Government

Federal Judge OKs $97.5K Verdict Won By Goodwin Procter in Pro Bono ‘Contempt of Cop’ Arrest Case

The chief federal criminal trial judge in Washington, D.C., yesterday rejected the city’s call for a new trial in a “contempt of cop” arrest case in which a jury awarded a woman $97,500. Represented by Goodwin Procter on a pro bono basis, Lindsay Huthnance contended she had been unconstitutionally arrested…

Jul 20, 2011 9:27 PM CDT

3rd Staten Island Cop Charged in Claimed Scheme to Justify Overtime by Writing Phantom Tickets

A Staten Island, N.Y., police officer has been criminally charged for allegedly writing 36 phantom tickets between March and June in an effort to justify substantial overtime hours on the job. Officer Paul Pizzuto, 40, a 17-year veteran of the department, is accused of submitting paperwork for the tickets—some of…

Jul 20, 2011 5:36 PM CDT

Law Firms Beef Up Their Antitrust Practices; Ex-Regulators in Big Demand

Corrected: Several law firms are bolstering their antitrust practices with lateral hires and the acquisition of onetime government lawyers. The most high-profile recent hire is that of Justice Department antitrust chief Christine Varney, who will join Cravath, Swaine & Moore this September, the Washington Post reports. Varney started the DOJ…

Jul 20, 2011 10:30 AM CDT

ABC News Says DOJ to Expand FBI Probe of News of the World; Possible FCPA Violations at Issue

Relying on unidentified sources, ABC News says the U.S. Department of Justice is going to look at whether the British tabloid News of the World routinely paid bribes to police. If so, that could implicate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, potentially leading to a larger–and expensive–U.S. probe of the newspaper,…

Jul 19, 2011 11:32 PM CDT

Obama Motorcade Fined $200 for Not Paying $16 London Congestion Fee; US Embassy Claims Immunity

After allegedly ignoring a $16 congestion fee that President Barack Obama’s motorcade should have paid for traveling through London, the White House has been hit with a $200 fine. But while the president’s office is apparently expected to ante up after what London’s mayor describes as a very friendly conversation…

Jul 19, 2011 11:02 PM CDT

3 Lawyers, Worker’s Comp Arbitrator Face Disciplinary Cases re Claimed ‘Ex Parte Party’

A former Illinois Worker’s Compensation Commission arbitrator and three lawyers are facing legal ethics charges concerning alleged misconduct characterized by the Legal Profession Blog as an “ex parte party.” Plus, in addition to allegedly sending ex parte emails to three lawyers on one side of worker’s comp cases without copying…

Jul 19, 2011 6:52 PM CDT

Man Wins 2-Year Pro Se Court Battle Over $25 Ticket, Says Case Was ‘Like Doing My Own Dentistry’

After a two-year court battle, a retired Massachusetts audio visual technician has emerged victorious in an epic pro se legal fight over a $25 parking ticket. But Michael Rivers was drained by the experience rather than jubilant over his state superior court win against the city of Springfield, according to…

Jul 19, 2011 12:05 AM CDT

‘Robo-Signing’ of Mortgage Docs ‘Still an Epidemic’

Despite investigations and corrective measures taken by the nation’s biggest banks over so-called robo-signing of mortgage documents, the practice continues and appears to be widespread, reports the Associated Press in a lengthy article that names some names. While those involved in foreclosures may have cleaned up their act, thousands of…

Jul 18, 2011 11:30 PM CDT

2nd Mom Sues Pa. County Claiming Newborn Taken Due to What She Ate: Poppy Seeds in Salad, This Time

A second mom has sued a Pennsylvania county and a local hospital, saying that her newborn was taken from her after she tested positive for opiates due to having eaten poppy seeds in ordinary food. This time, says plaintiff Eileen Ann Bower, it was poppy seeds in salad dressing she…

Jul 18, 2011 6:48 PM CDT

Criminal Charges Over Mich. Woman’s Front-Yard Vegetable Garden Are Dropped

Misdemeanor criminal charges against an Oak Park, Mich., woman who grew vegetables in raised beds in her front yard were dropped on Wednesday. But Julie Bass, who had been looking at a July 26 trial, didn’t find that out until her lawyer went to court Thursday to file a motion…

Jul 15, 2011 5:51 PM CDT

Does Missing Word Mean North Dakota Isn’t a State?

John Rolczynski has been working tirelessly since 1995 to persuade judges and lawmakers that North Dakota isn’t a state. The 82-year-old Grand Forks resident finally got a state senator to listen to his argument that a missing word in the state constitution makes North Dakota a territory, rather than a…

Jul 15, 2011 1:54 PM CDT

California Supremes Uphold Plastic Bag Ban in Manhattan Beach

The California Supreme Court has upheld a ban on plastic bags in Manhattan Beach, ruling a full-scale environmental review isn’t needed. The industry group Save the Plastic Bag Coalition had argued that shifting to paper bags would cause even more damage to the environment, report the San Francisco Chronicle and…

Jul 15, 2011 12:52 PM CDT

New Secondhand-Smoke Frontier Focuses on Shared Residential Buildings

Smoking has been banned in a number of public places and worksites. But, although individuals also have a right to live smoke-free in their own homes, if they wish, there’s no comparable law prohibiting smoking in residential buildings, the New York Post reported. And that’s creating work for a number…

Jul 14, 2011 6:17 PM CDT

If a Patient Has a Cold, Why Does a Doc Need to Know About Guns, a Federal Judge Wonders

Physicians fighting a Florida law that restricts them from asking all patients about guns or dropping a patient simply because he or she has a firearm could be facing an uphill legal battle. During a court hearing today on a lawsuit filed by several physician groups, an assistant attorney general…

Jul 13, 2011 10:11 PM CDT

Fishing Captain Fights Court Battle for Moon Rock He Says He Saved from Museum Trash

A piece of the moon presented to the state of Alaska in 1969 by President Richard M. Nixon was missing for almost 37 years. But it surfaced against last year, after a lawyer who has made it his life mission to track down the 230 moon rocks presented to various…

Jul 12, 2011 9:21 PM CDT