Luxembourg City, Luxembourg -- The European Court of Justice said employers must pay workers on sick leave up to four weeks of holiday pay after extended illnesses.

"A worker does not lose his right to paid annual leave which he has been unable to exercises because of sickness," the court said in its ruling, The Times of London reported.

"He must be compensated for his annual leave not taken," the court said.
The ruling, protested by the business community as costly during an economic downturn, means the benefits of sick leave and holiday pay do not overlap. Employees who lose their jobs or quit while on sick leave are entitled to any holiday pay they missed while sick, The Times said.

"The decision will have serious financial and practical ramifications," said Tim Marshall, head of employment at British law firm DLA Piper.

Pittsburg, January 17: Finally the way is clear for the development of a memorial, after three years of negotiations between The National Park Service, Families of Flight 93, and Svonavec Inc. The deal will allow for the construction of the memorial on the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

Houston, January 7: Chemical giant LyondellBasell Industries’ U.S. unit has filed for bankruptcy, citing a weak demand for its products in the present economic turmoil.

New York, December 28: The founder of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC may have bamboozled many big names including movie director Steven Spielberg, real-estate developer Mortimer Zuckerman and publisher Mortimer B. Zuckerman. But now, it’s his turn to reveal it all.

Los Angeles -- A federal judge granted a copyright ownership claim by the Hollywood studio, 20th Century Fox, regarding the forthcoming film "Watchmen."

U.S. District Judge Gary A. Feess said in his ruling Wednesday Fox owns copyright interest in the action film created by Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures, The New York Times said.

Fox had taken the other studios to court as part of its attempt to block Warner's release of the superhero film, based on a graphic novel by writer Alan Moore.

The film version, directed by "300" head Zack Snyder," had been scheduled for release in March 2009.

"Fox owns a copyright interest consisting of, at the very least, the right to distribute the 'Watchmen' motion picture," the Central California judge said in his ruling.

New York -- The New York Supreme Court will hear a legal battle over the network home of the TV series "Project Runway," a judge has ruled.

U.S. District Judge Richard Sullivan ruled Tuesday the ongoing legal fight between the Weinstein Co. and NBC Universal will move onto the state's top court, The Hollywood Reporter said.

The Southern District judge ruled the Lifetime network must accept the repercussions of initially delaying its involvement in the state court case.

"While Lifetime was perfectly entitled to adopt a strategy of waiting on the sidelines until it felt its position was strengthened by the recordation of its interests, it cannot now, having been unfavorably impacted by the state court's ruling, avoid the consequences of its strategic decision," Sullivan said in his ruling.

Bentonville, United States, December 24: The world’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart, announced Tuesday that it would settle 63 lawsuits running against it in 42 states for its alleged wage violation practices. The company has agreed to pay minimum $352 million to the workers and their lawyers, who claimed that it forced employees to work overtime without extra compensation.

Toronto -- Tractor-trailers traveling in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec must have speed limiters installed after Jan. 1 new laws stipulate.

In a joint news release, the Ontario government and the Ontario Trucking Association said all big trucks, regardless of where they come from, must have the devices installed and working to limits speed to 65 mph.

The release quoted a Transport Canada federal study showing in Ontario alone, the limiters would save the trucking industry about 2.6 billion gallons of diesel fuel annually and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 280,000 tons annually.

However, both provinces legislated a six-month "educational awareness period" to provide trucking companies and drivers from elsewhere in Canada and the United States an opportunity to comply with the new rules, the release said.

Chicago -- The Tribune Co., owners of the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times, filed for bankruptcy protection Monday in the wake of falling revenues.

The company, which has announced several staff reductions in recent months, was working with investment bank Lazard and law firm Sidley Austin to find financial options, the Chicago Tribune reported.

The company filed on the day a $70 million unsecured debt came due. It has been struggling to work its way through a $13 billion debt incurred when real estate businessman Sam Zell bought the company in a leveraged buyout a year ago, the newspaper said.

The company reportedly had $300 million cash on hand, but executives could not find lenders willing to help it restructure its debt. Another $512 million principle payment on the leveraged bailout is due in June, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Charlotte, N.C. -- A North Carolina judge has rejected a lawsuit filed by a Wachovia shareholder seeking to block the bank's sale to Wells Fargo.

The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer reported Saturday that the judge's move all but guarantees the sale will go through.

Judge Albert Diaz of the North Carolina Business Court ruled that Wachovia's directors acted in good faith when they agreed to sell the bank to Wells Fargo.

He also ruled that Wachovia's agreement to give Wells Fargo nearly 40 percent of its shareholder voting power ahead of the shareholder vote is permissible.

The lawsuit was filed in October by New York investor Irving Ehrenhaus, who claimed Wells Fargo had not offered a fair price and was not allowing a fair vote.

Wachovia shareholders are to vote on the Wells Fargo takeover Dec. 23. The deal is to close Dec. 31.