Legal News

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Find the latest legal news in business on range of issues, including law, civil rights, immigration and white-collar crime.

Former city manager files lawsuit against suburb

Nov 1, 2011

The former city manager of a suburb in Los Angeles has filed a lawsuit against the suburb, alleging he's still owed money from his salary.

Robert Rizzo filed the lawsuit October 31 against the city of Bell, saying he's still owed $1.5 million.

Rizzo is facing charges of fraud and misappropriation of funds after allegedly planning a scheme to take more than $6 million from the city to bulk up his salary, as well as salaries of other Bell officials.

"Rizzo's lawsuit is just another example of the gross disregard he has had towards all the working famil

Civil Rights Groups Decry Credit Checks on Job Candidates

Oct 26, 2011

On October 10, California Governor Jerry Brown signed AB 22, a law preventing employers from running credit checks on most prospective workers. Advocates of the law argued that it would prevent discriminatory hiring practices against unemployed people whose credit suffered while they did not have a job.

Since the California law was passed, civil rights and labor groups have petitioned one of the nation's three major credit reporting agencies, TransUnion, to stop selling credit reports to employers.

Immigration Law Affects Alabama Businesses

Oct 13, 2011

A strict new immigration law that went into effect in Alabama on September 29 has impacted small businesses in the state.

Under the new law, business owners must furnish proof of legal residency to obtain or renew a business license. This new requirement is likely to cause administrative snafus, the Decatur Daily recently reported.

The city anticipates that after a January deadline, it will have to return business license renewal applications to owners who did not include proof of citizenship status, Tina Boyles, head of Decatur's revenue department, told the Daily.

Brown Vetoes Civil Rights Act Addition

Sep 16, 2011

Citing concerns for small business owners, California Governor Jerry Brown recently vetoed a bill to amend the state's Unruh Civil Rights Act.

The Unruh act prohibits California businesses from discriminating against customers on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability or medical condition.

ACLU Threatens to Sue Eugene, Oregon

Sep 14, 2011

The American Civil Liberties Union recently threatened to sue the city of Eugene, Oregon, saying its sign laws violate the free speech rights of business owners.

During the past several months, city authorities told owners of businesses along West Sixth Avenue to remove signs protesting a proposed transit system expansion. The city said the signs violated the ordinance governing sign usage, and if not removed, would result in fines of $100 a day.