Author Archives: abfifer

California Offers Certification for Neutrals

February 13, 2025 – 4:11 pm

California has adopted a law authorizing the California State Bar to certify dispute resolution providers. The Alternative Dispute Resolution Certification Program requires neutrals to comply with ethics and disclosure standards, and to provide a complaint procedure, in order to be certified. The author of the bill, Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Tom Umberg, says this law […]

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Newspaper Group Apologizes

January 31, 2025 – 12:18 pm

News Group Newspapers issued a public apology this week to Prince Harry for invading his privacy for years by hacking his phone and publishing private information about him. Prince Harry had sued News Group, which owns several British tabloids, and the apology was part of a settlement on the eve of trial. The apology acknowledges […]

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Another Apology Regarding “2000 Mules”

December 3, 2024 – 2:19 pm

Last week I wrote about the apology from Salem Media to Mr. Mark Andrews for defaming him as an illegal voter in a film it distributed. Yesterday, the creator of the film, Dinesh D’Souza, issued a statement of apology to Mr. Andrews. In the film, “2000 Mules,” Mr. Andrews is depicted as a “mule” who […]

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Christian Media Company Apologizes

November 25, 2024 – 5:33 pm

A Christian company apologized recently to a man it had defamed. Salem Media Group distributed a documentary made by former Christian college president Dinesh D’Souza called 2000 Mules, which purported to explain how the presidential 2020 election results could not be trusted.  It showed various Georgia voters, asserting that they were committing a crime by […]

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No Mediation Sanctions for Lack of Settlement Authority

November 7, 2024 – 9:19 am

In a claim not seen often, a party to a mediation asked for sanctions for the other party’s failure to send someone with full settlement authority to the mediation. After Charles Leach died in his Tesla, which crashed and caught fire in 2021, his widow, on behalf of his estate, sued Tesla for wrongful death […]

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