A former public relations employee has sued Publicis Groupe SA for $100 million, saying the French advertising company discriminates against women in pay and promotions.

Women make up 70 percent of the company's public relations staff but hold only about 15 percent of leadership positions, the lawsuit says.

"A Publicis woman's place is in the back of the line, far removed from senior management positions, almost all of which are reserved for the men," the complaint contends.

The case was filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan and seeks class-action status. It was filed by Monique da Silva Moore, who was global healthcare director in the Boston office of the company's public relations division MSLGroup.

"We generally do not comment on pending litigation, but we can say that the fact that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission dismissed Ms da Silva's charge reflects the lack of merit to her claims," a spokeswoman for MSLGroup said.

Dr. Conrad Murray, the physician who was demonized by Michael Jackson's family and fans, was ordered Tuesday to stand trial for involuntary manslaughter after court testimony showed he administered a powerful anesthetic and other sedatives then left the pop star alone.

The ruling set the stage for what could be the final chapter in the Jackson saga — a high-profile trial that will examine all aspects of the star's death and try to finally place responsibility for his demise at the age of 50.

Witnesses at the six-day preliminary hearing filled a number of gaps in the story of Jackson's final hours, with accounts of his actions and the sad plight of two of his children watching briefly as their father lay dying.

Other witnesses recounted Murray's claim that he delayed calling 911 for perhaps more than an hour while he tried to revive the singer. A security guard indicated that Murray seemed to be rushing to hide evidence before paramedics arrived.

Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor said the hearing included sufficient evidence to support a possible finding of guilt at trial. Murray's defense attorney Ed Chernoff and prosecutors declined comment on the ruling.

Attorney Robert Barta said Friday that McMahon RV of Irvine, Calif. will pay $40,000 to Lautner, who will donate it to Lollipop Theater Network, a children's charity.

The 18-year-old Lautner sued the dealership Monday, saying it missed a June deadline to deliver the 2006 Affinity Country Coach for use on the set of the movie "Abduction."

Dealership owner Brent McMahon had offered to compete in a push-up contest to solve the dispute.

A phone message seeking comment on the settlement was not immediately returned.

Lautner will reprise his role as Jacob Black in the two-part "Twilight" finale.

The revelation that BP's Texas City refinery emitted toxic benzene for more than a month has ignited a furor in the port community that has suffered its share of deadly industrial accidents and toxic spills.

Thousands of residents who fear they may have been exposed to the known carcinogen released at the oil refinery from April 6 to May 16 have been flooding parking lots and conference halls where local trial attorneys hosted information sessions and sought clients for class-action lawsuits against the oil giant.

BP faces the new challenge just as it is reaching a key milestone in another crisis — plugging the Gulf of Mexico well that blew out in an oil spill disaster that is costing the company billions of dollars.

On Wednesday, more than 3,400 people lined the hallways and sidewalks around the Nessler Center to sign on to a $10 billion class-action lawsuit filed Tuesday in Galveston federal court by Friendswood attorney Anthony Buzbee.

The lawsuit alleges the release of 500,000 pounds of chemicals - including 17,000 pounds of benzene - has jeopardized the health and property values of people who live and work in the area. At the nearby College of the Mainland, a separate town hall meeting drew a crowd of 600.

Lawyers representing the actor and ex-wife Diandra Douglas tangled in a New York court Tuesday over her claim that she's entitled to half his earnings from "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps," set to open Sept. 24.

The dispute has featured accusations of avarice on both sides and an unusually detailed look at Hollywood-style divorce.

The couple's 23-year marriage ended in 2000. He's now married to Oscar-winning actress Catherine Zeta-Jones.

The former couple's multimillion-dollar divorce gives Diandra Douglas the right to share in proceeds from spinoffs and other projects related to work Michael Douglas did while they were married.

That, her camp says, should include director Oliver Stone's "Wall Street" follow-up, in which Michael Douglas reprises and updates his Oscar-winning role as Gordon Gekko, the take-no-prisoners financier whose declaration that "greed is good" became either a slogan or an epithet for the 1980s, depending on one's perspective.

A federal appeals court on Friday granted Dish Network Corp. a rare, full-court review of a ruling it had earlier lost to TiVo Inc., one that could have resulted in the satellite TV company disabling millions of digital video recorders.

Instead, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington breathed new life into litigation that Dish has consistently lost to TiVo. Dish's decision to seek an "en banc" review was seen as CEO Charlie Ergen's last straw effort as damages mounted. Ergen had even believed that the appeals court was unlikely to grant it.

Shares of DVR pioneer TiVo fell by $6.52, or 37.5 percent, to $10.87 in midday trading. Dish rose by $1.22, or 5.6 percent, to $23.18.

But it's uncertain whether Dish will have eventual victory given that TiVo has prevailed in a series of other court rulings.

TiVo sued Dish in 2004 for patent infringement over a technology that stored and retrieved video on DVRs, which lets viewers pause, rewind and replay live TV. Dish lost the case on appeal, paid TiVo $104.6 million in damages and interest and was barred from using the technology.