Administrative Law

Virginia Tech May Appeal Federal Fine from 2007 Shootings

Virginia Tech may appeal a $55,000 federal fine it received regarding the school’s response time to a 2007 mass shooting, which resulted in the death of 32 people, the Associated Press reports. The four-year anniversary of the tragedy is April 16. It’s been reported that the school waited almost two…

Apr 15, 2011 5:57 PM CDT

Wis. Judge Dismisses County Action Challenging Collective Bargaining Law

Government officials representing Dane County, Wis., can not sue to block the state’s controversial law restricting public employee collective bargaining rights, a state court judge there ruled Thursday. According to the Wisconsin State Journal, Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi found that the county and officials representing it do not…

Apr 14, 2011 8:37 PM CDT

Federal Regulators, 14 Large Lenders Agree to Settlement re Mishandled Mortgage Foreclosures

Federal regulators and more than a dozen of the nation’s biggest mortgage servicers announced yesterday that they have reached a settlement over what reportedly have been widespread shoddy practices related to mortgage foreclosures. The lenders, which include some of the country’s biggest banks, will pay restitution to homeowners for the…

Apr 14, 2011 11:24 AM CDT

Judge Accused of Giving Favorable Ticket Treatment to Friends, Court Clerk and Juror

A longtime California judge faces potential discipline for allegedly giving favorable treatment on traffic tickets to friends, a relative, his minister, his court clerk and a juror serving in his courtroom. In a written statement provided by his lawyer, Orange County Superior Court Judge Richard Stanford apologized and said he…

Apr 14, 2011 10:42 AM CDT

Lawyer Gets Enhanced Sanction (a Reprimand) for Ignoring Both Client and Disciplinary Authorities

The New Jersey Supreme Court imposed an enhanced sanction on a lawyer who not only failed to return a former real estate client’s many phone calls but didn’t refund $250 from an escrow account, reports the Legal Profession Blog. But that was because Christopher McCarthy also didn’t respond to a…

Apr 12, 2011 10:53 AM CDT

SD Judge Faces Potential Removal Over Alleged Rude and Racist Remarks and Use of the ‘Bird’

For the first time in its 121-year history, the top court of South Dakota is to hold a hearing later this month to decide whether to remove a sitting judge from the bench. The Judicial Qualifications Commission contends that Judge A.P. “Pete” Fuller of the state’s 7th Circuit was rude…

Apr 11, 2011 12:49 PM CDT

Unable to Prevent Inmate Cellphone Smuggling, Calif. Ponders Plan to Jam Prison Cellphone Calls

Unable to prevent inmates from smuggling cellphones into prison, where some 10,000 were confiscated in 2010, the state of California is poised to try another potential solution—jamming prison cellphone calls. The expensive equipment needed to prevent cellphone calls from being made is expected to be supplied by the same company…

Apr 11, 2011 11:38 AM CDT

Mass. Lawyer Is Suspended for 6 Months Due to Multiple Misrepresentations on Resume

Contrary to what his resumé said, Wade Jensen never earned an LLM degree in taxation from Boston University, although he was enrolled and attended classes there. Nor did the 1997 Purdue University graduate earn a bachelor of science degree from Tufts University in 1997, let alone letter there in hockey…

Apr 4, 2011 11:09 PM CDT

FDA Introduces Proposed New Regs Requiring Calorie Counts on Chain Restaurant Menus

The Food and Drug Administration today released proposed new regulations concerning calorie counts that chain restaurants nationwide will be required to list for their menu items under a new health care law enacted last year. Convenience stores, supermarkets and vending machine owners also will be required to comply with the…

Apr 1, 2011 9:26 PM CDT

Miss. Judge Suspended 30 Days, Without Pay, for Meeting Parties, Lawyers Outside Court

A Mississippi judge has been suspended for 30 days without pay, and will also be reprimanded and fined, for talking with litigants and lawyers outside court. Hinds County Justice Court Judge Houston Patton also allegedly held hearings and made rulings without notifying parties in cases, reports the Clarion Ledger. The…

Mar 31, 2011 8:25 PM CDT

As FTC Settles Google Buzz Privacy Case with Agreed Policy, Google Debuts New Search-Sharing Tool

As the Federal Trade Commission today announced that a privacy case over last year’s rollout of Google Buzz had been settled by the Internet titan’s promise to implement an agreed privacy policy, Google simultaneously debuted a new search tool. It is designed to encourage users to share their search results…

Mar 30, 2011 9:52 PM CDT

Former NJ Judge Is Accused of Representing Mayor While on City’s Municipal Court Bench

A former judge in Montville, N.J., is accused of continuing to represent the city’s mayor in real estate matters, while simultaneously sitting on the municipal court bench. Seth Davenport faces two legal ethics counts concerning his alleged work for then-Mayor John Rosellini, the Daily Record reports. First, the Supreme Court’s…

Mar 30, 2011 6:45 PM CDT

Va. Tech Gets Max $55K Fine for Late Massacre Day Warning; Much More Deserved, Official Says

Virginia Tech has been fined $55,000 for waiting almost two hours before warning students of an on-campus slaying that took place on the same day a deranged student later killed 30 more individuals on campus and himself nearly four years ago. The fine is the maximum allowed under the federal…

Mar 29, 2011 9:01 PM CDT

New ADA Regs Could Lead to More Disability Class Actions

Workers would get more expansive protections for disabilities under final regulations released Friday that interpret 2008 amendments to the Americans with Disabilities Act. One byproduct of the new regulations could be more ADA class actions, according to a Lexology article by Seyfarth Shaw attorneys Condon A. McGlothlen and Tracy M.…

Mar 29, 2011 10:30 AM CDT

Lawyer Apologizes to His Wife, a Prominent Judge, for Pressuring Ex-Client to Have Sex with Her

A Canadian lawyer says he can never apologize enough to his wife, Queen’s Bench Justice Lori Douglas, for pressuring a then-client to have sex with her eight years ago when she was still in practice. Jack King says his wife, who is being investigated by the Canadian Judicial Council over…

Mar 28, 2011 7:45 PM CDT