States

30024 ABA Journal States articles.

Officer Who Tasered Girl, 10, with Mom’s OK Is Suspended for Not Taping Incident

Called to an Arkansas home after the mother of a 10-year-old girl couldn’t get her to take a shower, an Ozark police officer wound up shocking her briefly with a electronic stun gun last week as she was “violently kicking and verbally combative.” Then Dustin Bradshaw handcuffed the now-unresisting child…

Nov 19, 2009 9:55 PM CST

Many More Mortgage Fraud Cases in Pipeline; ‘Like Shooting Fish in a Barrel’

Mortgage fraud prosecutions are likely to increase exponentially as federal authorities gear up nationwide to put a higher priority on such cases. In Nevada, they have some 300 cases in the pipeline, cherry-picking the most egregious, reports the Las Vegas Sun. Like complex drug cases, mortgage fraud cases can mushroom…

Nov 19, 2009 8:12 PM CST

Are All Texas Marriages Void? Poorly Worded Amendment Raises the Question

A candidate for Texas attorney general says a state constitutional amendment is so poorly worded that it calls into question the legal status of all marriages in the state. The Democratic candidate, Houston lawyer Barbara Ann Radnofsky, calls the amendment a “massive mistake,” the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. Designed to…

Nov 19, 2009 7:42 PM CST

Lawyers Find New Jobs Despite Stigma of Claimed $1B Rothstein Scheme

When a lawyer is looking for a new job because his or her law firm is dissolving, it obviously doesn’t help if one of its founding partners is being accused of operating a $1 billion Ponzi scheme. But neither has this situation prevented attorneys from Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler from being…

Nov 19, 2009 6:13 PM CST

Bentley Photos Are Props in Willie Gary’s High School Motivational Speech

Trial lawyer Willie Gary didn’t have to warn students at a Florida high school that they could end up living in a van down by the river in a motivational speech he gave on Wednesday. Students showed their enthusiasm before Gary even began his speech, Jacksonville.com reports. A marching band…

Nov 19, 2009 4:33 PM CST

Federal PD Wins Health Costs for Same-Sex Spouse in ‘Legal End-Run’

A federal public defender, thwarted in an earlier effort to enroll his same-sex spouse in his employer’s health coverage plan, has won a ruling requiring his employer to pay him for the costs of obtaining outside insurance. The Los Angeles Times calls the ruling by Judge Stephen Reinhardt of the…

Nov 19, 2009 3:00 PM CST

After BigLaw Deferral, 2008 Grad Finds New Job as a Judge

Having his start date deferred from a BigLaw job in Chicago turned out to be a positive career development for a 2008 graduate of Georgetown University Law Center. Forced to look for other work, Michael Edwards found a U.S. Navy job in Indiana that made use of his law degree…

Nov 18, 2009 11:40 PM CST

Law Firm Manager Gets 41 Months for Embezzling $1.3M

Sentenced yesterday by a federal judge in California to 41 months for embezzling $1.3 million from the law firm at which she formerly worked as office manager, Regina Schenck blames a “demeaning” climate at Diepenbrock Harrison and a “horse addiction” for fueling her crime. In a presentence letter to U.S.…

Nov 18, 2009 11:19 PM CST

Ex-Lawyer Took Fifth, Couldn’t Defend $2.4M Civil Case, Now Gets New Trial

A California judge abused his discretion by effectively denying a tax attorney who took the Fifth during discovery in a civil case brought by a former client the opportunity to present any defense at trial. Hence, the state Court of Appeals threw out a jury verdict against the former attorney,…

Nov 18, 2009 8:25 PM CST

Judge Jails 2 Attorneys for Contempt in 4 Days

It may not be a good time for Georgia practitioners to try the patience of Matthew Simmons, the chief judge of Clayton County Superior Court. Within two business days he has jailed two lawyers for contempt in unrelated cases, according to a Daily Report article reprinted in New York Lawyer…

Nov 18, 2009 7:21 PM CST

Judge Bans Pro Se Defendant from His Own Trial

After Isiah Williams repeatedly complained about his lawyers, a New York state judge said he could represent himself. But when Williams continued to be too disruptive, Monroe County Court Judge John Connell banned him from the courtroom. Nonetheless, his trial on multiple forgery, grand larceny and identity theft charges concerning…

Nov 18, 2009 6:32 PM CST

Criminal Judges Hire DA’s Wife as Consultant With State Agency’s OK

Although some see a problem with a decision by at least seven Texas judges to hire the wife of the local district attorney as a political consultant, the State Commission on Judicial Conduct has OK’d the arrangement. As long as there’s no quid pro quo, says commission director Seana Willing,…

Nov 18, 2009 6:14 PM CST

Lawsuit Accusing Toyota of Destroying Evidence Is Headed for Arbitration

An arbitrator, rather than a judge, will hear claims by a former Toyota in-house lawyer that the automaker destroyed evidence in more than 300 rollover suits. Yesterday, U.S. District Judge George King of Los Angeles ruled that a 2007 severance agreement requires lawyer Dimitrios Biller to arbitrate his dispute with…

Nov 18, 2009 2:56 PM CST

Testimony: Fed’l Judge Owed $150K on Credit Cards, Got $20K from 2 Lawyers

A federal judge in Louisiana racked up $150,000 in credit card debt, largely to cover his gambling, as he routinely solicited cash and gifts from lawyers appearing before him, witnesses told a House Judiciary Committee task force today in an initial step toward possible impeachment of the jurist. But one…

Nov 17, 2009 9:51 PM CST

‘Sonic Boom’: Rothstein Churned $250M in Trust Funds Last Month, Lawyer Says

Attorney Scott Rothstein allegedly wired $18 million to Morocco last month and churned some $250 million that flowed through his trust accounts in October, as he apparently prepared for a possible relocation to the African country, according to news reports. “Those are enormous figures,” attorney Bill Scherer, who represents investors…

Nov 17, 2009 8:55 PM CST

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States

Officer Who Tasered Girl, 10, with Mom’s OK Is Suspended for Not Taping Incident

Many More Mortgage Fraud Cases in Pipeline; ‘Like Shooting Fish in a Barrel’

Are All Texas Marriages Void? Poorly Worded Amendment Raises the Question

Lawyers Find New Jobs Despite Stigma of Claimed $1B Rothstein Scheme

Bentley Photos Are Props in Willie Gary’s High School Motivational Speech

Federal PD Wins Health Costs for Same-Sex Spouse in ‘Legal End-Run’

After BigLaw Deferral, 2008 Grad Finds New Job as a Judge

Law Firm Manager Gets 41 Months for Embezzling $1.3M

Ex-Lawyer Took Fifth, Couldn’t Defend $2.4M Civil Case, Now Gets New Trial

Judge Jails 2 Attorneys for Contempt in 4 Days

Judge Bans Pro Se Defendant from His Own Trial

Criminal Judges Hire DA’s Wife as Consultant With State Agency’s OK

Lawsuit Accusing Toyota of Destroying Evidence Is Headed for Arbitration

Testimony: Fed’l Judge Owed $150K on Credit Cards, Got $20K from 2 Lawyers

‘Sonic Boom’: Rothstein Churned $250M in Trust Funds Last Month, Lawyer Says

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