Government

Small Firm, Big Litigation

In more than 30 years of mass torts practice, Mark Robinson has helped his small Calfornia law firm make a big mark. Founded in 1978 after Robinson won a $128 verdict for a 13-year-old plaintiff with burn injuries in a Ford Pinto gas-tank case, Robinson, Calcagnie & Robinson had evolved…

Sep 27, 2007 7:48 PM CDT

Cuban Dad Gets Girl Over FL’s Objection

A hard-fought child custody case pitting a 5-year-old girl’s Cuban father against Florida officials and wealthy foster parents has ended with a ruling upholding the dad’s parental rights. Although the Florida Department of Children & Families said Rafael Izquierdo abandoned his daughter after her mother brought her to South Florida…

Sep 27, 2007 5:50 PM CDT

Top Med Mag: No Vaccine-Autism Link

Although thousands of cases are being pursued alleging a link between childhood vaccines and autism (see “No Longer Immune” in the July 2006 ABA Journal), it’s doubtful that causation can be proven. In fact, a study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine concludes there is no causal…

Sep 26, 2007 10:33 PM CDT

Chicago Cop Charged in Alleged Gang Plot to Kill Former Cop

A Chicago police officer has been arrested by federal authorities in an alleged plot to murder a former officer expected to testify against him in a police corruption case. Officer Jerome Finnigan was arrested at home this morning and charged with planning to hire a street gang member to murder…

Sep 26, 2007 5:41 PM CDT

More Murder Charges After Cops Raid Cops Over Cold Cases

Authorities announced new charges yesterday in several cold-case murders in a suburban Chicago municipality. But the charges were overshadowed by the fact that they were brought only after police from other jurisdictions raided the city earlier this year and seized evidence concerning unsolved violent crimes. A task force from the…

Sep 26, 2007 5:32 PM CDT

Feds Sue IL Over New Immigration Law

In an action that puts the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution at issue, the federal government is suing the state of Illinois over a new law that bans employer participation in a new voluntary federal program that verifies the identity of legal immigrants. Filed in federal court in Springfield,…

Sep 25, 2007 6:11 PM CDT

Lawmaker: Feds Didn’t Spot Cyber-Attack

Saying that the Department of Homeland Security didn’t notice for months that its computer system had been attacked by hackers, a Congressman who works closely with the department is now seeking a new government investigation—and blaming the contractor in charge of the system for lax oversight. Meanwhile, the FBI reportedly…

Sep 24, 2007 7:12 PM CDT

Shocking Story: Tasers Praised, Criticized

The jury is still out on the pros and cons of Tasers, which police praise as a safe and effective law enforcement tool but critics say can too easily be misused. But new technology may soon help resolve the dispute. After an incident at the University of Florida last week…

Sep 24, 2007 3:22 PM CDT

Suit: Feds’ Raids Violate Constitution

Warrantless searches allegedly are being conducted by armed U.S. immigration authorities on Latino-occupied homes in the New York City area where they have no good reason to believe immigrant fugitives are living. A federal class action lawsuit filed in Manhattan yesterday by 15 plaintiffs contends the feds are conducting such…

Sep 21, 2007 11:26 PM CDT

Mexico: Our Soldiers Raped & Tortured

A human rights commission run by the Mexican government has reportedly accused some of the country’s own soldiers of rape and torture and recommended that the Mexican army be removed from ongoing national efforts to control drug-trafficking there. An Associated Press article details four cases of alleged abuse that National…

Sep 21, 2007 10:51 PM CDT

Judge: Gov’t Lied, Must Pay Attorney Fees

In more than 30 years of practice, New Hampshire lawyer Steve Gordon says he’s never before tried to get a judge to award attorney fees against the federal government due to bad faith. But that’s the approach that he’s taken—successfully—in a tort case over a murdered government informant whose identity…

Sep 21, 2007 6:26 PM CDT

Cabbies Sue, Say GPS Risks Trade Secrets

Fearful of an invasion of privacy that could allow others to take advantage of a valuable trade secret—the best driving routes to find fares—New York cabdrivers have filed suit to block new rules requiring the installation of GPS and other new technology. While not all taxi drivers and cab owners…

Sep 20, 2007 1:25 AM CDT

Religion Statute May Allow Gitmo Claims

Four former Guantanamo Bay military prison detainees who claim American officials abused them there haven’t had any luck trying to sue the U.S. government over alleged constitutional rights violations. But redress may be possible under a 1993 statute that says the government must have a compelling reason for infringing on…

Sep 17, 2007 3:48 PM CDT

Legal Info Can Save Some Cancer Patients

Corrected: A little-known federal law entitles breast and cervical cancer patients under age 65 to Medicare treatment, even if they wouldn’t normally qualify for the federally funded health care program for the indigent. But in a number of states only some health care centers qualify for Medicare reimbursement under the…

Sep 13, 2007 9:37 PM CDT

$350K Legal Bill in Closed-Meetings Case

A town in Washington state has racked up $340,000 in legal fees to defend litigation over allegedly illegal closed-door meetings of the municipal council. And that amount could rise by another $250,000 if the plaintiffs win their case against four current and former members of the Shoreline City Council, and…

Sep 13, 2007 9:15 PM CDT