Archive for September, 2009

Kobe Bryant And Wife Sued By Housekeeper

Monday, September 28th, 2009

gamerscoreA former maid of Kobe Bryant is suing the basketball star and his wife for wrongful termination, harassment and verbal abuse. According to the maid, Maria Jiminez, Kobe’s wife, Vanessa, “badgered, harassed and humiliated” her and refused to pay overtime or health insurance. Maria said she performed housekeeping services for the family for up to 12 hours a day, six days a week. After only two weeks on the job, she claims Vanessa began verbally abusing her by yelling, screaming and criticizing her in front of the family and their other employees.

When Jiminez was hired, she was offered a salary of $50,000 and health insurance benefits for herself and her family. But when she learned she needed to get surgery for an ovarian cyst, she discovered she had no medical coverage at all. According to court papers filed by her Orange County personal injury attorney, her medical expenses cost over $120,000.

A judge in Orange County threw out part of Jiminez’s lawsuit as he felt her “intentional infliction of emotional distress” accusations were already covered by her “wrongful termination” claims. But overall, the court is letting the suit move forward.

The Bryant family is counter suing the 48 year old maid, claiming she broke her contract and acted in bad faith.

For more information, read the article in KTLA. Image via Gamerscore [Flickr]

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Father Sues Over Libelous “Deadbeat” Title

Monday, September 21st, 2009

jennifer youngSteve Rebeil is the father of an eight year old son. The boy’s mother, Jennifer Young, believes Rebeil has cheated her of child support payments and used her anger as inspiration to start a website to track parents who are failing to pay child support, mostwanteddeadbeats.com. When interviewed about the venture, she has repeatedly called Rebeil a deadbeat and said other disparaging remarks about him. Now Rebeil is taking action by filing a slander and libel lawsuit against Young.

After many hearings, a 2001 court decision ordered Rebeil to pay $8,500 a month in child support and $205,000 in back child support. According to Rebeil, he has been making monthly payments and has paid over $800,000 in child support since 2001. Young disagrees and has hired her attorneys to have the lawsuit dismissed. She claims he has failed to make a number of payments and failed to pay anything between January and July of this year. The motion to dismiss places the burden of proof on Rebeil’s Orange County personal injury attorney.

It seems the case will rest upon proof of Rebeil’s payments to Young, which may not be difficult if the payments were easily traceable by check payments.

To learn more about the issue, read the full article in the OC Register. Image courtesy of Jennifer Young.

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Tila Tequila Plans To Sue After Domestic Violence Attack

Monday, September 14th, 2009

IMG_2569Reality TV star and internet celebrity Tila Tequila says she is planning to sue her ex-boyfriend, Charger Shawne Merriman, after the City of San Diego decided against filing domestic violence charges against the football player. The incident took place on September 5, when Merriman allegedly choked and restrained her. Merriman defended his actions by claiming he was trying to stop the reality star from drinking and driving. The DA refused to press charges based on a lack of evidence.

Tequila’s representatives explained their position to celebrity gossip site TMZ:

“Tila Tequila is the victim of a violent crime. The San Diego District Attorney’s decision not to press charges against Shawne Merriman for the battering of Tila Tequila demonstrates an unconscionable negligence in the discharging of their public duties. We strongly feel that justice has not been served in this matter.”

Since Merriman will not be held accountable in the criminal arena, Miss Tequila plans to make the issue a civil matter with by filing a lawsuit against her ex. With my experience as an Orange County person injury attorney, I can safely say that she has a much greater chance of holding him responsible in civil court than in a criminal case because there is much less evidence required.

To learn more about the matter, you can follow the coverage on E! Online. Image Via Philip Nelson, Live Streaming Expert [Flickr]

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Former Detainee Suing John Ashcroft

Tuesday, September 8th, 2009

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A Muslim man who was arrested and held for weeks as a “material witness” in a terrorism charge has been given the green light to sue former Attorney General John Ashcroft.

In 2003, Abdullah al-Kidd was taken into custody at a ticket counter at the Washington Dulles International Airport. During his 16 day detention, al-Kidd was subjected to 24 hours a day lighting in his cell and strip searches. He was never charged with a crime and was only held under Ashcroft’s instructions to engage in aggressive detention of lawbreakers and material witnesses in an effort to help prevent terrorism.

Al-Kidd was never even accused of wrong doing and never made to testify in court. He continued to suffer even after his release. For 15 months after the detention, al-Kidd was required to live with his parents, report to a probation officer and curb his travel. He also lost a job with a government contractor after he was denied a security clearance due to the incident. He suffered emotional trauma that may have caused the separation from his wife and an inability to hold a steady job.

Al Kidd and his attorneys claim Ashcroft should have known his decree regarding material witnesses was being used in an abusive manner and was severely overreaching.

Ashcroft attempted to fight the case’s validity by claiming that he was immune to lawsuits based on his holding a position as a cabinet official. He also claimed that because he had no personal involvement with the detention, he should not be liable.

The judges in the appeal have agreed that Ashcroft was not entitled to legal immunity and that al-Kidd was detained without probable cause.

As an Orange County personal injury attorney, I can say with all certainty that the judges made the right decision. The only way we can maintain checks and balances on our government officials is by holding them accountable for their acts.

For more information, please read the full article in the Washington Post.

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