Judge: UPS must pay $247M to NYC and state in cigarette case
BRUSSELS -- President Donald Trump's push to get in front of the pack at a NATO summit generated indignation in the Balkans and garnered attention on social media — but the man he shoved aside took it in stride.
At Thursday's gathering in Brussels, Trump put his right hand on the right arm of Montenegro Prime Minister Dusko Markovic and pushed himself ahead as NATO leaders walked inside the alliance's new headquarters and prepared for a group photo.
Trump then stood near Markovic and spoke to Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite. Video of the incident spread on social networks in multiple languages.
“It seems Donald Trump did not want that anyone overshadows his presence at the summit,” said the Montenegro newspaper Vijesti.
Other Balkan websites ran headlines such as “America First” and “Where do you think you are going?”
Markovic himself, however, shrugged off the slight.
“It didn't really register. I just saw reactions about it on social networks. It is simply a harmless situation,” he told reporters after the summit.
Instead of being insulted, he took the opportunity to thank Trump for supporting Montenegro's membership in NATO. The small former Yugoslav republic is slated to become NATO's 29th member next month.
And in any case, Markovic said, “it is natural that the president of the United States is in the front row.” (AP) (NATO TV via AP)
NEW YORK -- A federal judge on Thursday ordered delivery giant UPS Inc. to pay New York City and the state nearly $247 million in damages and penalties for illegally shipping cigarettes.
U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest handed down the penalty after finding the company liable in a civil case in federal court in Manhattan in March, saying the company ignored "red flags" that its brown trucks were being used to transport untaxed cigarettes from Indian reservations,
New York state and New York City sued Atlanta-based UPS in 2015. The lawsuit accused it of having a corporate culture that favored sales opportunities over a responsibility to following regulations helping New York enforce tax law.
"We are pleased that the award of nearly $247 million to the city and state reflects the serious nature of the offenses at issue," the city's chief lawyer, Zachary Carter said. "Cigarette smoking is a leading cause of preventable death and the city and the state will continue in their efforts to protect the public health."
In Thursday's decision, the court awarded the state $165,817,479 and the city $81,158,135.
In a statement, state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman called it a win for New Yorkers and their public health.
"As the court agreed, UPS repeatedly violated a number of state and federal contraband cigarette trafficking laws — as well as its own agreement with the State — by shipping hundreds of thousands of cartons of cigarettes to consumers in New York," he said.