Law Times

Page 16 January 14, 2019 • Law Times www.lawtimesnews.com u Bizarre Briefs By Viola James u The InsIde story YUM, YUM, ROADKILL As of Jan. 1, drivers who encounter dead deer and elk on the roadside are permitted to harvest the carcasses for consumption, assuming they follow a few simple rules established by the Or- egon Fish and Wildlife Department and posted to the department's website, reports USA To- day. The newspaper wrote that in order to pre- vent the animal being taken as a trophy, the animal's antlers (if it has any) and its head must be submitted to the state within five business days. This will also help the state monitor deer and elk populations for signs of chronic wasting dis- ease. Deliberating hitting a deer or an elk with a vehicle is unlawful. If a deer or an elk is struck and left injured and suffering, only the driver of the vehicle that hit it is permitted to kill it and salvage the re- mains. The meat may not be sold, and diners are warned that since the state will not perform meat inspections, they assume any risks associ- ated with the consumption of the venison. VIETNAM UNFRIENDS FACEBOOK Vietnam is threatening to take legal actions against social media giant Facebook. The warn- ing occurred at a briefing held in Hanoi by the country's Authority of Broadcasting and Elec- tronic Information, according to the Financial Times. Vietnam accused Facebook of breaking rules that came into force on Jan. 1. It says the com- pany f louted a cybersecurity law about man- aging information, online advertising, and tax liability. In particular, Vietnam accuses Facebook of permitting accounts that disseminate informa- tion criticizing the government, hosting adver- tisements for fake or illegal products (such as weapons and firecrackers) and ignoring its tax obligations. The country's state-controlled media report- ed that Vietnam's Ministry of Information and Communications, said it will continue to gather evidence of Facebook's illegal actions and it will require the company to work with government agencies to get its tax and payment situation ad- dressed. If it fails to do so, government regulators will impose economic and technical measures to re- solve the situation to their satisfaction. Facebook defended itself of the charges, issu- ing a statement to the media. "We have a clear process for governments to report illegal content to us, and we review all those requests against our terms of service and local law," the company said. "We are transparent about the content re- strictions we make in accordance with local law in our Transparency Report." NO FACETIMING BEHIND THE WHEEL There seems to be no prohibition to driving while FaceTiming, at least in New Jersey, reports TV news station PIX11. The issue about video chatting came to pub- lic attention after the TV station reported about a student riding in the back seat of a school van who recorded the driver engaging in a video conversation. PIX11 reported that the student showed the video to his mother who was said to be out- raged. Now, New Jersey Assemblyman Nick Chiaravalloti wants to ban all drivers from vid- eo chatting. He is drafting a bill to prevent the practice and expects to introduce it into the New Jer- sey State Assembly sometime in February or March. PIX11 reports that although it is illegal for school bus or van drivers to video chat, so far, no charges have been filed against the driver, al- though the driver has been removed. The news station quotes Chiaravalloti as say- ing, "You trust that the employees of the board of education are going to protect your child, so when you get a video like that it makes you take a step back." GIANT GOLD COIN THEFT Four men have gone on trial for stealing a gold coin the size of a manhole cover from one of Germany's f lagship museums in a daring night- time heist using a ladder and a wheelbarrow, re- ports Reuters. German authorities believe the 100 kg (220 pound) Canadian "Big Maple Leaf " — once rec- ognized as the biggest gold coin in the world — has been melted down since its theft from Ber- lin's Bode-Museum in March 2017. Prosecutors say three of the suspects broke into the museum through an upstairs window and used a ladder, wheelbarrow and rope to ex- tract the coin from a bullet-proof glass. The fourth suspect was a museum guard ac- cused of helping them. The coin was made from ultra-pure gold, is one of just six produced by the Royal Canadian Mint in 2007 and was loaned to the museum by a private owner. It has a face value of $1 million but is thought to be worth four times as much. It was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest gold coin in the world at the time it was made, although Austra- lia has since minted one even bigger. Like other Canadian coins it bears the image of Canada's head of state, Queen Elizabeth II. The suspects were not identified under Ger- man legal rules. Three of them are related and three were un- der the age of 21 at the time of the crime, which means the trial took place in a youth court. The men hid their faces behind magazines as they entered the court and during the proceed- ings. All are charged with serious theft, said the court. German media say the men could face up to three years and 10 months jail. The Bode-Mu- seum has one of the world's largest coin collec- tions with more than 540,000 items. LT CANADIAN NAMED FIRM'S GLOBAL CHAIR Walied Soliman has been named global chairman of Nor- ton Rose Fulbright, heading up the firm's supervisory board. Soliman says he has multiple goals for his time in the role as chairman. The first is to engage with cli- ents around the world to expand their practice areas, the second is to focus on diversity and in- clusion within the firm, and the third is to continually evolve the firm's processes around mental health, and a focus on the firm's global governance. "Our number one goal re- mains our commitment to being widely regarded as the leading business law firm in each of our jurisdictions," he says. He says that under the leader- ship of global chief executive officer Peter Martyr, the firm has gone through "unprecedent- ed expansion." "Essentially, my role is going to be the chair of the global part- nership board — a non-exec- utive function but important governance function within the partnership and an important ambassadorial role outside of the firm," says Soliman who is also Canadian chairman at the firm in Toronto. RHODES WINS TLA AWARD Emma Rhodes, who works in association with Para- digm Law Group, will be awarded the 2019 Honsberger Award on Feb. 27, the Toronto Lawyers' Association an- nounced. Rhodes was chosen for the Honsberger Award — pre- sented to candidates that exem- plify knowledge, community and advocacy — for her work ad- vocating for children and youth, the TLA's announcement said. The ceremony will take place Feb. 27, at the Omni King Ed- ward Hotel, at 37 King Street East. At the same ceremony, Justice Rosalie Abella of the Supreme Court of Canada will receive the 2019 TLA Award of Distinction. CASE MANAGEMENT PILOT LAUNCHES As part of a two-year pilot pro- gram, Ontario's Superior Court of Justice aims to test whether a type of case manage- ment called "one-judge case management" can make civil cases faster and less costly. The pilot begins Feb. 1, 2019, accord- ing to a Jan. 3 announcement by Superior Court of Justice Chief Justice Heather Smith. The supplemental case man- agement system lets the case- management judge preside over all pre-trial hearings, case man- agement conferences, and the trial, according to Smith's an- nouncement. Regional senior judges will select participants in the program, but parties can ap- ply by sending in a form, Smith wrote. The form is online at ontariocourts.ca. YES, I AGREE 61 % 39 % NO, I DO NOT AGREE LAW TIMES POLL A group of personal injury law- yers say they support a bill to end "postal code discrimination" in auto insurance rate-setting in Ontario. Law Times asked read- ers if they support the proposed bill. A majority, 61 per cent of respondents, said they agreed with the bill, and that the bill makes sense to prevent residents of the GTA paying different auto insurance rates based purely on their place of residence. A minority of respondents, 39 per cent, disagreed with the bill, and said most jurisdictions in Canada and around the world include geography as one of their factors when setting rates. LT Walied Soliman is the new global chair- man of Norton Rose Fulbright. When you are looking for specialized legal counsel, turn to the resource that showcases peer-ranked Canadian legal talent. lexpert.ca/directory LAWYER Untitled-5 1 2019-01-02 10:52 AM

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