Kuwaiti-born man due damages in arrest
Court Alerts
A federal court has ruled that a Kuwaiti-born man may collect monetary damages from the city of Honolulu following claims that he was arrested based on unjustified suspicions of terrorism.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco refused to reconsider the case last week and ordered the U.S. District Court in Honolulu to determine the amount of damages that the city owes Mansour Arekat. A three-judge panel had ruled 2-1 in November that Arekat's civil rights were violated.
Arekat, 45, was arrested in 2003 without a warrant under a state mental health law allowing people to be taken into custody if they're deemed to be imminently dangerous, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Monday.
Arekat's attorney, Eric Seitz, said Honolulu police used the mental health law to detain Arekat for seven or eight hours before he was released without charges.
Seitz said Honolulu police officer Letha DeCaires suspected that Arekat might be a terrorist because he came from the Middle East. Also, a former employee at Arekat's security firm told DeCaires that Arekat was associated with terrorism and had model airplanes at his apartment that resembled airliners hijacked in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Related listings
-
Judge strikes down NC ban on public profanity
Court Alerts 01/09/2011A North Carolina judge has struck down a 98-year-old state ban on public profanity.Superior Court Judge Allen Baddour dismissed a misdemeanor charge against Chapel Hill resident Samantha Elabanjo on Wednesday. She had been convicted in July of using ...
-
Navajo high court halts discretionary spending
Court Alerts 01/06/2011The Navajo Nation’s high court has banned elected tribal officials from doling out public money until the tribe establishes rules on their financial aid program.The court made the decision this week in a case that challenged the reduction of the Trib...
-
NY appeals court overturns rape conviction .
Court Alerts 01/04/2011A state appeals court has overturned the conviction of a man found guilty of raping his underage sister-in-law in Queens.Luis Gomez has served nearly four years of a nine-year prison term for rape, sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child....
New York Commercial Litigation Law Firm - Woods Lonergan PLLC
Founded in 1993 by Managing Partner James F. Woods, Woods Lonergan PLLC has built a strong reputation as a resourceful and industrious firm that provides clients with clear, concise, and straightforward answers to their most challenging legal issues. Partner Lawrence R. Lonergan, who joined the firm in 2008, has been a friend and colleague to Mr. Woods for over 40 years and shares the same business philosophy. Woods Lonergan PLLC’s collective experience and expertise enables the firm to expeditiously and effectively analyze the increasing challenges clients face in an evolving business and legal world, in many instances, avoiding unnecessary time and expense to our clients. Our mission is simple: provide cutting-edge expertise and sound advice in select areas of the law for corporate and business clients. We thrive on providing each client with personalized attention, forceful representation, and a collaborative team effort that embraces collective knowledge.