Corporate Law

Freeh’s Scathing Report an Unusual ‘Road Map’ to Litigation Against Penn State, Lawyers Say

Sadly, institutional cover-ups concerning suspected or actual sexual abuse of minors are not a rarity. But what is unusual is the scathing internal report made to Pennsylvania State University’s board of trustees this week by former FBI Director Louis Freeh concerning Jerry Sandusky. Discussed by Freeh at a news conference,…

Jul 13, 2012 7:12 PM CDT

Among ACC’s Value Champs, Pfizer’s ‘Radical’ Plan: Standardized Expectations, Law Firm Collaboration

When the Association of Corporate Counsel announced its list of Value Champions last month, certain characteristics, such as the ability to keep costs down and alternative billing arrangements, were commonplace. But some corporate legal departments tried unusual approaches, including one that assistant general counsel Ellen Rosenthal of Pfizer Inc. described…

Jul 12, 2012 10:35 PM CDT

Unhappy with Del. Derivative Case Settlement, Lead Plaintiffs Post $13.25M Bond to Keep Litigating

In the latest development in an unusual shareholder derivative suit that seemingly had concluded with a ruling by a Delaware Chancery Court judge that a proposed $13.25 million settlement is fair, the lead plaintifffs, who say it is too small, have come up with the money to continue fighting the…

Jul 11, 2012 10:25 PM CDT

Planned Octomom Strip Club Gig Does Not ‘Constitute a Legal Emergency,’ Judge Rules

The woman known as “Octomom” after giving birth to octuplets in 2009 is now at the center of a legal dispute between two South Florida strip clubs who booked her for appearances. Nadya Suleman agreed to dance topless at T’s Lounge in West Palm Beach for eight shows, starting Wednesday,…

Jul 11, 2012 6:28 PM CDT

AT&T Drops Federal Suit Over $1M Hack-Attack Phone Bill, But Says It Had a Legal Right to Collect

A hard-fought legal battle over a Massachusetts company’s $1 million phone bill quickly racked up, at a rate of $22 per minute, by hackers calling Somalia, came to an abrupt end after news of the dispute captured public attention. Although still maintaining that it has a legal right to collect,…

Jul 9, 2012 5:17 PM CDT

Sheppard Mullin Opens New Office in Chicago with 5-Lawyer Team from K&L Gates

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton announced Monday that it has opened an office in Chicago with a five-lawyer team from K&L Gates. The new office of the California-based international firm also includes a labor and employment partner from Winston & Strawn on its attorney roster, as well as Sheppard Mullin’s…

Jul 9, 2012 4:16 PM CDT

Federal Judge Says Kosher Deli Can Keep ‘Heart Attack’ Items On Menu, Add Triple Bypass Sandwich

A federal judge in Manhattan has sided with a New York delicatessen that filed a declaratory judgment action seeking a ruling that it could continue to offer a menu of “heart attack” themed high-calorie selections without violating the Lanham Act. Although the Arizona-based Heart Attack Grill has trademarked both its…

Jul 9, 2012 3:32 PM CDT

Producer, Restaurant File Federal Suit Over Calif. Foie Gras Ban; Chef Flaunts ‘Foie You’ Menu

As a California law banning the production and sale of items created from force-fed birds took effect on July 1, the nation’s largest producer of foie gras joined with a state restaurant to file a federal lawsuit challenging the new regime and seeking injunctive relief. They contend the law is…

Jul 5, 2012 10:15 PM CDT

Fed’l Judge Nixes SEC Suit, Says SIPC Not Liable for Bank CDs Bought by Victims of Stanford Swindle

A federal judge district court judge in Washington, D.C., has sided with the Securities Investor Protection Corp. in a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in an effort to provide some reimbursement to the victims of the $6 billion to $7 billion Ponzi scheme overseen by R.…

Jul 3, 2012 5:12 PM CDT

Supreme Court Beefs Up Docket with Business Cases

The U.S. Supreme Court added three business cases to its docket last week that were mostly overshadowed by blockbuster opinions on health care and immigration. The cases “will offer the court more opportunities to cement its generally pro-business reputation,” the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) reports. The cases are: •…

Jul 3, 2012 11:00 AM CDT

New York AG Sues Ex-NARAL Prez, Accuses Her of Using $250K in Charity Money to Fund Lavish Lifestyle

A former president of NARAL Pro-Choice New York is being sued by the state attorney general for allegedly misappropriating some $250,000 in charitable contributions to fund her own lavish lifestyle. Kelli Conlin pleaded guilty to criminal charges a year ago, and her lawyer in that case, Robert Anello, said it…

Jul 2, 2012 10:04 PM CDT

Glaxo Agrees to Misdemeanor Plea, Will Pay $3B in Record Health Care Fraud Settlement with Feds

A British drug manufacturer has agreed to pay $1 billion in criminal fines and $2 billion in civil fines and revamp its compliance procedures to settle wide-ranging allegations by U.S. officials of wrongdoing in the company’s marketing and promotion of its products over a period of nearly a decade. The…

Jul 2, 2012 6:10 PM CDT

Insurer Offers Advice on Avoiding Legal Malpractice Claims in ‘Safe’ Business Transactions

Many lawyers think of business transactions as a “safe” practice area not likely to result in malpractice claims. But more than two-thirds of all such claims are brought against attorneys who say such work generates 5 percent or less of their annual revenue, a legal claims study (PDF) by the…

Jun 29, 2012 5:35 PM CDT

Supreme Court Dismisses Case that Could Have Affected Consumer Class Actions

The U.S. Supreme Court has dismissed a case involving the right to sue for statutory injuries that had been billed as “the big sleeper of the term.” At issue was whether consumers who suffer no financial injuries have standing to sue for statutory violations under Article III of the Constitution.…

Jun 28, 2012 2:50 PM CDT

Post Dot-com Crash, Silicon Valley Law Firms Still Want Start-Up Clients, But Take New View on Fees

Back in the late 1990s, when Silicon Valley start-ups were booming, law firms eager to obtain their business often agreed to perform work for simply an equity share in the company. But the subsequent dot-com crash made many rethink this arrangement, as the value of client companies plummeted. Now a…

Jun 27, 2012 10:31 PM CDT