New York

Lawsuit That Claimed J. Lo Stole TV Show Idea Gets Tossed

A New York federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit that claimed Jennifer Lopez helped steal an idea for a television show called South Beach. Writer Jack Bunick claimed the show South Beach that aired briefly on UPN was based on his idea. But U.S. District Judge Richard Berman said there…

May 1, 2008 3:36 PM CDT

Cravath Plans to Grow, Starting With ‘08 Summer Class

Recession? What recession? The current economic downturn apparently hasn’t been particularly painful at one of New York’s most exclusive BigLaw firms, which is planning to expand its summer associate class this year by more than 75 percent. There will be 161 summer associates at Cravath Swaine & Moore this year,…

Apr 30, 2008 6:57 PM CDT

Appeals Court Upholds Port Authority Liability in Trade Center Attack

A New York appeals court has upheld a verdict finding the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey was responsible for the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. The jury found the authority had not properly protected the garage where the bomb exploded, the Associated Press reports. Jurors…

Apr 30, 2008 10:44 AM CDT

Vinson & Elkins Transfers Partners, Prepares to Expand

Houston-based law firm Vinson & Elkins, buoyed by profits from oil clients, is reorganizing and beefing up its offices in New York and abroad. Seven partners will move to New York to focus on capital markets and mergers and acquisitions, the American Lawyer reports. Other partners will move to Tokyo,…

Apr 29, 2008 11:34 AM CDT

After Sean Bell Verdict, Critics Call for N.Y. Special Prosecutor in Police Cases

The acquittal last week of three New York detectives criminally charged in the death of an unarmed African-American man who died in a hail of gunfire as he was leaving his bachelor party has fueled considerable criticism—and a call for the creation of a new special prosecutor’s post to oversee…

Apr 28, 2008 10:27 PM CDT

Former ‘60s Radical, Now a N.Y. Judge, Still a Magnet for Trouble

Notorious as a law student in the late 1960s for his role in Columbia University campus protests, Gustin Reichbach is now a New York Supreme Court judge. But his long-ago days as a long-hair in bell-bottom pants didn’t seem so far away recently, when the judge returned to Columbia at…

Apr 25, 2008 10:58 PM CDT

3 Thelen Practice Leaders Join Proskauer

Heads of three practice groups at Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner are moving to Proskauer Rose, along with two associates. The three, who will be partners in their new 750-lawyer firm’s technology practice group in New York, are: Jeffrey Neuburger, who chaired Thelen’s technology, media and communications department; Robert…

Apr 25, 2008 6:34 PM CDT

Suit Accuses N.Y. Real Estate Firm of Bias Against Parents

A class action lawsuit filed yesterday claims a New York real estate firm discriminates against families with children. Jamie Katz and Lisa Nocera, an emergency room physician, filed the suit against Brown Harris Stevens, the New York Times reports. They say the firm refused to show them one rental unit…

Apr 25, 2008 12:18 PM CDT

Law Firm Sues Secretary Who Claims Partner Raped Her

A New York law firm has beat a secretary to the courthouse with a lawsuit claiming her allegations of rape and sexual harassment are false. The law firm of Bivona & Cohen says in its suit that secretary Windy Richards first made the rape allegations against a partner in a…

Apr 25, 2008 10:55 AM CDT

New York AG Pension Probe Focuses on 12 Attorneys from 1 Law Firm

Updated: At least a dozen present and former attorneys at an Albany, N.Y., law firm are now reportedly being investigated by the state attorney general as part of an ongoing pension scandal probe. The 12 allegedly may have received improper credits in the state’s pension system because they were listed…

Apr 24, 2008 3:24 PM CDT

NYC Braces for Potential Riots in Wake of Bell Verdict

New York City police officers are on alert and won’t be allowed to schedule any new vacation time over the next four days as the city braces for possible protests or rioting in the wake of the expected Sean Bell verdict. The New York Post reports that the NYPD issued…

Apr 24, 2008 3:23 PM CDT

‘We Didn’t Know He Was Dead’ Defense Wins N.Y. Check-Cashing Case

Virgilio Cintron was clearly dead (and even, a New York City detective thought, somewhat stiff). But because the state couldn’t prove beyond a reasonable doubt exactly when he died, criminal charges against two buddies accused of wheeling the elderly man’s dead body to a Manhattan check-cashing outlet earlier this year…

Apr 23, 2008 6:22 PM CDT

Judge Says Dan Rather Can Subpoena CBS Investigator

Former CBS Evening News anchor Dan Rather won a minor legal victory in a case in which he says he wants only the true story to come out about President Bush’s Vietnam-era military service. Rather is trying to achieve this in a $70 million suit against CBS and his former…

Apr 23, 2008 1:02 PM CDT

N.Y. Dean Complains of ‘Glut’ of Law Schools

New York boasts 150,000 lawyers. Yet, some public officials and lawmakers would like to see more law schools in the state. Not Makau Mutua, the interim dean of the State University of New York’s only law school. He tells Newsday, “There’s no question that we simply have a glut of…

Apr 23, 2008 10:35 AM CDT

N.Y. Lawyer Sued for Defamation Over Letter He Wrote to Court

A Manhattan judge has refused to dismiss a defamation suit brought against a New York legal aid lawyer, because he wrote it as a friend of the court rather than as an attorney representing a client. Hence, the letter does not fall within the absolute privilege that applies to statements…

Apr 22, 2008 6:08 PM CDT