Noose on Duke University Campus
The reaction has been swift and loud. “This cannot be us and this will not be us.” Strong words spoken by Duke University Student Government President Lavanya Sunder in response to the discovery of a noose found hanging from a tree on the university campus early Wednesday morning. University police are investigating the incident.
As to the wrongdoers, if they are found, they could be criminally prosecuted, face civil lawsuits, and if they are students, expelled from the school.
But even though this may be the action of a lone wolf, or group of people, Duke University isn’t necessarily out of the woods. Duke has an obligation to provide an environment that is free from discrimination for students, faculty, and employees of the school. It is critical that they conduct a thorough investigation, and take all steps necessary to honor their obligations. If they don’t, lawsuits are sure to follow.
Robert Durst & Asperger’s Syndrome
I’ve believed from the beginning that, notwithstanding DeGuerin’s expected legal challenges, the bathroom
statements from Durst will find their way into the courtroom. Now, based on what DeGuerin is stating about Durst’s medical condition, we can begin to see how he will try to sidestep their impact. Obviously, someone muttering to themselves that they “killed them all” is a far cry from a full confession in the face of direct questioning from authorities. Asperger’s or not, DeGuerin has many possible moves here, including that Durst was joking, was being sarcastic, or was mocking Jinx filmmaker Andrew Jurecki.
Now, the real trick is if DeGuerin, or any other criminal defense lawyer, can show that Asperger’s impacted Durst’s handwriting, causing it to mirror the block letters and unique misspelling of “Beverley Hills” such that it mirrored the penmanship of the real killer. That may be a level of difficulty that not even DeGuerin can pull off.
Joe Giudice: Can He Afford a Driver?
Joe Giudice took his so-called 15 minutes of fame from appearing on the Real Housewives of New Jersey and drove it into prison time. Joe is already obligated to surrender for a 41 month stay in federal custody next year, and will face a deportation hearing after he serves that time.
In the meantime, Giudice was back in court Thursday to be sentenced pursuant to a plea bargain for driver’s license fraud. As part of the settlement deal, Joe gets an 18 month suspended sentence – which means he won’t do any additional time behind bars unless he somehow screws up again. He also won’t be doing any driving for two years (in part a non-issue since his scheduled surrender on the federal time is sooner than that), and ordered to pay a fine of $10,000.
There’s Uber in New Jersey, isn’t there? Even with that fine obligation, somehow I think Joe’s got some money stashed somewhere…
- #JourneyAcrossAmerica Update - May 10, 2017
- CNN Interview for my #RunAcrossAmerica - April 21, 2017
- #WhatsMyWin Training and Interview for my #RunAcrossAmerica - April 21, 2017
Darren is an accomplished TV personality, attorney, interventionist, keynote speaker, and 'misbehavior expert' who appears constantly on countless TV and radio shows.