CIGNA Judge: High Fees Justified

A federal judge has approved $21.3 million in fees for plaintiffs’ attorneys who obtained a $93 million settlement in a suit against CIGNA Corp. for securities fraud. U.S. District Judge Michael Baylson of Philadelphia said the attorneys were entitled to high fees because “the amount of the settlement in this…

Jul 18, 2007 2:17 PM CDT

Measure Cages ‘Rat’ Web Site

A second federal court has taken steps to protect the identities of defendants who cooperate with authorities. The Eastern District of Pennsylvania will no longer post sentencing and plea dockets to its Web site, making it more difficult to learn whether defendants agreed to cooperate, the Legal Intelligencer reports. The…

Jul 17, 2007 1:28 PM CDT

Bad Call Raises Judge’s Ire

A federal judge has notified federal prosecutors about the conduct of three lawyers defending a mortgage company. U.S. District Judge Harold Ackerman sent letters summarizing the facts to the chief judge for the District of New Jersey, federal prosecutors in Newark, and New Jersey’s Office of Attorney Ethics. They concern…

Jul 16, 2007 9:32 PM CDT

Ex-Mayor Indicted

The former mayor of Newark, N.J., has been indicted on charges he used city credit cards to pay for more than $58,000 in personal expenses and sold city land to a friend for less than its value. Prosecutors claim Sharpe James used the cards for liquor, movies, meals and travel,…

Jul 13, 2007 7:11 PM CDT

Cockfighting Soon Illegal in 50 States

Cockfighting will soon be illegal in all 50 states. A bill banning the sport in Louisiana, the only state where it is currently legal, was signed yesterday by the state governor and takes effect next summer. It is already illegal to gamble on cockfights in Louisiana under a law that…

Jul 13, 2007 5:56 PM CDT

Animal Fight Promoters Challenge Law

Broadcasters of cockfights and dog fights are challenging a federal law that bars depictions of animal cruelty for commercial gain. In a case pending before a federal appeals court in Philadelphia, Robert Stevens claims the law is so vague it could be applied to hunting and fishing broadcasts. The full…

Jul 11, 2007 5:05 PM CDT

Sanctions Weighed in Associate Blunder

A federal judge is asking federal prosecutors and state disciplinary authorities to review lawyers’ conduct in connection with four mortgage fraud cases. U.S. District Judge Harold Ackerman of Newark, N.J., is also considering sanctions against the lawyers’ firm, Cole, Schotz, Meisel, Forman & Leonard of Hackensack, N.J., the New Jersey…

Jul 6, 2007 2:26 PM CDT

Lawyer’s Contact Not a Violation

A federal appeals court has ruled that a lawyer for a discrimination plaintiff did not violate ethics rules by communicating directly with an employee for the defendant. As a result, Jana Barnett was not disqualified from representing the plaintiff, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday in an…

Jul 5, 2007 12:54 PM CDT

Philadelphia Fee-dom

The 3rd Circuit tackles settlements that leave clients wanting, insurers burning

Jul 1, 2007 8:06 PM CDT

Last Resorts of Court

One date that’s on almost every federal judge’s calendar this summer is the meeting of his or her circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals, at which trial and appellate judges review the work of the court and socialize at some of the nicest resorts and hotels in the nation. So as not to provide a roadmap for disgruntled litigants, we’re taking a look back at where the circuit courts summered in 2006.

Jul 1, 2007 7:04 PM CDT

Lifetime Internet Ban Overturned

A federal appeals court has overturned a lifetime ban on Internet use imposed on a man who pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography.

The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals based in Philadelphia ruled the sentence violated a statute that requires post-prison restrictions on defendants to be narrowly tailored, the Legal Intelligencer reports.

Jun 11, 2007 1:28 PM CDT

Appeals Court Refuses to Disqualify Judge in Coroner Case

A Philadelphia-based federal appeals court has refused to disqualify U.S. District Judge Arthur Schwab from presiding over the trial of coroner Cyril Wecht.

Apr 12, 2007 7:46 PM CDT

Recruit Suit

Supreme Court to Consider Interplay of Federal Funding and First Amendment

Dec 29, 2005 11:51 AM CST