New Jersey

Judge Orders Newspaper to ID Commenter re Manslaughter Case Against Former ‘Melrose Place’ Actress

A judge in New Jersey yesterday ordered the Newark Star-Ledger to identify an anonymous commenter who said he witnessed a fatal car crash that resulted in an aggravated manslaughter charge against actress Amy Locane-Bovenizer, 39, who starred in the original Melrose Place television series. The comment by the claimed witness…

Mar 30, 2011 8:38 PM CDT

Former NJ Judge Is Accused of Representing Mayor While on City’s Municipal Court Bench

A former judge in Montville, N.J., is accused of continuing to represent the city’s mayor in real estate matters, while simultaneously sitting on the municipal court bench. Seth Davenport faces two legal ethics counts concerning his alleged work for then-Mayor John Rosellini, the Daily Record reports. First, the Supreme Court’s…

Mar 30, 2011 6:45 PM CDT

Martin Sheen Testifies for James Marshall in Suit Seeking $11M from Maker of Acne Drug Accutane

Actor Martin Sheen testified via a video hookup from California today in a New Jersey trial in which actor James Marshall is seeking $11 million from the maker of the acne drug Accutane. Marshall, 44, who played the role of Louden Downey in the movie A Few Good Men had…

Mar 25, 2011 12:16 AM CDT

Convicted Ex-Qwest CEO Sues over $25M Legal Bill, Claims Lawyers Billed Him for Their Underwear

Contending that he was “grossly overbilled” for a negligent defense in an insider trading case, the jailed former CEO of Qwest Communications International Inc. has sued over his legal bill of more than $25 million. Joseph Nacchio, who is serving a 70-month prison term for illegally selling $52 million in…

Mar 23, 2011 6:06 PM CDT

Former Office Manager to Get 7 Years in Theft of Over $400K from NJ Law Firm

A former office manager of a northern New Jersey law firm has agreed to a plea bargain that includes a seven-year prison sentence for her admitted theft of over $400,000 from Maloof Lebowitz Connahan & Oleske between 2003 and 2010. Beth Friedland, 39, is expected to actually serve only a…

Mar 22, 2011 7:14 PM CDT

Fashion Manager’s Arbitration Claim Seeks $2M for Anguish of New Jersey Exile

A manager for design house Elie Tahari alleges in a $2 million arbitration claim that he was exiled to New Jersey due to his complaints about being unfairly passed over for promotions. Thomas Horodecki is Christian and Polish; he claims his manager favored less experienced Jewish Israeli staffers who vacationed…

Mar 18, 2011 1:40 PM CDT

Judge Refuses Class Action Status for Suit Claiming ‘Time Bomb’ in Law Firm Software

A federal judge in New Jersey has refused to grant class action status to a lawsuit that claims law firm management software contained a hidden “time bomb” that caused it to shut down. The suit by New York intellectual property law firm Kalow & Springut claimed that software made by…

Mar 3, 2011 5:23 PM CST

Former Manatt Phelps Partner Is Sued by DOJ in Tax-Shelter Case

Updated: A Southern California lawyer who formerly was a partner at Manatt Phelps & Phillips has been named as a defendant in a civil suit over allegedly abusive “intermediary transaction” tax shelters. It was filed by the U.S. Department of Justice in federal court in Camden, N.J. Charles Klink and…

Feb 24, 2011 12:46 AM CST

After NJ Justice Refuses to Rule in Some Divided Cases, Senate Urges His Resignation

Updated: A New Jersey state supreme court justice who has refused to rule in some divided cases is being urged to resign by the state Senate. The nonbinding resolution, citing the sense of the Senate, says Justice Roberto Rivera-Soto’s pledge to abstain from the cases is “a serious violation of…

Feb 18, 2011 4:55 PM CST

Former Legal Assistant to Attorney-Judge Gets Probation in Mortgage Fraud Scheme

Telling a federal judge she was truly sorry and would never make the same mistake again, a 36-year-old New Jersey legal assistant was sentenced to probation instead of prison for tax fraud yesterday because of her cooperation with authorities in an alleged $8 million mortgage-fraud scheme. Among the alleged co-conspirators…

Feb 11, 2011 10:51 PM CST

The Judge Who Tried My Case Also Acted as Prosecutor, Convicted Burglar Says on Appeal

Ordinarily, when a defendant shows up for trial and there’s no prosecutor in court, the trial is rescheduled. But when that happened in a New Jersey municipal court last year, the judge went ahead and tried a burglary case against two brothers without a prosecutor. He also allegedly denied one…

Feb 10, 2011 8:26 PM CST

Reprimanded re Bailiff Relationship, Ex-Judge Says He’s Sued NJ Supreme Court for Racial Bias

Reprimanded for failing to disclose a romantic relationship with a bailiff in his courtroom, a former part-time New Jersey municipal judge says he has filed a federal lawsuit against the state supreme court. Wilson Campbell, who now serves as chief of the criminal division in the U.S. Virgin Islands Department…

Feb 1, 2011 7:32 PM CST

Expanding Field of Forensic Botany Helps Point Detectives to Suspects

When it comes to pointing the finger at a murder suspect, plants are gaining an increasing role in the criminal justice community. Although the use of expert testimony by botanists dates back at least to the 1935 “trial of the century” in New Jersey over the kidnapping and slaying of…

Feb 1, 2011 12:07 AM CST

Lawyer Trades $1,100 Monthly Porsche Bill for $700-Per-Month BMW, But Loses Bid for Alimony Cut

Mark Frost has been through some hard times since the breakup of his New Jersey law firm, so he sought a reduction in the $9,500 per month alimony he is required to pay his ex-wife. Apparently seeking to bolster his case, he voluntarily traded in his $1,100-per-month Porsche for a…

Jan 28, 2011 7:01 PM CST

Lawyer Gets Probation for Punching Opposing Counsel

A Philadelphia-area lawyer who punched his opposing counsel in a courthouse stairwell will serve six months of probation and 75 hours of community service for the assault. Michael Rausch, a 46-year-old Cherry Hill, N.J., lawyer, was accused of throwing three punches at a Scranton lawyer who reportedly called him stupid…

Jan 28, 2011 3:23 PM CST