Maine

Attorney is charged in child-porn possession case after consenting to search of law office

A Maine attorney is facing a felony child-pornography possession charge after state police allegedly found sexual images of children under the age of 12 on a laptop and an external hard drive at his Portland law office. Authorities traced images on the Internet to an IP address for a computer…

Aug 28, 2014 2:25 PM CDT

‘Best mug shot ever’: Man poses in T-shirt displaying booking photo as he begins DUI jail sentence

Busted in June for drunken driving and driving without a license, a Maine teenager was ready to make a fashion statement by the time he began a two-day jail sentence in August in his driving-under-the-influence case. For the new booking photo, Robert Burt, 19, was wearing an orange T-shirt featuring…

Aug 20, 2014 10:45 AM CDT

Brain injury leads to suspension for Maine lawyer; ‘I couldn’t stick to tasks,’ he says

A Maine lawyer says he can no longer function effectively as a trial lawyer and he agrees with his indefinite suspension, imposed by a Maine Supreme Judicial Court justice on May 27. Newport lawyer Dale Thistle, 66, attributes his problems to a traumatic brain injury caused by a November 2011…

Jun 25, 2014 10:45 AM CDT

Domestic violence victim put on stand in pajamas, then jailed overnight for refusing to testify

A 52-year-old woman who had not responded to a witness subpoena in a domestic violence case was picked up at the order of a Maine trial judge and put on the stand last week in fleece pajamas, the clothing she was wearing when police took her into custody. When Sheila…

Jun 3, 2014 9:15 PM CDT

Boycott seeking $70 per hour for court-appointed lawyers fizzled when other attorneys took the cases

Several defense attorneys in Maine were hoping a boycott of all sexual assault cases would persuade the state to raise its hourly rate for court-appointed lawyers in all criminal cases from $50 to $70. But the attorney organized-labor movement fizzled out when the state was able to find defense lawyers…

May 29, 2014 9:15 PM CDT

F. Lee Bailey loses bid for Maine law license; court notes he felt disbarment was ‘kind of harsh’

Maine’s top court has refused a law license for F. Lee Bailey, citing his testimony that his Florida disbarment was “kind of harsh” as evidence that he didn’t appreciate the seriousness of conduct. The court’s 4-2 decision (PDF) on Thursday reversed a single justice who said Bailey met character and…

Apr 11, 2014 12:25 PM CDT

Did US Cellular violate law by releasing texts in divorce case? Judge raps company, sanctions lawyer

A judge on Maine’s top court is using a lawyer’s ethics case to criticize U.S. Cellular for turning over thousands of subpoenaed text messages in a divorce case. Justice Donald Alexander said U.S. Cellular violated a federal privacy law, report the Associated Press and the Morning Sentinel. “The Stored Communications…

Feb 7, 2014 3:01 PM CST

Top state court says transgender 5th-grader must be allowed to use restroom of choice

A transgender 5th-grader in Maine should have been allowed to use the girls restroom, the state’s top court held Thursday in a 5-1 decision. The ruling is the first by a top state court recognizing the right of a transgender student to use the facilities for the sex with which…

Jan 30, 2014 11:55 PM CST

F. Lee Bailey’s quest for a law license will be heard by Maine’s top court

F. Lee Bailey is 80 years old and disbarred in Florida and Massachusetts for mishandling stocks for a client. But that’s not stopping him from seeking a law license in Maine, where he has lived since 2010, the Bangor Daily News reports. The Maine Supreme Judicial Court will hear oral…

Jan 14, 2014 12:05 PM CST

Unhappy with $128K award in family farm case, couple sues prominent lawyer and wins $1.1M

Originally, a Maine couple blamed an agricultural conglomerate for the loss of a potato seed farm that had been in their family for generations. But, following a 10-year legal battle against Agway Inc., Vaughn and Mary Sleeper refocused their legal attack on a new target–their former lawyer and his firm.…

Dec 31, 2013 4:15 PM CST

Pierce Atwood to acquire 10-attorney Rhode Island firm

A well-known New England law firm has announced plans to acquire a 10-attorney Providence, R.I.-based commercial and construction litigation boutique. Little Bulman Medeiros & Whitney will become part of Maine-based Pierce Atwood on Dec. 9, according to the Bangor Daily News and Mainebiz. Together, the merged firms will have an…

Nov 8, 2013 9:00 PM CST

First openly gay federal appeals judge confirmed; Obama names 3 nominees for district, circuit bench

September has been a noteworthy month as far as the federal judiciary is concerned. The U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Tuesday, in a 98-0 vote, former Department of Justice lawyer Todd Hughes for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He is the highest-ranking openly gay…

Sep 24, 2013 9:55 PM CDT

DA’s zero tolerance policy for domestic violence puts brutalized witness in jail

Allegedly beaten with a broomstick and a belt in April and taken to the woods to dig what she was told would be her own grave, Jessica Ruiz survived the experience and cooperated with the Maine prosecutors, appearing at the Kennebec County district attorney’s office for multiple appointments. But after…

Sep 20, 2013 10:30 PM CDT

19 ‘right to dry’ states outlaw clothesline bans; is yours among them?

Once upon a time, a clothesline was a standard feature of most back yards. But concern that publicly airing clean laundry attached with clothespins to a rope or wire was unsightly, or obstructed views, or even created a safety risk (strangulation is sometimes cited) led a number of condominium associations…

Aug 14, 2013 8:24 PM CDT

Even an AK-47 wouldn’t have helped him during polar bear attack, says recovering lawyer

A Maine lawyer who was attacked by a polar bear in a Canadian national park while camping with a Sierra Club group last month continues to recover from what a physician on the trip initially expected to be fatal injuries. However, in response to those who wondered whether it wouldn’t…

Aug 13, 2013 4:10 PM CDT