New York

Insider Trading Defendant Dresses in Banana Republic Pantsuits, Contravening Expert Advice

How do you dress an insider trading defendant for trial who is said to prefer the Cheesecake Factory to a clothing boutique? The answer, according to Reuters, is in two dark-colored pantsuits from the Banana Republic. Winifred Jiau is accused of passing along insider trading tips while working at Primary…

Jun 7, 2011 3:36 PM CDT

Ex-Prosecutor Beats Rap on 4th DWI, Will Keep Law License, After Police Ticket-Fix Scandal Exposed

A New York attorney who formerly served as a prosecutor in the Bronx was found not guilty in a felony drunken driving case today by a Bronx Supreme Court jury. If convicted of driving while intoxicated, Stephen Lopresti could have lost his law license. He has three prior DWI convictions…

Jun 2, 2011 6:15 PM CDT

Lawyer Wins $900K Wage-and-Hour Suit But Loses $515K Fee Due to Lack of Time Entries

A lawyer who won a $900,000 wage-and-hour case against New York City in 2009 on behalf of 16,000 police officers reportedly won’t be getting a payday. Thomas Puccio had sought $2 million in the Fair Labor Standards Act case and was awarded $515,000 by U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin. But…

May 27, 2011 7:20 PM CDT

Judge Sanctions Law Firm $15K for Allowing Job Bias Client to Hide New Employment

A federal judge in Manhattan is requiring a law firm to pay $15,000 for allowing a client suing her employer for discrimination to hide that she had accepted a new job offer. U.S. District Judge William Pauley said the law firm Thompson Wigdor & Gilly harmed “the judicial process itself”…

May 27, 2011 3:39 PM CDT

Allegedly Frisked Attorney Sues Over NY Taxi-Search Policy

An attorney allegedly frisked by the New York police under a policy that he says officers use to illegally search taxi passengers under the guise of checking on driver safety has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union. Munir…

May 27, 2011 2:39 PM CDT

Trustee Picard Will Be ‘Richer Than Madoff’ Once Legal Bills are Paid, Investor Lawyer Says

A lawyer for 800 investors defrauded in Bernie Madoff’s stunning Ponzi scheme complains that trustee Irving Picard will be “richer than Madoff” once his law firm’s legal bills are paid. Attorney Helen Chaitman, who is contesting the latest $44 million bill from Baker & Hostetler, says Picard himself is getting…

May 25, 2011 6:01 PM CDT

Ex-Jenkens & Gilchrist Partners Paul Daugerdas and Donna Guerin Found Guilty in Tax Shelter Case

After nearly two weeks of deliberations, two former partners of Jenkens & Gilchrist were convicted today by a federal jury in Manhattan on multiple counts in a tax-shelter case. Paul Daugerdas was found guilty of 23 counts, and Donna Guerin of 12, Reuters reports. Both of the Illinois attorneys were…

May 24, 2011 11:45 PM CDT

$6.3M Settlement Wired to Marc Dreier Is Toast, Bankruptcy Judge Tells Ex-Lawyer’s Ex-Client

A former client has lost a legal battle to recoup a $6.3 million settlement stolen by his then-legal counsel Marc Dreier after it was wired to his attorney trust account. Technology investor Paul Gardi and his company, Alix Interactive Media, are bound by the purported Gardi signature Dreier forged on…

May 24, 2011 7:38 PM CDT

Defense Lawyer Criminally Charged, Accused of Providing Cellphone that Aided Jailed Inmates’ Escape

An 83-year-old New York defense lawyer has been indicted on a felony count of promoting criminal contraband after he allegedly smuggled a cellphone into the Monroe County jail that helped two inmates escape. Since recaptured, they are again in custody and face additional charges. Attorney Rudolph LePore, who has practiced…

May 24, 2011 12:47 AM CDT

Report: Civil Suits, Yes, Even Some Prosecutions, But Very Few Big Cases re Financial Meltdown

Are the criminal activities at big banks that led to the financial meltdown of 2008 simply too hard to prove? Or, because of relaxed government regulation in recent years, did they simply not exist? Or, as some say, will it take time, as with Enron, to unravel what occurred and…

May 23, 2011 10:17 PM CDT

Virtual Law Firm Expands into New York and Washington, DC

A virtual law firm that got its start in Boston is expanding into New York and Washington, D.C. The firm, Outside GC, announced its expansion last week, the Washington Post reports. The firm touts “on-demand” in-house legal services for corporations at a reduced cost. Firm co-founder Jon Levitt says in…

May 23, 2011 12:40 PM CDT

Strauss-Kahn Formally Charged with Criminal Sex Acts, Granted $1M Bail

Updated: Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the French former IMF official accused of sexually assaulting a maid at New York’s Sofitel New York, was formally charged Thursday, Reuters reports. The Manhattan Criminal Court grand jury indictment charges Strauss-Kahn with a criminal sexual act, attempted rape, sexual abuse, unlawful imprisonment and forcible touching. If…

May 19, 2011 7:39 PM CDT

IMF Chief May Claim Any Sex Was Consensual; Hotel Key Card Records Are Likely Evidence

Updated: The chief of the International Monetary Fund may claim consent as a defense to accusations that he sexually assaulted a maid at the Sofitel Hotel in New York. A person briefed on the case tells the New York Times the defense lawyers for Dominique Strauss-Kahn believe any sex act…

May 18, 2011 12:15 PM CDT

Rajaratnam’s Conviction Points Way Toward New Focus on Aggressive, High-Tech Securities Probes

Today’s conviction of hedge fund co-founder Raj Rajaratnam points the way toward an aggressive new era in white-collar prosecutions on Wall Street. The Galleon Group chief’s downfall is described by the New York Post as the biggest case of its kind since Rudy Giuliani took down Michael Milken nearly 20…

May 11, 2011 6:10 PM CDT

Famed NY Deli Sues re Coronary-Causing Cuisine, Says Ariz Upstart Doesn’t Control High-Cal Schtick

After receiving a cease-and-desist letter from an Arizona eatery that specializes in food that has a “taste worth dying for,” the owners of a famous New York deli decided that the Heart Attack Grill had a lot of chutzpah to complain about their Triple Bypass Sandwich. They have now filed…

May 11, 2011 12:51 AM CDT