A superior court judge in California ruled Tuesday that a class of plaintiffs cannot recover any money against the tobacco company Philip Morris USA . The plaintiffs in the case argued that Philip Morris violated California’s false advertising laws by using the terms “Lights” and “Lower Tar and Nicotine” on cigarette packages. In denying plaintiffs’ [...]

READ MORE

The UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons (IDP) Chaloka Beyani urged the transitional government of the Central African Republic (CAR) on Tuesday to do “its utmost to ensure the protection of IDPs and to facilitate the humanitarian response.” The current crisis in the CAR has displaced more than 260,000 people, [...]

READ MORE

A French appeals court ruled Tuesday that an investigation may proceed into allegations that former president Nicolas Sarkozy exploited aging L’Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt into donating election campaign funds. A panel of judges for the Court of Appeals of Bordeaux denied a motion brought by Sarkozy’s lawyers to dismiss key medical testimony that determined Bettencourt [...]

READ MORE

JURIST Guest Columnist Nathaniel Chiaravalloti, St. John’s University School of Law Class of 2014, is the author of the second article in a 10-part series from the staffers of the Journal of Civil Rights and Economic Development. Chiaravalloti discusses the negative consequences of the government exercising eminent domain in New York City …

READ MORE

International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda on Tuesday offered to assist in prosecuting those behind the Nairobi Westgate shopping mall attack. Somali Islamist group al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for the attack on Saturday, which resulted in at least 62 deaths and 175 injured persons . Bensouda’s official statement declared that: Such attacks by [...]

READ MORE

A judge for Kentucky’s Jefferson County Circuit Court ruled Monday that the same-sex spouse of a woman charged with murder must testify against her at the trial because same-sex partners are not protected by the husband-wife privilege under Kentucky’s state law. Geneva Case, who will be compelled to testify, was married to the defendant, Bobbie [...]

READ MORE