We talk with Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore for the first AirTalk monthly check-in on AirTalk. We also examine the proverbial 'casting couch' amidst the new Harvey Weinstein lawsuit; discuss the movement surrounding the release of 'Crazy Rich Asians'; and more.
State lawmakers introduced a series of bills in the wake of #MeToo. Where are they now?
California business groups are opposing a number of bills introduced in response to the #MeToo hashtag campaign.
The groups describe the bills as opening the floodgates to lawsuits and being job killers.
For example, one bill would ban employers from requiring arbitration to settle sexual harassment claims in lieu of lawsuits. Another would ban non-disclosure agreements. Still another bill would make alleged harassers personally liable. There’s also a bill to extend the statute of limitations on filing harassment claims to three years.
We debate the bills, as well as look at their chances of passage.
Guests:
Ben Adler, capitol bureau chief of Capital Public Radio in Sacramento; he tweets
Wendy Musell, employment civil rights attorney and board chair for the California Employment Lawyers Association (CELA), a statewide organization of attorneys representing employees in discrimination, harassment and other employment cases; she tweets
Sue M. Bendavid, chair of the employment law department at Lewitt Hackman in Encino where she represents companies and management in sexual harassment allegations
LAPD Chief Moore: hostages killed in crossfire, body camera videos, predictive policing and more
Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore joins Larry Mantle for first monthly check-in on AirTalk. Topics discussed include:
Two incidents in which hostages were killed in crossfire.
Videotaped arrest of Amber Neal at La Cienega and Centinela, after kidnapping of actor.
Department releases officer video of suspect who died in custody.
Activists call for end to predictive policing that uses data to aid in officer deployment. The activists claim it leads to profiling and discrimination.
Sacramento bill that would require law enforcement agencies to sometimes identify officers involved in incidents which lead to discipline.
Under the new Chief’s direction, will there be any change in emphasis or policy for how officers interact with homeless residents?
How does LAPD combat illegal street racing facilitated by social media?
Guest:
Michel Moore, Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department; he tweets
New Weinstein lawsuit rides on the legal definition of Hollywood’s ‘casting couch’
A New York judge has ruled that an aspiring actress can sue Harvey Weinstein for violating sex trafficking laws because the proverbial casting couch, in which women are asked to trade sex for Hollywood opportunities, could be considered a "commercial sex act."
U.S. District Judge Robert W. Sweet said the lawsuit filed by Kadian Noble last fall was fairly brought under sex trafficking laws Congress passed that had an "expansive" definition of what could be considered a commercial sex act. His ruling, dated Monday, was filed publicly Tuesday.
He rejected arguments by Weinstein's lawyers that nothing of value was exchanged between Noble and Weinstein in 2014 when they watched her demo reel in a Cannes, France, hotel room before Weinstein allegedly molested her and forced her into a bathroom to watch him masturbate. Weinstein denies wrongdoing.
His lawyer, Phyllis Kupferstein, said in a statement that the ruling was "just the first round." She promised to appeal, saying the claims "are not legally or factually supported, and ultimately will not be sustained."
In ruling, Sweet wrote: "For an aspiring actress, meeting a world-renowned film producer carries value, in and of itself. The opportunity, moreover, for the actress to sit down with that producer in a private meeting to review her film reel and discuss a promised film role carries value that is career-making and life-changing."
"The contention, therefore, that Noble was given nothing of value — that the expectation of a film role, of a modeling meeting, of 'his people' being 'in touch with her' had no value — does not reflect modern reality," the judge continued. He included a footnote at the word "reality," citing sources that explain that the concept of the casting couch— in which aspiring actors and actresses are promised valuable professional opportunities in exchange for sexual favors— "has been in the American lexicon for nearly a century."
We debate if “casting couch” is considered a “commercial sex act.”
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
Vince Finaldi, senior attorney and partner at Manly, Stewart & Finaldi, a law firm that represents victims of sexual abuse in California
Stuart Green, distinguished professor of law at Rutgers University who has written about what counts as commercial sex under the law
It’s a moment. It’s a movement. How ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ has become more than a movie
‘Crazy Rich Asians’ directed by Jon M. Chu sparks an emotional movement for many Asian Americans. Yes, it’s a rom-com, but the movie starring an all-Asian cast that finally reached wide release in theaters is a landmark milestone for Asian-American history.
Creators of the movie turned down an offer from Netflix so that ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ could have its big box-office moment. Chu was willing to decline a big Netflix payout as a chance for the movie to be a conventional multiplex hit on the big screen.
Official box-office projections are around $26 million for the whole five-day frame. The movie had a $30 million budget. If box-office numbers hit the projected numbers then this movement may set a precedent that an Asian-American rom-com can be successful as well.
Guests:
Paul Dergarabedian, Senior Media Analyst, comScore - a global media measurement and analytics company; he tweets from
Jeff Yang, CNN Contributor and co-host of “They Call Us Bruce” a podcast about the Asian American experience; he tweets