Free speech or solicitation? A Humboldt County judge is slated to decide in October whether or not Oscar Leatherman, who has been busking in Eureka for three years, violated the city’s panhandling ordinance last year, when crooning on a street corner drew him a citation from Eureka police. Leatherman, who has since written a song […]
Peter Martin
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‘Heart’ of Palco Marsh Case Allowed to Proceed
A federal judge dismissed portions of a lawsuit claiming that Eureka’s ordinances against camping and the storage of personal items in public spaces violate the Constitutional rights of homeless individuals but is allowing an amended complaint to be filed. U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey White also found the civil suit filed against the city by […]
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Eureka Seeks Dismissal of PalCo Marsh Lawsuit; Plaintiffs Look to Make it a Class Action
The city of Eureka is asking a federal judge to dismiss the lawsuit brought by 11 people challenging the city’s May 2 eviction of the PalCo Marsh homeless encampments. Meanwhile, Peter Martin, an attorney representing the plaintiffs, has informed the court he intends to turn the case into a class action suit, which could bring […]
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Full Report: Judge Allows Bulk of PalCo Marsh Evictions to Proceed, Saying “I Have 11 Litigants”
OAKLAND — Eleven homeless people in Eureka cannot be evicted from a long-established homeless encampment on Monday unless the city complies with yet-to-be-determined conditions for their alternative shelter, a federal judge ruled from the bench this afternoon. The 11 sued Eureka in Federal Court on Monday, asking for a temporary restraining order that would prevent the […]
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Federal Judge Grants PalCo Marsh Restraining Order, But Only for 11 Plaintiffs
A federal judge has granted a temporary restraining order to prevent Eureka’s pending eviction of people camping illegally in the Palco Marsh. Kind of. Courthouse News Services‘ Katherine Proctor, who was in court covering this afternoon’s hearing, said federal Judge Jeffrey S. White granted a request for the restraining order, but not for all of […]
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‘A Significant Threat’: Eureka Responds to Lawsuit, Offers Contradictory Declarations
The city of Eureka is arguing in a federal court filing that there is no need for a judge to issue a temporary restraining order halting the city’s planned May 2 eviction of homeless people living in the PalCo Marsh, because there’s no threat that they will be irreparably harmed by being forced to relocate. […]
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‘Minimum Standards’: Federal Suit Seeking to Halt Marsh Evictions to be Heard Friday
On Monday afternoon, local attorney Peter Martin and Eureka City Attorney Cyndy Day-Wilson got together for lunch. The topic of the day was a lawsuit Martin was working on and looking to bring against the city stemming from its ordering about 150 homeless people in the Palco Marsh to vacate the area by May 2. […]
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HSU Settles Suit with Ousted Indian Program Director
A former Humboldt State University program director and student mentor has settled the lawsuit she brought against the university last year, agreeing to accept $105,000 in exchange for dropping the suit and refraining from criticizing the school. Jacquelyn Bolman, former director of HSU’s Indian Natural Resources Science and Engineering Program, alleged in the federal lawsuit […]
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Bolman to Sue HSU
Jacquelyn Bolman, former director of Humboldt State University’s Indian Natural Resources Science and Engineering Program, has filed suit against the university in Humboldt Superior Court, according to an article in Indian Country Today. Bolman alleges that her free speech, right to due process and civil rights were violated after she was fired in October 2014. […]
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Council Meeting Prayers OK with SCOTUS
Despite a U.S. Supreme Court ruling earlier this week upholding a town in upstate New York’s right to open its public meetings with a prayer, a local attorney is moving forward with his case alleging the Eureka City Council violated the law when doing the same. Eureka attorney Peter Martin brought the suit last year on behalf […]