NY Appellate Court Affirmed Approval of Subsurface Sewage-Disposal System Finding Local Government Complied with SEQRA and Local Law Codifying Zoning

This post was authored by Tyler Doan, Esq.

Petitioner appealed a decision of the ZBA town, town board, and related defendants challenging a dismissal by the ZBA of the challenge to the zoning enforcement officer’s determination that a proposed subsurface sewage-disposal system was a permitted nonresidential accessory use that could be located on a split lot (one zoned partly for residential and partly for commercial use). The town board, while the petition was pending, adopted a local law on the subject of subsurface systems on split lots that effectively codified the zoning officer’s determination. The petitioner amended their complaint also

Lead detective scrutinized during cross-examination in the Travis Rudolph murder trial

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Testimony continued Friday in the murder trial of former Florida State and NFL wide receiver Travis Rudolph.

Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Detective Emily Vander-Laan, the lead detective in the April 2021 shooting death of Sebastien Jean-Jacques, returned to the witness stand Friday morning for cross-examination as Rudolph’s defense attorney attempted to smear her investigative efforts.

Rudolph, 27, is charged with one count of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted first-degree murder in connection with the fatal shooting outside the ex-college football star’s Lake Park home more than two years ago.

During cross-examination, defense

If Ken Paxton’s Staff Can Do It, Why Can’t Dianne Feinstein’s?

Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Affirms City’s Sign Code Survives Intermediate Scrutiny

This post was authored by Tyler Doan, Esq.

Plaintiffs filed applications with the City of Austin to digitize existing traditional billboards and to upgrade signs with less sophisticated digitization. The Defendant denied their application because the signs would advertise for things not located on the site where the sign was installed. “In sum, off-premises signs could not be upgraded.”

A lawsuit ensued and the Sign Code was upheld in the district court and initially reversed in the Fifth Circuit as unable to survive strict scrutiny. The case was then appealed to the US Supreme Court. The Supreme Court held that

MI Court of Appeals Reverses Trial Court’s Decision That Property Owners Lacked Standing to Challenge a Township’s Amendment to its Zoning Ordinance.

This post originally appeared on the Dalton Tomich blog and is reposted with permission from Dan Dalton, Esq, – https://daltontomich.com/the-importance-of-zoning-notice-requirements-under-michigan-law/

in Montrief v. Macon Township Board of Trustees, the plaintiffs-landowners filed suit against the Township alleging an amended zoning ordinance was invalid and unenforceable based on a failure to comply with certain notice requirements.

Under the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act, an enforcing authority, which in most cases is the local government, must provide notice with respect to certain actions taken in zoning matters. Generally, among the most common actions requiring notice are the following:

  • Authorities must provide notice for public

NY Appellate Court Rules that Lawsuit Challenging “House of Worship Law” was Timely Filed and Sufficiently Alleged SEQRA Violations

This post was authored by Amy Lavine, Esq.

The NY Appellate Division, Second Department, issued a pair of SEQRA decisions in March, 2023 involving the Village of Chestnut Ridge’s 2019 “House of Worship Law,” which sought to allow additional gathering places and houses of worship in residential districts.

in the first case, Matter of Kogut v Village of Chestnut Ridge, 2023 NY Slip Op 01283 (2d Dept. 3/15/23), the court held that the petitioners were timely in filing the proceeding pursuant to the savings provision of CPLR 205(a). The court found that the requirements in that section were satisfied

Gwyneth Paltrow won’t recoup attorney fees in ski crash lawsuit

Gwyneth Paltrow not liable for ski crash: Jury


Jury finds Gwyneth Paltrow is not at fault for the 2016 Utah ski collision

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Gwyneth Paltrow will not recoup the attorneys’ fees she paid to successfully defend herself against a lawsuit from a 76-year-old retired optometrist who claimed she was at fault for crashing into him at a posh Utah ski resort in 2016.

In a ruling published on Saturday, a Utah judge said attorneys for Paltrow and Terry Sanderson had agreed to drop the matter of Paltrow’s attorneys’ fees. District Court Judge Kent Holmberg’s final judgment did not detail why

Attorneys General Push Back on Biden’s Attempt to Rescind Protection for Student Religious Groups

Below is a political press release from Attorney General Lynn Fitch:

In a letter sent Friday to the US Department of Education, Attorney General Lynn Fitch and 21 other Attorneys General urged the Department to retain a rule that compels public universities to comply with the First Amendment or lose grant funding – a provision put in place to protect religious groups on campuses nationwide. The Biden Administration is threatening to refuse this protection.

“Today, there is a war against faith and the right of the faithful to live their lives in accordance with their beliefs,” said Attorney General Lynn