New York’s Law Department said it dismissed the lawyer after discovering she had made a misrepresentation in court filings.
Police officers block a street during demonstrations in 2020. Several law suits have been filed, accusing officers of using undue force. Credit…Demetrius Freeman for The New York Times
Demonstrations in New York after the 2020 murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer led to a wave of lawsuits accusing the police of using excessive force and other abusive tactics that violated protesters’ rights.
The litigation has been fought bitterly in federal court, with lawyers for protesters claiming New York had repeatedly failed to turn over key documents and video footage, and the city’s Law Department arguing it was working diligently to keep up with demands being made in the many suits.
But now, the Law Department has told a Manhattan federal magistrate judge that it has fired a lawyer in the case after she was found to have made a misrepresentation in a court filing and additional ones in communications with the protesters’ lawyers.
In a letter to the judge on Friday, the Law Department said the lawyer, Dara L. Weiss, had told the court in a recent filing that she had sent an email to lawyers for the protesters to set a date for the parties to discuss a dispute. In fact, the department said, she had only drafted the email but had not sent it.
Donald Trump’s legal team wants to void a contempt ruling and $10,000-per-day fine against the former president over a subpoena for documents related to a New York civil investigation into his business dealings, saying they’ve conducted a detailed search for the relevant files.
A new, 66-page court filing dated Friday describes Trump’s lawyers’ efforts to produce documents sought by New York Attorney General Letitia James’s office, which is probing whether Trump may have misstated the value of assets like skyscrapers and golf courses on financial statements for over a decade.Trump has called the investigation a political witch hunt and recently called James, who is Black, “racist” and said the courts were “biased, unyielding, and totally unfair.”
Last week, a New York appellate judge rejected his bid to suspend the fine while Trump appeals the decision.In the recent court filing, Trump attorney Alina Habba said the responses to the subpoena were complete and correct and that no relevant documents or information were withheld.
Habba conducted searches of Trump’s offices and private quarters at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, and his residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, according to the filing, but didn’t find any relevant documents that hadn’t already been produced. The filing also detailed searches of other locations including file cabinets and storage areas at the Trump Organization’s offices in New York.In a separate sworn affidavit included with the filing, Trump stated there aren’t any relevant documents that haven’t already been produced.
He added that he owns two cellphones: an iPhone for personal use that he submitted in March to be searched as part of the subpoena, then submitted again in May; plus a second phone he was recently given that’s only used to post on Truth Social, the social media network he started after his ban from Twitter, Facebook and other platforms.
In a previous court ruling, Habba called the contempt ruling and fine “unconscionable and indefensible.”
The lawyer for the three opposition NDC Members of Parliament who filed an application at the Supreme Court that sought an injunction on the implementation of the Electronic Levy by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Mr Godwin Eduzi Tameklo, has responded to Attorney General and Minister of Justice Godfred Dame for describing his last court performance as “embarrassing”.
The Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, threw out the Minority’s suit on Wednesday, 4 May 2022.The plaintiffs were Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu, North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Bawku Central MP Mahama Ayariga.The Supreme Court, in its ruling, however, ordered the Ghana Revenue Authority to keep accurate records of all e-levy deductions to enable a refund to payees if it is later determined that the law was passed unconstitutionally.
The court, composed of Nene Amegatcher as President, Her Ladyship Mariama Owusu, His Lordship Professor Ashie Kotey, Her Ladyship Gertrude Torkornoo, Her Ladyship Lovelace Johnson, His Lordship Emmanuel Yony Kulendi and Her Ladyship Professor Henrietta Mensah Bonsu, said the Republic would suffer a great deal if the government is temporarily stopped from deducting the levy from electronic transactions.The plaintiffs had filed an earlier suit at the apex court challenging the passage of the e-levy bill by a one-sided parliament.They claim the number of legislators in the chamber when the bill was passed did not form a quorum as declared by the Supreme Court.
The opposition MPs want the Supreme Court to set aside the passage of the e-levy bill by the Majority Caucus present in the chamber of parliament on 29 March 2022 as unconstitutional, null and void.They wanted the court to stop the commencement of the levy until the final determination of the first case.
Speaking to the media after the court ruling, Mr Dame told the media: “You saw what happened in court today: It was an embarrassing spectacle”.
“The lawyer clearly was not able to demonstrate any form of irregularities with proceedings in Parliament”, he explained, illustrating: “The court asked him [Edudzi Tameklo]: ‘So, is there any record that indicates that X number of MPs walked out at a certain stage?’”
“He obviously said no. There was no evidence indicating whether there was a headcount of a number of MPs present in parliament who voted to support the bill”, the Minister of Justice said.
“There was also nothing indicated by the lawyer, which suggests there was a walkout of X number of MPs, so, I think we should ignore all that propaganda,” he said.
Mr Dame added: “…You do not go to court with speculation and conjecture; you go to court on firm evidence”, insisting: “The applicants were unable to demonstrate any form of irregularity”.
He welcomed the ruling, saying: “…I’m fully satisfied with the court’s ruling. I’m content with the outcome and I’m happy that the observation that we made about the application has been affirmed by the court”.
“It is very important to note that the court made a finding that: really, nothing irregular has been demonstrated by the applicant and so far as the proceedings in parliament in question were concerned, everything seemed regular and we have demonstrated the same from the processes that we had filed.
Meanwhile, South Dayi MP Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor has jumped to Mr Tameklo’s defence and tackled the Attorney General on his comments. “You could make your legal argument, you could say that your argument, as canvassed in opposition to the application prevail, that is what we say to lawyers. But don’t tell the general public that his performance today was embarrassing,” he said.
An Accra Circuit Court has remanded a businessman over a GH¢98,700.00 satellite fraud.Daniel Kofi Ansah Akuffo denied the offence – defrauding by false pretence- and he is to make his next appearance on May 9, 2022.Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Maxwell Oppong told the Court presided over by Mr Emmanuel Essandoh that Mr Otniel Kwainoe, the complainant, was an entrepreneur and resident at Dansoman.
The prosecution said Akuffo, the accused person, was a businessman and during 2020, the complainant wanted to set up a Satellite Television Station and came into contact with the accused.
The prosecution said the accused person demanded and collected $98,700.00 from the complainant to buy certain broadcasting equipment to set up the station within a month but failed.It said the accused person introduced himself to the complainant as an agent of Satellite Bird based in Dubai and could assist him set up the said station.It said the matter was reported to the Police and the accused was invited several times to the police station to assist investigation but failed.
Enterprise Life was adjudged the life insurance company of the year 2011 by the Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana (CIMG) at the Banquet hall, State House- Accra. The award was conferred onto the company as a result of effective strategic marketing activities, the introduction of affordable life assurance products, their ability to excite the market as demonstrated by their ceaseless efforts at marrying market insights with decision making and corporate social responsibility initiatives. A citation accompanying the awards read “Enterprise Life has since its establishment in September, 2001 remained focused on their vision to be the leader in the life assurance service delivery in Ghana, a path they have chartered painlessly and maintained their status as the pacesetters in the Life assurance industry”. The citation went on to mention how those strategies had culminated in Enterprise Life’s introduction in several life enhancing products such as the Enhanced Funeral finance Plan , Enhanced life time Needs plan and the Claim Xpress service, with the help of highly motivated staff.
Enterprise Life’s policy of “One visit for Claim Payment” and faster claim settlement has resulted in an increase in value of new business generated to 128 per cent. The citation went on to say “your total knowledge and understanding of the market place has urged you on to create more distribution outlets and create more innovative products through a highly trained and motivated team to reach every nook and cranny of the country.”
The Executive Director, MR C.C Bruce (JNR) was very grateful to policy holders and staff for making Enterprise Life number one and assured the general public that, “Rest assured” Enterprise Life will continue to churn out innovative and affordable life changing products Source- Daily graphic Business desk -Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Our attention has been drawn to a media briefing and subsequent publication by one Alex Kwaku Tetteh, claiming unfair treatment with regard to a claim on his Motor Insurance policy with the company.
On 29th May 2020, Mr. Tetteh held a press conference informing the media about the matter. He was particularly unhappy that the insurance monies were paid to Universal Merchant Bank (UMB).
The facts of the matter are as follows:
In November, 2016, Mr. Tetteh took out a one-year comprehensive motor insurance policy in respect of a Fiat Iveco. UMB was named as an additional insured and Loss Payee (that is, the entity to whom any insurance monies would be paid in the event of a claim).
The said vehicle got burnt sometime in 2017 and Mr. Tetteh made a claim on the policy. We entered into negotiations with him to settle the claim, based on the proven value of the vehicle per documentation submitted. He however refused our offer and proceeded to Court seeking three reliefs.
After full trial in which Mr. Tetteh himself gave evidence, judgment was given in our favor for all three reliefs.
Following delivery of the judgment, UMB as Loss Payee accepted our initial settlement offer of GHS151, 859.01 and executed a Discharge Form, based on which we made payment to the Bank on 20th December, 2019.
With the said payment and the Discharge Form, our liability in respect of the policy was concluded and we therefore have no further liability towards Mr. Tetteh or UMB.
Enterprise Insurance is committed to excellence and fairness in our service delivery to our customers and other stakeholders at all times.
About Enterprise Insurance
Enterprise Insurance is the oldest General Insurance Company in Ghana and has been in operation since 1924. The company takes its roots from the Royal Exchange Assurance Corporation of the United Kingdom, which commenced business in the Gold Coast in 1924, then became Guardian Royal Exchange Assurance Ghana Limited, (GREG) and subsequently, Enterprise Insurance Company Limited. The company’s guiding principles are enshrined in its core values of Excellence, Trust, Professionalism, Reliability and Friendliness. Enterprise Insurance is a subsidiary of Enterprise Group Limited.
Loans can be issued to you both legally and fraudulently. So if there’s a suspicious entry in your credit report, get to the bottom of the matter immediately
After a recent monetary policy review, Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das said the apex bank has been receiving many complaints against digital lenders. Customers found that loans were disbursed to them without their consent, which led to a drop in their credit scores.
Adhil Shetty, chief executive officer (CEO), BankBazaar says, “Recently, several people mentioned on social media that they were surprised to find loans issued against their PANs by lending institutions. Worse, some of the loans had been defaulted on. For no fault of theirs, these people’s credit …
Lawyers may be the only thing standing in the way of eviction for millions of renters.
With the end of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s eviction moratorium on Aug. 26, 2021, most landlords can now ask courts to evict tenants who haven’t been paying their rent. As a result, new eviction filings are already spiking across the country. Data shows that once an eviction court begins a case, it’s very likely the tenant will quickly be out on the street – unless they have legal representation.
As the director of the Housing Law Clinic at Vanderbilt University Law School, I’ve seen firsthand the impact that legal representation can have on a renter navigating the eviction process. That is why I believe providing more tenants with access to a lawyer could be the key to keeping more people in their homes.
Protections lost
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of Americans have fallen behind on their rent obligations due to wage and job losses.
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Federal, state and local governments imposed a variety of eviction bans over the past 18 months to keep people from losing their homes in the middle of a pandemic. Apart from a few moratoriums still in place, the majority of bans have expired.
There are several reasons for this. One is that every state has statutes that make the eviction process quick and easy for a landlord to regain possession of a property. Another is that most landlords have legal representation, while most tenants do not. But when tenants with valid defenses are represented by counsel, their chances of remaining in their homes increase significantly.
The data supports this. In 2011, Boston used a randomized study to measure the effect of full legal representation for a targeted group of low-income tenants facing eviction between 2009 and 2011. In this study, two-thirds of tenants with full representation retained their homes, compared with just one-third of similar unrepresented tenants.
A Minnesota study had similar findings, including that tenants with legal support were four times less likely to enter a homeless shelter after their hearing than those without.
Attorneys are more likely than tenants representing themselves to get frivolous actions dismissed, to raise appropriate legal defenses, to prevent unjust judgments and to ensure due process is followed.
Additionally, attorneys can keep eviction filings off tenants’ records. They can negotiate with landlords for reasonable amounts of time for tenants to move. They can also help tenants come up with rental repayment plans and help them apply for rental assistance.
That’s why the U.S. government is encouraging states and cities to use some of the $46 billion in renter aid to create right-to-counsel problems like those in New York, San Francisco, Milwaukee and manyothercities.
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Distributing rental aid more quickly will help, but lawyers – whether they volunteer or have their time paid for by a right-to-counsel program – have a vital role to play in keeping vulnerable low-income tenants from losing their homes unjustly.
While this issue is particularly acute now, in the middle of a pandemic, ensuring the rights of tenants are respected in eviction courts will have long-lasting health and economic benefits – not just for the individual tenants impacted, but for their families and their communities as well.
