Judge Refuses to Dismiss Charges in UCLA Chem Lab Accident Case

Byuclafaculty

A judge today denied a motion to dismiss criminal charges against a UCLA chemistry professor stemming from a laboratory fire that killed a 23-year-old research assistant.
Professor Patrick Harran, 44, is charged with three counts of willful violation of an occupational safety and health standard causing the death of Sheharbano “Sheri” Sangji. Prosecutors say he was responsible for training Sangji and making sure that she wore protective gear. Defense attorneys argued that their client could not be held criminally liable because he wasn’t Sangji’s employer… Judge George G. Lomeli disagreed…

Full Story at http://centurycity.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/judge-denies-motion-to-dismiss-charges-in-death-of-ucla-lab-assistant 

As has been noted in the past, what needs to happen in this case is that the DA needs to back off and leave this matter – which she inherited from her predecessor – to civil litigation.  

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College Diversity Requirement Gathers Support

Byuclafaculty

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College of Letters and Science Faculty Vote on Diversity Requirement

Byuclafaculty

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Dig a Deeper Hole?

Byuclafaculty

The plaintiffs in the case against the UCLA Grand Hotel have filed an amended brief.  You can read it at the link below.  There are actually two cases, one involving environmental and other matters and another regarding the tax issue.  The environmental case will be heard in September.  And there is legal skirmishing around the tax case. The tax issue is basically that if the hotel is a commercial operation, it has to pay taxes just as would any other hotel.  There is also an issue of whether the Regents can run a commercial enterprise and, if that’s what they…