Victory

Victory for Public Retirees: President Biden Signs HR82, Ending Decades-Long Battle Over Social Security Offsets

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Washington, D.C. – A significant legislative change has been achieved as President Joe Biden recently signed HR82, leading to the repeal of the Social Security Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) laws. This development concludes years of determined advocacy led by Mass Retirees, an organization representing retired public employees in Massachusetts. The WEP and GPO laws, first enacted in 1983, were intended to balance Social Security benefits but have long been criticized for unfairly penalizing public servants in their retirement. The impact of these laws reduced or eliminated Social Security benefits … Read more

Bipartisan Victory: New Law Boosts Social Security for Georgia’s Teachers and First Responders

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Columbus, Ga. — A new law spearheaded by U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff aimed at improving retirement benefits for Georgia’s teachers and first responders has recently been enacted. This bipartisan measure seeks to address long-standing disparities in the Social Security benefits system affecting public sector employees, including educators, firefighters, and law enforcement personnel. In a significant legislative achievement last December, Senator Ossoff garnered support from both sides of the aisle to approve the Social Security Fairness Act. This critical piece of legislation is designed to increase Social Security payouts for public employees by repealing two provisions … Read more

Toy Maker MGA Ordered to Pay $71.5 Million in Doll Dispute Victory for Pop Group OMG Girlz and Stars Tiny and T.I.

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New York — In a significant legal decision, MGA Entertainment, a prominent toy manufacturer, has been ordered to pay $71.5 million in damages for infringing on the intellectual property of the teen pop group OMG Girlz. The federal jury’s verdict concluded that MGA’s line of “L.O.L. Surprise! O.M.G.” dolls unlawfully utilized the name, likeness, and stylistic elements associated with the music group. The lawsuit, which marks the climax of a prolonged legal struggle between the California-based toy company and the pop group, was decided in favor of OMG Girlz, alongside Tameka “Tiny” Harris, a member … Read more

Echoes of Justice: Attorney-Playwright Unveils Historical Drama on Thurgood Marshall’s Pivotal Civil Rights Victory in St. Paul Courtroom

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St. Paul, Minn. — As Terrance C. Newby, an accomplished attorney and playwright, sat in the historic federal courthouse that now serves as the Landmark Center, he felt overwhelmed by the historical significance of his surroundings. It was here that Thurgood Marshall, the future Supreme Court justice, argued a pivotal early civil rights lawsuit. Inspired by this event, Newby penned the play “Little Rock, 1942,” which recently premiered in the same space where Marshall made legal history. The play focuses on a 1942 case where Susie Morris, alongside other Black teachers in Little Rock, Arkansas, … Read more