Declarations

Hiring Miss Cleo

“Miss Cleo does have quite the folk hero cast to her, and it was an interesting choice by General Mills to bring her back to promote cereal. But it shows their disregard for the intellectual property rights of others.”

—Joel Dichter, a lawyer for the Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Psychic Readers, which is suing General Mills for copyright infringement for hiring the psychic to promote its cereal.

Unenforceable Ordinances

“Because current state law does not prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, it is my opinion that Act 137 renders the five ordinances unenforceable in this respect.”

—Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, in a nonbinding opinion, wrote that five local measures prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity cannot be enforced because of a new Arkansas law barring such protections. The ordinances prohibiting such discrimination are in place in Little Rock, Hot Springs, Eureka Springs, Pulaski County and Fayetteville.

Like a Waterfall

“Water starts coming in the basement wall, then a piece of plaster breaks. … Then we heard a big crash and the window breaks. Then the water starts coming in like a waterfall.”

—Dave Decker, pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Sioux Falls, S.D., describes the damage to church property after more than half a foot of rain fell on parts of the city in late August.

Baltimore Settlement

“This settlement represents an opportunity to bring closure to the Gray family, the community and the city.”

—Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake on the $6.4 million wrongful death settlement the city officials reached with the family of Freddie Gray, who died after being critically injured in police custody in April. His death sparked rioting that shook the city for days. Six Baltimore police officers face criminal charges stemming from Gray’s death.

Haggen V. Albertsons

“Had Haggen known Albertsons’ true intentions, Haggen would never have purchased the Stores, nor would the FTC have permitted such a purchase.”

—A lawsuit by a Washington-based grocer says Albertsons gave it misleading and incomplete retail-pricing data, causing it to unknowingly inflate prices, as well as illegally accessed Haggen’s confidential data to get the upper hand.