LORETTA POWERS takes a look at some of the legal stories making headlines in this weekly segment:
TOPIC 1- THE MAYOR OF A LOUISIANA CITY IS SUING THE CREATOR OF FAKE ANTIFA EVENTS ON FACEBOOK
Lafayette Consolidated Government is suing the man who created fake ANTIFA social media events, claiming the hoaxes have cost the city "considerable sums of money." The lawsuit, filed in the 15th Judicial District in Lafayette, alleges John Merrifield cost the city-parish government money when he created two fake Facebook events that said Antifa would show up in the city's high-end River Ranch community and the Acadiana Mall. The lawsuit seeks an unspecified amount of damages of less than $75,000.
TOPIC 2- COLLISION: COLLATERAL EFFECTS OF CALIFORNIA’S LAWSUITS AGAINST LYFT AND UBER
The California Labor Commissioner’s Office has challenged Uber and Lyft in two new state-backed lawsuits that allege that the companies have engaged in “wage theft” by misclassifying their drivers as independent contractors. Filed in Alameda County, the suits are the most recent effort to enforce A.B. 5, which arguably caused a sea change in the analysis governing whether a worker should be classified as an employee or independent contractor.
TOPIC 3- MEGHAN MARKLE SUES AGENCY OVER PAPARAZZI PICS OF HER WALKING DOGS WITH ARCHIE
The Duchess of Sussex claims her privacy was breached when the snaps were taken in Vancouver in January, and has launched legal action against agency Splash News. Meghan Markle is suing a picture agency over paparazzi photos of her walking her dogs with baby son Archie. The Duchess of Sussex claims her privacy was breached when the snaps were taken in Vancouver in January, and has launched legal action against Splash News. The High Court in London heard that Meghan claims her and her son's privacy was invaded during the incident and that data protection laws were broken when the photos were sold to British newspapers. Barrister Jonathan Barnes, representing Meghan and her son, told the hearing she denies suggestions that she agreed to the pictures being taken or "acquiesced" when she saw Splash photographer Steve Dennett.