2nd Circuit Court

‘Borat’ Filmmakers Win Legal Battle

The makers of Borat didn’t deceive a driving instructor and two etiquette teachers into appearing in the goofy comedy, a federal judge in New York has ruled. Because the three signed a release agreeing to appear in a “documentary-style” film and accepted compensation, they have no cause for complaint about…

Sep 10, 2008 6:01 PM CDT

‘Harry Potter’ Author Wins Case Over Fan’s Harry Potter Encyclopedia

The author of the best-selling Harry Potter books has won her lawsuit over a fan’s effort to publish a Harry Potter encyclopedia. Author J.K. Rowling has persuaded a federal judge in the Southern District of New York that Steven Vander Ark’s Harry Potter Lexicon would cause her irreparable harm, reports…

Sep 8, 2008 5:53 PM CDT

Retired N.Y. Judge Pleads in Federal Prostitution Case

A New York trial court judge who had a reputation for handing out tough sentences is now potentially facing one himself. Ronald Tills, 73, admitted in court yesterday that he had recruited prostitutes for a national men’s fraternal club of which he is a member, the Royal Order of Jesters,…

Sep 5, 2008 8:52 PM CDT

Indictment Claims Scientist’s Notes Hinted of U.S. Attack

A Pakistani neuroscientist being held without bail in Brooklyn, N.Y., had documents suggesting possible plans for a U.S. attack when she was arrested in Afghanistan, according to an indictment announced yesterday. The U.S.-trained scientist, Aafia Siddiqui, was charged with trying to kill U.S. soldiers and FBI agents in Afghanistan, the…

Sep 3, 2008 3:23 PM CDT

Appeals Court Upholds Dismissal of KPMG Indictments Due to Prosecutor Tactics

Updated: A federal appeals court has upheld a judge’s dismissal of indictments against 13 accounting firm employees because the government pressured their employer to cut off their legal fees. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled today that prosecutors had violated the employees’ Sixth Amendment right to counsel by…

Aug 28, 2008 5:59 PM CDT

Indicted Mayer Brown Partner Wants Polygraph Admitted

The lawyers seeking to exonerate Joseph P. Collins, a Mayer Brown partner indicted for his role in an alleged financial fraud at failed commodities brokerage Refco, want results of a polygraph test they had Collins take admitted as evidence in the lawyer’s upcoming trial. The Collins legal team hired former…

Aug 26, 2008 8:35 PM CDT

Feds Poised for NYC Crackdown re Claimed Fair Housing Construction Violations

Although real estate developers and property managers deny wrongdoing, it appears that perhaps 100,000 rental apartments built in New York City since 1991 may have to be retrofitted. That’s because they allegedly don’t meet federal requirements under the Fair Housing Act for accessibility by physically handicapped residents. “The United States…

Aug 25, 2008 7:15 PM CDT

Ex-Cravath Lawyer Sues Columbia U in Anti-Feminist ‘Jihad’

A former associate at Cravath, Swaine & Moore has drawn worldwide attention with his latest salvo in a self-described litigation “jihad” against feminism. Roy Den Hollander, a New York civil rights lawyer and a graduate of Columbia University’s business school, has sued its Institute for Research on Women and Gender,…

Aug 20, 2008 5:49 PM CDT

2nd Circuit Turns Down Milberg’s Request for a Fee Boost to $101M

A federal appeals court has turned down a request by securities class action firm Milberg to reap $101 million in fees in a settlement against Nortel Networks Corp. Milberg had sought 8.5 percent of the settlement, which amounted to about $101 million, the New York Law Journal reports. A federal…

Aug 20, 2008 4:19 PM CDT

Judge Gives CIA 10 Days to Persuade Him Not to Issue Contempt Citation

A federal judge says he will give government lawyers 10 days to explain why he should not hold the CIA in contempt of court for destroying interrogation videotapes of al-Qaida detainees. U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein of New York is considering whether the destruction of the tapes violated a court…

Aug 19, 2008 5:59 PM CDT

Landmark Mass. Brain Injury Settlement Could Put 2,000 in Community Care

An unprecedented settlement between Massachusetts and an advocacy group could eventually help 2,000 brain-injured patients from nursing homes to community care. Among them is 29-year-old Kaya Alexander, who has lived in a nursing home since a 2006 auto accident left her partially paralyzed, and desperately wants to be back among…

Aug 14, 2008 11:09 PM CDT

DOJ Files 1st Disabled-Access Construction Suit in Manhattan

The federal government has filed what it bills as the first lawsuit in Manhattan over the construction of a multifamily building that allegedly didn’t meet fair housing standards. The suit was filed by the Department of Justice against one of the largest apartment developers in the country. It contends that…

Aug 13, 2008 6:15 PM CDT

N.Y. Law Firm Sued By Investors in Alleged $20M Real Estate Scam

A prominent law firm in Long Island, N.Y., has been sued by investors in an alleged $20 million real estate scam. The plaintiffs say they bought buildings depicted in glossy brochures that Cobalt Multifamily Investors didn’t actually own. They contend in the federal class action that Certilman Balin Adler &…

Aug 13, 2008 5:34 PM CDT

Yale Law Students Start Naming Names in Suit Over Blog Posts

Two female students at Yale Law School have begun identifying, in federal court papers, the defendants who allegedly posted vile comments about them under anonymous screen names on an Internet discussion board—and are unwilling to settle the lawsuit they brought as a result. The two students learned the posters’ names…

Aug 6, 2008 8:59 PM CDT

11 Charged in Biggest ID Theft Case Ever

Updated: The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston reportedly has charged 11 individuals from four countries in what is believed to be the largest identity theft case ever prosecuted by the Justice Department. Those charged allegedly stole more than 40 million debit and credit card numbers, many of them used by…

Aug 5, 2008 5:24 PM CDT