Siren Suit Ruling Sounds Research Alarm

A lawsuit against a maker of fire-truck sirens provides a look at a common practice: academics who conduct research while acting as paid litigation consultants. The practice can produce conflicts of interest, the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) observes in a story about researcher William Clark of Washington University medical…

Jun 22, 2007 5:46 PM CDT

Home Search: Did Family See TV Show?

Authorities conducting a multiple murder investigation searched a suburban Chicago home yesterday to see if the family watched a recent episode of the television show “Law and Order.” Sources told the Chicago Tribune that Illinois State Police are trying to find out if the family had seen the May 8…

Jun 21, 2007 11:52 PM CDT

Nurses Testify in Katrina Hospital Deaths

Several nurses are reportedly soon to testify before a grand jury, two of them under immunity grants, in an ongoing criminal investigation of the deaths of at least four hospitalized patients in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. Health care workers at Memorial Medical Center, including at least one doctor, are…

Jun 20, 2007 11:26 PM CDT

$1.25 M Sanction for Law Firms, Client in WTC Insurance Coverage Case

Trying to conceal an insurer’s agreement to provide coverage for the World Trade Center before the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks is costing two law firms and a client insurance company a cool $1.25 million. A federal judge yesterday sanctioned the firms, Wiley Rein and Coughlin Duffy, and their client,…

Jun 19, 2007 9:42 PM CDT

Judge to Release Priest Files

A Los Angeles judge has ruled he will allow release of confidential personnel files of clergy accused in child sex abuse cases that have settled. Judge Peter Lichtman said the priests’ privacy rights must give way to the state’s interest in protecting children from sex abuse, the Los Angeles Times…

Jun 19, 2007 8:33 PM CDT

Duke Settles With Players in Rape Case

The fallout continues over three former Duke University lacrosse players falsely accused of rape. A settlement agreement, in an undisclosed amount, was announced Monday by Duke University concerning its treatment of three former men’s lacrosse team members. Meanwhile, litigation is likely and there could even be criminal sanctions against the…

Jun 18, 2007 10:32 PM CDT

Judge: Phil Spector’s Lawyer in Contempt

After a month of behind-the-scenes negotiations not heard by the jury in the ongoing Phil Spector murder trial, the judge indicated today that he plans to hold a defense lawyer in contempt. Because Sara Caplan refuses to testify before the jury about seeing a famous criminalist pick up a small…

Jun 18, 2007 9:35 PM CDT

Judge: Scruggs in Criminal Contempt

A federal judge in Alabama is asking the U.S. Justice Department to prosecute a high-profile trial lawyer for criminal contempt, contending that Richard Scruggs brazenly violated a court injunction by sharing documents concerning Hurricane Katrina-related insurance claims with the Mississippi attorney general. In an order, Dist. Judge William Acker asks…

Jun 16, 2007 1:16 AM CDT

Qualcomm Hires DLA Piper

Semiconductor maker Qualcomm has hired the DLA Piper law firm to help it battle accusations that it failed to turn over more than 35,000 documents in a patent infringement case. The law firm replaces Day Casebeer Madrid & Batchelder of Cupertino, Calif., the Recorder reports. Qualcomm says in court papers…

Jun 14, 2007 12:27 PM CDT

E-Discovery Order May Be a First

A Los Angeles magistrate has ordered a Web search engine to collect customer data stored in random access memory in perhaps the first case to require such discovery.

TorrentSpy, a search engine that directs users to video files, is appealing the order, the Recorder reports. The company is being sued for copyright infringement by six movie studios seeking access to RAM to learn more about the files sought by site visitors.

Jun 13, 2007 12:24 PM CDT

Ex-Felon on N.Y. Expert List

New York City will increase oversight of those on a roster of court-appointed experts following disclosures that a convicted felon on the list billed $61,000 for work never performed. Richard Gottfried was placed on the list as a mitigation expert, even though he was convicted of federal fraud charges in…

Jun 12, 2007 7:32 PM CDT

DOJ Labels Autism Claims ‘Junk Science’

A Justice Department official said claims that a vaccine additive causes autism are junk science, in opening arguments before a vaccine court yesterday. “Unfortunately, after five years, you’ll find a signal lack of support for their contentions,” said Vincent J. Matanoski, an assistant director in the department’s civil division. The…

Jun 12, 2007 4:29 PM CDT

‘That’s Him!—Or Is It?’

Despite Study Upon Study, Police Lineups Are Still an Inexact Science

Jun 11, 2007 11:07 PM CDT

Civil Case Leads to Murder Charge

For years, Mary Miller thought she knew who had murdered her son, Jesse: his father. Chicago police agreed. But there wasn’t enough evidence to charge Leroy Alexander with the 2002 crime, which took place at his home – until now. Mary Miller sued her estranged husband in civil court over…

Jun 11, 2007 6:31 PM CDT

PI Attacks Search Warrant

The legal team for private investigator Anthony Pellicano is citing new evidence in an effort to block admission of evidence found in a search of his office. Lawyers contend an FBI agent concealed evidence and lied about it to obtain a search warrant, according to the Los Angeles Times. The…

Jun 7, 2007 5:59 PM CDT