Government

Targeted in N.Y. Public Benefits Probe, Private Lawyers Plan Class Action

Updated: It almost had to happen. Targeted in an ongoing investigated by the New York attorney general’s office as well as other state and federal agencies over possible public benefits and tax fraud, at least some of the “hundreds and hundreds” of lawyers who reportedly are the focus of the…

May 14, 2008 6:34 PM CDT

Jury Rules Against Inmate Who Claimed Secondhand Smoke Caused His Cancer

A former inmate at Rikers Island, represented by his son at trial, has lost his lawsuit claiming secondhand smoke at the prison caused his bladder cancer. Raymond Marquez claimed that a Department of Corrections policy allowing smoking in prison resulted in his cancer, the New York Times reports. A New…

May 14, 2008 2:20 PM CDT

Ohio AG to Resign Over ‘Dannimal House’ Scandal?

Despite media reports that Ohio’s embattled attorney general, Marc Dann, was expected to announce his resignation today, the latest news is that he is holding on to his office, at least for now. Dann, 46, had stood his ground so far, as state legislators threatened to seek his impeachment. But…

May 13, 2008 7:51 PM CDT

As Domestic Spying Increases, Terrorism Prosecutions Decline

In the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, domestic spying on citizens by the U.S. government has increased considerably. But it isn’t clear that this has led to any increase in terrorism prosecutions, reports the Los Angeles Times. Although the number of domestic search warrants issued by the Foreign…

May 12, 2008 6:18 PM CDT

Spain Claims US ‘Pirates’ Stole Sunken Treasure from Underseas Galleon

A federal court ruling against a Florida-based deep-sea exploration company last month apparently has led to a claim by the Spanish government. It contends that Odyssey Marine Exploration “pirates” stole underseas treasure from a Spanish warship sunk by the British navy off the coast of Portugal in 1804 with some…

May 9, 2008 10:02 PM CDT

Lawyer’s Response to Claim: ‘Poop Happens’

Norwalk, Conn., city attorney M. Jeffry Spahr says he was so taken aback when an unusual claim came across his desk that he had to read it twice. A New York woman who had taken her family to a city aquarium had filed a $100 claim because her child had…

May 9, 2008 4:57 PM CDT

‘100s and 100s’ of N.Y. Lawyers Involved in Pension Scheme, AG Says

Updated: “Hundreds and hundreds” of New York lawyers will be implicated in a statewide scheme in which non-employees have improperly been enrolled in the public pension system, the state attorney general says. The situation was initially reported by Newsday as involving several lawyers in private practice representing Long Island school…

May 9, 2008 3:26 PM CDT

‘Perk of Partnership’ at N.Y. Law Firm: Public Pension for No-Show Job

For some lawyers at one Albany, N.Y., area law firm, getting a public pension for a no-show school district job was a standard “perk of partnership,” a state prosecutor said at a news conference today. “Ellen Biben, special deputy attorney general for public integrity, said a number of lawyers of…

May 8, 2008 11:43 PM CDT

Military Judge Threatens to Suspend Khadr Terror Trial Over Evidence Issue

A military judge has sided with the defense in pretrial proceedings in the the controversial terrorism case of a Canadian suspect captured by U.S. forces in Afghanistan at age 15. Unless the military turns over to defense lawyers by May 22 a prison log of Omar Khadr’s treatment at the…

May 8, 2008 10:17 PM CDT

Internet Archive’s Suit Gets FBI to Withdraw National Security Letter

The FBI is dropping its demand for information about a subscriber from the Internet Archive as part of a settlement of a lawsuit. The agency is also agreeing to allow discussion of the case, which challenged a national security letter issued by the agency. The victory is one of only…

May 8, 2008 11:21 AM CDT

Fla. Tree Owners Win Citrus Comp Class Action, But Get Only $11.5M

Plaintiffs’ counsel had hoped for $50 million or so. But a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., jury effectively awarded less than $5 million to 58,000 Broward County homeowners who had sought additional state compensation for more than 130,000 trees destroyed during a failed campaign to eradicate citrus canker. The total verdict was…

May 7, 2008 5:42 PM CDT

Jury Still Out in Fla. Citrus Tree Class Action; Millions at Stake

The jury apparently is still out in a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., class action over the destruction of more than 130,000 citrus trees in Broward County that could require the state government to pay millions of dollars in compensation to 58,000 homeowners. The jury’s deliberations, which began Monday, are being closely…

May 6, 2008 10:12 PM CDT

Restaurant Sex Violated Permit, Pa. Appeals Court Says

Live sex between patrons is not an accessory use permitted under a Philadelphia restaurant permit, a divided Pennsylvania appeals court has ruled. “The majority said sexual activity was not subordinate to dining at Club Kama Sutra because the establishment’s pricing structure seemed more in keeping with that of a sex…

May 6, 2008 6:50 PM CDT

Ashcroft & Yoo to Testify in Hearings; House Panel Subpoenas Top Cheney Aide

A House panel is moving ahead with efforts to force testimony by those believed to have played leading roles in helping the Bush administration craft aggressive interrogation policies for terrorism suspects. Former Attorney General John Ashcroft and John Yoo, a former Justice Department lawyer who wrote an interrogation memo that…

May 6, 2008 6:12 PM CDT

FBI Raids Federal Watchdog Agency

The FBI has raided the watchdog agency created to investigate complaints by federal employees and battle fraud in the U.S. government. Agents searched the Office of Special Counsel this morning and shut down its computer network, the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) reports. Investigators seized computers and documents belonging to…

May 6, 2008 5:38 PM CDT