At a Glance ...

Uber refunds fee after woman in wheelchair denied ride

KENTWOOD (AP) — Ride-hailing company Uber says it’s refunded a cancellation fee charged to a woman who says a driver refused to pick her up because of her wheelchair.

Chelsea Perry, 27, tells WOOD-TV she uses Uber to get to work and Grand Rapids-area drivers typically are helpful, breaking down her chair if necessary to make it fit. But she said a driver recently told her the chair wouldn’t fit in his sedan.

Perry saids the chair would have fit, but he left without her. She wants positive change to come from what happened.

Uber said in a statement it works to ensure that its drivers don’t discriminate. Uber spokesman Andrew Hasbun wrote that company guidelines “prohibit any type of discrimination in serving riders with disabilities” and it has started an investigation.


Emails show GOP hostility to Dems in state redistricting

DETROIT (AP) — Emails produced in a lawsuit over Michigan’s legislative and congressional maps show Republicans eager to pack Democratic voters in certain districts after the 2010 census.

In 2011, Jack Daly told others that he wants to “cram ALL of the Dem garbage” into four districts in southeastern Michigan. Daly at the time was chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Thad McCotter, a Livonia Republican.

A lawsuit in Detroit federal court claims Michigan’s districts violate the rights of Democratic voters and are the result of “excessive” partisanship by Republicans who controlled the process.
Districts are drawn every decade.


Prosecutor censured for book about Facebook slayings

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Supreme Court has censured a prosecutor who wrote a book about trying a double murder arising from a Facebook spat.

The Johnson City Press reports the court’s Board of Professional Responsibility said Dennis Brooks’ book poses a conflict of interest and prejudice to the administration of justice.

Brooks was lead prosecutor in the 2015 trial of Barbara Potter and Jenelle Potter, both convicted of murder in the deaths of Billy Payne and Billie Hayworth.

The board says Brooks’ book, “Too Pretty to Live: The Catfish Murders of East Tennessee,” was published before appeals had concluded. The women’s motion for a new trial after publication was denied this year.

Brooks said in a statement he disagreed with the warning but wouldn’t contest it.


Shortage prompts brewers’ appeal for bottles, crates

BERLIN (AP) — Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall? Brewers in Germany would kindly ask you to return them when you’re done passing them around.

The German Brewers Association says strong summer sales of beer and non-alcoholic beverages in recent weeks have left some drinks manufacturers high and dry.

A spokesman said some brewers have only limited supplies of bottles left: “It would be good if consumers brought their empties back to stores quickly."

The appeal is being backed by a campaign on social media.

Consumers in Germany pay a small deposit on bottles and crates, which is refunded when they are returned to a store. The bottles are cleaned and re-used.

––––––––––––––––––––
Subscribe to the Legal News!
http://www.legalnews.com/Home/Subscription
Full access to public notices, articles, columns, archives, statistics, calendar and more
Day Pass Only $4.95!
One-County $80/year
Three-County & Full Pass also available