In the Nation
Mayor's accuser files lawsuit
SAN DIEGO - Mayor Bob Filner's former communications director has filed a sexual-harassment lawsuit against the leader of the nation's eighth-largest city.
Irene McCormack said Monday that Filner had asked her to work without underpants, demanded kisses, and dragged her around in a headlock while whispering sexual advances. McCormack said she resigned in June at a staff meeting.
On July 10, prominent former supporters claimed Filner sexually harassed more than one woman and urged him to resign. McCormack is the first accuser to reveal her identity.
In an extraordinary video released immediately after the initial allegations surfaced, Filner apologized for disrespecting and intimidating women. - AP
U.S.: Fla. wrong on child care
MIAMI - The U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Florida on Monday, accusing the state of unnecessarily institutionalizing disabled children in nursing homes and cutting services that would allow them to get care at home.
Federal investigators visited six nursing homes in the state and identified about 200 children they said didn't need to be there. The investigators found that many children stay in the facilities for years. Investigators said Florida is violating the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and infringing on the children's civil rights by segregating and isolating them.
Florida Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Liz Dudek said the state had recently improved an "already strong program" and that 31 children have been discharged from nursing facilities this year. - AP
Hearing set on Detroit filing
DETROIT - The federal judge overseeing Detroit's bankruptcy will hear arguments Wednesday on the city's request to freeze lawsuits by retirees who claim their pensions are protected by the state constitution.
It will be the first hearing less than a week after Detroit became the largest U.S. city to file for bankruptcy.
A county judge last week ordered emergency manager Kevyn Orr and Gov. Rick Snyder to not take any more action in the bankruptcy case. Judge Rosemarie Aquilina also barred any moves that would hurt benefits already being received by pensioners. But city attorneys said federal bankruptcy law typically carries an "automatic stay" to give a debtor such as Detroit a "breathing spell." - AP
Elsewhere:
About 20 homeowners in California are being urged to evacuate. A 27,265-acre fire in mountains above Palm Springs was smoldering Monday after thunderstorms. But the rain raised the potential for flooding and mudslides.
