Source: https://www.mrrlaw.com/2015/11/
Timestamp: 2019-04-21 12:48:53+00:00

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Mazanec, Raskin & Ryder is proud to announce that three of its Kentucky attorneys have been selected as 2016 Kentucky Super Lawyers and 2016 Kentucky Rising Stars by Super Lawyers magazine.
The Kentucky Super Lawyers selection process evaluates lawyers based upon multiple criteria, including professional achievement and peer recognition; honors and awards; firm and bar involvement and leadership; scholarship and professional writings; community service and pro bono activities; and other outstanding achievements. The result is a credible, comprehensive and diverse listing of exceptional attorneys.
“Rising Stars” are the top up-and-coming attorneys who are no more than 40 years old or who have been practicing for no more than 10 years. Each year, no more than 2.5 percent of the lawyers in the state are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive this honor.
By: James A. Climer, Esq.
Police use of deadly force has been a hot topic in the news recently. Events like the Ferguson, Missouri riots and the shooting of Tamir Rice as well as the Michael Brelo verdict in Cleveland have spurred countless news stories, blog posts and editorials concerning the propriety of police officers’ use of deadly force. The writers of these pieces have a luxury that police officers do not have when they encounter dangerous situations: time for thought and study. How can law enforcement officers avoid civil liability under 42 USC § 1983 when courts, attorneys and others have hours to sift through reams of confusing and sometimes conflicting cases to determine the proper legal course of action, while officers often have only a few seconds in chaotic situations to decide what to do? That’s the reason for the affirmative defense called qualified good faith immunity.
Qualified immunity protects public officials carrying out discretionary functions from civil liability for monetary damages under § 1983 unless their actions are prohibited by “clearly established law.” In other words, if the judges and lawyers can’t agree on what the law is, police officers and other public officials shouldn’t be called to task after the fact for violating it.
The U.S. Supreme Court recently reminded courts and the bar how to determine whether law is “clearly established” for purposes of qualified immunity in Mullenix v. Luna, 577 U.S. ___ (2015). In Mullenix, Tulia, Texas police attempted to execute an arrest warrant for a man spotted at a drive-in restaurant. They were led on a high-speed chase during which the suspect, who appeared to be intoxicated, reached speeds of 85 to 110 miles per hour and told a Tulia police dispatcher that he would shoot at police officers if the pursuit was not abandoned.
Tulia police set up tire spikes in three locations in an attempt to stop the suspect. Trooper Mullenix of the Texas Department of Public Safety also responded to the pursuit, intending to set up tire spikes near an overpass. After learning that officers were already setting out tire spikes near the overpass, Trooper Mullenix became concerned for their safety given the suspect’s threats, and Mullenix considered shooting at the suspect’s car to disable it. Trooper Mullenix asked for permission from a supervisor to carry out his plan but it was unclear whether he heard the supervisor tell him to see if the spikes worked first. Before the suspect reached the tire spikes, Trooper Mullenix shot at the suspect’s car, apparently intending to disable it, but instead hit the suspect causing his death.
The suspect’s estate sued Trooper Mullenix under 42 USC § 1983 alleging the use of excessive force in violation of the Fourth Amendment. The trial court denied a motion for summary judgment asserting qualified immunity on behalf of Trooper Mullenix and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed.
The Supreme Court reversed and found that Trooper Mullenix was entitled to qualified immunity. The Court first made it clear that it was only addressing the qualified immunity issue and not whether a constitutional violation had occurred. Id. at 4. The Court then rejected the basis asserted by the Fifth Circuit for its decision, the generalized principle that a police officer may not “use deadly force against a fleeing felon who does not pose a sufficient threat of harm to the officer or others.” Id. at 5-6.
Instead, the Court reminded the bench and bar that the correct inquiry is whether the law prohibited the officer’s conduct in the “situation [she] confronted.” Id. at 6 citing Brosseau v. Haugen, 543 U.S. 194, 199. While case law does not need to exactly match the facts of the case under consideration, it must be clear enough to indicate to a reasonably competent officer that his/her actions are illegal “beyond debate.” Id. at 7. Noting that it had never ruled the use of deadly force to be illegal in a vehicular pursuit, Id. at 8, the Court further reviewed a number of decisions from other courts and found that they created at best a “hazy legal backdrop” against which to judge the actions of Trooper Mullenix. Given this uncertainty in the law, Trooper Mullenix should have been granted qualified immunity.
Mullenix does not represent a major shift in the law. However, it does provide a strong reminder to the bench, bar and public officials that qualified immunity should be granted unless case law indisputably establishes that an official’s actions are illegal.
By: George V. Pilat, Esq.
Every business has valuable information that it wants to keep secret. Whether that information is a “trade secret” entitled to the benefits under Ohio’s Uniform Trade Secrets Act is not always an easy question to answer, and requires effort on the part of the company to keep the secret.
Colonel Sander’s Secret Recipe. The formula for Coca-Cola. Google’s original “search” algorithm. These are a few examples of what we commonly know as company “trade secrets,” and there are many others in every size and type of organization. But there are often misconceptions of what actually qualifies as a “trade secret” under the law and what someone has to do to qualify for legal protection.
Ohio adopted the Uniform Trade Secrets Act in 1994 to achieve uniformity in that area of the law with all other states enacting those statutes. But what exactly is a “trade secret”?
(1) It derives independent economic value, actual or potential, from not being generally known to, and not being readily ascertainable by proper means by, other persons who can obtain economic value from its disclosure or use.
(2) It is the subject of efforts that are reasonable under the circumstances to maintain its secrecy.
As you can see, a very wide scope of information can potentially qualify as a “trade secret.” Focusing on just one item, there is often a misunderstanding whether customer or client lists are trade secrets. Although such lists are specifically mentioned in the statute, they do not always qualify as a trade secret.
How is that? Well, if they are simply a list of information that could be readily obtained from public information sources (company names, addresses, telephone numbers, etc.), that often does not qualify as something of value for not generally being known, and being valuable to others who could not readily ascertain the information by proper means. So while certain non-public information contained in customer or client lists might qualify as a trade secret, such lists do not always, automatically qualify as a trade secret protected under the Act.
It certainly is preferable to employ as many safeguards as are reasonably possible, and something is always better than nothing. But not employing any, or enough, safeguards to maintain secrecy could mean the difference between having and not having statutory legal protection for your trade secrets.
Ohio’s Uniform Trade Secrets Act provides protection and benefits to business owners. However, it is not always clear exactly what qualifies as a “trade secret.” More important, even if information is a trade secret, the owner must take steps to protect and safeguard the information from disclosure, or the statutory protection is lost. So whether or not you can “keep a secret” is not as easy as it might sound.
For more information or if you have any questions, contact George Pilat at 440.424.0007 or via email at gpilat@mrrlaw.com.
About the Author: George V. Pilat is a Partner with Mazanec, Raskin & Ryder. He focuses his practice on business and commercial law, and insurance defense. He is a Co-Chair of the firm’s newly expanded Business & Commercial Law and Insurance Agents & Brokers practice groups. His experience and unique blend of skills includes significant work handling agent errors & omissions (E&O) coverage and litigation, coverage analysis, corporate compliance, commercial transactions, and employment litigation and counseling. He represents national and regional insurance agencies, agents/brokers, and Fortune 500 clients in both state and federal courts.
By: Casey C. Stansbury, Esq.
Law enforcement officers encounter individuals with disabilities nearly every day. These disabilities may include people who are deaf or hard of hearing, people with epilepsy or cerebral palsy, persons with autism or Asperger’s, and persons with psychiatric difficulties. However, case law across the country has been inconsistent in determining the circumstances under which police can be held liable when dealing with a person with a mental disability. Questions frequently arise when police interact with individuals who may be protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”). The most recent United States Supreme Court case to deal with these issues is Sheehan v. the City and County of San Francisco.
In Sheehan, the Court was asked to determine whether two San Francisco police officers could be sued over their use of force when arresting a knife-wielding woman with a history of mental illness in a confrontation in which the woman was shot multiple times. In the 6-2 decision released in May of this year, the Court granted the officers qualified immunity on the Plaintiff’s Fourth Amendment claim. However, the Court did not address whether the officers should have provided the Plaintiff with “accommodations” or taken special precautions under the ADA because of her disability.
Cases like Sheehan are extremely fact-intensive and ADA concerns merit special attention by law enforcement departments in training and development of official policies and procedures as well as consideration by officers in the field when encountering members of the public with suspected disabilities. This blog will be updated with developments in this rapidly changing area of law.
Mazanec, Raskin & Ryder Co., LPA (MRR) is pleased to announce its inclusion in the Best Law Firms list for 2016, published by U.S. News & World Report in conjunction with Best Lawyers. MRR received a Metropolitan Tier 1 ranking in Cleveland, Civil Rights Law.
The U.S. News – Best Lawyers ® “Best Law Firms” rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process that includes the collection of client and lawyer evaluations, peer review from leading attorneys in their field, and review of additional information provided by law firms as part of the formal submission process. To be eligible for a ranking, a law firm must have at least one lawyer listed in the 21st Edition of The Best Lawyers in America © list for that particular location and specialty.
U.S. News & World Report is a digital news information company that empowers people to make better, more informed decisions about important issues affection their lives. Focusing on Education, Health, Personal Finance, Travel, Cars and News & Opinion, www.usnews.com provides consumer advice, rankings, news and analysis to serve people making complex decisions throughout all stages of life. 30 million people visit www.usnews.com each month for research and guidance. Founded in 1933, U.S. News is headquartered in Washington, DC.

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