Attorney General Austin Knudsen won’t be facing a contempt order from court in a wrongful discharge lawsuit. A former Montana Highway Patrol chief who is suing Knudsen and the state argued that the attorney general should be found in contempt for allowing the Department of Justice to disseminate confidential personnel information — an allegation the DOJ denied. A district court judge denied the motion to set a contempt hearing last month. Lawyers for the state called the motion “unorthodox” and “a red herring.” In the lawsuit, former Highway Patrol Col. Steve Lavin alleged he was wrongfully terminated after he launched a management review and workplace climate survey. As part of that lawsuit, lawyers for Lavin alleged the DOJ shared private information about Lavin with political consultant Jake Eaton and The Political Company, and Eaton more widely released it in an email to clients. The Political Company provided fundraising consulting to Knudsen, a Republican re-elected as attorney general in November. In the email, Eaton criticized Lavin as “an inept leader” albeit “super nice guy.” The court filing from Lavin’s lawyers didn’t specify which part of the email it considered private personnel information. Eaton is not party to the lawsuit, but he earlier told the Daily Montana the criticisms in his email came from social media and gossip circles, not the DOJ. In its response to the motion, Brown Law Firm lawyers representing Knudsen argued the state shouldn’t have to argue for Eaton, a third party, who acted as a private individual “with no official judicial or ministerial duties.” Regardless, they also said Eaton’s explanation to the Daily Montanan that his sources did not include the DOJ make the contempt motion moot. Plus, they said, the timing didn’t add up for such a motion. They said the lawsuit was still “in its infancy,” their deadline to answer hadn’t even passed before the contempt motion came up, and it could “only be classified as a poorly masked attempt to force defendants to appear prior to their statutorily prescribed deadline.” The lawyers argued that when contempt isn’t committed in open court or within the purview of the presiding judge, an affidavit outlining the facts constituting contempt needs to be presented, and one was not. So they said the judge should deny the motion. In the order last month, Lewis and Clark County District Court Judge Michael McMahon agreed with the state’s argument about the need for an affidavit outlining “a statement of the facts.” The order denied the plaintiff’s request that the court set a hearing “to allow defendants to answer why they should not be held indirect civil contempt.” The order said the contempt motion was not supported by an affidavit, required when contempt is alleged outside the view of the court. It also said the Montana Supreme Court had found procedures must be followed in such cases. In a phone call, lawyer Ben Reed, representing Lavin, said the team’s interest in raising concerns about the email was to ensure the dispute remained focused on the allegations of wrongful termination — and stayed between the parties in the case without interference from outsiders. “We simply wanted to bring these issues to the attention of the court and make it clear that the case is about what’s in front of the court, and not about what’s not (in front of the court), and to try and keep third parties from joining into the chorus,” Reed said. Reed, of the Delli Bovi, Martin and Reed firm, also said the plaintiffs will carry on with the lawsuit. “We’re confident that we can move on in good order and according to the rule of law,” Reed said. Spokespeople from the DOJ did not respond to requests for comment. In response to the allegations in the lawsuit, the DOJ earlier said Lavin agreed to retire after the Highway Patrol “lost confidence” in him. In their court filing about the motion for contempt, they said the lawsuit is only about employment. “Defendants view this as an employment matter — one where the plaintiff signed a release as part of a negotiated severance agreement, which is a complete defense to plaintiff’s claims in this matter,” said the lawyers for Knudsen. “Plaintiff is merely trying to distract from that fact with a red herring motion.” Get any of our free daily email newsletters — news headlines, opinion, e-edition, obituaries and more.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Suspected gang members opened fire on journalists in Haiti's capital on Tuesday as they covered the attempted reopening of the country's largest hospital, according to a local radio station. Radio Télé Métronome said seven journalists and two police officers were wounded. Police did not immediately respond to calls. Street gangs have taken over much of Port-au-Prince. They forced the closure of the General Hospital early this year during violence that also targeted the main international airport and Haiti's two largest prisons. Authorities had pledged to reopen the facility Tuesday. But as journalists gathered to cover the event, suspected gang members opened fire. Video posted online showed reporters inside the building and at least three lying on the floor, apparently wounded. The video could not be immediately verified. Johnson “Izo” André, a local gang leader and part of a gang coalition known as Viv Ansanm that has taken control of much of Port-au-Prince, posted a video on social media claiming responsibility for the attack. The video said the gang coalition had not authorised the hospital's reopening. Former Prime Minister Garry Conille visited the Hospital of the State University of Haiti, more widely known as the General Hospital, in July after authorities regained control of it from gangs. The hospital had been left ravaged and strewn with debris. Walls and nearby buildings were riddled with bullet holes, signalling fights between police and gangs. The hospital is across the street from the national palace, the scene of several battles in recent months. Haiti's health system is on the brink of collapse. Gangs have been looting, burning and destroying medical institutions and pharmacies in the capital. The health system faces additional challenges from the rainy season, which is likely to worsen conditions and increase the risk of water-borne diseases. Poor hygiene conditions in camps and makeshift settlements have heightened the risk of diseases like cholera. Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com .
Mbah woos investors at Day of German Unity EventSouth Korea’s National Assembly passed impeachment motions on Dec. 4 against four senior government officials over their handling of probes into the relocation of the presidential office and First Lady Kim Keon Hee. The assembly, led by the opposition party Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), passed motions against Choe Jae-hae, chair of the Board of Audit and Inspection; Lee Chang-soo, chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office; and Cho Sang-won and Choi Jae-hun, both of whom are senior prosecutors under Lee. The party has also cited his failure to comply with a parliamentary request to submit documents related to the audit as reasoning for the impeachment motion, according to the publication. Elsewhere, the party has accused the three prosecutors of failing to indict the first lady over her alleged involvement in a stock price manipulation scheme involving imported car distributor Deutsch Motors Inc. Lawmakers voted 188–4 to pass the impeachment motion against Choe, 185–3 to pass the motion against Lee, 187–4 against Cho, and 186–4 against Choi, according to local media. Members of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) boycotted the vote, which they say is politically motivated in part because both Lee and Cho led investigations into DPK leader Lee Jae-myung. All four senior government officials will be suspended from their duties while South Korea’s Constitutional Court decides whether or not to uphold their impeachment, a process that could take up to 180 days. Opposition parties need a two-thirds majority to pass the impeachment bill, which also needs the support of at least eight lawmakers from the ruling party in order to pass. The Constitutional Court will then decide whether to uphold it. Jo Seoung-lae, spokesperson of the DPK, told multiple media that it will push for a National Assembly vote on Yoon’s impeachment motion on Dec. 8. The spokesperson called Yoon’s martial law declaration an “unconstitutional, illegal rebellion or coup.” Yoon’s PPP has said it will oppose the move. South Korea’s president declared martial law on Dec. 3 as part of what he said were efforts to combat unspecified threats from “anti-state forces” within the opposition. The move sent shockwaves around the country and sparked widespread protests. Within hours of the proclamation being issued, the National Assembly, with 190 of its 300 members present, unanimously passed a motion for martial law to be lifted. Yoon rescinded the declaration roughly six hours after first issuing it. Since then, several of his aides have since resigned, including his presidential chief of staff, his national security adviser, and his chief of staff for policy, according to the presidential office. On Dec. 4, Yoon’s office announced that his Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun had also stepped down. The president replaced him with Choi Byung Hyuk, who is South Korea’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, his office said.Andheri resident loses ₹5.70 cr in cyberfraud
CHICAGO , Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Katten announced today that the firm advised CleanSpark Inc. on a $650 million convertible senior notes offering. Mark Wood , Partner and Co-Chair of the Capital Markets practice, led the Katten team that advised the company in connection with its offering of $650 million aggregate principal amount of 0.00% convertible senior notes due 2030. The notes were sold to the initial purchasers, led by Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. as Lead Book-Running Manager, in a private offering for resale to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act). The issuance and sale of the notes closed on December 17, 2024 . In connection with the pricing of the notes, CleanSpark entered into capped call transactions with various counterparties and repurchased approximately $145 million of its common stock. ICR Capital LLC served as financial advisor to CleanSpark in connection with this offering. "We congratulate our client CleanSpark on successfully completing its first-ever 144A convertible notes offering," Wood said. "It has been a privilege to work alongside the CleanSpark team as it has led CleanSpark's growth in the bitcoin mining industry." CleanSpark is a market-leading, pure play Bitcoin miner. The company owns and operates a portfolio of mining facilities across the United States . Katten regularly advises companies within the cryptocurrency and blockchain industries, combining its regulatory expertise and deep experience in a wide range of sophisticated transactions to deliver holistic legal advice to companies in this industry. The Katten team also included Capital Markets Partners Elizabeth McNichol and Timothy Kirby , and Associates Maximillian Licona and Michael Tremeski; Financial Markets and Funds Partner Krassi Zourkova and Associate Eli Krasnow; and Transactional Tax Planning Partner Todd Hatcher and Associate Jeffrey Ng. Katten is a full-service law firm with approximately 700 attorneys in locations across the United States and in London and Shanghai . Clients seeking sophisticated, high-value legal services turn to Katten for counsel locally, nationally and internationally. The firm's core areas of practice include corporate, financial markets and funds, insolvency and restructuring, intellectual property, litigation, real estate, structured finance and securitization, transactional tax planning, private credit and private wealth. Katten represents public and private companies in numerous industries, as well as a number of government and nonprofit organizations and individuals. For more information, visit katten.com . Contact: Jacquelyn Heard +1.312.902.5450 jackie.heard@katten.com Leonor Vivanco-Prengaman +1.312.577.8371 leonor.vivanco-prengaman@katten.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/katten-advises-cleanspark-on-650-million-convertible-senior-notes-offering-302338629.html SOURCE KattenDiontae Johnson claimed by Texans after Tank Dell's season-ending knee injury, per reports