Law Times

Page 16 March 4, 2013 ��� Law TiMes u The u Bizarre Briefs InsIde story By Viola James FBi a laBour law HotBed WASHINGTON ��� Labour and employment lawyers take note: the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has lots of work opportunities for you. According to Reuters, new reports have revealed plenty of instances of workplace discipline at the FBI for employee misconduct. In fact, one FBI employee was fired for sleeping with a drug dealer and lying about it under oath while another got the boot for bugging the boss��� office. The FBI suspended for 10 days another employee for e-mailing a nude photograph of herself to her ex-boyfriend���s wife. But the bureau showed compassion for the woman after she sought help for depression. Those cases over the past year were among 29 revealed by CNN after the cable news network obtained an October 2012 quarterly report the FBI sent to all of its employees aimed at educating FBI staff. The so-called quarterlies summarize cases investigated by the bureau���s office of professional responsibility. ���We have seen a rash of sexting cases and nude photograph cases, you know, people misusing their BlackBerrys for this reason, and we hope getting the message out in the quarterlies is going to teach people you can���t do this stuff,��� FBI assistant director Candice Will told CNN. An employee who used a government-issued BlackBerry to send sexually explicit messages to another employee received a five-day suspension. Another who used a personal cellphone to send nude photographs to several other employees received a 10-day suspension in part because the conduct created office gossip. ���When you���re given an FBI BlackBerry, it���s for official use. It���s not to text the woman in another office who you found attractive a picture of yourself in a state of undress,��� Will said. Many of the cases involved sex, such as that of the employee who visited a massage parlour and paid for a sexual favour from the masseuse. That resulted in a 14-day suspension instead of a more severe penalty because the employee had an exemplary work record and expressed remorse, the FBI documents said. Others were more serious, such as the case of the employee who admitted purchasing and viewing video of naked boys. That person was summarily dismissed. Baristas arrested For drive-tHru stripping EVERETT, Wash. ��� Slinging coffee isn���t a lucrative job, so is it that surprising that baristas would resort to stripping at the drive-thru window? According to Reuters, three baristas accused of giving customers peep shows along with their coffee are facing accusations of operating an adult cabaret without a licence from the drive-thru windows of two Grab-N-Go coffee shops. Police took the three women into custody in the city of Everett following a two-month undercover operation that began after complaints from the public, Everett police officials said. ���Citizens complained that these locations served more than just coffee,��� said Everett police Lieut. James Duffy. ���Indeed, our investigation uncovered exhibition and exposure, which is outside the confines of the law,��� said Duffy. ���During the investigation, video surveillance showed that at times coffee or drinks were not served, but shows were paid for and given.��� Everett police spokesman Aaron Snell said the three women, who worked at two different Grab-N-Go stands near the city���s main thoroughfare, allegedly exposed their entire bodies at the drive-thru window. ���These stands are on a major road. They are in parking lots of businesses, not like they are fully hidden from sight. We received many complaints.��� Snell said the owners of the Grab-N-Go stands aren���t under arrest or facing charges in connection with the case, which is still under investigation. He said it wasn���t clear how customers became aware that the baristas were willing to strip for money. ���Word gets out,��� he said. LT ���They think the federal Fisheries Act protects them from takeover bids. Little did they know it protects recreational, aboriginal, and commercial fisheries but not brokerage-firm fisheries.��� k-w CourtHouse opens tHis week Court services in Kitchener, Ont., will begin relocating as of this week with the completion of the area���s new consolidated courthouse. ���This new, modern, accessible facility brings together all local court services in Waterloo ReKitchener courthouse gion under one roof,��� said Attorney General John gerretsen. ���The new courthouse will increase access to justice locally and be a one-stop shop for those who rely on its services.��� The new facility will bring together superior Court services on Weber Street East with ontario Court of Justice matters in both Kitchener and Cambridge, Ont., under one roof at 85 Frederick St. in the city���s downtown. Construction began in 2010. The province built the 30-courtroom facility to the Leadership in Energy and Environment Design silver standard. The facility features a barrier-free design as well as video conferencing, close-circuit television, audio amplification systems, and equipment for simultaneous interpretation and evidence presentation. Superior Court matters will start moving to the new facility on March 4. Ontario Court family matters in Kitchener will follow on March 18 with criminal cases and services moving as of April 2. On April 15, ontario Court services and small Claims Court matters in Cambridge will begin relocating. ���The new Waterloo Region courthouse has great significance for not only the justice community but local businesses, community agencies, and residents,��� said John milloy, MPP for Kitchener Centre. ���It will have a major impact on the revitalization of downtown Kitchener.��� The provincial government is touting the on-time and on-budget completion of the new courthouse. According to the Record newspaper, the project will cost $766 million over 30 years, including maintenance. As for the old Superior Court building, the Region of Waterloo is planning to renovate it to house its staff, the Record reported. advoCates��� soCietY medal awarded The advocates��� society has honoured former associate chief justice of Ontario dennis o���Connor with The Advocates��� Society Medal. The medal, which recognizes significant contributions to the legal profession, is ���the highest expression of esteem that the society can convey to one of its members,��� said Borden ladner gervais llp, the firm O���Connor recently joined as counsel, in a press release. ���We know Dennis has had an extraordinary career to date, and it is wonderful to see the profession celebrate that,��� said sean weir, BLG���s national managing partner. This year���s Advocates��� Society medal dinner took place Feb. 21. O���Connor joined the Court of appeal for ontario in 1998. He also served as associate chief justice until 2012. CBa oFFers take on ConFliCts oF interest The Canadian Bar association is offering its views on the Conflict of Interest Act. Last week, the CBA released its submission as part of Parliament���s review of the legislation. In its submission to Parliament, the CBA recommends expanding the list of those who must report to the ethics commissioner. They include public officials who aren���t currently under the oversight of the ethics commissioner, such as the governor of Bank of Canada. ���The CBA would like the government to strike a balance on accountability that would protect the public trust but not make the rules so stringent that good people are prevented from coming forward to serve their country,��� said guy giorno, executive member of the CBA���s administrative law section and chairman of its lobbying and ethics committee. 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