All posts tagged: lawsuits

Abuse database is no longer a priority for Southern Baptist leaders

Abuse database is no longer a priority for Southern Baptist leaders

Published by skeptic

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) — A proposed online database that would list the names of abusive Southern Baptist pastors is now on hold, with no names likely to be added to the website by the denomination’s annual meeting this summer. Instead, Southern Baptist leaders working to address abuse in the nation’s largest Protestant denomination say they will focus on helping churches access other databases of abusers and training churches to do better background checks. However, the so-called Ministry Check database, which was a centerpiece of reforms approved by Southern Baptist messengers — or local church representatives — is now on the back burner. “At this point, it’s not a focus for us,” Jeff Iorg, head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee, told reporters at a news conference Tuesday (Feb. 18) during the committee’s annual meeting in Nashville, Tennessee.  Reporter Bob Smietana on the Complexified podcast discussing the SBC Executive Committee meeting:   The proposed database has been derailed by denominational apathy, legal worries and a desire to protect donations to the Southern Baptist Convention’s mission …

David Geffen Faces Lawsuit Over Alleged Fraudulent Art Sale

David Geffen Faces Lawsuit Over Alleged Fraudulent Art Sale

Published by skeptic

In the latest blue-chip art world lawsuit, Hong Kong–based cryptocurrency mogul Justin Sun is suing billionaire collector David Geffen for the return of an Alberto Giacometti sculpture, Le Nez, claiming it was sold out from under him by a rogue art adviser in an elaborate scheme of forged signatures and fictitious lawyers. Sun, who purchased the Le Nez at Sotheby’s for $78.4 million in 2021, alleges that his former adviser, Xiong Zihan Sydney, orchestrated the sale to Geffen without his consent, fabricating documents and even impersonating a lawyer via email to push the deal through.  Related Articles Now, Sun wants his sculpture back—“or substantial damages.” Geffen’s attorney, Tibor L. Nagy, told the New York Times, which first reported the news, that the complaint was “bizarre and baseless,” and suggested that Sun simply regrets the deal.  The complaint does not contain any allegations that Geffen had any contact or connection with Xiong. “Deals get done through intermediaries,” Nagy said. “If Mr. Sun is now, a year later, unhappy with the deal his intermediary got him, that’s no basis for a claim …

Broad Museum Faces Two Lawsuits Alleging Retaliation Against Workers

Broad Museum Faces Two Lawsuits Alleging Retaliation Against Workers

Published by skeptic

Los Angeles’s Broad museum is facing two lawsuits, filed within less than a week of each other, that accuse the institution of discrimination and defamation, as well as failing to prevent retaliation against two workers. The first suit was filed by the museum’s former HR director, Darron Rezell Walker, who claims in a legal filing that he was released from his role after failing to find cause to fire a facilities manager. Walker claims he was pressured by the museum’s former COO, Alysa Gerlach, to fire Rick Mitchell, 65, based on personal animosity, his age, and his race. Walker alleges that he was dismissed by Gerlach after failing to find cause for Mitchell’s termination following an investigation into his department. Related Articles The investigation was initiated after Mitchell asked for safety standards to be reviewed for his department, which included 37 people at the time of the internal dispute. The second lawsuit, filed by Mitchell, accuses Gerlach of orchestrating his termination due to age and racial bias. Mitchell alleges that there was an internal investigation …

Harvard agrees to controversial definition of antisemitism in settling lawsuits

Harvard agrees to controversial definition of antisemitism in settling lawsuits

Published by skeptic

(RNS) — Harvard University has settled two lawsuits with Jewish groups that claimed the school had not taken appropriate steps to keep its campus from becoming a hostile environment for Jewish and Israeli students in the aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in southern Israel. Harvard agreed to an unspecified monetary payout, and to hire an administrator to consult on all complaints of antisemitism and to pursue a new partnership with an Israeli university. The school also agreed to draft an annual report for the next five years that details its response to discrimination and harassment. As part of the settlement, Harvard also agreed to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism when investigating complaints. The controversial definition, which critics say quashes dissent of Israel, offers among several examples of antisemitism the claim that the existence of a state of Israel is a racist endeavor. Previously, Harvard’s policies barred any discrimination based on religion, national origin or ancestry.  The university also must post on its website the following statement: “For many Jewish …

Kavi Gupta Mired in Lawsuits, Raquel Rabinovich Dead at 95, and More

Kavi Gupta Mired in Lawsuits, Raquel Rabinovich Dead at 95, and More

Published by skeptic

To receive Morning Links in your inbox every weekday, sign up for our Breakfast with ARTnews newsletter. The Headlines DEALER KAVI GUPTA’S LEGAL TROUBLES. Chicago dealer Kavi Gupta, who has championed many artists featured in major international exhibitions, is facing lawsuits and claims of mismanagement, reports Brian Boucher for Artnet News. Artist Jeffrey Gibson, who represented the US at the Venice Biennale, filed a suit against Gupta’s gallery in 2023 alleging unpaid sales proceeds to the tune of nearly $640,000. The gallery responded at the time that those funds were spent on production expenses, per their contract with the artist. Then, dealer Thomas McCormick also sued Gupta in June 2024, alleging the misuse of funds from a refinanced loan on their co-owned building at Gupta’s main location on West Washington Blvd, in addition to falling behind on rent. Gupta’s lawyer has denied those allegations. But several people familiar with the gallery’s operations told Artnet News anonymously that the gallery and Gupta’s troubles go far deeper and the alleged practices far more widespread than previously known. Related Articles IN MEMORIAM. The artist Raquel Rabinovich, known for her land art and monochromatic paintings, …

Most Discussed Art World Lawsuits of 2024

Most Discussed Art World Lawsuits of 2024

Published by skeptic

Like most years in the art world, 2024 saw a slew of lawsuits wind their way through the courts. There were, of course, the professional relationships that went sour and the family drama that spilled into open court. But there were also stranger disputes, like a discrimination battle over an art installation in Australia. There were also cases that could have long-lasting legal consequences, like the artist who is challenging the U.S. Copyright Office’s rejection of his copyright for an artwork created with the help of A.I. and a class-action lawsuit filed against Philadelphia’s now-defunct University of the Arts. Some cases, like Mary Miss’s lawsuit against the Des Moines Art Center, landed the parties right back where they started. And, with many of the cases undecided, the stage is already set for 2025. Below, for your reading pleasure, this year’s ten most interesting legal cases in the art world. Sotheby’s Cleared of Accusations of Aiding and Abetting Fraud in Rybolovlev Case Image Credit: Photo by John Nacion/Getty Images After weeks in court in January, Sotheby’s …

Abercrombie ex-CEO Mike Jeffries pleads not guilty to sex crimes

Abercrombie ex-CEO Mike Jeffries pleads not guilty to sex crimes

Published by Sam

Former CEO of Abercrombie and Fitch, Mike Jeffries, walks out of federal court after his arraignment on charges with the trafficking of male models for sex parties around the world, in Central Islip, New York on October 25, 2024.  Adam Gray | AFP | Getty Images Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries and his associate pleaded not guilty Friday to federal criminal charges that he sexually exploited dozens of men, many of whom sought to be models for the clothing brand. Jeffries, 80, and James Jacobson, 71, appeared in U.S. District Court in Long Island, New York, three days after being arrested on sex trafficking and interstate prostitution charges. The graphic 16-count indictment unsealed Tuesday accuses Jeffries and his romantic partner Matthew Smith, 61, of operating an international sex trafficking enterprise over more than six years, most of which overlapped with Jeffries’ tenure as CEO of Abercrombie. Jacobson allegedly worked as a recruiter for the “Sex Events,” and would allegedly require prospective candidates to participate in “tryouts” with him. The defendants allegedly used “coercive, …

Libbie Mugrabi in Legal Battle with Art-Backed Lending Company

Libbie Mugrabi in Legal Battle with Art-Backed Lending Company

Published by skeptic

Libbie Mugrabi, the New York–based socialite, art collector, and ex-wife of top art collector David Mugrabi, is embroiled in an ongoing legal battle with the art-backed lending company Art Capital Group (ACG) and its executives, Ian Peck and Terence Doran, over a $3 million loan that never materialized.  In court documents, ACG claimed that Mugrabi failed to pay fees associated with a loan application. As collateral, Mugrabi allegedly put up a Jean-Michel Basquiat painting stained with the artist’s blood worth at least $30 million. When Mugrabi couldn’t come up with the $12,500 due diligence fee, the suit claims, she offered another picture, a $1.5 million Andy Warhol portrait of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, as security.  Related Articles When the loan was denied “due to her checkered credit history and one or more substantial judgments against her,” the lawsuit said, ACG claimed that Mugrabi reported the Warhol as stolen to the police in Southampton. The suit also alleges that she posted “Wanted” posters with the faces of both Peck and Doran, along with their names, ages, race and …

Fintech Bolt is buying out the investor suing over Ryan Breslow’s M loan

Fintech Bolt is buying out the investor suing over Ryan Breslow’s $30M loan

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Bolt says it has settled its long-standing lawsuit with its investor Activant Capital. One-click payments startup Bolt is settling the suit by buying out the investor’s stake “after which Activant will no longer hold any interest in Bolt,” the company said in a statement. Activant’s suit accused founder and then CEO Ryan Breslow of adding […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Source link

A Teen Said a Deputy Threatened Him as He Filmed His Mom’s Arrest. A Jury Awarded Him 5,000.

A Teen Said a Deputy Threatened Him as He Filmed His Mom’s Arrest. A Jury Awarded Him $185,000.

Published by skeptic

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A teenager who video-recorded his mother’s forceful arrest by Louisiana sheriff’s deputies in 2020 has been awarded $185,000 by a federal jury in a lawsuit filed over one deputy’s attempt to interfere with the recording. De’Shaun Johnson was 14 when deputies arrived at his family’s home in St. Tammany Parish to question his mother, Teliah Perkins, about allegations she had ridden a motorcycle without a helmet — a charge her attorneys said was baseless and that was never prosecuted. The confrontation turned physical, and video showed the woman being forced to the ground. A lawsuit against the deputies was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the law firm of Reid Collins & Tsai as part of the ACLU’s Justice Lab project, aimed at addressing allegations of police abuses. A federal appeals court largely sided with the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office on many of the allegations, squelching much of the lawsuit over the deputies’ use of force. But it allowed the litigation to continue over allegations that one deputy …