Ex-Detroit lawyer loses case over 'ghetto' remark

Headline News

A former top lawyer for the city of Detroit who lost her job for describing a local court as "ghetto" has lost an appeal over her dismissal.

A federal appeals court says Friday that Kathleen Leavey's comments in 2009 were not protected under the First Amendment because they were made as part of her job.

Leavey, who is white, has said she used the word "ghetto" in a conversation with a court employee to describe Detroit's 36th District Court as inefficient and poor in serving the public. The chief judge, who is black, heard about the comment and contacted city hall. The angry call to a deputy mayor led to Leavey's departure.

The appeals court says the Constitution does not shield certain expressions made during official duties.

Related listings

  • Federal Law Entitles You to an Accurate Credit Report

    Federal Law Entitles You to an Accurate Credit Report

    Headline News 03/06/2012

    Indianapolis Credit Reporting Law Firm The Fair Credit Reporting Act (the FCRA), a federal statute passed in 1970 to regulate the collection and use of consumer credit information, requires consumer reporting agencies (also known as credit reporting ...

  • Cook County court building named after famed Judge

    Cook County court building named after famed Judge

    Headline News 03/02/2012

    After decades of merely being known as 26th and California, the Cook County Criminal Courts building on Chicago's southwest side has been officially named "The Honorable George N. Leighton Criminal Court Building." Members of the Cook County Board vo...

  • Back Pay Award Reduced Based on Laches in Class Action

    Back Pay Award Reduced Based on Laches in Class Action

    Headline News 03/01/2012

    The Indiana Supreme Court recently decided what could prove to be a landmark decision on the doctrine of laches in Richmond State Hospital v. Brattain, Cause No. 49S02-1106-CV-327. If you are dealing with a case involving laches, this decision is a m...

Grounds for Divorce in Ohio - Sylkatis Law, LLC

A divorce in Ohio is filed when there is typically “fault” by one of the parties and party not at “fault” seeks to end the marriage. A court in Ohio may grant a divorce for the following reasons:
• Willful absence of the adverse party for one year
• Adultery
• Extreme cruelty
• Fraudulent contract
• Any gross neglect of duty
• Habitual drunkenness
• Imprisonment in a correctional institution at the time of filing the complaint
• Procurement of a divorce outside this state by the other party

Additionally, there are two “no-fault” basis for which a court may grant a divorce:
• When the parties have, without interruption for one year, lived separate and apart without cohabitation
• Incompatibility, unless denied by either party

However, whether or not the the court grants the divorce for “fault” or not, in Ohio the party not at “fault” will not get a bigger slice of the marital property.

Business News

New York & New Jersey Family Law Matters We represent our clients in all types of proceedings that include termination of parental rights. >> read