US Law Archives - Page 32 of 71

Can an Employee Be Liable Under Federal Wiretap Laws for Accessing an Email on a Company Laptop for Purposes Adverse to the Company?

Digital Media Lawyer Blog: “Judge Jean Hamilton’s recent order in Lasco Foods, Inc. v. Hall and Shaw Sales, Marketing & Consulting, LLC, E.D. Missouri (October 26, 2009) held that an ex-employee who accesses information on a company-issued laptop for a purpose adverse to the company can be liable under the federal Stored Communications Act (SCA). Judge Hamilton’s ruling also suggests that even current employees can be held liable under the SCA as well, if they access information from a laptop for a purpose that violates their duty of loyalty to the company. This ruling is important, because the SCA provides for criminal penalties, as well civil actions, against offenders.”

Supreme Court Denies Redskins Mascot Challenge

Wall St. Journal: “The Washington Redskins ended their four-game losing streak Sunday. On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court handed the professional football team another victory, declining to hear a petition alleging its use of the ‘Redskins’ mascot is racially disparaging.”

MA Settles with Landlords & Real Estate Agents Over Craigslist Ads

Legal Newsline: “Twenty cases against landlords and real estate agents accused of violating state anti-discrimination laws across Massachusetts have been settled by Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office. The companies were alleged to have made discriminatory statements in rental advertisements that were posted on the classified advertising website Craigslist.org.”

Economist & Nobel Laureate Milton Friedman on Government Healthcare

In a speech given to the Mayo Clinic in 1978, renowned economist and Nobel laureate Milton Friedman warns about the dangers of government controlled healthcare.

“I’m going to talk about the economics of medical care. This is an area in which as we all know there has been a trend toward ever greater government involvement. The spending for the provision of medical care inevitably leads to control over the fees that are charged for medical care and it should. If government is going to spend money, it should be concerned with what it pays for what it gets. Control over fees inevitably leads to control over the practices that are followed, over the behavior of the medical personnel. And, if this trend continues, it inevitably leads to completely socialized medicine. I believe that this trend including many of the steps that have already been taken is very much against the interest of patients, physicians and other healthcare personnel. In the brief time I have today, I want to explain why I believe the trend is so much against their interests, why it has occurred and what, if anything, can be done about it.”

Can a Physician Be Liable for Invasion of Privacy for Disclosing Anonymized Photos of a Plaintiff’s Torso to a Reporter?

Digital Media Lawyer Blog: “Can a physician be held liable for disclosing “before and after” photographs of one of his patients to a third party, if the photos don’t show her face or state her identity? According to a judge in the Eastern District of Missouri, is ‘yes’ — but only if the photos provide sufficient detail for someone to figure out who she is.”