Recent Articles from Velvet Spicer
Policies lack for nonbinary workers in certain professions
In most jobs, gender identity and biological sex do not matter. Individuals who identify as female, male or nonbinary can, without question, serve as doctors, lawyers, architects, baristas and Uber drivers. Certain professions, however, have requirements that could lead to employee discrimination. “My job as an attorney really has nothing to do with my sex […]
Nixon Peabody dedicated to advancing diversity within the firm
Nixon Peabody LLP is shifting its industry-leading Diversity Challenge to enable attorneys to count their diversity work toward billable hours. In 2010, the law firm launched its innovative Diversity Challenge, calling on attorneys to dedicate at least 40 hours annually to diversity-related initiatives and projects. Attorneys now will be able to count up to 60 […]
State Assembly reviewing ‘Kyra’s Law,’ aimed at bolstering child protections
In 2016, 2-year-old Kyra Franchetti was shot twice by her father while she slept. He then set the house on fire and committed suicide. Kyra’s mother, Jacqueline Franchetti, had warned Family Court officials that her ex-boyfriend was mentally unstable and suicidal and could not be trusted in unsupervised visitation with his daughter, but those warnings […]
Local production company’s film featured in national campaign Free to Drive
A locally produced short film has been featured in a national campaign to end debt-based driver’s license suspensions. Rochester-based production company Fish & Crown Creative’s short film, “Desiree’s Story,” was produced for use by Free to Drive, a national campaign to end the practice of suspending a person’s driver’s license when they cannot afford to […]
New York AG report details patient neglect, other conduct during pandemic
A new report from New York Attorney General Letitia James on COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes has community members and organizations statewide calling for answers and looking for solutions. Thursday’s report — a sprawling, in-depth 76-page document — details an investigation led by James’ office into nursing homes’ responses to the pandemic. James has been […]
First female attorney appointed Monroe County public administrator
Two Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC attorneys have been appointed to serve as Monroe County public administrator and deputy public administrator. Cressida Dixon has been appointed to serve as public administrator, the first female attorney to serve in the role here. Matthew Taylor will serve as deputy public administrator. In these roles, Dixon and Taylor […]
New GRAWA committee helps women navigate the shoals of leadership
When Rebecca Indralingam was admitted to the New York State Bar in 2017, she went directly into practicing solo. It was admittedly a little traumatic for her. “I went into criminal defense and family law,” Indralingam said. “I know how difficult and terrifying it was for me to start a solo practice.” Greater Rochester Association […]
Cuomo addresses domestic and gender based-violence
Ending domestic violence and sexual assault has been an important piece of New York state’s agenda for several years, but this year, Gov. Andrew Cuomo plans to address domestic and gender-based violence head on. Cuomo in his State of the State address this year committed to a comprehensive package of initiatives to combat domestic violence […]
Rochester trucking company owner charged with lying on paperwork
A Rochester business owner has been charged with lying to the Federal Motor Commission Safety Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation to hide the fact that his company was affiliated with another company he controlled. The charges carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. According to a criminal […]
NYSBA urges state to mandate COVID-19 vaccine
The New York Bar Association last week called on the state to consider mandating a COVID-19 vaccine if voluntary measures fail to protect public health. The association’s House of Delegates approved a resolution on Nov. 7 outlining conditions for requiring the vaccine for all New Yorkers not exempted by doctors. The resolution came days before […]
Redlining history linked to COVID-19 prevalence
Less than a century ago, the Home Owners Loan Corp., a now-defunct federal agency, went into neighborhoods nationwide to map them in order to inform the government on the default risk for loans they wanted to purchase from banks. The Federal Housing Administration sanctioned “redlining,” literally the act of drawing a red line around neighborhoods […]
Trump adds new restrictions to H-1B visas, limiting immigration of skilled workers
The Trump Administration has again changed rules making H-1B visas harder to obtain, prompting pushback from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers and at least a dozen other parties, including the University of Rochester. On Oct. 19, the Chamber, NAM and others filed a lawsuit in the Northern District of California […]
Case Digests
- NYS Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics – Attorney misconduct: Opinion 22-164
- NYS Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics – Independently written bench book: Opinion 22-163
- Fourth Department – Suppression: People v. Saeli
- Second Circuit – RICO: Horn v. Medical Marijuana Inc.
- NYS Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics – Uncompensated interview: Opinion 22-159
- NYS Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics – Uncompensated guest speaker: Opinion 22-158
- Fourth Department – Negligent performance: Rosenthal v. Syracuse University, et al.
- Second Circuit – Visual Artists Rights Act: Kerson v. Vermont Law School Inc.
- NYS Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics – Former foreclosure referee: Opinion 22-157
- NYS Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics – College honorarium: Opinion 22-156
- Second Circuit – Reasonable accommodation: Tafolla v. Heilig
- Fourth Department – Labor Law: Primisch v. Peroxychem LLC
Law News
- Appeals court upholds Supreme Court ruling
- Assistant district attorney appointed City Court judge by Rochester mayor
- Murder conviction affirmed despite trial judge error
- NY appeals court upholds conviction in burglary case
- Federal lawsuit reinstated against jail officer over strip search, delayed release
- Hyzon to pay $25M penalty to settle alleged fraud charges by SEC
- NY appeals court reinstates lawsuit over contract to remove snow
- Fourth Department affirms $400K judgment in contract dispute