http://www.abajournal.com/news/ en Copyright 2013 2013-05-25T18:05:00-06:00 http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/woman_arrested_over_unpaid_traffic_ticket_died_on_courthouse_floor_from_unt/ Arrested and jailed over an allegedly unpaid 2008 traffic ticket, Dwana Voncia London-Richardson died, at age 45, on an Alabama courthouse floor days after sheriff's department and jail workers failed to provide her with medical treatment, a federal lawsuit says. It names as defendants the St. Clair County sheriff, county… ABA Journal Production, Weekly Newsletter Stories, Constitutional Law, Criminal Justice, Government Law, Tort Law, Trials & Litigation, 11th Circuit Court, States, Alabama Mon, 20 May 2013 10:16:16 -0500 44268.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/lawyer_extradited_from_nicaragua_accused_of_role_in_137m_fraud_scheme/ An American lawyer has been deported from Nicaragua after authorities say he tried to get a passport there using a fake birth certificate and is being extradited to Florida, where he will face federal prosecution for his alleged role in a $137 million stock-investment fraud scheme. Lawrence Hartman is accused… Criminal Justice, White Collar Crime, Real Estate & Property Law, Trials & Litigation, 11th Circuit Court, States, Florida Thu, 16 May 2013 13:10:37 -0500 44221.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/death-penalty_appeal/ When William Ernest Kuenzel got married to a social worker in 2008, attorney David Kochman was his best man. He's also Kuenzel's pro bono appellate counsel in a death-penalty case in which the attorney is asserting that his client is actually, factually innocent. Kochman, a 33-year-old commercial litigation associate at… Appellate Practice, Business of Law, Law Practice Management, Pro Bono, Civil Rights, Constitutional Law, Criminal Justice, Death Penalty, Sentencing/Post Conviction, Criminal Procedure, Trials & Litigation, Evidence, 11th Circuit Court, States, Alabama Fri, 03 May 2013 12:10:05 -0500 44028.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/widow_who_owed_21.6m_to_feds_gets_effectively_5_seconds_of_probation_as_jud/ An elderly Palm Beach, Fla., widow with a high school education got "effectively five seconds" of probation from a federal judge in an offshore tax-evasion case after paying a $21.6 million penalty and back taxes. Mary Estelle Curran, 79, had inherited $43 million in Swiss bank accounts from her husband,… Criminal Justice, Sentencing/Post Conviction, White Collar Crime, Tax Law, Trials & Litigation, Verdicts & Settlements, 11th Circuit Court, States, Florida Fri, 26 Apr 2013 10:50:51 -0500 43933.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/law_firm_2_attorneys_sued_by_fdic_accused_of_helping_now-defunct_bank_make_/ The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has sued a Florida law firm and two of its attorneys, contending that they failed to take note of “glaring red flags” when representing Orion Bank in making $82 million in illegal loans in 2009. Nason, Yeager, Gerson, White & Lioce, as well as a… Banking Law, Criminal Justice, White Collar Crime, Law Firms, Associates, Midsize Firm, Partners, Tort Law, Trials & Litigation, 11th Circuit Court, States, Florida Thu, 18 Apr 2013 14:42:08 -0500 43815.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/company_sues_former_law_firm_says_failure_to_detect_issues_before_ipo_cost_/ A Florida-based company that sells health products over the Internet has sued its former law firm, contending that it lost millions because Shefsky & Froehlich failed to detect and inform its leaders, prior to going forward with an initial public offering, of corporate governance and capital structure issues. In the… Corporate Law, Law Firms, Midsize Firm, Mergers & Acquisitions, Securities Law, Trials & Litigation, 11th Circuit Court, States, Florida, Illinois Tue, 16 Apr 2013 12:35:48 -0500 43746.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/man_who_paid_hospital_workers_for_patient_info_used_to_sell_medical_and_leg/ A man who admittedly paid husband-and-wife hospital employees over $10,000 to provide confidential patient information that was used to solicit individuals for additional medical and legal services was sentenced this week to four years in federal prison. Sergei Kusyakov, 39, pleaded guilty in January to conspiracy to defraud the United… Advertising Law, Consumer Law, Criminal Justice, Sentencing/Post Conviction, Health Law, Privacy Law, 11th Circuit Court, States, Florida Wed, 10 Apr 2013 11:22:19 -0500 43667.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/man_arrested_in_clerks_office_as_he_was_trying_to_file_a_federal_suit_plead/ Arrested nearly two years ago in the clerk's office when he went to file a lawsuit at the federal courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., a pro se plaintiff has now pleaded guilty in the assault case that resulted. A guard noticed when Larry Paul Delaney went through security at the… Criminal Justice, Judiciary, Court Security, Trials & Litigation, 11th Circuit Court, States, Florida Fri, 05 Apr 2013 13:56:05 -0500 43616.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/prayers_before_city_meetings_are_constitutional_appeals_court_rules/ The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has said that allowing prayers before city meetings in Florida is constitutional. The ruling (PDF) is a victory for the city of Lakeland, which is among many municipalities in Florida that open meetings with prayer, the News-Press reports.… Constitutional Law, First Amendment, 11th Circuit Court Wed, 27 Mar 2013 16:30:18 -0500 43461.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/strippers_750_debt_led_to_death_threats_to_judge_and_prosecutor_over_parkin/ A scheme that federal prosecutors say Amin Abbas Eltayeb launched to try to collect on the $750 loan he had made to an exotic dancer allegedly resulted in threats against a Florida judge, prosecutor and sheriff's deputy. Warned by the woman's boyfriend to leave her alone after she had repaid… Criminal Justice, Prosecutors, Judiciary, Court Security, Trials & Litigation, Evidence, 11th Circuit Court, States, Florida Tue, 26 Mar 2013 11:26:03 -0500 43438.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/trustee_wants_to_raise_money_to_pay_casey_anthonys_debts_by_selling_her_lif/ With nearly $800,000 in obligations, about $1,000 in assets and minimal work experience and training, it might seem that Casey Anthony, who is 26 and unemployed, has little likelihood of being able to pay the debts that drove her into bankruptcy. But a bankruptcy trustee has a different idea. Stephen… Bankruptcy Law, Criminal Justice, Media & Communications Law, Trials & Litigation, 11th Circuit Court, States, Florida Mon, 18 Mar 2013 17:55:34 -0500 43334.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/squire_sanders_lawyer_lands_11th_circuit_clerkship_with_help_of_screen-read/ A lawyer with Squire Sanders in Miami showed up for an interview for a federal appeals clerkship last year with a laptop outfitted with the software that helps him practice law. Lawyer Dan Matzkin is blind and he uses JAWS screen-reading software, the Daily Business Review… Careers, Judiciary, Law Firms, 11th Circuit Court Thu, 14 Mar 2013 10:31:15 -0500 43260.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/attorney_who_didnt_tell_police_about_employees_theft_from_client_is_disbarr/ A Georgia attorney has been disbarred following her conviction of misprision of a felony due to an employee's misuse of a guardianship client's funds. In a brief order (PDF) on Monday, the court noted that Zondra Taylor Hutto had not responded to the disciplinary case and found that… Business of Law, Law Practice Management, Criminal Justice, Sentencing/Post Conviction, White Collar Crime, Elder Law, Legal Ethics, Trials & Litigation, Verdicts & Settlements, 11th Circuit Court, States, Georgia Mon, 04 Mar 2013 13:27:06 -0600 43099.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/law_firm_cant_sue_better_business_bureau_for_f_rating_under_lanham_act_fede/ A law firm that says it lost clients over disparaging reviews published by the Better Business Bureau of Central Florida Inc. lacks a basis for filing suit under the Lanham Act, a federal judge in Orlando has ruled. Because the BBB is not a competitor of the plaintiff, Kaufman, Englett… Advertising Law, Intellectual Property Law, Trademark Law, Law Firms, Tort Law, Trials & Litigation, Verdicts & Settlements, 11th Circuit Court, States, Florida Wed, 20 Feb 2013 15:22:55 -0600 42946.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/federal_judge_will_order_juror_to_turn_over_hard_drive_to_see_if_she_violat/ Terri Wright says a Florida newspaper reporter misunderstood her when he said in an article that she conducted Internet research while serving as the forewoman of a jury hearing a 2011 drug case against a Grammy-winning reggae star. But a federal judge in Tampa plans to have a forensics expert… Internet Law, Privacy Law, Trials & Litigation, Evidence, Juries, Verdicts & Settlements, 11th Circuit Court, States, Florida Tue, 19 Feb 2013 15:16:27 -0600 42911.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/shook_hardy_and_partner_sued/ Updated: A childhood friendship between a lawyer-to-be and another boy who, decades later, is serving a 20-year federal securities fraud prison term for masterminding a $930 million Ponzi scheme led to a legal representation that has put a prominent South Florida attorney and his law firm on the defensive. Marc… Bankruptcy Law, Corporate Law, Law Firms, Associates, Large Firm, Partners, Securities Law, Tort Law, Trials & Litigation, 11th Circuit Court, States, Florida Fri, 01 Feb 2013 12:20:22 -0600 42644.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/law_firm_loses_erisa_case_must_repay_1m_in_worker_retirement_assets/ A federal judge in Georgia has ordered a Savannah-based law firm to repay all of the $1 million in assets improperly transferred from worker retirement and pension plans. A ruling last week also held that the Eichholz Law Firm and its former managing partner, Benjamin Eichholz, breached their fiduciary responsibilities… Benefits/ERISA, Business of Law, Labor & Employment, Trials & Litigation, Verdicts & Settlements, 11th Circuit Court, States, Georgia Wed, 23 Jan 2013 13:40:30 -0600 42503.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/contempt_trifecta_client_and_attorney_are_no-shows_shouting_hearing_protest/ A bad day in a Florida bankruptcy court resulted in a contempt trifecta on Thursday morning. The founder of RoboVault, Marvin Chaney, and his lawyer, Lawrence Wrenn, were cited for contempt by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge John K. Olson after they were no-shows at a scheduled court hearing in Fort Lauderdale,… Bankruptcy Law, Criminal Justice, Judiciary, Trials & Litigation, 11th Circuit Court, States, Florida Fri, 18 Jan 2013 12:00:43 -0600 42446.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/now-disbarred_lawyer_takes_plea_in_fraud_case_feds_say_he_took_2.5m_from_wo/ A longtime Georgia lawyer accused of stealing millions in settlement money from his worker's compensation clients over a four-year period has taken a plea. Miles Lamar Gammage, 59, pleaded guilty in federal court in Rome on Tuesday to one count of mail fraud, reports the Daily Report.… Criminal Justice, White Collar Crime, Insurance Law, Legal Ethics, 11th Circuit Court, States, Georgia Thu, 10 Jan 2013 10:56:27 -0600 42286.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/closing_attorney_to_take_plea_in_federal_mortgage_fraud_case_forfeit_269k/ A real estate closing attorney will take a plea in a federal mortgage fraud case that was unsealed last week in Birmingham, Ala. Kelvin Leonard Davis, 41, has agreed to plead guilty to four counts of wire fraud, concerning transactions in which he submitted fraudulent documents to lenders to obtain… Criminal Justice, Sentencing/Post Conviction, White Collar Crime, Real Estate & Property Law, 11th Circuit Court, States, Alabama Wed, 09 Jan 2013 13:16:48 -0600 42277.abajournal.com