New York

Judge Orders DNA Tests for City Officials in Ballot Fraud Case Over Alternative Party Primary

A state-court judge has ordered officials in Troy, N.Y., to take DNA tests to help prosecutors determine who may or may not be responsible for alleged absentee ballot fraud in an alternative party primary election a year ago. Court records concerning a search-warrant request claim that individuals affiliated with the…

Sep 14, 2010 5:02 PM CDT

Represented by Skadden, Name Partner Wins Contempt Ruling re $30K Personal Loan

It isn’t only concerning major corporate matters that Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom is a powerhouse litigator. The firm won a contempt ruling this week on behalf of name partner Joseph Flom. He sought attorney’s fees after Andrew Stein, who formerly served as president of the New York City…

Sep 9, 2010 6:38 PM CDT

JetBlue Flight Attendant Seeks Plea Bargain, Will Get Mental Health Evaluation

The JetBlue flight attendant who became fed up with a passenger and jumped down an emergency chute will undergo a mental health evaluation that could help him avoid jail time. Steven Slater is accused of criminal mischief, reckless endangerment and trespassing in the Aug. 9 incident. He will be evaluated…

Sep 8, 2010 2:01 PM CDT

John Lennon’s Killer Loses Another Parole Bid

Almost 30 years after he traveled to New York to gun down John Lennon, his convicted killer, Mark David Chapman, won’t be getting out of prison anytime soon. He was denied parole for the sixth time today, reports the Associated Press. “Release remains inappropriate at this time and incompatible with…

Sep 8, 2010 12:03 AM CDT

Defense Lawyers & Others Sue Feds Over Border Searches of Laptops, Other Electronic Devices

A coalition of civil rights groups and criminal defense attorneys has sued the Department of Homeland Security over its alleged border searches and seizures, without reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing, of the laptop computers, cell phones and other electronic devices of some 6,600 people. About half of those subjected to such…

Sep 7, 2010 7:19 PM CDT

Lawyer Censured for Punching Restaurant Patron in Music Dispute

A New York lawyer has been censured for punching a restaurant patron over noisy music. According to a New York appeals court, the dispute began when lawyer William Caits “was disturbed by noise emanating from a portable DVD player in a nearby booth” that was occupied by the patron and…

Sep 3, 2010 11:50 AM CDT

Gail Koff, Ex-Skadden Lawyer Who Pioneered Discount Legal Services, Dies at 65

Gail Koff, a onetime corporate lawyer who wound up serving as the public face of a pioneering consumer law firm has died of complications from leukemia treatment. She was 65 years old. After growing up in upscale Scarsdale, N.Y., she put herself through law school, as one of the few…

Sep 2, 2010 5:05 PM CDT

Top NY Restaurants Targeted in Suits Filed by Two Law Firms

Federal law allows wait staff and others who receive tips to be paid less than minimum wage—$4.65 an hour to be specific—as long as they can retain the gratuities they earn. Alleged violations of that law are among the workplace wrongs targeted in suits being filed by a handful of…

Sep 2, 2010 4:30 PM CDT

2nd Circuit Tosses Ladies Night Suit by Anti-Feminist Lawyer

A self-described anti-feminist lawyer in Manhattan has lost his claim that night clubs are state actors because of liquor sales, making them subject to a constitutional equal protection claim for their ladies night discounts for women. The New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled “with evident amusement” against…

Sep 2, 2010 12:01 PM CDT

Ex-NYC Mayor Giuliani’s Daughter to Get 1 Day Community Service in Shoplifting Case

The daughter of prosecutor and former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani will have a shoplifting charge dismissed and her case closed and sealed if she completes a day of community service at the city’s sanitation department and doesn’t get arrested again in the next six months. Caroline Giuliani’s case…

Aug 31, 2010 5:48 PM CDT

NY Volunteer Attorney Programs Benefit from ‘Lost Generation’ of Law Grads

Many underemployed law grads from the classes of 2009 and 2010 are beefing up their resumés with volunteer work, and that’s a boon for New York’s court system. The legal sector in New York shrunk by 10 percent over the past year, making the job search difficult for those who…

Aug 30, 2010 2:18 PM CDT

Judge Rules Plaintiffs Lawyers Can’t Charge 9/11 Clients $6.1M in Interest

A federal judge in New York City is refusing to allow plaintiffs lawyers to collect $6.1 million in interest from ground zero clients to pay the interest on money borrowed to finance the litigation. U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein said the lawyers could make $150 million in fees in the…

Aug 30, 2010 12:52 PM CDT

Nepal Plane Crash Kills Brooklyn Law Grad, Two Utah Law Firm Workers

A Brooklyn Law School graduate and two workers at a Utah law firm were among 14 people killed Tuesday when a plane destined for the area of Mount Everest crashed in Nepal. The law grad was Irina Shekhets, the New York Daily News reports. She took the New Jersey bar…

Aug 25, 2010 11:27 AM CDT

Report: DA’s Office Is Probing Finances of Heiress, 104; Lawyer & Accountant Handle Her $500M Assets

The elder abuse unit of the Manhattan District Attorney’s office is reportedly probing the finances of an extremely wealthy New York heiress who has spent the last 22 years living in a hospital. Huguette Clark, 104, is estimated to be worth about $500 million, with about $200 million sunk into…

Aug 24, 2010 7:24 PM CDT

New York City Bar Supports Right of Mosque to Locate Near Ground Zero

The New York City Bar says Mayor Michael Bloomberg did the right thing when he refused to interfere with plans to build an Islamic cultural center two blocks from ground zero. The statement by City Bar President Samuel Seymour says the group is concerned about efforts to chill the First…

Aug 23, 2010 3:59 PM CDT