municipal liability News

If a Tree Falls on a House, Is the City Liable?

An insurer has succeeded in holding a Massachusetts city responsible for $40,000 in damages caused by a tree that fell from city property onto an insured’s home. Citation Insurance Co. paid the homeowner’s damages claim and then sought reimbursement through …

County Trash Collector’s Workers’ Compensation Claim Thrown Out

When the garbage truck stopped, the worker stepped down from the metal step on the back of the truck to run and retrieve a trash can. When his feet hit the ground, he heard a pop in his leg, felt …

Family of Wrongfully Imprisoned Disabled Man to Receive $5.9 Million

More than four years after his death, Richard Lapointe’s family is set to receive a nearly $5.9 million award from Connecticut for his wrongful, quarter-century imprisonment that ended in 2015 when his murder conviction was overturned in the rape and …

Vermont School District Settles With US Over Racial Harassment Allegations

A Vermont school district’s inadequate response to serious and widespread harassment of Black and biracial students has led to a settlement agreement with the federal government, the U.S. Justice Department said Wednesday. The department’s Civil Rights Division and the Vermont …

Justice Department Finds Pattern of Misconduct by Trenton Police

Police in New Jersey’s capital have shown a pattern of misconduct, including using excessive force and making unlawful stops, the Justice Department said last Thursday, in a report documenting arrests without legal basis, officers escalating situations with aggression and unnecessary …

Court Upholds Firing of Philadelphia Cops Over Offensive Facebook Posts

The Philadelphia police department did not violate the First Amendment rights of several officers who were fired or suspended for racist and violent social media posts, a federal judge has ruled. U.S. District Judge Wendy Beetlestone issued her ruling Monday, …

Jury Awards Family $5.4M, Says Coach’s Actions Caused Son’s Suicide

The family of a teenager who died by suicide was awarded $5.4 million this week after a Rhode Island jury found his football coach and several school administrators were negligent in the way they responded before the 15-year-old’s death. Nathan …

Town’s Highway Supervisor Not Exempt From Liability for Crash

A New York town’s highway superintendent is not protected from liability for a collision with another vehicle because he was not actually engaged in work on a highway at the time of the accident, New York’s highest court recently ruled, …

Ex-New York Fire Chief Pleads Guilty to Accepting Bribes to Speed Inspections

A former New York City Fire Department chief pleaded guilty Tuesday to a federal conspiracy charge, admitting that he and others solicited tens of thousands of dollars over two years to give preferential treatment in scheduling safety inspections. Brian Cordasco, …

No Sovereign Immunity for Virginia City or Truck Driver In-Between Garbage Pick-Ups

The Virginia Court of Appeals has ruled that a trial court erred in finding that a garbage truck driver and the city of Chesapeake were shielded by sovereign immunity for their role in an accident caused by the truck driver …