Government

VA to Pay $20M to Settle Case Over Stolen—and Recovered—Laptop

Seemingly taken in a routine burglary at an employee’s home, a laptop computer stolen from a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs analyst in 2006—and recovered later that year, apparently without any of its data being misused—is costing taxpayers a $20 million settlement. A federal judge in Washington, D.C., approved the…

Feb 10, 2009 9:50 PM CST

What Is a Weed? Mich. Judge Decides, Upholds $100 Lawn Ticket

In a hard-fought municipal ordinance case pitting a Michigan man, supported by local environmental groups, against his township’s governing officials, a local judge has weighed in against the flourishing so-called weeds growing in his yard. “Central to the case is what it means to ‘cultivate,’ and to a lesser degree,…

Feb 10, 2009 8:59 PM CST

Scruggs II: Once-Renowned Trial Lawyer Pleads in Another Court Corruption Case

Already serving a five-year prison term for his role in a scheme to bribe a Mississippi judge concerning a dispute over Hurricane Katrina legal fees, once-renowned trial attorney Richard “Dickie” Scruggs pleaded guilty today in a federal mail-fraud case. “According to prosecutors, Scruggs was involved in a scheme ‘to deprive…

Feb 10, 2009 8:28 PM CST

Broke Blagojevich Looks for a New Lead Defense Lawyer

When Chicago attorney Sam Adam was asked recently by a television crew why fellow counsel Ed Genson was planning to leave the legal defense team for now-former Ill. Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Adam pointed a finger to his head and replied: “Cuckoo.” The comment, which reiterated Chicago Mayor Richard Daley’s use…

Feb 10, 2009 8:08 PM CST

Judge Lectures Boss, Bans Him from Communicating With Worker on Jury

An employer’s effort to “enlighten” a California judge about the need to delay jury duty for a key employee was to no avail. In an unusual series of events, Riverside Superior Court Roger Luebs summoned Scott Cullen to his courtroom on Friday and reprimanded the vice president of Anaheim-based PCS…

Feb 10, 2009 6:14 PM CST

Beleaguered California Cities Try to Save on Legal Fees

Several municipalities in California seeking ways to trim their budgets are hoping to cut their legal fees, either by replacing their law firms or handing off some legal work to nonlegal employees. One lawyer told the Daily Journal (sub. req.) that she is seeing more requests for proposals from California…

Feb 10, 2009 2:43 PM CST

Calif. Must Plan to Release Up to 60,000 Inmates, Federal Panel Says

Although it’s not yet a final decision, a special panel of federal judges ruled today that California must begin planning to release tens of thousands of state prison inmates over the next several years. “California’s 33 prisons hold about 160,000 inmates, nearly twice their designed capacity. The judges said they…

Feb 10, 2009 1:26 AM CST

French to Trade Immigration Tips for Legal Residency Permits

In an unusual approach to a crime problem that may be of interest elsewhere, a French official has signed a decree rewarding illegal immigrants who agree to serve as witnesses about immigration-related criminal conduct with residency permits good for as long as 10 years. After police questioning, explains French Immigration…

Feb 10, 2009 12:44 AM CST

Prosecutors Seized All Files in My Law Office, NY Attorney Says

A former member of the Suffolk County Legislature says the county’s district attorney seized virtually every file in his Long Island law office this week. “They took 30 years of my files,” attorney George Guldi, 57, tells Newsday. “They’re trying to drive me out of business.” In addition to real…

Feb 7, 2009 1:05 AM CST

Lawyers Get $1.4M in Attorney Fees for Winning $183K Taser Case

Lawyers who won $183,000 for the family of a man who died in 2005 after being Tasered dozens of times by Salinas, Calif., police have now been awarded $1.4 million in legal fees. A federal judge yesterday ordered Taser International Inc. to pay the seven-figure amount, acknowledging that the $1,423,000…

Feb 6, 2009 10:24 PM CST

NJ’s Top Court Sides with 10-Foot Inflatable Rodent, Strikes Sign Ordinance

Ruling yesterday on free-speech grounds, the New Jersey Supreme Court said a municipal ordinance banning a labor union from displaying a 10-foot-tall inflatable rat at protest sites was a violation of its First Amendment rights. A divided appeals court had previously sided with Lawrence Township, in Mercer County, after the…

Feb 6, 2009 9:19 PM CST

Those Who Followed DOJ Policy Won’t Be Prosecuted, Says CIA Chief Nominee

Those in the CIA who followed legal directives of the U.S. Department of Justice won’t be prosecuted under official White House policy, even if they crossed the line into what some see as torture in their harsh interrogations of terrorism suspects, says Leon Panetta, the nominee for the agency’s top…

Feb 6, 2009 7:25 PM CST

Recipients of TARP Bailout Funds Could Be Targeted in Criminal Cases

The Troubled Asset Relief Program has only been in effect a few months. But already it is the subject of potential criminal probes, as a special inspector general also announced what amounts to a rewrite of TARP rules requiring recipients of bailout funds to certify, under penalty of law, that…

Feb 6, 2009 1:32 AM CST

Bankruptcy Boom Boost: US Asks Cadwalder to Advise On Automaker Restructuring

An already-hot practice area apparently is being expanded with the help of a deep-pockets noncorporate client: The feds reportedly are paying top partners at a New York law firm for bankruptcy advice, as the government ponders how best to deal with struggling automakers. “The U.S. Treasury Department hired Cadwalader Wickersham…

Feb 5, 2009 10:54 PM CST

Suspended Pa. Judge Changed Other Judges’ Sentences, His Successor Says

A suspended judge who formerly served as the president judge of Luzerne County had been changing sentences for some convicted felons, often without the knowledge of the judges who originally imposed the sentences, his successor says. “Former Luzerne County President Judge Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. bypassed the rest of the…

Feb 5, 2009 7:24 PM CST