Law Times

PAGE 16 augusT 9, 2010 • Law Times Bizarre Manage your corporate practice at high speed. www.doprocess.com ntitled-1 1 The OSHAWA LAWYER DISBARRED Oshawa, Ont., lawyer Ed- mund Manna-Atta Kwaw has had his licence revoked af- ter the Law Society of Upper Canada found him guilty of professional misconduct. A disciplinary panel found Kwaw had misapplied client funds in his mixed trust ac- count and surreptitiously al- tered 18 trust cheques to his own benefit. He also failed to register a discharge of a charge despite a written undertaking that he would and failed to keep prop- er books and records of his practice. In addition, the panel found he had failed to co-operate with the law society's investi- gation and ordered him to pay $45,000 in costs. ALNAZ JIWA WANTS TO MEET WITH AGA KHAN A Toronto lawyer has turned down a chance for a personal meeting with the Aga Khan in exchange for an acknowl- edgment he had breached the imam's copyright by pub- lishing copies of his religious teachings. Instead, Alnaz Jiwa and his co-defendant, Montreal busi- nessman Nagib Tajdin, are pushing to personally examine their spiritual leader for discov- ery and are even offering to fly to France, where the Aga Khan lives, to do it while insisting they still don't believe he au- thorized the action. A letter filed in Federal Court and posted on the web site ismaili.net/heritage/ node/30113 showed the Ismaili leader was prepared to drop his claims for damages and costs in return for an unconditional settlement that acknowledged his copyright over his religious writings known as Farmans. The personal meeting would then take place so that the defendants could "explain your actions to him and ask 8/3/10 10:34:18 AM Inside Story for forgiveness," according to the letter. SISKINDS ANNOUNCES GILDAN SETTLEMENT London, Ont., firm Siskinds LLP has announced a tenta- tive $22-million settlement of a class action lawsuit involving shareholders in Gildan Ac- tivewear Inc. The case revolved around dis- closures by the TSX-listed compa- ny about its earnings guidance in 2008 and its manufacturing facil- ity in the Dominican Republic. Actions were filed in On- tario, Quebec, and New York. Shareholders who bought stock between August 2007 and April 2008 will receive payouts as long as the courts in each jurisdiction approve the deal, under which Gildan made no admission of liability. KEEP LONG-FORM CENSUS: CBA The Canadian Bar Association has added its voice to the chorus of criticism of the federal gov- ernment's decision to abolish the mandatory long-form census. The CBA says it puts the reliability of statistics at risk needed for important policy decisions and notes the move will have a particular impact on Canadians involved in seri- ous personal injury cases. "Lawyers and judges rely on data from the long-form census in personal injury cases to help evaluate the future needs of those who are not closely con- nected to the paid labour force," said CBA president Kevin Car- roll. "In many cases, these in- clude women, children, and disabled people." Carroll said the neutrality of the census data gives it much greater weight in court. "Judges are more willing to accept census data over information gathered through industry or professional associations," he said. LT For more Inside Story, please visit www.lawtimesnews.com. THERE IS A DIFFERENCE RainMaker Group 110 Yonge Street, Suite 1101 Toronto, Ontario M5C 1T4 Untitled-5 1 Tel: 416-863-9543 Fax: 416-863-9757 www.rainmakergroup.ca www.lawtimesnews.com 3/23/10 11:35:15 AM LIKE MOTHER, LIKE SON MARYVILLE, Tenn. — The apple really doesn't fall far from the tree. After spotting a speeding Chevy El Camino followed by a Mazda, police stopped driver Genevieve Hurst Alva- rado, who allegedly smelled heavily of booze and said she had been drinking. She was in the Mazda, while her son, 24-year-old Benjamin For- ster, was allegedly behind the wheel of the El Camino. Police say Forster fell over backwards after they stopped him, according to The As- sociated Press. Officers, who say both family members failed their sobriety tests, have charged the pair with driving while drunk. BOOZE MACHINES ENFORCING THE RULES HARRISBURG, Pa. — Vending machines selling alcohol have hit Pennsylva- nia stores, but don't think they'll let you get around the liquor rules. To get your bottle, you'll have to blow into a breatha- lyzer, and if your blood al- cohol level is more than .02, the machine will reject your purchase. Stacy Kriedeman, a spokes- woman for the Pennsylva- nia Liquor Control Board, said the machine performs Briefs By Viola James the same function as store employees who refuse to serve anyone appearing to be drunk. "They are both doing the same thing but in a different way," she said. According to Reuters, the state is testing kiosks in op- eration in supermarkets in Harrisburg and nearby Me- chanicsburg. The plan is to introduce a further 98 ma- chines across the state this fall if it's successful. Besides the breathalyzer test, buyers will have to insert a driver's licence to prove they're of legal drinking age. In turn, a member of the liquor board will verify the person's identity via video link. While Pennsylvania has some of the strictest liquor rules in the United States, the government decided to try out the machines in order to increase the availability of wine without building new state-run stores, according to Reuters. The machines of- fer 55 bottles of wine. So far, revenue is 30 to 40 per cent higher. DOG POSSESSED BY SATAN: ACCUSED KILLER GULF BREEZE, Fla. — A Florida man is in custody for allegedly killing the family dog for being possessed by the devil. Police say Matthew O. RASH OF ATTACKS ON POLICE HORSES MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Speaking of animal cruelty, it seems even creatures involved in law enforcement aren't im- mune to it. Police horses are the latest victims of drunk hooligans on the streets of downtown Minneapolis. Last weekend, five men assaulted the ani- mals after the bars closed, a type of incident police say has been on the rise. "Some were in frustration, someone didn't want to leave the area, so they turned back and slapped the horse," Sgt. Chris Lokke of the mounted patrol unit told the Star Tribune. In one incident, a man grabbed a horse by the bri- dle, nearly causing the officer to lose control of the animal, the paper reported. In another case, Anthony William Gonzalez, 22, al- legedly slapped police horse Jesse after being told he had to leave the area. "Usually, there's not a lot of excuses, so I really couldn't tell you what's going through their mind," Lokke said. "Most of the time, people say, 'All I was doing is pet- ting it.'" LT Foote, 25, showed no emotion as he explained how he stabbed the dog repeatedly, skinned it, burned its body in a shallow grave, and threw the skin and entrails nearby, according to The Associated Press. Foote allegedly believes the family dog, a seven-year-old dachshund-Chihuahua mix, was possessed. Authorities have charged him with a felo- ny count of animal cruelty.

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