Louisiana

Katrina Ruling Could Open Floodgates to Suits, But Will It Survive?

A ruling blaming the federal government for flooding in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina could lead to a flood of lawsuits and affect funding for a coastal restoration project. Last week a federal judge ruled the Army Corps of Engineers was negligent in maintaining a navigation channel, leading to the…

Nov 23, 2009 2:51 PM CST

Testimony: Fed’l Judge Owed $150K on Credit Cards, Got $20K from 2 Lawyers

A federal judge in Louisiana racked up $150,000 in credit card debt, largely to cover his gambling, as he routinely solicited cash and gifts from lawyers appearing before him, witnesses told a House Judiciary Committee task force today in an initial step toward possible impeachment of the jurist. But one…

Nov 17, 2009 9:51 PM CST

Justice of Peace Who Refused to Marry Interracial Couple Resigns

A justice of the peace in Louisiana who originally defended his views that an interracial couple shouldn’t marry and refused calls to resign reversed course today and stepped down. Gov. Bobby Jindal said Keith Bardwell’s resignation from his elected post in a small town north of New Orleans was “long…

Nov 4, 2009 12:50 AM CST

Hard-Hit By Katrina, La. Hospital Workers Revised Health Rules

When the power failed at Memorial Medical Center in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina hit four years ago, overworked physicians and staff isolated for days in the sweltering building without adequate supplies had to decide for themselves how to handle an emergency that was virtually unprecedented in the history of…

Aug 27, 2009 9:00 PM CDT

La. Judge Rejects Guilty Verdict in A.M., But Jury Gives 2nd ‘C-Murder’ Rap in P.M.

After getting a guilty verdict this morning from a jury hearing a second-degree murder case against rapper Corey “C-Murder” Miller, a Louisiana judge told the panel in the Jefferson Parish case to try again. 24th District Court Judge Hans Liljeberg ruled the verdict invalid, saying he believed one member of…

Aug 11, 2009 5:53 PM CDT

Ex-US Rep. Jefferson Convicted; Harvard Law Grad Could Face Long Jail Term

Former U.S. Rep. William Jefferson was convicted today of 11 of the 16 counts he faced in a federal corruption case. The Louisiana Democrat, who served 18 years in Congress until he was defeated in 2008, was accused by prosecutors during a six-week trial of seeking hundreds of thousands of…

Aug 5, 2009 10:26 PM CDT

Judge Strikes Down La. Restrictions on Lawyer Internet Ads

A federal judge has upheld most of the new restrictions on advertising by Louisiana lawyers, but struck down two rules regulating Internet advertising. U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman said Louisana’s Internet restrictions don’t account for differences between ads online and those in traditional media such as television, the Associated Press…

Aug 4, 2009 5:00 PM CDT

La. Court Disbars Lawyer for Diverting Funds, Rejects ADHD Defense

A Baton Rouge, La., lawyer who claimed his judgment was impaired by Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder has been disbarred for diverting $50,000 in settlement funds from his law firm. The Louisiana Supreme Court said there was no evidence that ADHD caused the misconduct by Baton Rouge lawyer John Sharp, and…

Jun 30, 2009 4:02 PM CDT

La. Lawyer Rapped for Filing Libel Suit Over Ethics Case Against Client Attorney

Rejecting a recommendation for harsher discipline, the Louisiana Supreme Court has publicly reprimanded attorney Craig Mordock, saying that he violated legal ethics rules by filing a libel suit on behalf of a client who is also an attorney. Because the libel suit was based on statements made in an individual’s…

Jun 23, 2009 7:48 PM CDT

Law Firm’s ‘Boy Wonder’ Took $30M, But Exactly Why Still Isn’t Clear

James “Jamie” Perdigao didn’t even spend the nearly $30 million he bilked from his law firm and gaming clients there, so it was easy for the former star partner of Adams and Reese to make full restitution when he was finally caught. In fact, an extra $6 million seized by…

Jun 19, 2009 12:03 AM CDT

Another Charge of Insensitivity for Judge Sanctioned for Wearing Blackface

A Louisiana judge sanctioned for wearing blackface at a Halloween party could face discipline in another case, this time over comments he made to a woman seeking a restraining order against her husband. Five years ago, Judge Timothy Ellender of Houma was suspended for six months and ordered to take…

May 14, 2009 5:58 PM CDT

Woman Sues Wal-Mart Over Alleged Encounter With ‘Norman,’ a Nutria

A lawsuit filed by a Louisiana woman over foot injuries she allegedly suffered while shopping at her local Wal-Mart store has made international headlines because of the claimed cause of the action: Norman the Nutria. Rebecca White says in her lawsuit that she was pushing a full shopping cart when…

May 8, 2009 7:12 PM CDT

2 Longtime La. PI Lawyers Disbarred; Others Disciplined for ‘Jackass’ Fracas

Two longtime Louisiana personal injury attorneys have been disbarred by the state supreme court for allowing nonattorney case managers to run much of their law firm operation. Partners E. Eric Guirard and Tommy Pittenger cooperated with the investigation, which began in 2000, stopped using the case manager system in 2004,…

May 5, 2009 11:40 PM CDT

Ogletree Deakins to Open a 35th Office, in New Orleans

Continuing with its ongoing expansion streak, a national employment boutique is about to establish a new office in New Orleans. Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart will open its 35th office in New Orleans on May 1, the more than 450-attorney firm announces in a press release (PDF) today. The…

Apr 27, 2009 8:23 PM CDT

Husband Arrested in Murder of Up-and-Coming La. Lawyer

When Chiquita Tate met her husband-to-be, she fell for him—hard. Now he is accused of murdering the up-and-coming Louisiana attorney, whose body was found last month in her Baton Rouge law office. She had been preparing to defend a client the next week in a murder trial. Sentenced to 90…

Mar 30, 2009 9:12 PM CDT