http://www.abajournal.com/news/ en Copyright 2013 2013-05-23T01:50:40-06:00 http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/top_state_court_says_couple_must_pay_disputed_94_plus_5k_more_to_law_firm/ Sued by a Montana law firm over an unpaid legal bill, Daniel and Valery O’Connell anted up some $3,000 to satisfy the 2010 judgment but disputed $93.99 of the total. The result was another lawsuit, a default judgment and an eventual determination by the state's highest court earlier this month… Consumer Law, Contracts, Law Firms, Solos/Small Firms, Trials & Litigation, Attorney Fees, Verdicts & Settlements, States, Montana Mon, 20 May 2013 07:00:54 -0500 44262.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/judge_scolds_donald_trump_and_opposing_lawyer_this_is_not_a_boxing_ring/ A federal judge in Chicago scolded Donald Trump and an opposing lawyer on Wednesday after the two clashed repeatedly during a trial in a suit claiming the billionaire developer failed to deliver promised incentives to condo buyers. The Chicago Sun-Times, the Chicago Tribune and… Celebrities, Contracts, Real Estate & Property Law, Trials & Litigation Thu, 16 May 2013 11:34:02 -0500 44217.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/lawyers_who_didnt_notify_insurance_carrier_of_nuisance_case_lose_coverage/ Husband-and-wife West Virginia lawyers who practiced together in the same Charleston firm initially didn't report to their insurance carrier what they subsequently described as a pro se "nuisance case" over a $290,000 check that the plaintiff said was wrongfully issued to one of the firm's attorneys. But after the plaintiff,… Appellate Practice, Business of Law, Law Practice Management, Contracts, Insurance Law, Law Firms, Partners, Solos/Small Firms, Tort Law, Trials & Litigation, Verdicts & Settlements, States, West Virginia Mon, 13 May 2013 12:00:56 -0500 44152.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/stunned_by_45m_cyberheist_banks_have_limited_options_for_trying_to_rec/ It isn't just bank customers who can see their funds vanish in a short time, with little or no recourse, when hackers take over their accounts. As a $45 million cyberheist revealed last week illustrates, banks themselves can have much the same problem. Two Middle Eastern banks lost the money… Banking Law, Contracts, Criminal Justice, Cybersecurity, International Law, 2nd Circuit Court, International, Middle East, States, New York Mon, 13 May 2013 11:35:13 -0500 44148.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/son_of_salomon_bros_founder_sues_citigroup_says_secretary_assigned_in_consu/ The 99-year-old son of a founder of Salomon Brothers has sued Citigroup, contending that the bank breached a retirement contract by assigning him and failing to supervise adequately a personal secretary who allegedly stole $3 million of his personal funds. William Salomon, who began working for the famed investment bank… Banking Law, Contracts, Labor & Employment, Trials & Litigation, 3rd Circuit Court, States, New Jersey, New York Mon, 13 May 2013 10:45:05 -0500 44146.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/calif._ag_sues_jp_morgan_chase_alleges_robo-signing_of_docs_in_credit-card_/ California's attorney general sued one of the nation's biggest banks on Thursday, alleging that JPMorgan Chase & Co.had engaged in widespread "robo-signing" of documents in credit card collection lawsuits. "To maintain this breakneck pace" while dealing with a glut of litigation against delinquent cardholders, the lending institution created a “debt… Civil Rights, Constitutional Law, Consumer Law, Contracts, Corporate Law, Government Law, Tort Law, Trials & Litigation, Evidence, States, California Thu, 09 May 2013 17:52:20 -0500 44118.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/911_call_will_earn_800k_for_couple_bound_and_gagged_by_rogue_ex-cop/ A married couple bound and gagged in February by rogue ex-cop Christopher Dorner stands to earn $800,000 for calling 911 and describing the former Los Angeles police department employee to authorities. "Had Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds failed promptly to escape their restraints and contact law enforcement, it is likely Dorner… Administrative Law, Contracts, Criminal Justice, Government Law, States, California Wed, 08 May 2013 11:10:03 -0500 44086.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/author_harper_lee_sues_says_agent_tricked_her_into_signing_over_to_kill_a_m/ At 87, the author of one of the most famous trial novels ever written has failing eyesight and hearing. And in 2007 author Harper Lee was recovering from a stroke when she signed away her royalties from her 1960 novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, to her literary agent, Samuel Pinkus,… Celebrities, Contracts, Corporate Law, Elder Law, Tort Law, Trials & Litigation, 2nd Circuit Court, States, New York Tue, 07 May 2013 14:57:01 -0500 44075.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/Cheap_bus_ticket_included_a_costly_trip_to_small-claims_court_for_over_100_/ A 50-cent bus fare purchased by a University of Illinois student for a November 2011 trip to visit a friend at Illinois State University got a lot more expensive when, more than a year later, the bus company sent him a demand letter by Federal Express. It said Ryan Tompkins… Consumer Law, Contracts, Trials & Litigation, Verdicts & Settlements, States, Illinois Fri, 03 May 2013 11:15:50 -0500 44009.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/frugal_senior_cant_use_mileage_points_for_final_trip_home_because_she_will_/ Thinking ahead, a woman in her mid-90s has raised the question of whether the mileage points she has accumulated with a major airline can be used for her final flight to her home state, after her demise. The answer, according to an airline spokesperson contacted by Dear… Aviation & Space Law, Consumer Law, Contracts, Elder Law Wed, 01 May 2013 12:22:43 -0500 43995.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/partner_sent_email_complaint_to_colleagues_and_clients/ Updated: In a highly unusual public criticism of his now-former law firm, a partner of Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart complained to colleagues and clients in an email as he exited in March about what he called a "completely unacceptable" response to a female shareholder's complaint that she had… Contracts, Labor & Employment, Law Firms, Large Firm, Partners Wed, 01 May 2013 08:32:32 -0500 43981.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/attorneys_push_for_change_in_debt_collection/ Bankruptcy Law, Civil Procedure, Consumer Law, Contracts, Corporate Law, Criminal Justice, Criminal Procedure, Legislation & Lobbying, The National Pulse Wed, 01 May 2013 03:20:19 -0500 43794.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/lawyer_learns_the_hard_way_about_limits_of_bank_safe-deposit_box_protection/ The fine print in contracts for renting a bank safe-deposit box explain that valuables placed in them by customers, unlike ordinary checking and savings accounts, aren't covered by the FDIC insurance. But a lot of people may not understand that. Among those who learned this information the hard way was… Banking Law, Consumer Law, Contracts, Insurance Law, Personal Lives, States, Illinois Fri, 26 Apr 2013 11:35:55 -0500 43935.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/billionaire_plans_to_drink_to_380k_federal_jury_verdict_over_counterfeit_wi/ William Koch presumably didn't need the money. But, after years of litigation and what may have been a total of $10 million spent in legal fees, the Palm Beach, Fla., billionaire won a federal jury award of $380,000 on Thursday, in compensation for the 24 bottles of fake wine he… Consumer Law, Contracts, Tort Law, Trials & Litigation, Evidence, Verdicts & Settlements, 2nd Circuit Court, States, California, Florida, New York Fri, 12 Apr 2013 11:55:45 -0500 43703.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/actress_loses_suit_against_website_that_revealed_her_real_age/ A federal jury in Seattle has rejected claims by an actress who sued the website IMDb for revealing her real age. Jurors rejected allegations by Huong Hoang, who goes by the stage name Junie Hoang, that the website violated its user agreement by using her… Celebrities, Contracts, Media & Communications Law, Privacy Law, Trials & Litigation Fri, 12 Apr 2013 08:37:13 -0500 43701.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/ex-partner_sues_thompson_wigdor_for_600k_firm_calls_him_disgruntled_and_des/ A former partner who left Thompson Wigdor in 2011, after the firm was sanctioned over an employment case in which he was involved, has sued for $600,000 he says he is still owed. Scott Gilly says he is owed the money under the firm's 2008 partnership agreement and a separation… Careers, Lawyer Pay, Contracts, Labor & Employment, Law Firms, Partners, Solos/Small Firms, Legal Ethics, Tort Law, Trials & Litigation, 2nd Circuit Court, States, New York Tue, 09 Apr 2013 14:37:41 -0500 43658.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/new_fallout_for_rutgers_over_fired_coach_as_another_ex-employee/ A former employee filed a whistleblower suit against Rutgers University in state court in New Jersey on Friday, contending that he suffered retaliation for complaining about mistreatment of basketball players. Eric Murdock, who made public a video that led to the recent firing of the basketball coach, followed by the… Contracts, Education Law, Entertainment & Sports Law, Labor & Employment, Tort Law, Trials & Litigation, States, New Jersey Mon, 08 Apr 2013 14:27:11 -0500 43620.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/scotus_to_consider_whether_federal_court_is_bound_by_contracts_forum_select/ The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether federal courts are generally bound to enforce contractual agreements on the jurisdiction to be used for the resolution of disputes. The court granted cert on Monday, report the National Law Journal and SCOTUSblog. According to… Civil Procedure, Contracts, Trials & Litigation, U.S. Supreme Court Tue, 02 Apr 2013 08:46:36 -0500 43520.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/oops._bingham_cant_arbitrate_ex-associates_suit_because_its_own_contract_is/ A former associate has won a round in a disability discrimination case she filed two years ago against Bingham McCutchen. The law firm had sought to arbitrate a California complaint by Hartwell Harris that the firm didn't do enough to accommodate her unusual sleep disorder, But a trial-level judge ruled… Alternative Dispute Resolution, Contracts, Disability Law, Labor & Employment, Law Firms, Associates, Trials & Litigation, Verdicts & Settlements, States, California, Massachusetts Mon, 01 Apr 2013 16:24:45 -0500 43508.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/top_ny_court_puts_final_kibosh_on_kasowitz_bid_for_7m_success_fee_from_ex-c/ An effort by a New York law firm to obtain a $7 million success fee from a former client got a final kibosh Tuesday from the state's top court. In a brief ruling (PDF), the New York Court of Appeals declined to hear a challenge by Kasowitz Benson… Business of Law, Law Practice Management, Contracts, Law Firms, Midsize Firm, Trials & Litigation, Attorney Fees, States, New York Tue, 26 Mar 2013 12:30:51 -0500 43439.abajournal.com