The Times-Standard is reporting that Humboldt Coalition for Property Rights (HumCPR) is threatening to take legal action against Humboldt County over its eviction bans for tenants who are unable to pay for rent due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read the full story here.
lawsuit
Posted inLetters + Opinion
A Reckoning in Rohnert Park
It seems something was very rotten in the city of Rohnert Park. Lawyers representing the city agreed Aug. 20 to pay a Texas man $415,000 to settle a federal lawsuit alleging that Rohnert Park police unlawfully seized 3 pounds of legal marijuana during a 2017 traffic stop outside city limits. The settlement came just a […]
Posted inNews
UPDATE: Republican Party, Trump Take on Golden State Over Tax Returns
UPDATE: Following in the footsteps of Judicial Watch, President Donald Trump and his campaign and the Republican state and national parties filed two separate lawsuits today over the tax return law recently signed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Each case alleges California’s move to make releasing a candidate’s tax returns a prerequisite to being placed […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
A Sack Full of Sacrament
A Southern California lawyer and church leader has filed a lawsuit against the county of Humboldt and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, alleging they violated his client’s rights to religious freedom when they raided a cannabis grow and eradicated five greenhouse’s worth of weed last month. In the lawsuit filed June 27, Matthew […]
Posted inNews
County Counsel Suit Alleges Conspiracy in Legal Billings; Supes Approve $1.4M in Retro Payments, New Contract with Law Firm
The county’s head attorney has filed a civil lawsuit against two fellow top administrators, an outside attorney and her Bay Area-based law firm alleging they conspired against him when he tried to expose excessive billing practices. According to Jefferey Blanck’s lawsuit, bills from Liebert Cassidy Whitmore “increased three-fold” from 2016 to 2018 — from $137,000 to […]
Posted inNews
County Counsel Files Claim Alleging Retaliation
The county of Humboldt’s lead attorney Jeffrey Blanck filed a claim for damages April 4 alleging he was placed on paid administrative leave after raising concerns about an outside law firm’s contract and that the board of supervisors violated open meeting laws by not reporting its action out of closed session. Video of the March […]
Posted inNews
County Settles Magney Case for $1 Million
The county of Humboldt has agreed to pay a local woman $1 million to settle a civil lawsuit alleging employees purposely misled the court to secure orders that forced her dying husband to take medication against his wishes, violating his fundamental right to make end-of-life decisions, including whether to receive care. This was despite an […]
Posted inNews
ACLU Lawsuit Accuses St. Joseph Hospital of Transgender Discrimination (Updated with Statement from St. Joseph)
UPDATE: St. Joseph Health issued a brief statement last night in response to the civil rights lawsuit filed yesterday alleging transgender discrimination at its Eureka hospital, saying it takes the allegations “very seriously” and is committing its “full attention to investigating this matter.” “At St. Joseph Health, we believe health care is a basic human […]
Posted inNews
Eureka Sues Big Pharma
The city of Eureka has joined a host of municipalities across the country — including the county of Humboldt — by filing a federal lawsuit against the nation’s largest manufacturers of prescription opioids. Specifically, the complaint alleges the companies have violated federal racketeering laws and constitute a public nuisance. Keller Rohrback — the same law […]
Posted inNews
County Sues Pharmaceutical Companies
The county of Humboldt filed a federal lawsuit this week against the some of the largest manufacturers and distributors of prescription opioids in the United States, alleging they have recklessly promoted their use while downplaying risks of addiction and overdose, according to a county press release. The release notes that Humboldt County has the second-highest […]
Posted inNews
Lawsuit Challenges 3 California Ballot Measure
A lawsuit filed with the California Supreme Court this week is challenging the placement of a controversial initiative to divide the state into three on the November ballot less than one month after it was signed off on by the Secretary of State’s Office. According to a San Francisco Chronicle article, the Planning and Conservation […]
Posted inNews
County Settles Wrongful Death Lawsuit for $3.5 Million
The county of Humboldt has settled the federal civil rights lawsuit stemming from the 2014 jail death of Daren Borges, agreeing to pay Borges’ family $3.5 million in damages and legal fees, and to make various changes to jail policy. Borges, 42, a homeless, schizophrenic poet and artist, was living in Eureka at the time […]