UPDATE: 2:42 p.m. ET -- Meg Whitman knowingly employed an undocumented worker through 2009, according to attorney Gloria Allred.
Nicandra Diaz-Santillan, the employee, sat next to Allred during a press conference Wednesday and tearfully detailed her experience as a housekeeper for Whitman.
Allred told reporters that her client was paid for just 15 hours of work per week, despite working past those hours. Allred claimed that when Whitman hired her client, she never asked if she was in the country legally. She also said that her client had been "exploited, disrespected, humiliated, and emotionally and financially abused."
"Nicki" told reporters that when Whitman let her go, the Republican candidate for governor said, "I don't know you, and you don't know me."
Allred refused to answer a reporter's question about whether her client would face deportation after coming forward.
As the LA Times reports:
"I told her I don't have papers to work here and need her help," the worker said at a press conference in attorney Gloria Allred's office. Whitman's husband "was very angry and said, 'I told you, I told you she was going to bring us problems.' Ms. Whitman turned to him and said, 'Calm down, calm down.' " She said Whitman's husband "yelled" at her. "I was crying for fear and intimidation. With a face full of tears, I told them, 'I believe in people. And I believe people deserve a chance. I also told them I don't wish them any harm. I just wanted their help.
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Story continues below
AdvertisementCould this be "Maidgate" 2010 for California GOP gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman?
Gossip site TMZ reports Wednesday that the former housekeeper of the one-time eBay CEO plans to make "explosive" allegations against Whitman in a live news conference coming later at 11 AM PT. The maid is supposedly planning "to tell how she suffered as a long-time, Latina household employee in Meg Whitman's home."
The maid's lawyer? Gloria Allred, the high-profile Hollywood attorney that represented Nicole Brown Simpson's family in the 1990s. More recently, however, Allred represented Amanda J. Eneman, the ex-girlfriend of Illinois lieutenant gubernatorial candidate Scott Lee Cohen, whose comments about the Democratic candidate's behavior helped push him from the race in early 2010.
Meg Whitman's campaign chairman, former California Governor Pete Wilson, reacted to news of the allegations Wednesday, telling TMZ that he is unaware of any claim by Whitman's former housekeeper, but noting that "The timing of this is highly suspect."
Whitman could be open to charges of hypocrisy based on her tough stances on illegal immigration and undocumented workers, as described on her campaign Website:
"We need to build an 'Economic Fence' with a strong e-verification system that holds employers accountable for following the law, according to her own campaign Website. We are never going to solve the problem of illegal immigration as long as there is strong demand for undocumented labor."
Whitman also supports workplace inspections by state and local law enforcement agencies "modeled after drug seizure raids" -- in which first-time offenders who are found to employ undocumented workers "will be required to pay a fine and have their business license suspended for 10 days."
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
US would make Internet wiretaps easier
Report: US would make Internet wiretaps easier
By Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press Writer | September 27, 2010
WASHINGTON --The Obama administration is pushing to make it easier for the government to tap into internet and e-mail communications. But the plan has already drawn condemnation from privacy groups and communications firms may be wary of its costs and scope.
Frustrated by sophisticated and often encrypted phone and e-mail technologies, U.S. officials say that law enforcement needs to improve its ability to eavesdrop on conversations involving terrorism, crimes or other public safety issues.
Critics worry the changes are an unnecessary invasion of privacy and would only make citizens and businesses more vulnerable to identity theft and espionage.
The new regulations that would be sent to Congress next year would affect American and foreign companies that provide communications services inside the U.S. It would require service providers to make the plain text of encrypted conversations -- over the phone, computer or e-mail -- readily available to law enforcement, according to federal officials and analysts.
The mandate would likely require companies to add backdoors or other changes to the systems that would allow a wiretap to capture an unscrambled version of a conversation.
Those affected by the changes would include online services and networking sites such as Facebook and Skype, as well as phone systems that deliver encrypted e-mail such as BlackBerry.
http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2010/09/27/report_us_seeks_to_ease_internet_wiretaps?mode=PF
By Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press Writer | September 27, 2010
WASHINGTON --The Obama administration is pushing to make it easier for the government to tap into internet and e-mail communications. But the plan has already drawn condemnation from privacy groups and communications firms may be wary of its costs and scope.
Frustrated by sophisticated and often encrypted phone and e-mail technologies, U.S. officials say that law enforcement needs to improve its ability to eavesdrop on conversations involving terrorism, crimes or other public safety issues.
Critics worry the changes are an unnecessary invasion of privacy and would only make citizens and businesses more vulnerable to identity theft and espionage.
The new regulations that would be sent to Congress next year would affect American and foreign companies that provide communications services inside the U.S. It would require service providers to make the plain text of encrypted conversations -- over the phone, computer or e-mail -- readily available to law enforcement, according to federal officials and analysts.
The mandate would likely require companies to add backdoors or other changes to the systems that would allow a wiretap to capture an unscrambled version of a conversation.
Those affected by the changes would include online services and networking sites such as Facebook and Skype, as well as phone systems that deliver encrypted e-mail such as BlackBerry.
http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2010/09/27/report_us_seeks_to_ease_internet_wiretaps?mode=PF
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Health Care Changes
There remains much confusion about the law's provisions. More than a third of respondents wrongly think it contains panels of bureaucrats to make decisions about people's care — what critics labeled "death panels" — and 65 percent believe congressional budget analysts said it would increase the government's debt. In fact, budget analysts say it will reduce red ink.
The biggest changes in the legislation, such as the new purchasing pools and requirement for everyone to carry insurance, don't kick in until 2014. Among changes taking effect this week:
_Young adults can remain on family health plans until they turn 26.
_Free immunization provided for kids.
_Free preventive care provided, such as mammograms and cholesterol screenings.
_No more lifetime coverage limits, and annual limits start to phase out.
_Plans can't cancel coverage for people who get sick.
_No denial of coverage for kids with pre-existing health conditions.
___
The biggest changes in the legislation, such as the new purchasing pools and requirement for everyone to carry insurance, don't kick in until 2014. Among changes taking effect this week:
_Young adults can remain on family health plans until they turn 26.
_Free immunization provided for kids.
_Free preventive care provided, such as mammograms and cholesterol screenings.
_No more lifetime coverage limits, and annual limits start to phase out.
_Plans can't cancel coverage for people who get sick.
_No denial of coverage for kids with pre-existing health conditions.
___
The Long Truth
Bishop Eddie Long | Charges could be difficult to proveBy Craig Schneider
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
7:42 p.m. Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Sexual coercion accusations, such as the ones leveled at Bishop Eddie Long, can be difficult to prove in court, but cases have been won against other religious leaders, experts say.
There must be proof that the religious leader compromised the will of his victim, said Atlanta attorney Lee Parks, who has represented people coerced into sex.
"It is not enough to say they got enough gifts until they said yes," Parks said. "That is still yes."
Proving that in the Long case will be difficult, because the plaintiffs were of legal age of consent, and don't assert they were forced to submit, made drunk or drugged, Parks said. Consequently, there must be proof that Long had so much control over his accusers they had no power to resist, the attorney said.
Three defendants charge that Long used his mega-church position to build a strong personal bond with them, by taking them on trips and giving them lavish gifts. They said the church leader convinced them that sex with him was part of a healthy spiritual life. They also have claimed that Long violated his legal responsibility as a spiritual adviser. Long adamantly denies the allegations.
"There is a legal responsibility not to compromise your position of trust, to overcome another's will," Parks said.
If the Long case survived a judge's initial review, it could go to a jury trial and take two years to be decided and another two years in appeals, Parks said. These cases often end in a financial settlement between the parties.
"The publicity in this kind of case is something the defendant does not want," Parks said.
Ronald Carlson, a University of Georgia law professor, said there have been major judgments against religious figures who coerced church members into sex. Those cases stressed the religious leader's power over the person as a father figure and religious adviser.
Carlson said the defense likely will stress that several years have passed between the alleged events and the lawsuit filings, that the plaintiffs simply are looking for money. The defense next could raise credibility issues, since one of the plaintiffs was arrested in June in connection with a burglary at the church. The defense also could stress Long's history of community and church service, the UGA educator said.
Elevating the accusations to criminal charges could be difficult, with a higher standard of proof and the plaintiffs required to prove that the defendant held an almost cult-like -- power over them, Parks said.
Federal charges are slim even while the defendants assert that Long took them on trips to other states and had sex with them. If the young men were considered minors in those states, Parks doesn't believe federal authorities would get involved. Taking a minor across state lines for sex is a federal crime, but the federal government concentrates on cases that involve child prostitution and pornography, he said.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
7:42 p.m. Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Sexual coercion accusations, such as the ones leveled at Bishop Eddie Long, can be difficult to prove in court, but cases have been won against other religious leaders, experts say.
There must be proof that the religious leader compromised the will of his victim, said Atlanta attorney Lee Parks, who has represented people coerced into sex.
"It is not enough to say they got enough gifts until they said yes," Parks said. "That is still yes."
Proving that in the Long case will be difficult, because the plaintiffs were of legal age of consent, and don't assert they were forced to submit, made drunk or drugged, Parks said. Consequently, there must be proof that Long had so much control over his accusers they had no power to resist, the attorney said.
Three defendants charge that Long used his mega-church position to build a strong personal bond with them, by taking them on trips and giving them lavish gifts. They said the church leader convinced them that sex with him was part of a healthy spiritual life. They also have claimed that Long violated his legal responsibility as a spiritual adviser. Long adamantly denies the allegations.
"There is a legal responsibility not to compromise your position of trust, to overcome another's will," Parks said.
If the Long case survived a judge's initial review, it could go to a jury trial and take two years to be decided and another two years in appeals, Parks said. These cases often end in a financial settlement between the parties.
"The publicity in this kind of case is something the defendant does not want," Parks said.
Ronald Carlson, a University of Georgia law professor, said there have been major judgments against religious figures who coerced church members into sex. Those cases stressed the religious leader's power over the person as a father figure and religious adviser.
Carlson said the defense likely will stress that several years have passed between the alleged events and the lawsuit filings, that the plaintiffs simply are looking for money. The defense next could raise credibility issues, since one of the plaintiffs was arrested in June in connection with a burglary at the church. The defense also could stress Long's history of community and church service, the UGA educator said.
Elevating the accusations to criminal charges could be difficult, with a higher standard of proof and the plaintiffs required to prove that the defendant held an almost cult-like -- power over them, Parks said.
Federal charges are slim even while the defendants assert that Long took them on trips to other states and had sex with them. If the young men were considered minors in those states, Parks doesn't believe federal authorities would get involved. Taking a minor across state lines for sex is a federal crime, but the federal government concentrates on cases that involve child prostitution and pornography, he said.
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