New York

Retired Salomon Bros chief’s suit says secretary assigned in Citigroup consulting pact stole $3M

The 99-year-old son of a founder of Salomon Brothers has sued Citigroup, contending that the bank breached a retirement contract by assigning him and failing to supervise adequately a personal secretary who allegedly stole $3 million of his personal funds. William Salomon, who began working for the famed investment bank…

May 13, 2013 3:45 PM CDT

Former Dewey partner settles $200K capital loan dispute with Citibank

A federal judge in New York issued a brief order Thursday dismissing without explanation all claims and counterclaims in a lawsuit concerning a capital loan for a little over $200,000 made by Citibank to a former partner of Dewey & LeBoeuf, reports Reuters. After Citibank sued ex-partner Steven Otillar for…

May 10, 2013 4:29 PM CDT

Does ‘milquetoast’ ethics report ignore ‘schizophrenic message’ sent by judicial license plates?

Responding to concerns that the state’s judges could be getting a pass on traffic enforcement by trumpeting their status via special license plates, the New York Commission on Judicial Conduct starting looking into the issue last year. In a Tuesday report (PDF), the commission says that displaying a license plate…

May 9, 2013 4:25 PM CDT

New federal agency sues 2 law firms over debt-relief fees; one attorney is also criminally charged

A new federal agency filed a lawsuit Tuesday against two New York City area law firms and an attorney who owns a related business. It contends that they charged illegal advance fees for so-called debt-relief services that provided little or no benefit to consumers, who routinely lost amounts ranging from…

May 7, 2013 9:37 PM CDT

Bankruptcy co-chairs leap from Cadwalader to O’Melveny, along with another partner

Three bankruptcy partners from Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft, including the co-chairs of the practice group, are headed to O’Melveny & Myers. In a Tuesday announcement, O’Melveny said that co-chairs John J. Rapisarsdi and George A. Davis would serve in the same role at their new firm, working out of its…

May 7, 2013 8:29 PM CDT

Author Harper Lee sues, says agent tricked her into signing over ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ royalties

At 87, the author of one of the most famous trial novels ever written has failing eyesight and hearing. And in 2007 author Harper Lee was recovering from a stroke when she signed away her royalties from her 1960 novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, to her literary agent, Samuel Pinkus,…

May 7, 2013 7:57 PM CDT

Immigration ‘lawyer’ conned clients and courts for years, 35-count indictment alleges

Although Michael Schorr is not a lawyer, he practiced in immigration courts in New York and New Jersey for four years by simply borrowing other attorneys’ bar registration numbers or using a fake number, authorities allege. Arrested Friday and held without bail, he is accused of stealing tens of thousands…

May 7, 2013 7:00 PM CDT

Accidental gun discharge injures security officer at federal courthouse

A security officer suffered a non-life-threatening arm injury in accidental gun discharge Monday at a federal courthouse on New York’s Long Island, WABC reports. The unidentified officer was injured between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m., in an area of the Central Islip courthouse that is not open to the public,…

May 6, 2013 8:32 PM CDT

With $1B fee unpaid, plaintiff lawyer who won $18B enviro case is now pro se against Chevron

Attorney Steven Donziger could earn $1 billion, his opposing counsel says, if an $18 billion foreign judgment against Chevron Corp. concerning environmental damage in Ecuador is upheld. Meanwhile, Donziger is unable to afford to pay his own counsel as Chevron continues with a bruising U.S. district court counterattack against the…

May 6, 2013 8:15 PM CDT

Puppy mills and dogfighting rings targeted by New York’s attorney general

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has announced an animal protection initiative aimed at dogfighting rings and puppy mills. Schneiderman plans to monitor whether pet stores are complying with laws that require them to disclose the source of their animals and the history of their veterinary treatment, the New York…

May 3, 2013 11:00 AM CDT

In ‘truly bizarre’ situation, FDA, DOJ and federal judge differ on ‘Plan B’ pill sale to teens

In the latest round of a hard-fought political battle over the issue of whether the so-called morning-after birth control pill should be available without a prescription to 15- and 16-year-olds, a federal regulatory agency has told pharmacies they are free to sell one brand, Plan B One-Step, over the counter,…

May 2, 2013 4:15 PM CDT

Stop-and-frisk project reaches ‘appalling’ conclusion: No right to misdemeanor trial in Bronx, NY

A special Bronx Defenders project—in which a Wall Street law firm was lined up to help those accused of misdemeanors after arrests resulting from questionable stop-and-frisk tactics by police—has reached a grim conclusion. Contrary to what the U.S. Constitution and New York state law requires, there is effectively no right…

May 1, 2013 7:21 PM CDT

Judge puts the brakes on law firm’s suit over similar domain name, says bad faith not yet shown

A New York legal boutique known for its expertise in counterfeiting and cybersquatting cases is experiencing a frustrating delay in obtaining a relief against a Canadian computer programmer who they allege set up a website with a name almost identical to the law firm’s. Although GIOCONDOLAW.com is easily confused with…

Apr 30, 2013 9:03 PM CDT

Law firm’s latest bill for Madoff liquidation is $50M, bringing total since his 2008 arrest to $440M

Since December 2008, when Bernard Madoff was arrested in a record-breaking Ponzi scheme operated under the guise of an investment firm, Irving Picard and his law firm have been handling the liquidation for the Securities Investor Protection Corp. A filing in federal court in Manhattan shows the latest bill from…

Apr 30, 2013 3:47 PM CDT

Plan to have Kaye Scholer give up $1.5M in fees to settle disclosure case is withdrawn

A planned settlement of a case over lack of disclosure by a law firm and others in a corporate bankruptcy case has been withdrawn without explanation by the feds. The settlement would have required Kaye Scholer to forgo $1.5 million in attorney fees in a Chapter 11 case and have…

Apr 25, 2013 3:58 PM CDT