Law Times

December 13, 2010

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PAGE 16 December 13, 2010 • Law Times Bizarre #1 Power House application for real estate. www.doprocess.com ntitled-3 1 The HAVE YOUR SAY ON LEGAL BLOGS Nominations are now open for the 2010 Canadian Law Blog Awards, also known as the CLawBies. Fans can nominate their fa- vourite blogs on the Canadian legal scene by posting their en- dorsement on Twitter using the hashtag #clawbies2010 or by e-mailing Steve Matthews at steve@stemlegal.com before the Dec. 28 deadline. Matthews, the founder and principal of online legal market- ing company Stem Legal Web Enterprises Inc., started the awards in 2006. The winners will be announced on New Year's Eve. More informa- tion is available at clawbies.ca. TORONTO LAWYER JOINS PRESTIGIOUS BOARD Iain Benson, a senior associ- ate counsel at Miller Thomson LLP, has been appointed to the Global Centre for Pluralism's inaugural board of directors. The centre, a joint project of the Aga Khan and the federal government, is an international research and education hub dedicated to the study and prac- tice of tolerance, openness, and diversity. Benson will be among pres- tigious colleagues on the board. Joining him are former governor general Adrienne Clarkson and former United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan. Benson belongs to Miller Thomson's litigation practice group. He practises in the areas of administrative and constitu- tional law with a focus on rights and freedoms. He has written on the nature of secularism and serves as a professor of law at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, South Africa. He also belonged to a committee that drew up the South African Charter of Religious Rights and Freedoms. "Iain's appointment to the board of the Global Centre for Pluralism recognizes his im- mense contribution to resolving issues involving secularism and 10/19/10 10:06:09 AM Inside Story pluralism around the world," said Miller Thomson chairman Gerald Courage. "As an in- ternationally respected author- ity on issues relating to human rights, pluralism, secularism, and constitutional law, Iain brings a wealth of global experience to this prestigious role." MARIN REPORT A VINDICATION: CCLA The Canadian Civil Liberties Association has welcomed a report by Ontario ombudsman André Marin that described secret regulations passed by the provincial government ahead of the G20 summit to be "of dubious legality." The police used powers un- der the Public Works Protec- tion Act to detain protesters af- ter the provincial government quietly designated the areas in- side the security zone as public works. According to Marin, Toron- to police compounded matters through miscommunication about the reach of the "extrava- gant" powers granted by the regulation. He recommended the act, which was enacted as a wartime measure in 1939, be revised or replaced and that the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services develop a protocol for public informa- tion campaigns whenever the government modifies police powers in the future. In a statement, the CCLA said the report vindicated its be- lief that police had intruded ex- cessively into the civil liberties of protesters. "The time has come for the government to act to amend both the process for adopting regulations in Ontario and the Public Works Protection Act it- self," said CCLA general coun- sel Nathalie Des Rosiers. "That is why we are calling upon the government to act swiftly to implement the ombudsman's recommendations." LT For more Inside Story, please visit www.lawtimesnews.com. "I'm terribly sorry. I was under the impression this mediation session was mandatory." Recruiting? Post your position on GREAT RATES. GREAT REACH. GREAT RESULTS. Contact Sandy Shutt at sshutt@clbmedia.ca for details. www.lawtimesnews.com JobsInLaw 1/4 pg 5X.pdf 1 11/10/10 12:02:13 PM MAN TEXTS DRUG OFFER TO PROSECUTOR MARTINSVILLE, Ind. — How did he even get this phone number? According to the Herald Times, a man from Martins- ville was caught trying to sell drugs after he allegedly and mistakenly sent incriminating text messages to a prosecutor. Deputy prosecutor Court- ney Swank received the sus- picious messages on her de- partment-issued cellphone. They read, "Roxy twenties fifteen" and "Hey buddy just wonderin if you needed any fortys." The report noted the mes- sages refer to prescription drugs, including oxycodone. As a result, the 26-year-old man was charged with dealing in a controlled substance, posses- sion of a controlled substance, and public intoxication. DRUNK DRIVER WAS TRYING TO KEEP WARM CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — This defence actually worked? According to the Southeast Missourian, a Missouri man has been acquitted of drunk driving after claiming he got drunk following a car crash. Thomas Drummond says he consumed alcohol after, not before, he lost control and crashed his car last February. once they caught up to him. The teen's explanation for Briefs By Viola James Drummond told court that after a night out with friends, he was driving home when his vehicle veered off an icy road and into a culvert. Drummond claims that in the two hours it took emer- gency workers to arrive, he got drunk to stay warm. "It was a really curious set of facts. Ones that you don't come across every day," said Stephen Wilson, Drum- mond's defence attorney. If he had been found guilty, Drummond would have faced a sentence of up to one year in jail and a fine of $1,000. WET FLOOR STOPS STREAKER'S RUN MUNICH, Germany — A 19-year-old Australian's run of naked terror came to a slippery halt last week. Reuters reports the Syd- ney native was following through on a bet with friends that he could travel naked across Europe. During his nude dash through a major train station in Munich, the teen slipped on a wet floor and fell. At the time, he was running through the 11th city on his grand tour wear- ing only his shoes and car- rying his underwear in his hand. After he fell, he quick- ly put on his underwear and was given a blanket by police his behaviour was straightfor- ward. "I simply like to be na- ked," a police spokesperson quoted him as saying. The teen received a fine of 100 euros. PRESIDENTIAL PARDON FOR PENNY FELON PITTSBURGH, Pa. — It's surprising they keep records of minor crimes for so long and even more odd that a man wouldn't know he was a convicted felon. Nearly 50 years ago, Ron- ald Lee Foster was a marine stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C., making only $82 per month. So Foster, then 18, and his friends began to slice the edges off pennies and use them as dimes in vending ma- chines. They were caught, put on probation, fined $20, and, unbeknownst to Foster, con- victed of a felony, the Pitts- burgh Post-Gazette reports. Now jump ahead more than 45 years. Foster, now 66, applies for a gun permit. He's denied and informed of his status as a felon. Accord- ing to the Post-Gazette, Foster filed for a presidential pardon after realizing that not only is coin mutilation considered a felony, but such crimes can't be expunged. Foster has since been grant- ed a pardon from President Barack Obama. He now plans to move forward in his pursuit of a gun permit. LT Seen, heard, or been involved in a bizarre brief? Tell Viola James about it at viola.james@gmail. com.

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