Cullen and Dykman

1. Judge Tosses ECOA Suit Against JP Morgan Chase

Monday, Aug 18, 2008

A federal judge on Friday tossed out a lawsuit alleging that a unit of JP Morgan Chase & Co. declined to lend more than $100 million to a company owned by two black men seeking to purchase a Texas oil refinery because of their race.

2. Jury To Decide Age Bias Suit V. N.Y. Town

Tuesday, Feb 12, 2008

A court has ruled that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission provided sufficient evidence to send to trial an age discrimination suit filed on behalf of a youth counselor against the town of Huntington, N.Y.

3. Countrywide Deal Could Mean Legal Woes For BofA

Friday, Jan 11, 2008

Bank of America's $4.1 billion buyout of Countrywide Financial Corp. may be a blessing for the ailing home lender, but given the ever-growing number of subprime-related lawsuits and investigations targeting Countrywide, it could spell trouble for Bank of America.

4. Hollywood Writers Take Battle To The NLRB

Friday, Dec 14, 2007

Hollywood writers have taken their battle with the screen producers to the National Labor Relations Board, accusing them of illegally blocking negotiations for a contract that could end the 40-plus-day strike.

5. MSG Settles Harassment Suit For $11.5M

Tuesday, Dec 11, 2007

Madison Square Garden LP has reportedly agreed to pay $11.5 million to settle charges that it retaliated against a former executive after she accused New York Knicks head coach Isiah Thomas of sexual harassment.

6. Writers Guild Goes On Strike

Monday, Nov 05, 2007

For the first time in 20 years, about 12,000 Hollywood writers walked off the job on Monday, after last-minute negotiations failed to bring about a resolution to writers' demands that they be given residual fees when their film and TV writing is put on the Internet.

7. Jury Fingers Garden, Thomas For Harassment

Tuesday, Oct 02, 2007

After a salacious three-week-long trial, a federal jury decided Tuesday that Madison Square Garden LP and its chairman must pay $11.6 million in damages for sexually harassing and retaliating against a former team executive.

8. CBS Hit With $70M Suit From Dan Rather

Thursday, Sep 20, 2007

Veteran CBS evening news anchor Dan Rather has filed a $70 million lawsuit against his former employer, alleging breach of contract, reputational harm and fraud related to his demotion and his eventual termination last year.

9. Are Civil Rights Laws Beginning To Contract?

Monday, Jun 04, 2007

The Supreme Court's decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear may be the clarion call that the civil rights laws currently on the books to protect employees will no longer be viewed broadly by the Court and may even suffer contraction, says Jim Ryan of Cullen and Dykman LLP.

10. Preventing Sexual Harassment Claims In The Workplace

Wednesday, Apr 04, 2007

Employers need to have a clear understanding of what constitutes legally actionable sexual harassment, and establish defensible policies which will minimize their potential liability, says Thomas B. Wassel of Cullen and Dykman LLP.

11. Worker Visa Requests Soar Past Cap On First Day

Tuesday, Apr 03, 2007

Over 150,000 worker visa applications poured into the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on Monday, quickly surpassing the annual national cap in a record-breaking single day and forcing the office to resort to a random lottery.

12. Worker Visas Expected To Run Out In Record Time

Wednesday, Mar 28, 2007

As this year’s start-date to hand in worker visa applications, April 1, approaches, immigration attorneys and employers are bracing for a flood of requests that is widely expected to soar past the national cap within the first day.