Sometimes you hate your old lawyer so much you just want to sue them until it hurts. And sometimes, your legal efforts get so redunkulous a judge has to order you to stop suing. To that end: Meet lawyer Donald Schechter! After he had himself relieved from representing Alexander Breytman in a 2003 landlord-tenant dispute, the latter went a little nuts, harassing the attorney with legal filings and letters that called him a whole slew of interesting invectives. more ›

A Catholic nurse is suing Mount Sinai Medical Center for allegedly forcing her to assist in performing an abortion, despite having knowledge of her objections towards the procedure. Catherina Cenzon-DeCarlo's boss allegedly threatened her with charges "insubordination and patient abandonment," if she did not comply. The suit filed at the Brooklyn Supreme Court charges the hospital with violating the state policy that employees may decline to participate in the procedure. Cenzon-DeCarlo had previously said of the day, "It felt like a horror film unfolding...I felt violated and betrayed." more ›

The story of Ivaylo Ivanov just gets more and more strange. First, he calls the cops saying that he was shot in the hand only to admit that he shot himself. Next, the police investigate the situation only to find a cache of assorted weapons and pipe bombs at Ivanov's residence. Now the 31-year-old ex-con admits to defacing Brooklyn Heights with swastikas last year. more ›

There are some things needed while reporting for jury duty. Reading material, maybe some snacks, a lot of patience... but a sword and a dagger aren't on the list. But that's what a city employee, headed to Brooklyn Supreme Court, did bring. The Post reports that 40-year-old Vladislav Lisetsky, who works in the Human Resources Administration, brought in a cane that concealed not only a two and a half foot sword at one end, but... more ›

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a water main break on Pacific St. in Brooklyn, an armed robbery on Jamaica Ave. in Queens, and a burn victim on West 165th St. in the Bronx. Spiritual leader Sri Chinmoy reportedly accomplished many feats during his life, but still died at his home in Queens, NY. A fight among members of a group of men, who were turned away from a Chelsea nightclub because they didn't meet... more ›

Governor Spitzer has nominated Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Theodore T. Jones to a position on the NY State Court of Appeals, the state's highest court. You may remember Jones's name from such incidents as the Transit Strike of 2005. Jones is the one who fined the TWU $2.5 million and sentenced TWU president Roger Toussaint to 10 days in jail. more ›

Brooklyn Supreme Court's Justice Theodore Jones nailed the transit union with a huge $2.5 million fine yesterday, plus ordered the union to stop collecting dues, and the Transport Workers Union vowed to appeal the decision. The loss for the TWU could be over $7 million all told, since the TWU takes in $1.6 million in dues each month and the union cannot appeal the dues payment stoppage for three months. The TWU will now have to collect fines on the individual basis, and who knows how successul that will be. Naturally, the MTA appreciated the ruling, saying, "In light of the decision by the TWU leadership last December to willfully violate the Taylor Law and disrupt the lives of millions of New Yorkers, we respect the ruling of the court." The Reverend Jesse Jackson, along with the Reverend Al Sharpton, was present for the fines hearing, and complained that the ruling means unions cannot fight back. You can read TWU president Roger Toussaint's court statement, proclaiming that transit workers were engaging in civil disobedience. With the appeal, Gothamist wonders if the fine will be reduced further, as Justice Jones already knocked off half a million - it seems that since the Taylor Law is in place, the TWU has to be punished in some way, like it or not. more ›

Yesterday afternoon, Transport Workers Union president Roger Toussaint was sentenced to 10 days in jail, plus a $1000 fine, for his role in last year's transit strike. Though it's unclear whether or not he'll be appealing the decision (he has 29 more days to figure that out!), there are aleady murmurings of him becoming a labor martyr symbol, though Toussaint denies it. Brooklyn Supreme Court Judge Theodore Jones said, "I said in December this episode represents a sad day in New York City labor relations and I still believe that. I'm confounded by the tortured tale of these negotiations. It is unfortunate that it had to come down to an illegal strike"; Jones could have given Toussaint community service instead. The two other top TWU officials were hit with $500 fines each, and the MTA and Governor Pataki seemed satisified with the outcome. The NY Times mentioned how some labor unions believe the Taylor Law, which prohibits public employees to go on strike (and this is the law that Toussaint violated), gives too much power to management; we wonder if the next governor will do anything to address this. more ›