LAFLA.ORG
Judge Finds City of LA in Contempt of Court Order - LAFLA: Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles
Our hearts are broken. Rest in power RBG. You will always be our shero.
Workers should understand the possible indications of unfair treatment.
LOSANGELESEMPLOYMENTLAWYER.COM
Not All Employment Decisions Stand On Merit
We couldn't be prouder to be part of this litigation team.
Federal Lawsuit Claims Yahoo Management's Secret Pact with China Supported Torture, Imprisonment of Pro-Democracy Activists
SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 2, 2020 -- Attorneys for renowned Chinese activist Ning Xianhua have filed a federal lawsuit alleging that Yahoo Inc. founder Jerry Yang and CEO Terry Semel provided Mr. Ning's Yahoo emails to Chinese authorities in a joint effort to silence pro-democracy dissidents in China and to aid Mr. Ning's capture, imprisonment, and torture by Chinese government officials. Yahoo's successor companies, Oath Holdings, a division of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) and Altaba Inc. (NASDAQ: AABA) are also named as defendants in the case.
According to the lawsuit, Mr. Ning, a survivor of the Tiananmen Square massacre, used his Yahoo email account to "privately spread pro-democracy messages and publications, coordinating with other activists through communications he believed to be secure."
The lawsuit alleges Yahoo enabled the Chinese communist regime to monitor Chinese citizens' private emails, including correspondence between Mr. Ning and U.S. residents, through a series of confidential agreements between Yahoo management in California and the Chinese government. In return, the Chinese government provided the company with commercial access to more than 100 million Chinese internet users and the possibility of enormous profits.
Based on pro-democracy messages in emails disclosed to Chinese authorities, Mr. Ning was arrested on charges of subversion and subjected to extreme physical and mental abuse, documented in detail in the filing – both prior to and during his seven-year prison term that began in 2004. After his release, Mr. Ning suffered additional arrest and torture, leading him to escape from China in 2016 and receive asylum in the United States.
Mr. Ning now lives in New York City, but due to his limited English proficiency and physical injuries he suffered during his detention and torture, he depends on others in the Chinese community for his basic needs.
"The Yahoo Defendants have always concealed and never disclosed that they provided PRC (People's Republic of China) officials with information that led to Mr. Ning's arbitrary arrest and conviction, inhumane torture, and resulting permanent injuries," the filing states. "Mr. Ning hopes that, through this lawsuit, the Yahoo Defendants are finally made to answer for the torture and injuries befalling Mr. Ning as a result of their misconduct."
The lawsuit alleges claims under the Alien Tort Claims Act, which allows foreign nationals to seek remedies in U.S. courts for human rights violations committed outside the United States with the assistance and knowledge of domestic companies. The filing further alleges violations of the federal Torture Victims Protection Act, which provides a civil remedy against anyone who conspires in the torture or extrajudicial killing of individuals in foreign countries.
"The documented collusion between a U.S. company and a communist regime is appalling, and the resulting torture of Chinese citizens is gut-wrenching," says famed trial lawyer Mark Lanier of Houston's The Lanier Law Firm, who is co-counsel for Mr. Ning. "We have a respected, global corporation knowingly condoning these violations, all in the name of corporate profits."
"Mr. Ning's human rights were cruelly violated by Yahoo's secret actions with Chinese authorities," says Paul L. Hoffman, co-counsel for Mr. Ning and partner in the Los Angeles-based firm of Schonbrun Seplow Harris Hoffman & Zeldes LLP. "U.S. law forbids this kind of complicity in these egregious human rights violations. We are proud to represent Mr. Ning in seeking the justice he deserves under U.S. and international law."
The lawsuit is Ning Xianhua v. Oath Holdings Inc., f/k/a Yahoo! Inc. et al, filed in United States District Court in San Jose. Paul L. Hoffman, Helen I. Zeldes, Ben Travis and John H. Washington from SSHHZ are proud to be a part of the team representing plaintiff Mr. Ning Xianhua in this action along with Mark Lanier, Kenneth W. Starr, Kevin P. Parker and Benjamin T. Major of the Lanier Law Firm, PC.
For more information, contact Paul Hoffman: hoffpaul@aol.com www.sshhzlaw.com or call 310-717-7373
SSHHZLAW.COM
www.sshhzlaw.com
An official notice of appeal with the court within 60 days of a felony sentence, or within 30 days of a misdemeanor.
LOSANGELESEMPLOYMENTLAWYER.COM
How Do Criminal Appeals Work In California?
SSHHZ is proud to be part of an important victory for victims rights at the California Supreme Court! “Today the court has confirmed the critical principle that when an officer commits an intentional battery and uses excessive force to kill someone, he cannot try to offload responsibility for his illegal conduct by pointing at the negligent actions of his victim,” plaintiffs’ attorney Michael Seplow said. Although the opinion applies to a wide array of cases, it is of particular importance in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police. Indeed, in his concurring opinion, Justice Goodwin Liu wrote: "In all likelihood, the only reason Darren Burley is not a household name is that his killing was not caught on videotape as Floyd’s was."
The unanimous ruling the California Supreme Court, in the case of B.B. v. County of Los Angeles, held a L.A. County Sheriff's Deputy could not avoid full responsibility for a man's death caused by his intentional use of force by pointing to the victim's contributory negligence. In 2015, a jury determined that a deputy had acted intentionally in using force which killed Darren Burley, an African-American father of five, and awarded the family $8,000,000 in damages. The Court of Appeal substantially reduced the award finding that it should be offset due to the negligent conduct of Mr. Burley. The California Supreme Court reversed and reinstated the entire verdict.
SSHHZ attorneys Michael Seplow, Aidan McGlaze, John Washington and Paul Hoffman were instrumental in filing the petition for review and other briefing before the California Supreme Court.
https://mynewsla.com/crime/2020/08/10/court-rules-in-favor-of-children-of-man-killed-in-confrontation-with-deputies/
MYNEWSLA.COM
Court Rules In Favor Of Children of Man Killed In Confrontation With Deputies - MyNewsLA.com
Schonbrun Seplow Harris Hoffman & Zeldes LLP updated their phone number.
SSHHZ is proud to team up with Times Wang of North River Law, PLC and The Lanier Law Firm in representing plaintiffs against WeChat.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/01/20/wechat-class-action-lawsuit-us/
WASHINGTONPOST.COM
California plaintiffs sue Chinese tech giant Tencent, alleging WeChat app is censoring and surveilling them
When negligence affects multiple people, working together can build a stronger case.
LOSANGELESEMPLOYMENTLAWYER.COM
What Should I Know About Class Action Lawsuits?
SSHHZ’s Paul Hoffman, renowned human rights and civil rights litigator, argued Nestle USA v. Doe I and Cargill v. Doe I - consolidated cases alleging big chocolate knowingly profits from aiding and abetting child slave labor in West Africa - at the Supreme Court today! Justice Roberts opened the argument by pointing out that no foreign country had objected to the lawsuit, followed by Justice Alito warning that the chocolate companies' argument would "lead to results that are hard to take." Justice Kavanaugh got the government to admit that this case has no impact on foreign policy. The amicus briefs filed on behalf of Plaintiffs were cited by multiple justices, and clearly had an impact on their thinking about the issues. Great job Paul and Team Nestle! We are so proud to work with you all. Listen in here: https://www.c-span.org/video/?477430-1/alien-tort-statute-consolidated-arguments
C-SPAN.ORG
Alien Tort Statute Consolidated Arguments