Declarations

Green Teeth

“We’ve been hanging on by the skin of our teeth.”

— Marijuana retailer and cultivator Donnie Anderson, who has been paying thousands of dollars of rent for months on commercial space he hasn’t been able to use without a cultivation license, was happy to hear that Los Angeles began accepting license applications from marijuana growers, manufacturers and testing companies after months of delays that left many businesses in the state’s largest legal marketplace struggling to survive.

Wage Theft

“Time and again, we’ve seen how wage theft is symptomatic of an overall disregard for workers’ well-being on work sites where companies regularly defraud their employees. We have also seen them playing fast and loose with their workers’ lives and safety.”

— Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. commenting after CRV Precast Construction LLC (CRV) and six of its employees were indicted for misclassifying workers, underpaying them and falsifying information about payroll and employees, including a worker who was killed at a company job site. The defendants were charged with insurance fraud, grand larceny and scheme to defraud, among other charges.

Employee Harassment

“Employers must take appropriate action to stop employees from harassing other employees.”

— Kara G. Haden, acting regional attorney for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Charlotte, N.C., District, said in response to an employee lawsuit against a Golden Corral restaurant franchisee in Matthews, N.C. The EEOC said the operator of the franchise discriminated against an employee by subjecting him to a hostile work environment based on his disability (autism) and his sex (male). The EEOC settled the suit for $85,000. The franchise is required to hold annual sexual harassment and disability training for employees and managers.

Rare Indictments

“Indictments against corporations are rare … Those who poison our environment will be prosecuted when the evidence justifies it.”

— Harris County (Texas) District Attorney Kim Ogg commenting after Arkema North America, its CEO Richard Rowe and plant manager Leslie Comardelle were charged with “recklessly” releasing toxic chemicals from Arkema’s plant in Crosby, Texas, into the air in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. The charge carries up to $1 million in fines and five years’ imprisonment.

Duck Boat Tragedy

“The Coast Guard will conduct a thorough and detailed investigation to identify all potential causal factors associated with this tragedy,”

— Capt. Wayne Arguin, chairman of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Marine Board of Investigation, said an investigation into the July 19 sinking of a Ride the Ducks boat on Missouri’s Table Rock Lake near Branson, will cover regulatory compliance of the boat, crew member duties and qualifications. The boat was on the lake despite wind speeds far exceeding allowable limits when it sank, killing 17 people, according to a certificate of inspection made public on Aug. 1.