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06/30/2011 - A federal appeals court has upheld the fraud conviction of former Enron executive Jeffrey Skilling. The court heard Skilling’s appeal after the U.S. Supreme Court narrowed the “honest services” provision of the federal fraud statute. Read how the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld the conviction, ruling that even if the convictions related to the honest services provision were thrown out, sufficient evidence remained to prove that Skilling had conspired with others to manipulate Enron’s earnings and conceal its losses.  

06/30/2011 - A federal appeals court has ruled that an employee may not sue his employer for creating a hostile work environment because the employer took immediate action to correct the problem, and the employee failed to report subsequent incidents. 

06/30/2011 - An employee is not guilty of defamation for posting negative information about his former employer on a Web site. The employee posted that his former company may have lost customer data and failed to report the loss to authorities as required by law. The court ruled that the information posted by the employee was a matter of public concern and, thus, protected by law.

06/30/2011 - The government was within the law when it seized a laptop computer at the U.S. border with Mexico and then sent it to a forensic lab 170 miles away. The owner of the computer claimed that the government did not have the right to transport the property to complete its search. The court disagreed, finding that every entry point need not be outfitted with sufficient inspectors and equipment to search whatever a person brings over the border.

06/30/2011 - Researchers take a look at the United States’ ability to bounce back from a major earthquake. More research and community investment are needed, according to the report.

06/30/2011 - Children are particularly vulnerable to identity theft because of the way Social Security numbers are assigned. Read about possible solutions in a new report.

05/27/2011 - A new bill (S. 318) introduced in the U.S. Senate would require additional security at airport checkpoints and would increase penalties for those who circumvent screening. The measure would mandate the use of security cameras to monitor all screening areas and all locations where passengers exit sterile parts of the airport.

05/27/2011 - A government agency is not liable for retaliation for firing an executive for insubordination. The executive had launched an investigation into corruption without permission and continued it after being told to stop. A federal appeals court ruled that the executive would have been “suspended and then terminated even absent any retaliatory intent.”

05/27/2011 - Facebook.com’s antibullying initiative allows victims to report bullying to a trusted person within their social network, such as a teacher or older sibling. As part of the initiative, Facebook has gathered resources about bullying into one location.

05/27/2011 - Those who publicly report expunged conviction records are not liable for defamation if the information disclosed is true, according to the New Jersey Supreme Court. In the case, a political campaign publicized the expunged drug conviction of an opponent’s aide in a flyer.

05/27/2011 - An employee who was fired shortly after complaining of sexual harassment may pursue his retaliation claim against his employer, according to a federal appeals court (.pdf). The employee may pursue his lawsuit because he was fired two days after making a claim. The timing alone, ruled the court, serves as circumstantial evidence of retaliation.

05/27/2011 - The government may not use the Freedom of Information Act exemption allowing the government to keep personnel and human resources issues secret to deny requests on other issues, such as the location of explosives on a military base, the Supreme Court ruled. But it left open the possibility that other exemptions could yield the same result.

05/27/2011 - Check out a disaster preparedness tool that helps planners estimate possible casualties for various disasters. By selecting different scenarios, users can study biological, chemical, and explosive attacks.