Contracts

Baseball Fan Sues, Says Call of Nature Trumped ‘God Bless America’

A baseball fan who says he was ejected from a New York Yankees game after answering the call of nature rather than staying in his seat for the singing of “God Bless America” has sued over the alleged violation of his First Amendment rights. Bradford Campeau-Laurion contends that he was…

Apr 15, 2009 7:13 PM CDT

Judge Considers Whether Ex-Brobeck Partners Had Right to Clients

Lawyers involved in the bankruptcy of Heller Ehrman were in court Monday to watch arguments in a case involving the duties of 10 former partners at Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison. At issue is whether the Brobeck partners and their new law firms must pay the firm’s creditors for taking Brobeck…

Apr 14, 2009 11:13 AM CDT

Fertility Docs’ Partnership Dispute Involves Phony Patient Claims

At least one female private detective had an ultrasound exam of her uterus and ovaries. Meanwhile, a physician submitted his own sperm sample to a medical rival. It was all part of a hard-fought six-year legal battle between competing fertility specialists who once a lucrative partnership together, reports the Los…

Apr 13, 2009 6:24 PM CDT

Juror Tweets in $12.6M Case Teach Lawyer a Lesson: Ask About Web Use

“Juror Johnathan” may have been a bit of a twit, as the N.Y. Daily News said in a headline, for posting tweets on Twitter.com while awarding a $12.6 million verdict in an Arkansas case. But his real-time brief posts to the Internet social networking site about his work as a…

Apr 8, 2009 11:20 PM CDT

Firm that Produced ‘Mr. No’ is Top Choice for Legal Malpractice Defense

When law firms find themselves in the hot seat, an increasing number turn to Mark Foster. The 66-year-old partner of Zuckerman Spaeder has seen his caseload increase significantly over the past six months, as he adds to the Washington, D.C.-based litigation boutique’s growing reputation as a go-to firm for legal…

Apr 8, 2009 7:03 PM CDT

Giants Must Pay $1M Bonus to Burress Even Though He Shot Himself

After accidentally shooting himself in the leg in a Manhattan nightclub last year, Plaxico Burress was suspended for four games by the New York Giants and fined an additional amount equal to one week’s salary. But the combined penalty of a little over $1 million suffered by the star wide…

Apr 6, 2009 6:38 PM CDT

As Incomes Dive, Finance Wizards & Others Seek Divorce Modifications

In better times, Brian Myerson had no problem with paying his wife of 26 years a lump-sum divorce settlement of about $16 million. But now the former CEO of Principle Capital Holdings SA is asking a United Kingdom appeals court to cut the settlement to match his current financial situation,…

Mar 31, 2009 5:36 PM CDT

US Seeks Power to Rewrite Employment Contracts Outside of Bankruptcy

Employees who work for troubled companies and municipalities under contracts specifying pay, benefits and bonuses could see those agreements go by the wayside. The U.S. government is seeking the power to rewrite employment contracts outside of bankruptcy court when it intervenes to help save troubled companies, the New York Times…

Mar 31, 2009 12:16 PM CDT

Recruiter Loses Appeal in Fee Suit Against Blank Rome

A New York appeals court has ruled e-mails exchanged between a legal recruiter and Blank Rome were not an enforceable contract requiring the law firm to pay a recruiting fee of $730,000. The recruiter Mark Bruce International Inc. had claimed Blank Rome should pay the money in connection with the…

Mar 25, 2009 1:08 PM CDT

Paul Hastings Warned AIG of Double Liability for Failure to Pay Bonuses

Lawyers at Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker warned AIG that it faced double liability if it failed to honor contractual obligations to pay bonuses. AIG confirmed that it was advised by Paul Hastings on bonus obligations, the American Lawyer reports. Hogan & Hartson lawyers were on hand when AIG chief…

Mar 24, 2009 12:10 PM CDT

Cuomo Uses Office as ‘Bully Pulpit,’ Gets AIG Bonus Recipients to Return Cash

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said yesterday that he has persuaded 15 of the top 20 bonus recipients at AIG to return the money, and it may be possible to recoup some $80 million in all. Cuomo told reporters that out of the top 10 employees who received bonuses,…

Mar 24, 2009 11:42 AM CDT

Client Loses, Attorney Wins: Jury Awards NY Lawyer $5K Per Hour

A lawyer who represented a tenant in a rent-stabilized apartment in New York City for almost three years initially got nothing for his work. Then, soon after attorney Steven DeCastro was fired by his client, Horace Turnbull, the holdout tenant accepted $1.7 million from his landlord to give up the…

Mar 19, 2009 7:14 PM CDT

New FDIC-Like Entity to Oversee Corporate Bailouts, Post-AIG?

In the wake of widespread anger over news of big bonuses paid to executives at American International Group in the midst of a taxpayer-funded bailout that could hit $185 billion, the Obama administration is now proposing a new regulatory entity to oversee the operation of struggling corporations. Akin to the…

Mar 19, 2009 1:53 AM CDT

Postnup’s $43M Divorce Settlement Isn’t Enough, Executive’s Wife Says

Married since 2002 to George David, who is now chairman of the board of United Technologies Corp., Swedish countess Marie Douglas-David is entitled to a $43 million divorce settlement under a 2005 postnuptial agreement between the now-warring spouses. But that’s not enough, she contends, for one who needs $53,000 a…

Mar 18, 2009 6:39 PM CDT

Former Client Seeks Punitives, Claims Hogan & Hartson Aided Competitor

A former client of Hogan & Hartson has sued the law firm for malpractice, claiming that it aided a competitor. At issue in the dispute is two competing brands of over-the-counter mouthguards used by buyers to prevent their teeth from grinding while they sleep. Prestige Brands Inc. hired Hogan partner…

Mar 14, 2009 1:23 AM CDT