http://www.abajournal.com/news/ en Copyright 2013 2013-06-19T15:44:02-06:00 http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/veteran_defense_lawyer_convicted_in_conspiracy_to_bribe_witness_not_to_test/ A veteran Rhode Island defense lawyer has been convicted in a claimed conspiracy to bribe a witness not to testify in a criminal case. After 13 hours of deliberation, a Providence jury found Gerard Donley guilty on Thursday of bribery, conspiracy and obstruction of justice. He testified that money he… Criminal Justice, White Collar Crime, Trials & Litigation, Evidence, States, Rhode Island Fri, 14 Jun 2013 09:15:27 -0500 44647.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/federal_judge_jails_estate_lawyer_as_flight_risk_calls/ A Rhode Island estate planning lawyer's effort to revoke his guilty plea in a controversial $30 million elder insurance fraud case was a "bizarre" and unjustified "hatchet job" on Joseph Caramadre's former counsel, a federal judge said Monday. U.S. District Judge William Smith not only nixed Caramadre's bid for a… Criminal Justice, White Collar Crime, Elder Law, Insurance Law, Trials & Litigation, Verdicts & Settlements, 1st Circuit Court, States, Rhode Island Tue, 21 May 2013 06:09:54 -0500 44283.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/estate_lawyer_asks_to_revoke_plea_now_wants_trial_in_30m_elder_insurance_pr/ A Rhode Island estate planning lawyer is seeking to revoke the plea agreement he made last year near the outset of what was expected to be a lengthy trial in a controversial $30 million fraud case. Supporters said attorney Joseph Caramadre did nothing wrong by using the identities of elderly… Constitutional Law, Criminal Justice, White Collar Crime, Insurance Law, Trials & Litigation, 1st Circuit Court, States, Rhode Island Mon, 14 Jan 2013 14:51:05 -0600 42360.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/lawyer_accused_of_misusing_ids_of_terminally_ill_in_30m_investment_scheme/ As testimony was about to resume Monday in a federal trial that had been expected to continue for months, a Rhode Island estate planning lawyer and a former employee accused of misusing the identities of dying individuals in a $30 million investment scheme both took a plea. Attorney Joseph Caramadre,… Criminal Justice, White Collar Crime, Insurance Law, Trials & Litigation, Trusts & Estates, 1st Circuit Court, States, Rhode Island Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:30:50 -0600 41688.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/trial_begins_for_estate_planning_lawyer_accused_of_making_30m_by_investing_/ Updated: Trial has begun--and, much sooner than expected, ended--for a Rhode Island estate planning attorney who was federally indicted (PDF) last year after being accused of making $15 million or more, with the help of others, by defrauding dying individuals into allowing insurance investments to be made… Criminal Justice, White Collar Crime, Insurance Law, Trials & Litigation, 1st Circuit Court, States, Rhode Island Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:34:26 -0600 41642.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/fined_15_over_cockatoos_saucy_squawks_birds_owner_is_appealing_on_due-proce/ It isn't so much the $15 fine as the constitutional principle at issue, according to a Rhode Island woman who owns a cockatoo who reportedly squawks a blue streak. Lynne L. Taylor has already appealed to state superior court a Sept. 17 finding by Municipal Court Judge Joel Gerstenblatt that… Animal Law, Appellate Practice, Constitutional Law, Criminal Justice, Government Law, Trials & Litigation, Evidence, States, Rhode Island Fri, 28 Sep 2012 16:08:24 -0500 40933.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/school_concludes_discrimination_law_bars_father-daughter_dances/ A school district in Cranston, R.I., has decided to ban father-daughter and mother-son activities because of fears they are illegal under gender discrimination law. The superintendent of the school district in Cranston, R.I., acted after a single mom complained that her daughter was not able to attend a father-daughter dance,… Civil Rights, Education Law, States, Rhode Island Wed, 19 Sep 2012 06:00:14 -0500 40769.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/as_more_states_enacts_social_host_laws_parents_face_jail_time_for_kids_drin/ Parents are increasingly targeted for their children’s at-home drinking parties under social host laws now on the books in 28 states. Parents can face criminal or civil penalties under the laws if they permit underage teens to drink on their property, no matter who supplies the alcohol and even if… Constitutional Law, Criminal Justice, Tort Law, Trials & Litigation, States, Rhode Island Wed, 12 Sep 2012 07:44:25 -0500 40676.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/rhode_island_governor_loses_battle_to_keep_inmate_from_potential_us_death_p/ Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee says he is evaluating his options after a federal appeals court ruled he must hand over a murder defendant for federal prosecution. Chafee had refused to surrender defendant Jason Pleau because of the possibility the feds would seek the death penalty, an option he opposes,… Constitutional Law, Criminal Justice, Death Penalty, 1st Circuit Court, States, Rhode Island Tue, 08 May 2012 10:10:26 -0500 38672.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/ex-lawyer_pleads_guilty_to_bank_fraud_in_1.1m_mortgage_scheme/ A disbarred lawyer has pleaded guilty in federal court in Rhode Island to multiple counts of bank fraud and filing false tax returns. Prosecutors says James Levitt, 66, submitted fraudulent applications to obtain $1.1 million in mortgage financing in 2006 and 2007, according to the Associated Press… Criminal Justice, White Collar Crime, Legal Ethics, Real Estate & Property Law, 1st Circuit Court, States, Rhode Island Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:48:47 -0600 37151.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/lawyer_sues_ri_chief_justice_says_he_launched_law_practice_probe/ A longtime Rhode Island practitioner who is known as a politically active critic of the state's top court has filed a federal lawsuit against its chief justice and other defendants. In it, Keven A. McKenna alleges that Chief Justice Paul Suttell and other defendants violated his constitutional rights and sought… Administrative Law, Constitutional Law, First Amendment, Judiciary, Legal Ethics, Trials & Litigation, States, Rhode Island Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:41:00 -0600 36590.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/oops._attorneys_staff_error_excuse_gets_him_in_more_trouble_since_he_didnt_/ A Rhode Island attorney has been ordered to perform 20 hours of pro bono legal work in family court guardianship matters to resolve a legal ethics case. It began with a billing dispute concerning several family court guardianship cases for children in the same family, the Rhode Island Supreme Court… Legal Ethics, States, Rhode Island Mon, 14 Nov 2011 16:20:53 -0600 36032.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/appeals_court_blocks_transfer_of_ri_defendant_to_federal_authorities/ A federal appeals court ruled Thursday that Rhode Island officials don't have to surrender custody of an accused murderer to federal authorities in a dispute over the death penalty. The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston held (PDF) that the federal government is bound by the… Appellate Practice, Criminal Justice, Death Penalty, Executive Branch, Trials & Litigation, 2nd Circuit Court, States, Rhode Island Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:31:42 -0500 35459.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/ex-inmate_earns_yale_law_degree_gets_ready_to_take_florida_for_bar_exam/ A former drug dealer who used his prison time productively, getting a high-school equivalency diploma and reading prodigiously so he was ready to enroll in college after his release, has now passed another milestone. Andres Idarraga earned his law degree from Yale University last month, and is now getting ready… Careers, Criminal Justice, Sentencing/Post Conviction, Law Schools, Law Students, States, Connecticut, Florida, Rhode Island Thu, 16 Jun 2011 16:44:45 -0500 33427.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/lead-paint_plaintiffs_lawyer_on_track_for_judicial_confirmation_after_filib/ Updated: Senate Republicans have failed in an attempt to filibuster the judicial nomination of John “Jack” McConnell Jr., a trial lawyer opposed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. McConnell was confirmed Wednesday after 11 Republicans joined Democrats in a vote to end debate. The Associated Press and… Judiciary, States, Rhode Island Wed, 04 May 2011 13:51:53 -0500 32655.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/citing_4-year_vacancy_chief_fedl_judge_in_ri/ In a highly unusual move, the chief federal district judge in Rhode Island has sent some two dozen cases to colleagues in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. She and another judge have struggled for four years to keep up with the load as a third seat on the bench sat vacant… Constitutional Law, Executive Branch, Judiciary, Legal Ethics, Legislation & Lobbying, Real Estate & Property Law, Trials & Litigation, 1st Circuit Court, States, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island Mon, 07 Mar 2011 13:40:11 -0600 31515.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/e-mail_of_retired_ri_justice_is_hacked_by_scammers_seeking_cash/ Hackers used the e-mail account of retired Chief Justice Frank Williams of the Rhode Island Supreme Court to make a plea for money. The e-mail claiming to be from Williams tells recipients that he was robbed while on a secret trip to England for a seminar and he now needs… Judiciary, States, Rhode Island Fri, 04 Feb 2011 10:55:38 -0600 30891.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/appeals_court_reinstates_uniloc_win_in_microsoft_case_but_calls_for_new_tri/ A federal appeals court has reinstated a jury verdict against Microsoft Corp. in favor of anti-piracy software maker Uniloc USA Inc. However, a $388 million jury award to Uniloc in the patent case was "fundamentally tainted," requiring a new trial on damages, said the U.S. Court of Appeals for the… Appellate Practice, Intellectual Property Law, Patent Law, Science & Technology Law, Trials & Litigation, Verdicts & Settlements, Federal Circuit Court, States, Rhode Island Tue, 04 Jan 2011 14:00:24 -0600 30189.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/real_estate_lawyer_pleads_guilty_in_fraud_case_over_paid-up_home_loans/ Real estate lawyer and former state lawmaker Christopher Maselli is current on mortgage payments for some $1.7 million in financing for four homes he started purchasing during the real estate boom, his lawyer says. But because he allegedly falsified documentation to obtain the loans, including two tax returns and bank… Criminal Justice, Sentencing/Post Conviction, White Collar Crime, Legal Ethics, Real Estate & Property Law, Trials & Litigation, 1st Circuit Court, States, Rhode Island Thu, 11 Nov 2010 19:59:50 -0600 29350.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/20_law_profs_protest_r.i._truancy_court_judges_attempt_to_oust_aclu_attorne/ Apparently irked by a lawsuit challenging practices in Rhode Island's truancy court on constitutional grounds, judges named as defendants sought to revoke the pro hac vice status of out-of-state lawyers from the American Civil Liberties Union pursuing the case. The lawyers were unethical in making their case in public comments… Business of Law, Law Practice Management, Pro Bono, Civil Rights, Constitutional Law, Judiciary, Legal Ethics, Trials & Litigation, States, Rhode Island Tue, 03 Aug 2010 14:08:49 -0500 27607.abajournal.com