New York

NY Judicial Conduct Commission Seeks Input re Judicial License Plates and Potential Ticket Issues

Having special license plates for New York judges makes it easier to enforce courthouse parking restrictions. But it also makes it easier for judges to avoid parking tickets and moving violations, without having to say a word themselves seeking special favors, points out the New York Daily News. The New…

Sep 4, 2012 5:08 PM CDT

Former Dewey Partner Alleges He and Others Were ‘Fraudulently Induced’ to Get Citibank Loans

After being sued by Citibank for allegedly defaulting on a loan, a former partner of Dewey & LeBoeuf is firing back with a claim that he and others were “fraudulently induced” into signing up for bank loans to finance their capital contributions to the law firm. In a motion filed…

Aug 31, 2012 8:01 PM CDT

New York Lawyer Accused of Participating in Criminal Enterprise to Bribe and Intimidate Witnesses

A New York lawyer has been accused of participating in a criminal enterprise that used bribery and intimidation to thwart justice in an Onondaga County murder case. Lawyer Ezequiel Neuman of suburban Syracuse is accused in an indictment of offering a witness $50,000 not to testify at trial, the Syracuse…

Aug 31, 2012 1:34 PM CDT

Simpson Thacher Partner Who Alleges Childhood Abuse by Coach Is Allowed to Pursue RICO Claim

A judge’s ruling on Tuesday gives a BigLaw partner a chance to argue that his sexual abuse suit against a Brooklyn school should not be barred by the statute of limitations. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett partner Philip Culhane will be allowed to argue that administrators at the Poly Prep Country…

Aug 30, 2012 1:59 PM CDT

Top Court Nixes Lawyer’s Pro Se Cert Petition Objecting to Public Admonition by 4th Circuit

The nation’s top court has rejected without comment a pro se petition for a writ of certiorari by a New York lawyer publicly admonished by a federal appeals court for his handling of a South Carolina criminal identity theft and wire fraud case. Called out for what the Richmond, Va.-based…

Aug 29, 2012 5:29 PM CDT

Lawyers Help Low-Income Woman Contest $23,625 NYC Fine for Posting Flyers About Day Care Center

Two New York lawyers have gone to the defense of an immigrant fined $23,625 for posting flyers about her fledgling day care center. Yasmin Pujols, 45, had paid $250 to take a 45-day training course on opening a city-certified day care center in her home. But she says no one…

Aug 29, 2012 5:12 PM CDT

Ex-Client Sues Firm re ‘Massive Overbilling,’ Partner Says ‘Meritless’ Suit a Bill Dispute Tactic

A former client has sued a New York-based law firm in federal court for malpractice, accusing Wilk Auslander of “massive overbilling for needless work” while defending several securities class actions. In the suit (PDF), which was filed Monday in the Central District of California, ex-client Westport Capital Inc. and two…

Aug 28, 2012 7:57 PM CDT

Pepper Hamilton Acquires Law Firm of Former FBI Director Louis Freeh

Highlighting the importance of internal corporate investigations as a practice area for major law firms, Pepper Hamilton has announced plans to acquire the law firm of Louis Freeh, a former director of the FBI, as well as an investigative firm affiliated with the law firm. Freeh and his law firm,…

Aug 28, 2012 5:50 PM CDT

NY Judge Rapped for Approving His Own Concealed Carry Permit, Accidental Gun Discharge in Chambers

A New York judge who has been threatened several times during his nearly 20 years on the bench decided he wanted to get a concealed-carry permit and take a loaded firearm into the Tioga County courthouse at which he worked. However, although there was no rule against having a gun…

Aug 27, 2012 5:50 PM CDT

Gay Judge Contends His Dad’s Marriage Mandate in Will Violates Public Policy

A Manhattan criminal court judge is seeking approval of a settlement that would invalidate an unusual requirement in his father’s will. The will denies any inheritance to the offspring of Judge Robert Mandelbaum if the judge adopted the child while single, or if he failed to marry the mother of…

Aug 27, 2012 4:43 PM CDT

Ex-NY Judge Is Removed from Bench for Allegedly Molesting Deaf 5-Year-Old Niece 40 Years Ago

A New York judge who abruptly resigned without explanation in April has been retroactively removed from office by state disciplinary officials for allegedly sexually molesting his deaf 5-year-old niece 40 years ago. The removal of former Onondaga County Family Court Judge Bryan Hedges by the state Commission on Judicial Conduct…

Aug 24, 2012 6:55 PM CDT

Prosecutors Say Indicted PI Lawyer Kept Settlements, Stonewalled 3 Clients, Sent Fake Letters

A New York personal injury lawyer has been indicted on charges including grand larceny and forgery for allegedly settling three clients’ cases and keeping the money. Prosecutors at the Manhattan District Attorney’s office say John Ioannou, 57, stonewalled clients after taking their money and even sent fake client letters to…

Aug 23, 2012 4:00 PM CDT

Cozen Partner Says NY Judge Put ‘Wanted’ Posters with His Face in Court, Drew Bull’s-Eye on Photo

Updated: A New York judge is accused in a recusal filing of putting “wanted” posters featuring a Cozen O’Connor partner’s face in his courtroom and drawing a bull’s-eye on a photo of the lawyer’s face, months later, when asked to sign a trial transcript. John McDonough and another partner at…

Aug 23, 2012 1:58 PM CDT

Judge Who Accused Cop of Striking Him Sees Cover-up in Refusal to Prosecute

A New York judge who says a police officer struck him after apparently mistaking him for a heckler is blasting Queens District Attorney Richard Brown for refusing to prosecute. Judge Thomas Raffaele claims Brown is orchestrating a cover-up, the New York Law Journal reports. A press release explaining the refusal…

Aug 23, 2012 12:55 PM CDT

Who Were Those Masked Men? Thank-You Note to Mask Maker Helps Cops ID Robbery Suspects

A federal prosecutor says two suspects in a $200,000 robbery of a New York City check-cashing store initially eluded authorities, with the help of hyper-realistic masks that helped them disguise themselves as men in police uniforms. But a thank-you note emailed by one suspect to the company that manufactured the…

Aug 22, 2012 8:29 PM CDT