Suits

The first bill that lands on Barack Obama's desk after he becomes president could provide him with an opportunity to make an immediate mark on civil rights. Democrats in Congress are pushing legislation that would undo a controversial 2007 decision by the Supreme Court that tossed out a workplace discrimination suit brought by a female supervisor at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.

California's attorney general has settled a lawsuit against H&R Block Inc. over a widely used loan program that gives the nation's largest tax preparer a chunk of customers' tax refunds. Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown said Friday that the $4.85-million settlement would stop H&R Block from offering high-cost loans it had marketed as early tax refunds. Former Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer sued H&R Block in 2006, adding California to a long list of others that sued over its "refund anticipation loans."

A videotape shows two Hawthorne police officers slapping high-fives in the aftermath of an arrest in which one of their co-workers allegedly kicked a handcuffed suspect in the face, breaking his jaw. Confronted with the videotape, which was recorded at the city's jail, Hawthorne officials last week paid $1 million to settle a lawsuit filed by the 25-year-old suspect, Anthony Goodrow.

H&M is one of retailing's hottest clothing chains, but Tiffany & Co. doesn't want it for a neighbor. The storied jeweler sued its landlord at the Westfield Century City shopping center Wednesday, alleging the planned H&M store under construction nearby would tarnish its high-end image at the open-air mall, which caters to an affluent Westside clientele. Tiffany said its contract with Westfield forbids retailers "whose merchandise and/or price points are not considered to be luxury, upscale or better by conventional retail industry standards" to use or lease certain spaces within, fronting or adjacent to the Tiffany store.

Seven states and two family planning groups asked a federal court to block a controversial federal regulation that protects health workers who refuse to provide care that they find objectionable. In three lawsuits filed in U.S. District Court in Connecticut, the states and groups sought a court order preventing the regulation from going into effect Tuesday and a permanent decision voiding the rule. "The Bush administration has left a ticking political time bomb that is set to explode literally on the day of the president's inaugural and blow apart women's rights," said Connecticut Atty.

From the backyard of their house, Philip and Eileen Peterson can see Catalina Island, the city of Long Beach and the port, Point Fermin and Cabrillo Beach, a view not uncommon in Rancho Palos Verdes. But part of their view is blocked by trees belonging to their longtime neighbors below, across Crest Drive, and views are the thing in Rancho Palos Verdes.

This battle of disc jockeys is playing out in court. The publishers of Scratch: the Ultimate DJ, an upcoming video game, have sued Activision Blizzard Inc. They accuse the Santa Monica game company of embarking on a "sinister strategy of intentional interference and unfair competition." In the suit, filed this week in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Genius Products Inc. and Numark Industries lay out a tale of alleged corporate intrigue and backstabbing.

Saying they suffered injustices under the Defense of Marriage Act, a dozen legally married same-sex spouses filed suit against the federal government Tuesday, alleging that the 1996 law deprives them of a range of benefits accorded other couples. The suit filed in Boston by the Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, or GLAD, challenges a section of the federal law denying gay couples access to more than 1,000 federal programs and legal protections in which marriage is a factor.

A union representing deputy district attorneys filed a lawsuit last week against Los Angeles County and Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley alleging the department's senior managers retaliated against employees for unionizing last year. The complaint accuses Los Angeles County's top law enforcer of using "19th century thuggery commonly employed against union organizers," including punitive work transfers. The Assn. of Deputy District Attorneys, which began representing about 1,000 Los Angeles County prosecutors in March 2008, is currently in the midst of contract negotiations with the district attorney's office and the county.

Apple Inc., maker of the Macintosh computer and the iPhone, was sued over claims that display screens on the company's iMac desktop computer are defective and show unwanted vertical lines. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in federal court in San Jose, blames a faulty transistor or connection on the back of the screens. The suit, filed on behalf of consumer Aram Hovsepian, a Florida resident, seeks unspecified damages and class-action status. Apple, based in Cupertino, Calif.