Alabama

Record $24.7M Qui Tam Settlement in Medicare Case

Two registered nurses who blew the whistle on an alleged Medicare fraud by a major hospice provider have sparked a record $24.7 million settlement with the U.S. government by their former employer, from which the RNs themselves will get $4.9 million. The settlement by Birmingham, Ala.-based SouthernCare, which admits no…

Jan 17, 2009 12:28 AM CST

Sheriff Who Pocketed $212K by Providing Skimpy Prisoner Meals is Tossed in Jail

A federal judge has ordered the jailing of an Alabama sheriff for violating a 2001 court order requiring adequate meals for inmates. The sheriff, Greg Bartlett of Morgan County, testified he was able to personally pocket $212,000 in surplus meal money over the last three years under an unusual state…

Jan 8, 2009 5:51 PM CST

Southern Firms Merge to Create 350-Lawyer Operation

Two southern law firms based in Birmingham, Ala., and Nashville, Tenn., announced today they would merge to create a 350-lawyer firm with offices in four “strategic” states. The merger of Bradley Arant Rose & White with Boult, Cummings, Conners & Berry is expected to be complete by Jan. 1, according…

Dec 4, 2008 8:03 PM CST

Possible Cravath Legal Bill in Alabama Discrimination Case: $10 Million

Over the past 25 years, Cravath, Swaine & Moore has been representing plaintiffs in an employment discrimination case against government agencies in Jefferson County, Ala. During that time, the Jefferson County Personnel Board has made one payment to the white-shoe New York-based law firm. It was for $141,042, as reimbursement…

Nov 17, 2008 9:43 PM CST

Former Ala. Probate Judge Gets 3 Years for Stealing $1.8M from Estate

Lawyers for Sherrie Phillips were hoping the former Covington County, Ala., probate judge would get probation. But, saying that she had violated the public trust and hadn’t expressed remorse for stealing $1.8 million from an estate with no heirs, the judge sentenced her to 10 years and is requiring that…

Nov 13, 2008 8:50 PM CST

Nation’s Most Expensive State Supreme Court Race May Go to Recount

A Democrat who lost a close—and very expensive—election battle for a seat on the Alabama Supreme Court is confident she will win in an automatic recount. With 99 percent of the precincts counted, Deborah Bell Paseur narrowly lost the race to Republican criminal appeals judge Greg Shaw, who won 50.4…

Nov 5, 2008 5:36 PM CST

ABA President Joins the Blogosphere

ABA President H. Thomas Wells, Jr. has launched a blog that goes behind the scenes in the peripatetic life of the leader of the world’s largest voluntary professional membership organization. The blog describes the events Wells attends on behalf of the ABA across the country and around the world, the…

Oct 29, 2008 10:12 PM CDT

Bradley Arant Hired for Ala. County’s Possible Bankruptcy Filing

Alabama’s Jefferson County has hired a Birmingham law firm to work on a possible bankruptcy filing. Bradley, Arant, Rose and White will draw up bankruptcy papers if talks with creditors fail, Bloomberg News reports. Officials say the county can’t afford soaring interest rates on $3 billion in bonds. If the…

Aug 28, 2008 3:24 PM CDT

Jones Walker to Wed Miller Hamilton, Forming 270-Lawyer Southern Shop

A New Orleans-based law firm is acquiring a Mobile, Ala., counterpart, forming a 270-lawyer combination effective Sept. 1. The merged firm will retain the Jones Walker Waechter Poitevent Carrère & Denègre name, and William Hines as managing partner, according to a press release. Mobile-based Miller Hamilton Snider & Odom, which…

Aug 14, 2008 10:03 PM CDT

U.S. Attorney Martin Investigated by Ethics Watchdog for 2 Prosecutions

The U.S. Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility is investigating allegations of misconduct made by a company unsuccessfully prosecuted by U.S. Attorney Alice Martin, the American Lawyer reports. The company, Axion Corp., was prosecuted for giving technical drawings for a Blackhawk helicopter part to manufacturers in China. After the trial…

Jul 15, 2008 2:47 PM CDT

Referee: Anti-Porn Lawyer Should Be Disbarred for Acting ‘With Vengeance’

A Miami judge is recommending that anti-porn lawyer Jack Thompson be permanently disbarred for acting “with vengeance” in an attempt to intimidate, harass or disparage lawyers and judges who opposed him or ruled against him. Judge Dava Tunis said Thompson attempted to harm his opponents’ reputations “with utter disregard to…

Jul 10, 2008 4:02 PM CDT

Inmate Dies in Prison After Waiting 18 Years for Retrial in Ala. Murder

Alabama inmate Shep Wilson Jr. had his murder conviction overturned in 1990, but he was still in prison awaiting a retrial when he died last week from liver failure. An Associated Press story attributes the delay to “a mental evaluation, a sick attorney, changes of judges and prosecutors, and a…

Jun 20, 2008 3:06 PM CDT

Black Students in Harper Lee’s Hometown File Race Bias Suit

The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against a junior high school in Harper Lee’s hometown of Monroeville, Ala. Lee used the town as inspiration for the setting in her book To Kill a Mockingbird about a lawyer’s battle against discrimination in a small town, the…

May 28, 2008 3:25 PM CDT

Supreme Court Rules for Alabama Governor in Voting Rights Case

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled Alabama Gov. Bob Riley did not need advance approval from the Justice Department before filling a county commission vacancy. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote the 7-2 majority opinion (PDF posted by SCOTUSblog), the Associated Press reports. She said the issue was a narrow one…

May 27, 2008 5:43 PM CDT

SEC Sues Birmingham Mayor in Groundbreaking Case

The Securities and Exchange Commission has sued Birmingham, Ala., Mayor Larry Langford, claiming he violated securities rules for accepting more than $156,000 in undisclosed payments from a friend whose firm benefited from government fees on municipal-bond offerings and swap agreements. The groundbreaking suit (PDF) seeks to reach swap agreements, which…

May 1, 2008 12:01 PM CDT