Mississippi

WSJ Decries ‘Mississippi Tort Mob’ and State AG’s Effort to Hit BP ‘Gusher’

The Wall Street Journal editorial page is no friend of Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood. An editorial today decries Hood’s efforts to change federal law so he can sue oil spill companies in state court. The newspaper uses recently released e-mails in Hurricane Katrina litigation to illustrate his links to…

Jul 28, 2010 2:08 PM CDT

Lesbian Settles Prom Suit, Applauds School Policy Change

A Mississippi school district has agreed to pay $35,000 to settle a lawsuit by a lesbian teen denied the chance to attend a school-sponsored prom with a same-sex date. The Itawamba County School District in Fulton also agreed to adopt a nondiscrimination policy that specifically protects gays and lesbians, according…

Jul 22, 2010 12:27 PM CDT

Partner’s Affair With Client’s Wife Isn’t a Breach of Fiduciary Duty, Court Rules

It is undisputed that a partner of Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz had an affair with the wife of a client and longtime friend while representing the fired bank executive in a wrongful termination suit. But without a showing that the affair adversely affected the representation the situation doesn’t…

Jun 11, 2010 8:33 PM CDT

Neighbor with Record, 3 Others Arrested in Slaying of Lawyer Who Was White Supremacist

A 22-year-old neighbor has been arrested in the slaying of a 67-year-old attorney known for his white supremacist views. Vincent McGee was charged yesterday with murder, and three other individuals were charged today with being accesssories after the fact in the slaying of Richard Barrett, reports the Associated Press. Authorities…

Apr 23, 2010 7:19 PM CDT

Well-Known Lawyer, White Supremacist Was Murdered, Officials Say

A Mississippi lawyer known for his white supremacist views has been found, apparently murdered, in his Pearl home. The body of Richard Barrett, 67, was found today, the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department tells the Clarion-Ledger. However, Sheriff Ronnie Pennington would not give details of his injuries prior to an autopsy.…

Apr 22, 2010 9:51 PM CDT

5th Circuit Footnote Hits a Federal Chief Judge for 6-Year Delay

A footnote in a federal appeals court decision takes aim at the chief judge in the Southern District of Mississippi for taking six years to enter a judgment in a civil case. Chief U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate told the Clarion Ledger that his failure to enter a judgment in…

Mar 26, 2010 2:02 PM CDT

Judge Rules for Lesbian Teen, But Won’t Force School to Hold Prom

A federal judge says he won’t force a Mississippi school district to hold a prom, even though it violated a lesbian teen’s First Amendment rights when it canceled the event. Both sides claimed victory after the ruling, the Clarion Ledger reports. U.S. District Judge Glen Davidson said clearly established case…

Mar 24, 2010 11:35 AM CDT

2 Judges & 1 Lawyer Win Bribery Appeals After 5th Circuit Raises New Issue

Despite an apparent pleading error by the appellants’ counsel, a federal appeals court today reversed the federal program bribery convictions of two Mississippi judges and a trial lawyer. This is likely to shorten their prison sentences, although some other convictions against the three were not vacated. And they could potentially…

Dec 11, 2009 11:23 PM CST

Miss. Judge Bobby DeLaughter Pleads Guilty to Scruggs-Related Obstruction

A Mississippi judge pleaded guilty to a federal obstruction charge and resigned his seat on the bench yesterday, in exchange for a recommended 18-month prison sentence. Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Bobby DeLaughter, 55, had faced a five-count corruption case that could have put him behind bars for as much…

Jul 31, 2009 8:03 PM CDT

Lathrop & Gage Opens Chicago Office, Plans ‘Aggressive Recruiting’

Lathrop & Gage has hired two lawyers formerly with Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal to staff a new office in Chicago, the firm’s second new office this year. Lathrop is not limiting the Chicago office to two lawyers, however. “Additional aggressive recruiting plans are under way,” according to a press release…

Jul 17, 2009 1:54 PM CDT

Appeals Court Revives Suit Against Katrina Insurers

A federal appeals court based in New Orleans has revived a whistle-blower suit claiming several insurance companies tried to shift the burden of paying for Hurricane Katrina damages onto the federal government. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the Louisiana suit may continue against all but two insurers,…

Feb 20, 2009 6:17 PM CST

Miss. Judge is Federally Indicted in Scruggs-Related Corruption Case

A Mississippi judge who presided over a bitter multimillion-dollar legal fees dispute concerning asbestos litigation has been indicted for allegedly secretly funneling information about the case to one of the attorneys involved. Allegedly influenced by a promise of appointment to the federal bench, Hinds County Circuit Judge Bobby DeLaughter is…

Feb 13, 2009 1:30 AM CST

Ex-Judge Reprimanded for ‘White Folks’ Comment

The Mississippi Supreme Court has reprimanded a former judge for public comments he made about “white folks.” The court said removal from office would have been an appropriate punishment for the judge, Solomon Osborne of Leflore County, if he had not resigned last year, the National Law Journal reports. Osborne…

Feb 11, 2009 1:38 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

Miss. PI Firm Settles Suit Over Leaked Affidavit

A top personal injury firm in Mississippi has settled a $189 million lawsuit by a tire company that claimed a leaked affidavit disparaged the manufacturer and violated an employee agreement. The case settled as jurors were being selected for the trial in Oxford, Miss., according to the Northeast Mississippi Daily…

Jan 23, 2009 12:42 PM CST