Pay

Revamping Jury Duty: States Consider Higher Pay and Efficient Processes to Boost Diversity and Ease Financial Strain

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Jury duty, long considered a cornerstone of the U.S. justice system intended to reflect a broad spectrum of society, has increasingly been perceived as an onerous obligation. Across the country, from federal to local levels, the functional ideal of a jury—an equitable representation of peer judgment—faces practical hurdles. Jurors often must sacrifice income and time, raising concerns about the diverse makeup and fairness of these small bodies empowered to deliver monumental decisions. In 2023, revelations from multiple reports illuminated a jarring disparity in juror compensation, which in some cases, is as low as $4 per … Read more

Georgia Jury Orders Bayer to Pay $2.1 Billion in Landmark Roundup Cancer Case Verdict

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A Georgia jury has delivered a monumental $2.1 billion verdict against Bayer, the German pharmaceutical giant, in a lawsuit involving accusations that its weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. This decision, announced earlier this week, centers around the case of four plaintiffs who alleged that prolonged exposure to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, led to their development of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The lawsuit is one of many the company has faced following its acquisition of Monsanto in 2018. Monsanto was the original developer of Roundup. Bayer has been grappling with over 125,000 lawsuits claiming damages due to … Read more

Virginia Campground Owner Ordered to Pay $750,000 for Racial Discrimination Eviction

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Franklin County, VA — In a historic decision, a Franklin County jury awarded $750,000 in damages to two families who faced eviction based on racial discrimination at a Smith Mountain Lake campground. This case represents the highest fair housing jury award ever achieved under the legal guidance of the Virginia attorney general’s office. In June 2020, Regina Turner, the proprietor of Lazy Cove Campground, attempted to evict two families renting lakeside lots after she discovered the racial identity of one of the renters, Damien Smith, who is Black. The revelation led Turner to express discriminatory … Read more

Virginia Campground Owner Ordered to Pay $750,000 for Racial Discrimination Against Black Camper

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Richmond, VA – A Virginia jury has awarded two families a total of $750,000, finding that a campground owner discriminated against them based on racial prejudice. The incident occurred at Lazy Cove Campground in June 2020 when a campground owner objected to the presence of a Black guest. Amanda Mills and Angela Smith, friends planning a joint family camping excursion, faced unexpected discrimination that altered their experience. Angela Smith, who is white, her Black husband Damien Smith, and their young son were set to join the Mills family for a relaxing stay. However, the families’ … Read more