10th Circuit Court

Addicted Surgical Technician May Have Infected at Least 23 Patients With Hepatitis

Addicted to a powerful painkiller, Kristen Diane Parker admittedly stole fentanyl from empty operating rooms at the Denver, Colo., hospital in which she worked. But by substituting syringes of saline solution for syringes of fentanyl, the 26-year-old surgical technician didn’t just put patients at risk of inadequately treated pain, according…

Aug 17, 2009 6:56 PM CDT

Sentence Nacchio Based on Actual Qwest Insider Profit, 10th Circuit Says

In a move that could nearly halve the six-year prison term that former Qwest Communications chief executive Joseph Nacchio got for insider trading, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals today ordered that he be re-sentenced. Both Nacchio’s prison term and the amount of money he is required to forfeit…

Jul 31, 2009 10:32 PM CDT

Federal Judge David Winder Dies, Renowned for Kindness & Fairness

A retired federal judge renowned for his kindness, hard work and fairness in the courtroom died yesterday after a long illness. David Winder, a former chief judge of the U.S. District Court in Utah, was 76 years old. Asked by a juror after a complex intellectual property rights case had…

May 20, 2009 6:45 PM CDT

10th Circuit Judge Michael McConnell to Step Down, Will Teach at Stanford

A constitutional law scholar has suddenly announced that he plans to step down from his lifetime appointment to the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and return to academia. Michael McConnell, 53, a constitutional scholar who formerly taught at the University of Chicago and the University of Utah, now…

May 6, 2009 1:29 AM CDT

Double-Dipping Government Lawyer Gets 36 Months of Probation

Two government agencies were pleased with the work that attorney Richard David Wyss did for them. But because Wyss told both the Utah Department of Public Safety and the federal Transportation Security Administration that he was working exclusively for that government agency, he was sentenced yesterday by a federal judge…

Apr 8, 2009 5:35 PM CDT

Catch Me If You Can

For years, Howard Kieffer dazzled clients, judges and lawyers with his federal sentencing expertise. Then they found out why he knew so much.

Apr 2, 2009 3:19 AM CDT

Did Lawyer Use Client Trust Account to Help Client Conceal Income?

An Arkansas lawyer is facing criminal charges for allegedly using his client trust account as a vehicle to help a client avoid income tax. Oscar Stilley, 45, of Fort Smith is accused in a federal criminal case of conspiring with his client, Lindsey Springer, 43, of Kellyville, Okla., and tax…

Mar 12, 2009 12:49 AM CDT

Receiver Seeks Clawback of Legal Fees Paid to Paul Hastings & Fulbright Firms

Asked by a federal judge in Utah to recover money on behalf of investors allegedly fleeced by a claimed Ponzi scheme operator, Val Southwick, a receiver has focused on two major law firms. Contending that money from the Ponzi scheme was used to fund legal defense fees, the receiver filed…

Mar 10, 2009 6:12 PM CDT

En Banc Appeals Court Reinstates Conviction of Ex-Qwest CEO

An en banc federal appeals court has reinstated the insider-trading conviction of Joseph Nacchio, the former chief executive of Qwest Communications. In a 5-4 ruling, the full 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals based in Denver said the trial judge did not err by excluding the testimony of a defense…

Feb 25, 2009 6:20 PM CST

In Hard-Fought Presidential Race, More Ballot Battles are Likely

If the presidential ballot count in Ohio is close on Tuesday, lawyers who specialize in election law are likely to busy next week. Court challenges are expected in hard-fought states, especially over provisional ballots and questionable voter-registration status, and Ohio appears likely to be front-and-center in the legal fray, reports…

Nov 1, 2008 12:27 AM CDT

Federal Judge May Have Made False Statements in Probe, Order Says

A judicial council order says U.S. District Judge Edward Nottingham “may have made false statements” to investigators during a misconduct inquiry. The order by the Judicial Council of the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it was dismissing misconduct complaints against Nottingham, the chief judge, because of his…

Oct 31, 2008 12:57 PM CDT

Qwest CEO Judge Nottingham Resigns Amid Misconduct Probe

Facing multiple misconduct complaints, U.S. District Judge Edward W. Nottingham, chief of the federal court in Colorado, has resigned, effective Oct. 29. The Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals posted a statement (JPG) from 10th Circuit Chief Judge Robert H. Henry on its website confirming that the circuit’s judicial…

Oct 21, 2008 9:23 PM CDT

Facing New Ethics Complaint by Ex-Prostitute, US Judge May Resign

A federal judge in Denver is considering resignation after a former prostitute filed a new ethics complaint against him that contends he asked her to lie about paying her for sex. Published reports by 9News and the Rocky Mountain News say U.S. District Judge Edward Nottingham is expected to resign…

Oct 17, 2008 11:02 AM CDT

Trial Delay Sought for Non-Lawyer Who Allegedly ‘Practiced’ for a Decade

Saying that they expect their client may be charged in other jurisdictions, lawyers for non-attorney Howard Kieffer are seeking a trial delay in in a fraud case related to his admitted lack of a law license. Kieffer, 53, was scheduled to go to trial next month U.S. District Court in…

Oct 13, 2008 6:39 PM CDT

Suspended Mo. Attorney Gets 4 Years in $866K Bank Fraud

A Missouri lawyer who was previously suspended from practice in an unrelated matter has been sentenced to 50 months in federal prison for defrauding a bank of more than $866,000. Dawn Renee Harpster, 38, pleaded guilty last year to five counts of bank fraud. Doing business as Northwest Missouri Title…

Oct 8, 2008 8:13 PM CDT