Family Law

Judge accused of punching, choking and biting his wife is indicted and put on leave

An Ohio judge accused of punching, biting and choking his wife in an attack that put her in the hospital with a fractured orbital bone and other injuries earlier this month has been indicted and put on paid leave. Judge Lance Mason, who sits in Cuyahoga County, was indicted by…

Aug 27, 2014 2:45 PM CDT

‘Immediate and severe’ action is taken against lawyer for firmwide email condemning gay marriage

The law firm Becker & Poliakoff has taken “immediate and severe” action against a lawyer who condemned gay marriage in an email sent to the entire firm, according to one of the firm’s leaders. The lawyer, Walter Kubitz, is listed as a senior attorney in the intellectual property group on…

Aug 27, 2014 12:55 PM CDT

Legal self-help centers are ‘vibrant and effective,’ survey says; can unbundled services play role?

Legal self-help centers have proliferated since Maricopa County, Arizona, launched a groundbreaking court-based legal help center in the early 1990s for residents handling their own cases. The ABA’s Standing Committee on the Delivery of Legal Services identified about 500 self-help centers around the country and surveyed them about funding, staffing…

Aug 25, 2014 10:45 AM CDT

Virginia gay-marriage licenses are put on hold after SCOTUS issues stay

Plans to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in Virginia on Thursday have been put on hold because of a stay issued by the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday. The Supreme Court stay delayed enforcement of a ruling striking down Virginia’s ban on gay marriages by the Richmond, Virginia-based…

Aug 21, 2014 4:02 PM CDT

Man accused of posting naked photos of ex on Web said lawyer told him he could do so

A Michigan man reportedly thought he had found a way around a personal order of protection his ex-girlfriend obtained in a domestic court case. The ex-girlfriend told police in Bay City that Chad Monroe was posting naked photos of her on the Internet and said he would keep harassing her…

Aug 19, 2014 8:45 PM CDT

Gay-marriage opponents cite SCOTUS summary dismissal in 1972; is it still good law?

In 1972, the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed an appeal seeking to overturn Minnesota’s gay-marriage law in Baker v. Nelson with a one-line summary dismissal. “The appeal is dismissed for want of a substantial federal question,” the court said. A Tennessee judge cited the precedent in upholding Tennessee’s refusal to recognize…

Aug 18, 2014 3:46 PM CDT

4th Circuit panel refuses to stay same-sex marriage ruling

A three-judge panel of the Richmond, Va.-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has refused to stay its ruling last month striking down Virginia’s ban on same-sex marriage. Unless the U. S. Supreme Court intervenes, the 2-1 decision paves the way for same-sex marriages to begin in Virginia on Wednesday,…

Aug 15, 2014 6:00 PM CDT

Attorney in custody battle announces judicial run against the judge on his case

A Louisiana lawyer engaged in a custody battle on Monday announced that he would be running for judge. His opponent is the judge who presides over his case, who recently put him on house arrest for disregarding a court-ordered drug test. Juan Labadie made the announcement Monday, the New Orleans…

Aug 15, 2014 2:50 PM CDT

Appeals court reverses $250K legal malpractice verdict to woman who wasn’t a client

An appellate court has reversed a legal malpractice jury verdict of nearly $250,000 against attorney Nigel L. Scott and the Yallery and Scott Law Firm by a woman who was not a client of the firm. Janice Burgin had claimed that she was entitled to the award because the firm…

Aug 14, 2014 7:25 PM CDT

Federal judge has cases reassigned following misdemeanor battery arrest in argument with his wife

A federal district court judge will have his pending cases reassigned after being arrested over the weekend for alleged misdemeanor battery after an argument with his wife at a hotel in Atlanta. “The recent arrest of Middle District of Alabama Judge Mark E. Fuller in Atlanta, Georgia, on misdemeanor charges…

Aug 13, 2014 7:45 PM CDT

Top lawyer for tech company is slain; ex-roommate who lost eviction case is sought as suspect

A Minnesota lawyer who served as chief counsel for Boston Scientific worldwide businesses and was known as a caring, involved member of his community was shot and run over at a gas station outside Minneapolis on Monday. A suspect being sought in connection with the slaying of Kelly L. Phillips,…

Aug 12, 2014 8:30 PM CDT

Couple forced to return baby to birth mother sues lawyer after baby found dead

An Iowa couple say they were told by their lawyer to return the baby they planned to adopt to his birth mother. They did so—and then saw their worst nightmare occur five weeks later, when the not-yet four-month-old boy died from “abusive head trauma.” Rachel and Heidi McFarland have now…

Aug 11, 2014 8:00 PM CDT

Legal hurdles for same-sex couples persist despite SCOTUS marriage decisions, say panelists

In 2013, after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act in U.S. v. Windsor and cleared the way for same-sex marriages to resume in California with their decision in Hollingsworth v. Perry, a door seemed to open for same-sex couples. And in the past year, courts…

Aug 10, 2014 10:36 PM CDT

Winning apps in ‘Hackcess to Justice’ help write wills, navigate disasters and calculate jail time

A disaster-relief mobile app that provides individuals with legal information, resources, and forms for assistance. An interactive tool that calculates whether a user is eligible for indigent legal services, as well as how much prison time criminal defendants face. A game that determines whether a user is in need of…

Aug 9, 2014 2:16 AM CDT

6th Circuit mulls gay-marriage recognition in ‘unprecedented and marathon hearing’

In a high-profile hearing on Wednesday, the Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. considered laws denying recognition to gay marriage in Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee. The Washington Post described the session as an “unprecedented and marathon hearing.” Arguments lasted three hours, the New York Times says. The National…

Aug 7, 2014 3:05 PM CDT