Law Times

Page 16 May 14, 2018 • Law TiMes www.lawtimesnews.com u Bizarre Briefs By Viola James u The InsIde story "At last! We're in business!" SCOTS SCOFF AT SOFT DRINK BAN LONDON — Scots have reacted with disbelief at news that Irn Bru, a luminous orange soft drink more popular than Coca Cola in Scot- land, has been banned from Donald Trump's luxury golf resort because it stains the carpets, reports Reuters. The Irn Bru ban at Trump Turnberry, a sprawling estate on the west coast of Scotland with dramatic sea views, was confirmed to lo- cal newspaper the Ayrshire Post by the resort's general manager, Ralph Porciani. "We can't have it staining when to replace the ballroom carpet would be 500,000 pounds ($863,064) alone," Porciani was quoted as saying. "We have villas here with Irn Bru stains in the carpets, which I can't let," he said. Underlining the seriousness of the issue, The Scotsman, a venerable national news- paper, ran an editorial column entitled "An un- fortunate stain on Trump's reputation." No one at Trump Turnberry was immediately available to comment. MY USED POST-ITS ARE NOT AS INTERESTING NEW YORK — A former clerk at Wall Street law firm Simpson Thacher & Bartlett was sentenced on May 9 to 37 months in prison for his role in an insider trading ring that passed merger tips on napkins and Post-it notes in New York's Grand Central Terminal, reports Reuters. Steven Metro, 44, formerly of Katonah, New York, was resentenced to three months after the federal appeals court in Philadelphia threw out his original 46-month term, finding a lack of proof he was responsible for all US$5.6 mil- lion of alleged illegal profit from the five-year scheme. Prosecutors said Metro leaked transactions involving Simpson Thacher clients to mortgage broker Frank Tamayo, who passed the tips to former Morgan Stanley stockbroker Vladimir Eydelman at Grand Central's main clock. Tamayo would then chew up the papers on which tips were written, prosecutors said. U.S. District Judge Michael Shipp in Trenton, N.J., who imposed the sentence, also ordered Metro to serve three years of supervised release. Metro has been incarcerated in a federal de- tention centre in Philadelphia and, according to his lawyer, Lawrence Lustberg, is expected to move to a halfway house within a month. Metro pleaded guilty in November 2015. Eydel- man and Tamayo also pleaded guilty and were sentenced to three years and one year in prison, respectively. Shipp had also imposed the original 46-month prison term. Prosecutors agreed that a 37-month term was now appropriate. NO CHARGES FOR NUDE ART ADMIRERS PARIS — A Paris museum opened its doors for the first time to nudist visitors on May 5, grant- ing them special visiting hours to tour an ex- hibit in a one-off naturist event, reports Reuters. The Palais de Tokyo contemporary art mu- seum, in Paris' plush 16th district, is the city's first gallery to grant such access, though natur- ists have recently launched other initiatives in the French capital. A park in the east of Paris, the Bois de Vincennes, last year trialled the city's first dedicated nudist zone, and the space re- cently re-opened ahead of the summer months. Naturist campaigners said the museum event, with around 160 attendees, was a break- through in one of the culture capitals of the world. "The naturists' way of life is to be naked. Culture is part of our daily life, and this is a spe- cial opportunity," said Julien Claude-Penegry, communications director of the Paris Naturists Association, in the Palais de Tokyo's vast con- crete and steel hallways. "Today, the mentality is changing." According to the association, which has 88,000 followers in Paris alone, there are 2.6 million naturist practitioners in France. Next in store is a nudist clubbing night planned for later this year. LT BACKLASH OVER NEW INTERIM DEAN The deputy grand chief of Nish- nawbe Aski Nation says that Lakehead University has not done enough consultation with Indigenous groups following the resignation of the dean of the school's faculty of law. Deputy grand chief Derek Fox and other leaders of Nish- nawbe Aski Nation and Kitch- enuhmaykoosib Inninuwug have criticized the appointment of Superior Court Justice George Patrick Smith as the interim dean of the school. Ac- cording to a statement issued by the Indigenous leaders, Smith sentenced "Chief [Donny] Morris and five members of the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug Council to prison in 2008 during the community's lengthy fight to protect their traditional territory from mining activity," according to the media release from the groups. In April, Angelique EagleWoman — the first Indigenous dean of law at a Canadian school — resigned from her position leading the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law at Lakehead University in Thun- der Bay.After EagleWoman submitted her resignation, she said she'd been a "victim of systemic racism" at the school. Fox, a lawyer, says that not enough has been done to consult with Indigenous groups in selecting EagleWoman's replacement. "I'd like to see both Lakehead University and the law school work with the Indigenous advisory committee on better relationships," says Fox. A spokesman for Lakehead University, Brandon Walker, says the university is not commenting on the issue. INTERNATIONALLY TRAINED EVENT Osgoode Hall Law School will be holding an event on May 31 for internationally trained lawyers. The event will be held at the school, with sessions start- ing at 1 p.m. More information is available at http://www.os- goodepd.ca. CONDO BOARD RULING In a dispute over voting by proxy, the Ontario Superior Court has dismissed an order to invalidate the election of a con- dominium's board of directors. In her decision in York Re- gional Condominium Cor- poration No. 818 v. Michael Przysuski, Superior Court Justice Beth A. Allen called the attempt to invalidate the election "a ploy to supplant a duly elected candidate with a candidate preferred by a certain faction of the board," and she described the actions by YRCC property managers who dis- puted the process as "nefarious but equally absurd." The case rested on a factual issue and a le- gal issue, whether the proxy was present at the AGM and, if it was present, if it was legally valid. YES, I AGREE 32 % 68 % NO, I DO NOT AGREE LAW TIMES POLL A recent column addressed the commercialization of surrogacy or gamete donation in Cana- da. Readers were asked if they agreed with a move by a federal MP to decriminalize payment in surrogacy, egg donation and sperm donation arrangements. About 32 per cent said yes, they agreed with decriminal- ization because it will discour- age people from going to other jurisdictions to start a family. About 68 per cent said no, they felt decriminalization would vi- olate the altruistic nature of the Assisted Human Reproduction Act. LT Genuine © 2017 Stewart. All rights reserved. See policies for full terms and conditions. At Stewart Title, we've worked hard to build a company where integrity is the keystone in all our dealings. With us what you see is what you get — comprehensive title insurance coverage, experienced underwriters and support for your practice. Learn more about our level of support, call (888) 667-5151 or visit stewart.ca. Untitled-6 1 2018-05-08 5:13 PM Derek Fox says that not enough has been done to consult with Indigenous groups in selecting the replacement of the law school dean at Lakehead University.

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