New York

Judge Gives Own Tie to ‘Gorgeous’ Defendant in Mob Murder Case to Correct Wardrobe Malfunction

Despite an unusual court order last month intended to prevent such a wardrobe malfunction, a reputed former mob boss with a reputation as a fashion plate wound up without a tie to wear to jury selection today for his murder trial. So U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis gave his own…

Mar 1, 2011 9:42 PM CST

Ex-McKinsey Chief and Ex-Goldman Sachs Board Member Is Sued in SEC Insider-Trading Case

A former managing director of global management consultant McKinsey & Company has been accused of providing tips about Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Procter & Gamble Co. to a defendant in a high-profile insider-trading case. Rajat K. Gupta, 62, who was a member of the board of directors of both…

Mar 1, 2011 7:30 PM CST

Retired Prof Indicted for Handing Out Jury Nullification Pamphlets Near Federal Courthouse

Since 2009, Julian Heicklen has been handing out material urging prospective jurors to vote their conscience at various courthouses. He says he often holds a “Jury Info” sign to help connect him to the right people, but has never sought to influence any specific case. Now the retired chemistry professor…

Feb 25, 2011 11:00 PM CST

Jerry Seinfeld Wins Libel Suit Brought by Cookbook Author: Calling Her a ‘Wacko’ Wasn’t Defamatory

An author who previously lost a lawsuit alleging that Jerry Seinfeld’s wife copied her cookbook for kids has now lost a defamation suit against the famous television actor and comedian himself. Missy Chase Lapine had contended she was entitled to damages because Seinfeld implied she was off her rocker during…

Feb 25, 2011 7:54 PM CST

Oops. Lawyers’ Contingent-Fee Dispute with Judith Regan Makes Prior Settlement Details Public

As Judith Regan’s former lawyers litigate a claim that the publishing powerhouse fired them as she was about to settle a case against her former employer, to avoid paying a 25 percent contingency fee, both sides agreed to keep certain materials concerning the underlying case confidential. But someone apparently forgot…

Feb 24, 2011 6:57 PM CST

Lawyer Who Worked for NY State Is Charged with Hate Crimes

Updated: An Albany lawyer who worked for the state of New York has been indicted on hate crimes charges, allegedly for making threatening phone calls to his neighbors and using racial slurs. Prosecutors say the lawyer, 58-year-old James Hennessey Jr., used www.bluffmycall.com in an effort to hide that he was…

Feb 24, 2011 1:12 PM CST

New York Daily News Complies with Judge Order, Discloses Confidential Source

The New York Daily News revealed information about a confidential source earlier this month to comply with a trial judge’s order. The Daily News disclosed the confidential source information to avoid the risk of adverse appellate court ruling that could broadly affect New York’s shield law, the First Amendment Center…

Feb 22, 2011 11:00 PM CST

Fed’l Judge Shuts Down Web TV Rebroadcasts; Exec Fires Back with Claim She Overstepped

Lawyers for an Internet television provider had argued that its $5-per-month rebroadcasts of major network and cable programs to a wider coverage area weren’t prohibited by copyright law or Federal Communications Commission regulations. But a federal judge in New York found that reasoning less than persuasive today and issued a…

Feb 22, 2011 9:26 PM CST

Lawyer’s Suit Against Developer Claims Condo Was Missing 109 Square Feet

A New York lawyer who says the condo he wanted to buy was missing 109 promised square feet is taking his dispute to trial next month. Rishi Bhandari agreed to pay $795,000 for a two-bedroom apartment in a building being converted to condominiums, the New York Times reports. Shortly before…

Feb 22, 2011 11:30 AM CST

Cahill Revenue Soars 20% to $323M, PPP Rockets 27% to $3.23M, Both All-Time Records

Recession? What recession? Cahill Gordon & Reindel has reported a record-breaking year of stratospheric profits in 2010. Revenue soared 20 percent to $323.6 million and profit per partner rocketed 27 percent to $3.23 million, reports the Am Law Daily. Both figures are all-time highs for the New York-based firm. Known…

Feb 18, 2011 9:10 PM CST

In ‘Reflection of the Job Market,’ Albany Law School to Cut Enrollment By 4%, Budget By 2%

In what its dean calls a “reflection of the job market,” Albany Law School at Union University is cutting its enrollment and budget. The number of law students will shrink 4 percent, from 250 to 240, and $600,000–a 2-percent cut–will be trimmed from its $32 million budget, reports the National…

Feb 18, 2011 7:29 PM CST

Some NY Criminal Defense Attorneys Turn Superstitious

In a seemingly logic-driven field, some lawyers are creating superstitious habits and rituals to preserve the delicate balance of their legal universe, reports the New York Times. “The trial gods are very powerful,” Peter E. Quijano, a criminal defense attorney, told the New York Times. “You respect them. You make…

Feb 18, 2011 7:04 PM CST

Attorney and Ex-Lawmaker George Guldi Is Convicted in $853,000 Insurance-Check Fraud

Apparently unconvinced by George Guldi’s testimony that someone else must have typed his fire insurer’s name onto the back of an $853,000 check made co-payable to both of them, a New York jury has convicted the attorney and former Suffolk County legislator on grand larceny and insurance fraud charges. After…

Feb 17, 2011 6:13 PM CST

Report: Madoff Told NY Times He Met with Bankruptcy Trustee When He Didn’t

In what was billed as his first prison interview with the media since being arrested in 2008, convicted super-swindler Bernard Madoff took credit for helping the “team” of the bankruptcy trustee settling his securities business affairs with recently filed litigation. However, trustee Irving Picard has denied ever meeting with Madoff,…

Feb 16, 2011 11:41 PM CST

Ex-Inmate Sues 7 Lawyers in Brooklyn DA’s Office, Says He Was Framed in Rabbi’s Murder

Convicted in 1995 of murdering a rabbi, Jabbar Collins was freed from a New York prison last year after a key witness told a federal court that a prosecutor in the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office had threatened him with jail if he didn’t testify against Collins. Shortly before the accused…

Feb 16, 2011 6:31 PM CST