We bring you a special Spring Break Edition of the legal news roundup. Pull up a beach chair and read on.
LGBT Rights
Tennessee federal judge Aleta Trauger wrote a decision recognizing the legitimacy of out-of-state marriages between same-sex spouses. Judge Trauger’s memorandum is here: http://sblog.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/03/Tanco-opinion-3-14-14.pdf Reuters offers commentary here: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/15/us-usa-gaymarriage-tennessee-idUSBREA2E00120140315
Class Actions
On March 10th, the Supreme Court voted to hear argument in the class action suit Public Employees’ Retirement System of Mississippi v. IndyMac MBS Inc. The central question in the case is the length of time plaintiffs may have to bring a false claims action. The defendant, IndyMac, marketed mortgage-backed securities to consumers, including the Public Employees’ Retirement System. SCOTUS Blog reports on the case here: http://www.scotusblog.com/2014/03/another-look-at-class-action-cases/#more-206157 SCOTUS Blog lists the court filings in Public Employees’ here. http://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/public-employees-retirement-system-of-mississippi-v-indymac-mbs-inc/?wpmp_switcher=desktop
Public Records
The Second Circuit awarded litigation fees under the Freedom of Information Act to a plaintiff in a case involving the government’s failure to provide a son with his father’s social security and disability records. The judges denied the plaintiff’s claim of fees under the Privacy Act, finding that the Act covered only an individual’s rights to records, not a vicarious privilege claimed by a son. The case is Warren v. Colvin, and the opinion is available here: http://www.ca2.uscourts.gov/decisions/isysquery/309319ca-a4f3-4cf7-a931-d3ba2b5c4ff2/3/doc/13-2536_opn.pdf#xml=http://www.ca2.uscourts.gov/decisions/isysquery/309319ca-a4f3-4cf7-a931-d3ba2b5c4ff2/3/hilite/
Copyright
Musician Smokey Robinson sued his ex-wife in an effort to wrest sole control over the copyrights to the songs he wrote during their marriage. Above the Law reports http://abovethelaw.com/2014/03/smokey-robinson-sues-ex-wife-to-prevent-her-from-claiming-50-of-his-recaptured-motown-hits/#more-306961 This author’s favorite Smokey Robinson hit is here: Sesame Street covered the classic. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ws_vnXup7so
