Government

Blago Says His Law School Roomie Lied on Stand, But Judge Nixes Gag Order, For Now

The jury has been promised that Rod Blagojevich will testify in his own defense when the time comes in his public corruption trial. But meanwhile federal prosecutors are fuming about public comments the impeached former Illinois governor is making about the case. In a 16-page filing they made today seeking…

Jun 17, 2010 12:15 AM CDT

Who Can Fire Vorys Sater? Ohio Supreme Court Rules for Judges in Feud

The law firm Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease has earned about $17 million in fees in the last decade representing the county of which Cincinnati is the seat on riverfront development issues. But that representation will be coming to an end, despite the county’s objections, because of a ruling by…

Jun 11, 2010 10:30 AM CDT

Must SEC Disclose IDs & Discipline for Porn-Watching Lawyers?

The Securities and Exchange Commission nixed a newspaper’s Freedom of Information Act request for the names of some 33 employees and contractors—many of them attorneys—determined by an Office of Inspector General report to have been watching porn on their government computers, on government time. But now a Colorado lawyer has…

Jun 10, 2010 11:02 PM CDT

FBI Probes Exposure of Power Users’ iPad ID Info

A federal investigation is under way concerning an Internet security breach that reportedly exposed the e-mail addresses of some 114,000 Apple iPad users. They apparently included a number of very high-profile individuals such as the White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel; the mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg; and…

Jun 10, 2010 9:50 PM CDT

Girl, 16, on Solo Sail Round the World Is Found Alive After Being Feared Lost at Sea

Upated: A 16-year-old girl from California on a solo round-the-world sailing trip who had sent a distress signal to her family and was feared to be lost at sea in the frigid Southern Indian was Ocean was found unharmed late Thursday night. At around 4 a.m., California time Thursday, Abby…

Jun 10, 2010 9:04 PM CDT

Blago’s Lawyer Offers ‘Rather Dim’ Portrait of Ex-Illinois Gov

The lawyer for Rod Blagojevich told jurors on Tuesday that his client was “absolutely fooled” by his advisers. Lawyer Sam Adam Jr. told jurors in opening statements that the former Illinois governor has horrible judgment but he “ain’t corrupt,” according to stories in the New York Times, the Wall Street…

Jun 9, 2010 3:39 PM CDT

Ex-NC Governor and AG Mike Easley Is On Leave From McGuireWoods

A former governor and attorney general of North Carolina has taken a leave of absence from McGuireWoods at his own request and for undisclosed reasons, according to the Raleigh News & Observer. “We were supportive,” says firm counsel William Allcott of Mike Easley’s request for a leave several weeks ago.…

Jun 8, 2010 5:03 PM CDT

Ballard Spahr Bill Near $750K in Ongoing School Laptop Webcam Case

Legal fees charged by Ballard Spahr and a computer forensic expert the law firm retained are nearing $750,000 in a four-month-old matter concerning a school district’s controversial remote activation of webcams on the laptop computers it issued to students. A lawyer for the plaintiffs in a federal class action seeking…

Jun 8, 2010 2:44 PM CDT

Mom Resolves Cold Parental Kidnap Case by Surfing Facebook

A California mom successfully used Facebook to search for the two children she hadn’t seen in nearly 15 years, after their father allegedly took them and told her she would never see them again. After finding her now-17-year-old daughter’s profile on the social networking website, Prince Segala made contact but…

Jun 7, 2010 11:30 PM CDT

No Permission, No Problem: Gary, Ind., Plans Michael Jackson Museum

You might think Indiana officials would have learned a lawsuit lesson from the Dillinger Museum. After a seven-year litigation saga, tourism officials in Hammond reached an undisclosed settlement with the great-nephew of notorious gangster John Dillinger that permitted the facility to reopen to the public. But now their Gary counterparts…

Jun 3, 2010 10:57 PM CDT

Obama’s Chief of Staff Is Subpoenaed as a Defense Witness in Blagojevich Corruption Trial

The chief of staff for President Barack Obama has been subpoenaed as a defense witness in the upcoming political corruption trial of Rod Blagojevich, the impeached ex-governor of Illinois. Rahm Emanuel is a “critical” witness for Blagojevich in the federal case to be tried in Chicago starting tomorrow, says defense…

Jun 2, 2010 8:16 PM CDT

Federal Criminal and Civil Probes into Gulf Oil Spill Are Under Way, Holder Says

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced this afternoon that federal authorities have opened criminal and civil investigations into last month’s explosion of BP’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, which killed 11 workers and has led to the worst oil spill in U.S. history. Holder declined to…

Jun 1, 2010 8:36 PM CDT

BP Could Face Civil Fine as High as $4,300 for Each Leaked Barrel of Oil

The $75 million cap on civil liability for economic damages doesn’t limit the amount of fines that BP could pay for the Gulf oil spill. According to Reuters, “a clause buried deep in the U.S. Clean Water Act” authorizes the government to seek civil penalties of up to $4,300 for…

May 27, 2010 1:23 PM CDT

Ex-Ontario AG Is Cleared in Fatal Accident

A criminal case was dropped today against a former Ontario attorney general who was initially charged with criminal negligence after a violent traffic confrontation ended in the death of a bicyclist last year. A special prosecutor brought from outside the Canadian province said in court today that the bicyclist, Darcy…

May 25, 2010 10:20 PM CDT

Law Firm Warns Super-Yacht Owners: Beware of Ship Seizures in Italian Waters

A London law firm has issued a travel-advisory to super-wealthy clients planning to sail their super-yachts into Italian waters. Due to an apparent crackdown on suspected tax evaders as Italy struggles to deal with a budget deficit, even legitimate vessels under a Cayman Islands flag could be seized there for…

May 25, 2010 9:04 PM CDT