Contact me at markploftus@aol.com

Apologize for not posting for several days, but I was laid low by the flu. I am cautiously optimistic I am on the road to recovery and will try to get back in the swing of things.

There have been some legal developments of note over the last week or so, but I won't get to all of them tonite. One thing that did catch my eye is the decision by Federal Judge Norgle last week to dismiss the class action suit by descendants of slaves for reparations from 19 blue chip companies. The Judge noted that the complaint primarily failed because the plaintiffs were attempting to bring the claims nearly a century after the end of the Civil War and the formal abolition of slavery. He also noted that there the plaintiffs have failed to show any personal stake in the outcome of the litigation. In response, the plaintiffs contend that due to slavery they have shorter life expectancies and are more likely to be jailed or murdered. Judge Norgle permitted the plaintiffs leave to file an amended complaint, but I don't see how the remedy the defects pointed out by the Court.

In silly, but interesting legal news...

Business 2.0 Magazine recently compiled their annual "101 Dumbest Moments in Business" list. I will post several of the listings in the days to come, but I had to post this one.

A Dairy Queen employee in Richmond Virginia apparently took a liking to a female customer. He walked over to her booth, pulled down her sweater and bit her on the breast. Yes, bit her on the breast. He then announced, and I quote "I am like Dracula". Perhaps a bit more like Dracula's idiot stepbrother. Particularly astounding is the fact that this moron had attacked a female employee six months earlier and DQ had done nothing about it. The woman sued and the jury awarded her $700,000. The article in the Mag had a nice little still photo from an old Dracula movie where Dracula was about to munch on some young maiden. Close inspection reveals Dracula wearing a DQ paper hat.