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Sriracha hot sauce lawsuit heads to LA court
Legal Information |
2013/11/01 14:34
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A Southern California factory town's attempt to shut down production of the popular Sriracha chili sauce is heading to court.
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge was expected to decide Thursday whether to grant the city of Irwindale's request to cease operations at the Huy (hoy) Fong Foods factory until the company can reduce the pungent smell of pepper and garlic fumes emanating from the plant.
The sprawling 650,000-square-foot factory processes some 100 million pounds of peppers a year into Sriracha (pronounced "sree-YAH-chah) and two other popular Asian food sauces.
The peppers get washed, mixed with garlic and a few other ingredients and roasted during this time of the year, when jalapeno peppers are harvested in central California and trucked to the 2-year-old plant. The pungent smell of peppers and garlic fumes is sent through a carbon-based filtration system that dissipates them before they leave the building, but not nearly enough say residents.
They complained the odor give them headaches, burn their throat and make their eyes water.
Huy Fong executives said they were cooperating with the city to reduce the smell, but balked at the city's suggestion of putting in a new, $600,000 filtration system that may not be necessary.
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Coast Guard takes rape case to SC court-martial
Legal Information |
2013/07/02 13:16
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A Coast Guard petty officer accused of rape, sexual assault and other charges will face a court-martial expected to begin in September in South Carolina, military officials said Tuesday.
The commander of the Coast Guard district headquartered in Portsmouth, Va., said in a news release that a hearing found grounds to put Petty Officer 2nd Class Omar Gomez on trial in Charleston.
The charges allege that Gomez, 35, engaged in a range of sexual misconduct from rape to inappropriate comments involving two civilians and six Coast Guard women.
The investigation began after a reported sexual assault last September aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Gallatin, which is based in Charleston. Officials say that led to other cases ranging from the Seattle area to Honduras and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Gomez has been assigned to another unit in South Carolina.
A charge related to an alleged 2006 rape will not be pursued because the victim decided not to participate in legal proceedings, the Coast Guard said. |
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Court hears arguments on NYC's big soda ban
Legal Information |
2013/06/13 23:50
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A state appeals court panel had few sweet words Tuesday for a city health regulation that would fight diabetes and obesity by setting a size limit on sugary beverages sold in restaurants.
The four justices peppered a city lawyer with tough questions during a Manhattan court session aimed at determining whether health officials exceeded their authority in placing a 16-ounce limit on most sweetened beverages at city-licensed eateries.
The regulation would apply to thousands of fast food joints, fine restaurants and sports stadiums, but not to supermarkets or most convenience stores. It was struck down in March by a lower-court judge, who found that the rules had too many loopholes that would undermine the health benefits while arbitrarily applying to some businesses but not others. The city appealed.
During oral arguments in the case Tuesday, the judges repeatedly challenged city attorney Fay Ng to defend the rule's scientific and legal underpinnings.
Justice David Friedman said the city appeared to be asking for unprecedented authority to regulate all sorts of portion sizes, including the number of doughnuts a person could eat, the number of scoops of ice cream and number of servings of fried chicken. |
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Los Angeles jeweler pleads guilty in KPMG case
Legal Information |
2013/05/23 11:51
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The owner of a Los Angeles jewelry store pleaded guilty Monday for his role in an insider-trading case involving a former senior partner at accounting firm KPMG.
Bryan Shaw, 52, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and was scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 16 when he faces a maximum of five years in prison.
In this guilty plea, Mr. Shaw continued his path to fully accepting responsibility for his actions and doing the right thing, said Shaw's attorney Nathan Hochman.
Authorities said Shaw made more than $1 million in illicit profits by trading in advance of company announcements on earnings results or mergers for KPMG LLC clients, including Herbalife Lt., Skechers USA Inc. and Uggs maker Deckers Outdoor Corp.
In exchange, Shaw gave former KPMG accountant Scott London bags filled with cash, along with a $12,000 Rolex watch and jewelry for his wife, among other items, prosecutors said. The Securities and Exchange Commission, which filed civil charges in the case, estimates London received at least $50,000.
London, 50, who was fired from KPMG, also is charged with conspiracy and is scheduled to be arraigned next week. |
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