1st Circuit Court

Former Chief Judge of 1st Circuit Dies

A former chief judge of the Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has died at the age of 90. Frank Coffin served as a judge for 40 years and was chief judge of the circuit for 11 years, the New York Times reports. He is also a former congressman…

Dec 17, 2009 12:29 PM CST

Drew U Sued, Accused of Purloining Poetry Program & Students

A federal judge in New Hampshire has given the green light to a lawsuit accusing New Jersey’s Drew University of stealing a competing college’s graduate-level poetry program and many of its students. Poet Anne Marie Macari created the Drew program while serving for less than a year as interim director…

Oct 26, 2009 6:39 PM CDT

Defeated Wis. Justice Nominated for US Judgeship; 2 Others Get Appeals Nod

Louis Butler’s judging days may not be over. The former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice has lost two elections. The first time, he lost an election battle with Justice Diane Sykes, but was appointed to fill her state supreme court seat when she became a federal judge, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel…

Oct 7, 2009 3:34 PM CDT

Federal Judge Nixes $390M Jury Verdict in Microsoft Patent Case

A stunning April jury verdict of almost $390 million against Microsoft Corp. in a patent infringement case brought by an anti-piracy software maker has been overturned by a federal judge. U.S. District Judge William Smith wrote that the jury in the Rhode Island federal court case “lacked a grasp of…

Sep 30, 2009 12:27 AM CDT

Lawyer Who Got JD to Represent Brother Wins $10.7M for Wrongful Conviction

A high-school dropout with two children who went on to get her general educational development certificate, graduate from college and earn a juris doctor degree so that she could represent her brother in a wrongful conviction case has now won $10.7 million in damages from a federal judge in Massachusetts.…

Sep 18, 2009 8:27 PM CDT

Pfizer GC Loses Compliance Chief Role Under $2.3B Drug Marketing Settlement

The general counsel of Pfizer Inc. will no longer oversee the drug manufacter’s compliance program under the terms of a record-breaking $2.3 billion criminal and civil settlement by the company with the U.S. Department of Justice over allegations that it illegally marketed several drugs. Instead, a corporate integrity agreement (PDF)…

Sep 11, 2009 6:58 PM CDT

Pirate Bay Tweet Puts Tenenbaum on Defensive Again in RIAA Case

Just when it might have seemed reasonable to expect a lull in ongoing coverage of the high-profile music file-sharing case of graduate student Joel Tenenbaum, a new issue has surfaced. Not satisfied with a $675,000 verdict that it won at trial in the case in July, the Recording Industry Association…

Sep 4, 2009 12:26 AM CDT

Pfizer Whistle-Blower’s $51.5M Payday Could Spark More Qui Tam Suits

Five whistle-blowers will share $102 million as part of a record-breaking $2.3 billion settlement by Pfizer Inc. of a federal criminal probe and civil qui tam litigation over the company’s drug-marketing practices. Among those expecting a hefty payday under the False Claims Act is a former Texas sales representative for…

Sep 3, 2009 12:09 AM CDT

Pfizer to Pay Record $2.3B, Subsidiary to Plead to Felony in Drug Marketing Case

A $2.3 billion global settlement by Pfizer Inc. detailed by federal authorities today reportedly includes a number of record payments to resolve both a federal criminal probe and a pharmaceutical whistle-blower case. The case concerns the company’s alleged illegal off-label marketing of multiple drugs and related claimed Medicare/Medicaid fraud, according…

Sep 2, 2009 5:41 PM CDT

Accused Record ID Theft Mastermind to Plead Guilty in 2 Earlier Cases, Feds Say

A 28-year-old Florida resident accused of masterminding what authorities say is the largest-ever computer hacking and identity theft case is expected to plead guilty in two earlier cyberfraud conspiracy cases, prosecutors say. Paperwork filed in federal court in Boston today states that Albert Gonzalez will plead guilty by Sept. 11…

Aug 28, 2009 8:15 PM CDT

Federal Judge Boots Law Firm from Case for Hiring the Wrong Associate

Applying what some might consider an unduly strict interpretation of conflict-of-interest standards, a federal magistrate judge in Massachusetts has disqualified Lichten & Liss-Riordan from continuing to represent the plaintiff in a five-year-old Fair Labor Standards Act case. Although associate Sarah Getchell, who was recently hired by the firm, says she…

Aug 20, 2009 9:22 PM CDT

ACC President Says Tax Ruling ‘Eviscerates the Work-Product Doctrine’

Some corporate lawyers are worried about the reach of a recent federal appeals court decision allowing the Internal Revenue Service to access documents analyzing possible tax liabilities. The en banc ruling by the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals based in Boston allows the IRS to access tax-accrual documents that…

Aug 20, 2009 4:21 PM CDT

Wells Fargo Used Dubious Appraisals to Cut Home Equity Lines, Suit Says

A new lawsuit has been filed against Wells Fargo & Co. over its home equity line practices, adding to a growing list of litigation against the mortgage lender for which class action status is being sought. Homeowner Michael Hickman contends that Wells Fargo is using inaccurate computerized appraisals to obtain…

Aug 19, 2009 6:31 PM CDT

1st Cir. Revives ‘Civil Action’ Lawyer’s Whistle-Blower Suit Against J&J

A federal appeals court has revived a whistle-blower suit against a major pharmaceutical company concerning the marketing of its anti-anemia drug Procrit. The Medicare fraud suit brought against Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary, Ortho Biotech, by former pharmaceutical sales representatives potentially could result in a multibillion-dollar damages award, according…

Aug 13, 2009 9:53 PM CDT

Boston Cop Who Dissed Harvard Prof in E-Mail Sues Over Suspension

The controversial disorderly conduct arrest last month of Harvard University professor at his own Cambridge, Mass., home continues to create fallout far from the original scene, two weeks after officials agreed to drop the case against Henry Louis Gates Jr. A federal civil rights lawsuit has now been filed by…

Aug 4, 2009 5:55 PM CDT