Jury clears Copperfield
Says magician not liable for tourist’s injuries
A British man’s lawsuit against David Copperfield vanished in less than two hours Tuesday.
After hearing more than a month and a half of testimony and arguments, a jury of seven women and two men decided claims against the magician were unfounded and that neither Copperfield nor other defendants in the case should be held liable for a 2013 slip and fall.
Tourist Gavin Cox had sued Copperfield, his company, the MGM Grand and others, saying they should be held accountable for a traumatic brain injury he suffered while volunteering for an illusion known as “Lucky #13.”
The jury decided Cox’s injuries were 100 percent attributable to him, though they also found Cop
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during what she believed was a routine interview that would bring her one step closer to obtaining a green card.
Gomez had applied for legal permanent residency through her son, Yonathan, last year after living in the United States as an undocumented immigrant for more than two decades.
At her March interview, Gomez learned that the 20-year-old deportation order was sent to an address for a doughnut shop in Los Angeles — an address that she had no connection to, Barrera said.
After taking Gomez into custody at the meeting, immigration officers sent her to several detention centers. Intervention by Barrera and the Gomez family halted her deportation just miles from the U.s.-mexico border. Since then, Gomez has worked with Barrera and immigration advocates to have the case dropped.
Barrera said the dismissal of the case is typical when someone is nearing the end of the process to gain legal status.
“They usually will terminate a case when someone … is eligible for an immediately available visa,” Barrera said. She said it will likely take several months before Gomez is granted legal permanent residence.
Gomez could not be reached for comment.
The U.S. Executive Office for Immigration Review, which oversees the immigration court system, said Tuesday it did not have the necessary information to confirm Barrera’s account of the hearing.
Barrera and other advocates celebrated Gomez’s release on Twitter on Tuesday morning.
“So thankful to (the Las Vegas Worker’s Center) and the Las Vegas community for supporting this case,” she wrote.