear how he’ll be able to pay for medication and medical care to manage his condition.

It is unknown whether or not his co-workers or employer knew about his HIV status.

Gay Employee Comes Out, His Salary Was Cut in Half to Be Equal With Other 'Females in the office' Then Fired

Gay Employee Comes Out, His Salary Was Cut in Half to Be Equal With Other ‘Females in the office’ Then Fired

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A former employee of the international New York based events company Eventique claims he was degraded and his play was slashed to match “other females in the office,” once his boss learned he was gay. 

In a lawsuit filed this week, Wesley Wereneck says he was abused. suffered discrimination. rampant homophobia, and was fired from his position at Eventique – which stages promotional events for companies including Nike, Twitter And Amazon.

“Wesley was personally recruited by this employer to be a senior producer, and once he learned he was gay, the employer began shutting him out of the business,” said Wernecke’s lawyer, Anthony Consiglio

Wesley says a week after being hired in June, co-workers made snide comments about his engagement ring, calling it “girly”. When asked if his wife wore a similar ring, Wernecke told them his partner, Evan, did.

After that he was excluded from meetings and social events, passed over for assignments with large commissions and subjected to discriminatory anti-gay remarks.

Finally, Wesley claims he was called into CEO Henry Liron David s office and told his salary was being cut by more than 50 percent, from US$145,000 to $70,000.

“I couldn’t sleep at night thinking that you were being paid so much more than the other females in the office,” David allegedly to have told Wernecke. The CEO, the complaint alleges, “simply could not bear the thought that Eventique would continue to be represented by a gay man”.

Not long after, Wesley discovered that David had lowered his salary even more, to $58,000 or 40 percent less than the starting salary he was promised when he left his former job, the lawsuit says.

He was then fired two weeks later.

Henry Liron David’s lawyer, Gena Zaiderman, claimed that he denies the ‘shocking and baseless’ allegations.

‘Mr. David firmly stands by his long-standing reputation for fairness and professionalism. We expect that the facts will be revealed in due course,’ the lawyer said in a statement.  

Gay Comcast Executive Files LGBT Discrimination Lawsuit Against Media Giant

Gay Comcast Executive Files LGBT Discrimination Lawsuit Against Media Giant

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A gay Comcast executive who’s the telecommunications company’s LGBTQ liaison filed a 45-page federal lawsuit filed last week, claiming that he has “been subjected to discriminatory conduct” because he doesn’t conform to “traditional sex and/or gender based stereotypes.”

Klayton Fennell is Comcast Corp.’s senior vice president of government affairs and the company’s highest-ranking openly gay employees. Fennell also serves as the company’s key contact with LGBT advocacy organizations.

In the lawsuit Fennell atets that he was denied promotions by his bosses who told him “on more than one occasion, in essence, that his sexual orientation and manner was the reason he was not promoted.” Also that on more than one occasion he had been called a “faggot” and “high-pitched,” and sent to an “executive coach” when he was told he was “too gay and too flamboyant” for the company’s “conservative” culture.

Fennell complained about the discriminatory conduct, but Comcast failed to investigate the allegations and the company “allowed the hostile environment to persist.” He then filed a complaint of discrimination with the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations, which resulted in further retaliation against him, he says.

Since he started working for Comcast in 2001, the company wanted to present him as “an example of their non-discriminatory or ‘inclusive’ environment in an effort to bolster their public image and further their business as a media company,” Fennell alleges in the suit. But senior executives have consistently subjected him to discriminatory treatment because of his sexuality, he claims.

Comcast denies the discrimination claims.

Fennel is seeking unspecified damages, including back-pay, front-pay, compensatory damages and lawyer fees, according to the suit.

Comcast is rated 100% by the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index and is a donor to many LGBT organization including the NLGJA : The Association of LGBTQ Journalist.