Law Times

PAGE 16 March 12, 2012 • Law TiMes u BIZARRE BRIEFS By Viola James REGULATIONS CLAMP DOWN ON JAPANESE CAT CAFES TOKYO — An effort to clamp down on late- night pet shops may have the effect of putting Tokyo's popular cat cafés at risk. According to Reuters, times are looking tough for the cat cafés, where feline aficionados can drop in for tea and some time with a cat. At most such establishments, it's the post- work rush that brings in the most cash with tired and harried professionals dropping by on their way home to pet and play with the animals as a way of relieving stress. But now the purrs of delight may be getting quieter, Reuters reported. A revision to Japan's Animal Protection Law, due to come into force on June 1, will slap a cur- few on the public display of cats and dogs and force cat cafés to shut up shop at 8 p.m. "There's this new revision which says we should be open from eight in the morning until eight at night. After 8 p.m. we have to put the cats in the back, away from the customers, and close," said Hiromi Kawase, the owner of one Tokyo cat café. "Everybody knows cats are really happy in the evening with their big, cute eyes. So I just can't understand why the people at the top are ignor- ing this. It's really strange." Cat cafés have long been popular, catering to the many cat lovers who can't keep the animals at home because of strict housing regulations that forbid pets in many apartments. According to Reuters, the government says the real targets of the tighter animal protection law are late-night pet shops that often sell dogs and cats around the clock. The animals are kept in small cages under bright lights that are never switched off. IS PHOTO OF MAN PEEING INTRUSION UPON SECLUSION? PARIS — Don't they have the tort of inclusion upon seclusion in France? According to Reuters, a Frenchman is tak- ing Google Inc. to court over a photo published online by its Street View application showing him urinating in his front yard. He believes the photo has made him the laughingstock of his village in rural northwest France. The man, who lives in a village of some 3,000 people in the Maine-et-Loire region, is demanding the removal of the photo. Locals have reportedly recognized him despite his face being blurred out. He also wants 10,000 euros in damages, Reuters reported. The man thought he was hidden from view by his closed gate as he relieved himself in November 2010. But Google's lens caught him from above his gate as it passed by. Google's lawyer in the case, named by local daily Ouest France as Christophe Bigot, was not immediately reachable, but the newspaper said he was pleading that the case should be declared null and void. None of the allegations have been proven in court. MAN SUFFERS INDECENT EXPOSURE IN COURT CLEVELAND — There are good reasons for preventing offenders from wearing belts in court, but observers should be ready for the occasional wardrobe malfunction as a result. According to cleveland.com, Jeffrey Dodson, 51, had lost a lot of weight while in jail prior to his recent court appearance to plead guilty to pandering charges before Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Brendan Sheehan. So when Sheehan ordered him to raise both hands for swearing in, his pants fell to the ground as he wasn't wearing a belt and raising one hand meant raising both due to the handcuffs. The court reporter nearly fell off her chair, cleveland.com reported. Sheehan, however, simply ordered the public defender to hold up Dodson's pants during the swearing-in. LT uSeen, heard, or been involved in a bizarre brief? Tell Viola James about it at clb.lteditor@ thomsonreuters.com u The INSIDE STORY HOSPITAL GC OPENS SOLO PRACTICE Alan Belaiche has leſt his role as general counsel at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto to open a new law practice aſter working in-house for seven years. Belaiche's practice will oper- ate under the name Belaiche Law and will focus on health, corporate and commercial, pri- vacy, access-to-information, and employment law, as well as con- flict management and dispute resolution in the health-care en- vironment. In his place, Michelle Moldofsky will take over as interim general Alan Belaiche counsel at the hospital. Moldofsky is a policy and legal adviser there. Besides the hospital, Belaiche has also worked at the Ontario Min- istry of Health and Long-Term Care. BLG LANDS 3 BLANEY MCMURTRY LAWYERS Borden Ladner Gervais LLP has appointed three lawyers to its nation- al insurance corporate and regulatory group in Toronto aſter snagging them from Blaney McMurtry LLP. Crawford Spratt, national head of the group, has more than 30 years of experience in insurance matters. Jill McCutcheon, meanwhile, becomes regional head of the group. In addition, Kelly Morris becomes a partner at BLG. Morris spe- cializes in regulatory, compliance, governance, distribution, and mar- ket conduct matters, as well as privacy law and issues related to money laundering. "The insurance industry is evolving with new market entrants and a trend towards consolidation," said Bob Hutchison, a partner and na- tional business department leader at BLG. "Combined with the firm's existing financial services group and ex- tensive insurance litigation and coverage practice, our insurance cor- porate/regulatory group makes BLG a full-service firm for insurers, reinsurers, intermediaries, and other sector participants." In addition, BLG announced the hiring of associate Jim Hinton at its office in Waterloo, Ont. Hinton had previously articled at Bereskin & Parr LLP. NEW PARTNER AT BLANEY MCMURTRY Dennis Tobin is a new partner with Blaney McMurtry LLP's corpor- ate/commercial, corporate finance and securities, and real estate and leasing practice groups. Tobin focuses on corporate/commercial law as well as commercial and retail leasing and will continue his work at the firm's Toronto office. He's also involved in mergers and acquisitions, venture capital trans- actions, and shareholder agreements and startups. Through his work, he has represented landlords and tenants as well as major retail centres. "The addition of Dennis Tobin further strengthens the capabilities of our corporate/commercial practice, reflecting the firm's continuing commitment to respond to our clients' needs for sophisticated legal advice across a broad spectrum of business law," said Michael Bennett, managing partner at Blaneys. FEDS APPOINT NEW ONTARIO JUDGE Lawyer Dale Fitzpatrick is the newest Ontario Superior Court judge. Fitzpatrick, formerly a partner with Furlong Collins Fitzpatrick, becomes a judge in Milton, Ont. He replaces Justice A.J. Goodman, who has moved to London, Ont., to fill the open spot following the death of justice T.D. Little. Fitpatrick had been a partner with Furlong Collins Fitzpatrick since 1999. His activities include participation in the Law Society of Upper Canada's lawyer mentoring program. His main areas of practice were family law and civil and criminal litigation. LT "Now, tweet that there are RIDE checks on 15th, 16th, 18th, and 19th streets!" uFor more Inside Story, please visit www.lawtimesnews.com. FEEDS LEGAL LegalFeeds_Cl_Jan_11.indd 1 A daily blog of visit www.lawtimesnews.com Canadian Legal News 1/6/11 11:44:49 AM canadianlaw yermag.com/ legalfeeds

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