New York

Defense lawyers ask judge to OK seat upgrade for Africa trip; federal prosecutors are flying coach

Federal prosecutors are protesting a request by three defense lawyers to fly business class, rather than coach, in a planned trip to Africa to depose a prisoner for a terrorism case. The feds are paying for the trip by lawyers for Ali Yasin Ahmed, Madhi Hashi and Mohammed Yusuf, and…

Feb 9, 2015 11:10 AM CST

Surgical center claims unauthorized lawsuit resulted in counterclaim costing $2.1M

A surgical center in Naples, Florida, claims that lawyers in Miami and New Jersey filed an unauthorized lawsuit on its behalf that it didn’t discover until the defendant filed a $29 million counterclaim. The Gladiolus Surgery Center settled the counterclaim for $2.1 million in November and is seeking that amount…

Feb 9, 2015 6:45 AM CST

Katy Perry’s lawyers assert Left Shark copyright, send cease-and-desist letter to 3D printer

Lawyers for Katy Perry sent a cease-and-desist letter to a 3D printing company selling Left Shark, the uncoordinated costumed character who danced next to the singer during the Super Bowl. Greenberg Traurig confirmed that its letter to the company, Shapeways, is authentic, CNN reports. The letter says Katy Perry owns…

Feb 9, 2015 5:45 AM CST

Egyptian lawyer gets 25 years in fatal US Embassy bombings after ‘enormously generous’ plea bargain

An Egyptian lawyer was sentenced Friday to 25 years in federal prison for his role in fatal 1998 bombings at U.S. embassies in Africa that killed 224 people. Calling the plea bargain that capped the sentence for Adel Abdul Bary at 25 years “enormously generous,” U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan…

Feb 6, 2015 3:10 PM CST

Both sides proclaim victory in jury’s $140K award to ex law firm associate, but say they may appeal

Both sides proclaimed victory following a a federal jury’s award Thursday of $140,000 to a former associate of Faruqi & Faruqi, but say they may appeal aspects of the verdict won by Alexandra Marchuk in her sexual harassment case against the law firm and one of its partners. Attorney Scott…

Feb 6, 2015 11:30 AM CST

Ex-associate who sued law firm seeking $2M wins $90K plus undetermined punitives

An ex-associate at a New York law firm who alleged she was sexually harassed by her former employer, in a lawsuit that provided graphic details, has won a jury verdict, but it may not be the award that Alexandra Marchuk had hoped for. Her federal employment discrimination suit had sought…

Feb 5, 2015 4:15 PM CST

Claimed ‘digital kingpin’ of hidden Silk Road drug-sale website is convicted, could get life

A California man portrayed by federal prosecutors as the mastermind behind a hidden website that generated $213 million in illicit sales over a period of a little more than two years was convicted Wednesday by a New York jury on all counts. Ross Ulbricht, 30, had argued at trial that…

Feb 5, 2015 10:15 AM CST

Suit claims New York’s ban on assisted suicide doesn’t apply to doctors

A lawsuit filed on Wednesday claims New York’s ban on assisted suicides doesn’t apply to doctors who help terminally ill patients end their lives. Among the plaintiffs are three doctors who lost a constitutional challenge to the New York assisted-suicide ban in the U.S. Supreme Court in 1997, Reuters reports.…

Feb 5, 2015 6:15 AM CST

Lawyer guilty in cemetery theft; state AG says he stole $1.8M to refund $1M in client escrow money

A New York lawyer is the losing party in a white-collar crime trifecta, according to the state attorney general. On Friday, 55-year-old Timothy Griffin was sentenced to a six-month prison sentence, for tax evasion, by a federal judge in Connecticut, where Griffin lives. On Wednesday, in an unrelated New York…

Feb 4, 2015 1:40 PM CST

Snapchat photo of incontinent nursing home patient leads to arrest and guilty plea for nurse’s aide

A former nurse’s aide at a nursing home in upstate New York has pleaded guilty to violation of health laws after he was accused of posting a genitals photo of an incontinent nursing home patient on Snapchat. The aide, 21-year-old Edward Melock of Depew, was accused of sending the photo…

Feb 4, 2015 7:50 AM CST

Famed trial lawyer Sanford Rubenstein files defamation suit over rape claim

Civil rights lawyer Sanford Rubenstein has filed a countersuit for defamation against a woman who has accused him of rape. The countersuit, filed Monday in Brooklyn Supreme Court, claims the woman’s accusations have subjected Rubenstein to “extensive humiliation and vilification,” the New York Daily News, the New York Post and…

Feb 3, 2015 2:30 PM CST

Judge axes indictment against lawyers in witness-tampering case, citing improper testimony

Citing evidentiary issues including hearsay, improper opinion testimony and irrelevant testimony, a judge on Wednesday dismissed a witness-tampering case against a New York lawyer and his associate. While the decision by Justice David Zuckerman does not prevent prosecutors from going back to square one and attempting to get another Putnam…

Jan 30, 2015 10:50 AM CST

Top NY lawmaker prosecuted over $3M asbestos-case referral fees exits speaker post and law firm role

After the announcement of criminal charges that he took millions of dollars in kickbacks under the guise of legal fees in exchange for misusing his government influence, a longtime New York Democratic legislative leader is stepping down from his role as speaker and taking an unpaid leave of absence from…

Jan 28, 2015 1:55 PM CST

Nursing homes seek guardianships of patients to ensure the bills get paid

Nursing homes in New York are seeking guardianships of their patients to ensure bill payment, even when a family member has been designated to perform that function. That’s the conclusion of the New York Times, based on research conducted for the newspaper and experts familiar with the system. Confidentiality concerns…

Jan 27, 2015 6:15 AM CST

Many courts close early Monday, plan to stay shuttered Tuesday as predicted monster snowstorm looms

As snow began falling Monday in what is forecast as a potential record-breaking blizzard in the Northeast, court officials joined those in charge of schools and other government offices in declaring an anticipatory shutdown. Amidst airport and school closings and warnings against unnecessary travel, a number of Boston and New…

Jan 26, 2015 4:50 PM CST