Law Times

PAGE 16 may 31, 2010 • Law Times Bizarre #1 Power House application for real estate. www.doprocess.com ntitled-2 1 The Inside Story WALDMAN A PLANTIFF IN COPYRIGHT CLAIM Lawyer Lorne Waldman is spearheading a class action against Th omson Reuters Corp. over the alleged reproduction of fi led court documents on the Internet. Th e claims, which haven't been proven in court, allege the company allows subscribers to access the materials on a web site without the consent of the law- yers who wrote them, accord- ing to Sack Goldblatt Mitch- ell LLP, the law fi rm acting as counsel for the plaintiff side. Waldman is the representative plaintiff in the case, which alleges Th omson Reuters has infringed the Copyright Act. Th e company declined to comment, saying it had yet to review the claim. WEB SITE LAUNCHES ARTICLING FORUM Lawiscool.com has launched an articling forum designed to link students and potential employ- ers from across Canada. Law fi rms of all sizes and legal organizations are encour- aged to post positions at lawis cool.com/articling-positions. Th e web site aims to make life eas- ier for new graduates who fi nd themselves entering a tough economy and a shrinking mar- ket for articling positions. "It's all fi ne and dandy to go to law school for three years and pay enormous amounts of tuition but it would be pretty cool to get called to the bar as well," reads the post introduc- ing the forum. SABA GETS NEW PRESIDENT Th e South Asian Bar Asso- ciation of Toronto has elected Sudevi Mukherjee-Gothi, a partner at Torkin Manes LLP, as its new president. Mukherjee-Gothi is a mem- ber of Torkin Manes' insurance defence group and has been involved with the South Asian Bar Association since its incep- tion in 2005. "Th e number of lawyers of South Asian origin is growing. Th ey have connections within the South Asian community that can be very helpful to their fi rms since many businesses are started and run by South Asians, both in Canada and in- ternationally," she said. Jeff rey Cohen, managing partner of Torkin Manes, wel- comed the news. "We encour- age all of our lawyers to become actively involved in business and professional associations serves that build their networks and that extend our fi rm's reach into all of Toronto's communities," he said. Th e association as a networking forum, advocacy group, and employment resource for South Asian members of the legal profession. CHARGES DROPPED AGAINST BRYANT Charges over an incident last summer against Michael Bry- ant, Ontario's former attor- ney general, were dropped last Tuesday. Prosecutor Richard Peck, who was brought in from Brit- ish Columbia to avoid a con- fl ict of interest, told a Toronto courtroom the evidence showed that Darcy Allan Sheppard, the cyclist who died, had acted aggressively during the incident with Bryant and his wife. "Th e decision was mine and mine alone," he said, noting the Ministry of the Attorney Gen- eral had no input. Bryant was charged with negligence criminal causing death and dangerous driving causing death last September after he drove off with Shep- pard latched onto his car fol- lowing an altercation at a traffi c light. Sheppard died when his head struck the ground after he was dislodged from the car by a fi re hydrant close to the curb. Bryant said he wished none of it had ever happened. "What I will never forget for the rest of my life is the unnec- essary tragedy of that night," he said. "Th e whole experience has been incredibly humbling and rightly so." LT For more Inside Story, please visit www.lawtimesnews.com. "Initial implementation of our comprehensive strategy to take maximum advantage of recent changes enhancing access to collaborative law not entirely successful?" Get more online Canadian Lawyer | Law Times | 4Students | InHouse lawtimesnews.com • canadianlawyermag.com www.lawtimesnews.com Visit Us Online 1-8-5X.indd 1 9/27/10 3:21:40 PM Fresh Canadian legal news and analysis every week 5/26/10 9:35:25 AM ROBBER REALLY WANTED HIS NUGGETS DALLAS, Texas — A 22-year- old homeless man is paying the price for allegedly attempting to rob a Wendy's restaurant last week. Of course, if he had found a way to pay 99 cents for the chicken nuggets he alleg- edly attempted to steal, there wouldn't have been an issue. According to the Dal- las Morning News, Marquis Marsh walked into the res- taurant at around 9:30 p.m. But rather than placing his order, he allegedly jumped over the counter and grabbed a six-piece package of nug- gets before jumping back to the other side and acciden- tally knocking over the cash register. Deciding that all he want- ed was nuggets and none of the money the register obvi- ously contained, the robber made a break for the front door before the manager stopped him. Marsh alleg- edly proceeded to punch the manager several times in the head and in so doing dropped the coveted nuggets. After he ran out the door, the manager called 911. Before Marsh could get very far, he was stopped by two police of- fi cers who took him into cus- tody. As they took him away, Marsh reportedly screamed, "I paid for those nuggets." Briefs By Viola James If he ends up in prison, at least he'll get three square meals a day. MAN STEALS SOCKS, GETS LIFE SENTENCE DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — If ever there was a deterrent to shoplifters everywhere, this story may be it. A 48-year-old Florida man was recently sentenced to life in prison for stealing a package of socks worth about $4. A Wal-Mart employee spotted Dean Rockmore placing packages of socks and T-shirts down the front of his pants on March 29, 2009. Th e employee went to approach Rockmore, and as he did, a group of customers moved between them. Rock- more used this as an opportu- nity to fl ee, and the employee chased him towards the park- ing lot. During the chase, Rock- more dropped the T-shirts but managed to hold onto the socks. Th e Wal-Mart em- ployee closed in on him, only to back away when Rockmore lifted his own shirt to reveal a gun. With this small action, a simple act of shoplifting be- came armed robbery. And wouldn't you know it? Rockmore had been re- leased from prison just two months prior to committing the robbery. Under Florida law, this qualifi es him as a "prison releasee reoff ender." Apparently, that's a very bad thing since last week Rock- more was sentenced to life in prison. Th e question is, do you really need socks in Florida's climate? OCTOPUS OR SQUID? EITHER WAY, IT'S SICK SWANSEA, Wales — A man from Wales is facing charges for allegedly possessing pho- tos that almost defy descrip- tion. Police recently arrested Andrew Dymond, 46, after allegedly fi nding images on his computer of people hav- ing sex with dogs and horses as well as "indecent" images of children. But one photo stood out from the rest: a man having intercourse with a dead squid. He was charged with "possessing an extreme por- nographic image which por- trayed in an explicit and real- istic way a person performing an act of intercourse with a dead animal, namely a squid, which was grossly off ensive, disgusting or of obscene character." According to British tab- loid the Sun, prosecutors later amended the charge upon realizing that the ani- mal in question could be an octopus. Dymond has been released on bail on condition that he not access the Inter- net or have contact with any children under 16. LT Seen, heard, or been involved in a bizarre brief? Tell Viola James about it at viola.james@gmail. com.

• Cover
• Enforcement Powers
• Persuasive Resolutions
• Focus On Criminal Law