Law Times

Page 16 January 28, 2013 • Law Times u The u Bizarre Briefs InsIde story By Viola James COURT CRACKS DOWN ON FIFTY SHADES RIO DE JANEIRO — Don't Brazil's courts have more pressing matters to deal with than sealing orders for Fifty Shades of Grey? According to Reuters, a judge in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro state has confiscated copies of the wildly popular trilogy Fifty Shades of Grey and other erotic books from two stores, saying proprietors must seal the novels to prevent children from leafing through them. Police and judicial officials in the Rio town of Macae seized 64 books, including 11 copies of the Fifty Shades of Grey series by British author E.L. James, after the shops flouted Brazilian laws by failing to conceal erotic images and content deemed inappropriate for minors. According to Reuters, officials will return the books within five days if the bookshop proprietors seal them before putting them back on display. Judge Raphael Baddini de Queiroz Campos from the local family tribunal acted after finding a group of children gathered around a window display at one of the town's bookshops where erotic content was on display, the Rio de Janeiro justice service's web site said. shootings in Connecticut. Abbott, a possible candidate for governor of Texas in next year's election, used campaign money to buy ads on web sites of news organizations in New York City and Albany, N.Y. One ad says in classic Western script: "WANTED: Law abiding New York gun owners seeking lower taxes and greater opportunities." According to Reuters, clicking on the ad leads to a Facebook page touting the virtues of Texas, including the fact that the state has no income tax so "you'll be able to keep more of what you earn and use that extra money to buy more ammo." Abbott told Reuters the ads are a "way to tweak our liberal friends up in the northeast." "It is tongue in cheek, but there is a deeper message here," he said. "Texas really does stand as the last bastion of ultimate freedom in this country. Over the last decade, more than four million people moved to this state, and one reason is freedom and one reason is economic opportunity." Abbott has said he'll file a federal lawsuit to throw out any nationwide gun restrictions implemented by Congress, Reuters reported. STANLEY HARTT JOINS NORTON ROSE Stanley Hartt has joined Norton Rose Canada LLP's Toronto office as counsel, the law firm announced. Before joining Norton Rose, Hartt was chairman of Macquarie Capital Markets Canada Ltd. Hartt, who has practised law for 20 years, will provide strategic advice to Norton Rose's domestic and international clients. Hartt also served as deputy minisStanley Hartt ter at the federal Department of Finance from 1985-88 and chief of staff in the office of the prime minister in the late 1980s. "Stanley is an extremely sharp and seasoned leader in business, public policy, and the legal arena," said Andrew Fleming, interim managing partner of the Toronto office. "He has worked for decades with leading Canadian companies with extensive U.S. and global operations. This is an excellent fit for Norton Rose as we grow our international reach." Touting the new counsel's international experience, the law firm also said Hartt was "one of the eight Canadians in the room when the elements of the Canada–U.S. Free Trade Agreement was signed on October 3, 1988." TEXAS SEEKS NEW YORKERS FLEEING GUN RESTRICTIONS AUSTIN, Texas — While Brazil's courts focus on sealing books, two U.S. states are spatting publicly over an arguably more important issue: gun control. As New York seeks to crack down on guns, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has a message for that state's gun owners: Come to Texas and bring your guns with you. "Texas is better than New York, and New York just gave us another excuse to say that," Abbott, a Republican, said after ads extolling Texas appeared on several media web sites. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, signed sweeping gun-control legislation earlier this month expanding the state's ban on assault weapons and putting limits on ammunition capacity in the wake of last month's school CLEANER NOT AT FAULT IN TRAIN CRASH STOCKHOLM — The recent crash of a train into a low-rise apartment building in Sweden was an accident and not the fault of a cleaner who was the only person hurt, state prosecutors said. Swedish police and prosecutors began an investigation into the accident in which a train ploughed past the end of the line at a depot, vaulted a narrow side street, and crashed into an apartment block in the upscale Stockholm suburb of Saltsjobaden. "Several circumstances point now to the fact that the train began moving due to an accident," the state prosecution service said in a statement. The service said it had found serious breaches of security on the train. The woman, who's still in hospital, is no longer a suspect. — Reuters LT NEW JUDGES APPOINTED The Ontario government has appointed two new judges of the Ontario Court of Justice. Lawyers Philip Clay and Lise Parent joined the bench on Jan. 23. A lawyer called to the bar in 1983, Clay focuses on criminal and family law. The court has assigned him to preside in Brampton, Ont. Parent, a partner at Parent Carr in Ottawa, practises mainly in the area of family law. The bilingual judge was called to the bar in 1989 and will also preside in Brampton. Besides the new judges, the province also appointed justice of the peace Warren George Ralph as regional senior justice of the peace for the Toronto region. He begins his role on Feb. 21. Ralph replaces regional senior justice of the peace Diane McAleer. PANEL MEMBERS SOUGHT The Law Society of Upper Canada is looking for lawyers and paralegals interested in joining its hearing panel. Successful applicants must be licensees by the law society without restrictions. They should also be licensed for at least three years with no disciplinary record. The ideal candidates will also have previous experience as adjudicators in addition to having excellent oral and written "Articling crisis? Tell me about it!" communication skills. They must be able to commit to the minimum amount of time required to write timely reasons and decisions. Those interested can apply to resume@lsuc.on.ca no later than March 8. LONDON LAWYER DISBARRED The Law Society of Upper Canada has revoked the licence of London, Ont., lawyer Charles William Fleming after finding him "ungovernable." The lawyer failed to provide written representation, documents, and records in regards to four complaints, according to the law society's disposition. Fleming also failed to comply with obligations as a suspended licensee based on an order of March 2012 and didn't pay his fines, a hearing panel found. POLL RESULTS The results of the latest Law Times online poll are in. Many readers agree with the Ontario Superior Court's new rules on the use of electronic devices in court. In fact, 75 per cent of respondents to the poll said they agreed with the protocol. The rules, which take effect Feb. 1, say certain people such as lawyers and journalists can use electronic devices to, for example, tweet from the courtroom but restrict that privilege from members of the public. 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