Legal News Roundup: October 21

Posted in In the news on October 20, 2020

Here’s a roundup of recent legal stories in the news.

Odell Beckham Jr. and Drake Involved in Lawsuit

Yahoo News – A man named Bennett Sipes is suing rapper Drake, Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and Kourtney Kardashian’s ex-boyfriend Younes Bendjima over an alleged assault. The incident occurred outside of an L.A. nightclub two years ago. According to XXL, Sipes is seeking $250,000 in damages.

In court documents, Sipes claims he suffered “traumatic brain injury, as well as injuries to his back, neck, shoulders, etc.” on March 24, 2018, when he was attacked by Bendjima, as well as members of Drake and Beckham’s entourages in an alley near the nightclub. The suit alleges Drake and Beckham followed their respective crews to the alley to watch Sipes get attacked.

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Court Upholds Heroin Dealer’s Conviction for Death of User

Court News Ohio – During the trial of an accused drug dealer whose sale of heroin led to the user’s death, a jury was properly instructed that the dealer could be held responsible if the drugs he sold caused the user’s death by overdose, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled. The court rejected Mark Price’s argument that a Cuyahoga County trial court confused the jury with instructions that allowed him to be convicted of corruption of another with drugs. Price maintained the court incorrectly allowed the jury to consider a lower standard — that the drug sale was a “substantial or contributing factor” in the 2016 overdose death of James Dawson — to gain a conviction.

In August 2016, Dawson contacted his neighbor, Tierra Fort, in an attempt to find someone to sell him heroin. Fort contacted Price and arranged for Price to sell Dawson $100 worth of heroin. Dawson picked up the drugs from Fort at her apartment, and he gave her about $20 worth of them. The next day Dawson was found dead in his apartment of an apparent overdose.

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McDonald’s Faces Whistleblower Lawsuit

Business Insider – Former McDonald’s worker Maria E. Ruiz Bonilla filed a whistleblower retaliation suit against the fast-food giant late last week. Ruiz claims she was fired after protesting safety violations at the chain during the coronavirus pandemic, including a lack of masks and cleaning supplies.

“I was afraid, of course. I was thinking about losing my job,” Ruiz told Business Insider. “But, at the same time, my fear of getting sick with COVID and dying was bigger.”

McDonald’s responded to the lawsuit by saying, “These allegations are untrue and cannot be substantiated. The employee was terminated after a thorough review found that she falsely reported a safety violation, created and provided false evidence, and lied during the investigation.”

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Justice Department Unveils Antitrust Suit Against Google

HuffPost – The U.S. Department of Justice and 11 states announced an enforcement action against Google, accusing the search giant of stifling competition in order to maintain its monopoly position. The antitrust lawsuit alleges the tech giant broke the law in using its market power to fend off rivals.

Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company had revenue of $162 billion in 2019, more than the nation of Hungary.

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