Brianna Smith is a freelance writer and editor in Southwest Michigan. A graduate of Grand Valley State University, Brianna has a passion for politics, social issues, education, science, and more. When she’s not writing, she enjoys the simple life with her husband, daughter, and son.
Losing a loved one is difficult enough on its own, but couple that with the loss of your loved one’s remains and things may feel unbearable. Unfortunately, this is what happened to one Clayton County family, prompting them to file a lawsuit. According to the suit, which was filed earlier this week, the family of Paulette Patricia Bradley received the ashes of someone else when they went to lay Bradley to rest. Named as defendants in the suit are Southern Regional Medical Center, Speer-Shelton Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Atlanta.
Inspired Organics, LLC recently expanded a recall for some of its organic almond, peanut, and tahini butter over concerns that the products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The decision to expand the recall came about after additional testing revealed “positive test results for potential contamination of Listeria monocytogenes.” The company’s original recall, which was issued earlier this month, was only for “jars of sunflower butter and specific lots of almond butter.”
A firefighter in Lincolnwood filed a lawsuit against his former employer, Paramedic Services of Illinois (PSI), “a private company contracted by the village for firefighting services.” In the suit, the firefighter, Josh Weller, alleged “abusive behavior by PSI employees.” Recently, the suit was dismissed after the “two sides reached a confidential settlement,” according to attorney Brian Holman. Holman represented PSI during the legal proceedings.
Manuel Marin, the owner of several Presidente supermarkets, was recently hit with a wrongful death lawsuit and is “awaiting trial in criminal court on allegations he masterminded the savage murder of his wife’s secret lover.” According to the lawsuit, which was filed by the estate of Camilo Salazar, Salazar’s “body was discovered on a rural dirt road in West Miami-Dade in June 2011.” The police report noted that he had been beaten. Additionally, his throat was slit and his groin was burned.
A federal lawsuit was recently filed by a group of Orthodox and Hasidic Jews over accusations that Airmont village officials are using “systemic discrimination by using their zoning and inspection powers to prevent the residents from practicing their religion.” According to the lawsuit, the village has a history of being “hostile toward religious Jews and tries to prevent residents from praying and holding services in their homes by delaying approvals for residential houses of worship, and by issuing building and zoning violations with daily fines of up to $1,000 and threats of jail.”
Earlier this week, Adams Bros. Farming Inc., based in Santa Maria, California, issued a recall of cauliflower and green and red leaf lettuce “out of an abundance of caution.” According to the notice, the recalled produce was harvested between November 27 and November 30 and officials are concerned it may be “contaminated with E. Coli O157: H7.”
A principal who works for Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) filed a lawsuit against the school district after she endured years of “degrading behavior from a JCPS official as she worked to fix a nightmare of a school situation.” The suit was filed by Lawanda Hazard, the principal of Kerrick Elementary. In her lawsuit, Hazard alleges she endured “racial, gender, disability discrimination, and retaliation.” JCPS is listed as the sole defendant, though many of the allegations included in the suit involve Glenn Baete, “Hazard’s former assistant superintendent.”
A $12 million settlement agreement was recently reached between Aurora Health Care and the federal and state governments. The settlement hopes to quell allegations that the healthcare facility “violated the federal anti-kickback law by paying excessive compensation to two cardiologists.” The federal anti-kickback law in question is known as the Stark Law and it “prohibits physicians from having a financial relationship with hospitals and other health care providers to whom they refer patients.” The law was designed with the hope that a “doctor’s referral is based on a medical judgment, not to make money.”
A lawsuit filed by Attorney General Maura Healey’s office was recently settled against F&R Auto Sales and Francis Correiro. According to the suit, the auto dealership and Correiro “sold unsafe and defective vehicles between August 2012 and December 2016 when the business closed.” It also alleged that, in doing so, both parties violated “Massachusetts laws relating to used auto sales.” As a result of the settlement, the defendants will have to pay “$450,000 in restitution and penalties to resolve” the allegations.
Oakland Mall in Troy, Michigan, recently found itself at the center of a lawsuit. The suit was filed by a former security worker, David Niewolak, after he was allegedly “fired for refusing to enforce discriminatory policies, including racially profiling customers.” Niewolak was hired on as a lead dispatcher with Prudential Security for the mall back in 2015. Prior to being terminated in June, he had no “negative write-ups” or anything else on his record that would result in his sudden termination, according to the suit.
