Court House News:  “A real estate company claims that an alleged member of the Saudi royal family failed to honor a $94.9 million property purchase agreement and defrauded investors in a check-kiting scheme – and that some of the money may have been used ‘for activities hostile to the United States’. Foundations Investment Group claims that Sultan Alshaie and Royal Holdings produced false government documents to promote themselves as ‘international business investors’ who operated in prominent business circles.  Foundations aka FIG Global claims in Maricopa County Court that one of the Alshaies’ false documents was a bank statement showing nearly $220 million in the account. . . . Also named as defendants are Nassir Alshaie, Ahmed Alshaie, the Alshaie Family Trust, Bernard Otremba-Blanc, Royal Holdings LLC and Royal Energy LLC.”

Arizona Republic:  “An East Valley church that claims Gilbert discriminates against religious groups lost an appeal for an injunction on Friday, but the ruling marked only the latest step in an already years-long federal case against the town.  The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed an Arizona District Court decision to deny Good News Presbyterian Church, represented by the Alliance Defense Fund, an injunction against a signage code that it says violates its First Amendment rights.  But while the decision means Gilbert can continue to enforce the code against the church, the debate over whether it discriminates against religious groups will still be left to a District Court judge.”

Arizona Republic:  “A former surgical technician at Banner Thunderbird Medical Center claims she was wrongly fired for blowing the whistle about unsanitary conditions in the hospital’s operating rooms.  In a lawsuit against Banner, Susan Gipson of Peoria says the hospital ignored bugs in operating-room light fixtures, holes in operating room walls, rusty surgical instrument, mold and dirt on air vents, and blood and biological fluids “strewn around the (operating rooms).” The lawsuit was filed in Maricopa County Superior Court.”