Articles Posted in Civil Rights

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Attached is an Order for Sanctions we recently won in a case regarding the other side’s conduct in discovery. Discovery is a crucial phase in any litigation, as it allows both parties to obtain information and evidence from each other in order to build their case. However, there are instances where one party may engage in discovery abuse, such as through inappropriate deposition conduct or failure to produce requested electronically stored information (ESI).

In Georgia, discovery abuse can result in sanctions, which can include the payment of attorney fees and expenses, the striking of pleadings, and even dismissal of the case. Sanctions may be imposed when a party engages in misconduct during a deposition, such as harassing or abusive conduct, or when a party fails to comply with the rules governing the production of ESI.

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Williams Oinonen LLC had the privilege of representing Dr. Lana Foster in several race discrimination and employment matters. Her case was settled with the EEOC and in addition to the monetary settlement, requires her former employer to establish a recruitment plan for increasing the number of qualified Black applicants, to create a hiring and recruitment procedure that will incorporate nondiscriminatory hiring practices, and to institute professional training relating to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Said Dr. Foster: “I couldn’t let a day go by without thanking God for what you have done for my family and me! Thank you for giving me the best gifts ever–my name back, my livelihood, my self respect, the five lawsuit wins, and my life along with a bonus price tag. No amount of money could ever replace what you have done for me! For your brilliant attorney skills, services, dedictation I am forever grateful and in debt! Thank you for believing in me and fighting my battle! My prayer for you is for God to continually “Bless” you and your family forever. Thank you for being my lawyer as well as my friend! Please let your husband know he has a true “Gem diamond” that God has truly blessed this world with and that is YOU! Forever Grateful, Lana Foster.”

For more information on the lawsuit, see here. If you have been subject to race discrimination, do not hesitate to contact our law firm today at 404-654-0288.

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Michael Dashawn Moore was only 19 years old shot and killed during a traffic stop by Mobile Police officer Harry Hurst in 2016 when, according to witnesses, he had his hands up. Officer Hurst claimed he had a weapon which no one could find at the scene.

Williams Oinonen LLC obtained a recent ruling in a case that sparked protests in Mobile, Alabama, in 2016 and continues to generate controversy, where the federal judge has added to a significant body of case law holding that police officers accused of shooting citizens are not automatically protected by the doctrine of qualified immunity, which has so often derailed civil lawsuits seeking damages.

This is a big win in the case for obtaining justice for our client, Michael Moore’s family. For more information you can read the story here.

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Williams Oinonen LLC client, Project South, is representing a whistleblower who received allegations of abusive practices at the Irwin County Detention Center that violate the human rights of these immigrant women. Project South’s staff attorney Project South’s Priyanka Bhatt remarked that: “For years, advocates in Georgia have raised red flags about the human rights violations occurring inside the Irwin County Detention Center. Ms. Wooten’s whistleblowing disclosures confirm what detained immigrants have been reporting for years: gross disregard for health and safety standards, lack of medical care, and unsanitary living conditions at Irwin….We call on DHS to conduct an investigation into the Irwin County Detention Center in order to protect the health and safety of the detained immigrants and the workers there.”

Williams Oinonen LLC is proud to represent human rights organizations that promote movement building like Project South. Project South is rooted in the legacy of the Southern Freedom Movement, and has a mission of cultivating strong social movements in the South powerful enough to contend with some of the most pressing and complicated social, economic, and political problems we face today. For more information on our client’s important work, see here.

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Williams Oinonen LLC attorneys are proud members (and on the Board) of the National Employment Lawyers Association of Georgia, a civil rights organization made up of lawyers who represent employees. We stand behind the following statement of our organization and likewise “condemn the racist system that continues to devalue the lives of Black Americans. Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd are sadly only the latest victims. Their murders, like the murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till in 1955, has again brought nationwide and worldwide attention to the racial violence and injustice still so prevalent in America. We mourn the losses of these individuals’ lives and stand in solidarity with those seeking to hold the murderers accountable. Georgia’s capital, Atlanta, has long been uniquely poised to champion these rights, as the birthplace of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and mecca of the modern civil rights movement. BLACK LIVES MATTER!

As employment lawyers [and civil rights lawyers] on the side of the employee, we fight to remain vigilant in the face of a judicial system that too often ignores the realities of the world we live in and the racial divide that still exists in our society today. We fight to prevent the watering down of laws that were meant to ensure justice and equal rights to all. We do not become complacent or desensitized to the world around us. We cry when our clients are denied the right to have their voices heard by a jury of their peers. We mourn every judicial decision that silently strips away the equal rights that were so hard fought by so many who have died. But we continue to fight the good fight. We call on you to get involved however possible to support an America that equally values all of its citizens. Whether that is attending a protest, writing a letter, running for office, taking out your cell phone camera or other recording device when you see/hear instances of racial wrongdoing, or discussing these issues with your friends, we encourage you to stay strong in the fight for social justice and against racial oppression.”

For more information on NELA-Ga, go to www.nela-ga.org

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Williams Oinonen LLC files a race discrimination lawsuit on behalf of African American CNN employee who alleged that his executive threatened to kill him over his race discrimination lawsuit.

The AJC wrote about the story which can be read here. Other news media sources also wrote about the story which can be read here as well as here.

Soon after, CNN terminated Mr. Walker which was written about here.

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Mario Williaims filed a lawsuit on behalf of fired Rape Crisis Center Executive Director Kesha Gibson-Carter who brings claims against law enforcement government officials and the center for race discrimination and violations of her First Amendment rights.

The 57-page civil suit, filed in U.S. District Court on June 3, named twenty five defendants, including the center and board of directors, including the Chatham County District Attorney Meg Heap, along with several local police officials.

For more on the story in the Savannah newspaper you can read here.

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Williams Oinonen LLC partner Mario Williams obtained a $285,000 settlement on behalf of our client Governor Henderson in a gender discrimination case against District Attorney Paul Howard. It was featured on the Daily Report front page today which can be read here.

The plaintiff in this case, former District Attorney Governor Henderson claimed he was told “the position would only be filled by a woman because some jobs are not for certain people.”

Williams Oinonen LLC is proud to represent victim of wrongful death, serious injury, employment discrimination and civil rights claims. For more information contact 404-654-0288

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Mario Williams, partner at Williams Oinonen LLC, filed a class action race discrimination case against Atlanta Police Department. The Daily Report featured a front page article which can be read here.

The temporary restraint order motion and lawsuit names the city of Atlanta and its Police Chief as defendants. Chief Judge Thomas Thrash Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia is assigned to the case.

The lawsuit challenges a promotion policy that allegedly requires the police department allegedly requires that the vacant post be filled by a candidate of the same race, the TRO motion contends.

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Williams Oinonen LLC had the pleasure of hosting pre-law Covenant College students and their pre-law advisor Dr. Richard Follett with a visit to Emory University School of Law. In the morning students visited the downtown Atlanta law firm of Williams Oinonen LLC, toured Fulton County Superior Courthouse and observed Judge Gail Tusan’s criminal arraignment and plea calendar court. In the afternoon they had lunch on the main campus of Emory University, attended an admissions tour of the law school campus, and ended the day visiting the remainder of the campus including the Emory Carlos Museum.

Williams Oinonen LLC enjoys hosting pre-law students from Georgia colleges, mentoring, and providing clerkships to law students who are primarily interested in civil rights work with a primary focus in the areas of education and employment.

If you are a pre-law or law student interested in learning more, please contact 404-654-0288.

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Atlanta, GA 30326
Phone: (404) 654-0288
Fax: 404-592-6225
Email: julie@goodgeorgialawyer.com

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