Oklahoma

Divided Okla. Supreme Court Censures Lawyer After 3rd Booze-Related Driving Incident in 3 Years

After three alcohol-related driving incidents over a period of roughly three years, all of which resulted in either his arrest or the issuance of a citation, an Oklahoma attorney received a censure from the state’s top court. However, a divided Oklahoma Supreme Court declined in a 5-4 ruling to impose…

Sep 19, 2012 7:53 PM CDT

One Former Okla. Judge Resigns From Bar, Another Is Suspended From Practice for a Year

The resignation of a former Oklahoma judge from not only her job on the bench but the state bar association has been accepted by the state’s top court. Oklahoma County District Judge Tammy Bass-LeSure stepped down and gave up her bar membership after pleading guilty in March to two counts…

Sep 10, 2012 10:11 PM CDT

Death Penalty Is Sentence for Two Brothers Convicted in Separate Crimes, 25 Years Apart

Brothers Roger and Rodney Berget are a rarity in the criminal justice system. Both were condemned to die for murders. There are at least three other cases in which brothers got the death penalty, the Associated Press reports. But the Bergets are unusual because they were sentenced to death for…

May 30, 2012 2:56 PM CDT

2 Okla. Lawyers Temporarily Suspended After Taking Alford Pleas in Police Misdemeanor Case

Two Oklahoma City lawyers have been temporarily suspended from practice after taking Alford pleas earlier this month in a misdemeanor case involving alleged obstruction of a police officer. Robert Samuel Kerr IV, 33, and Josh T. Welch, 43, each paid a $500 fine and received two years of probation. Under…

Apr 20, 2012 5:35 PM CDT

What Happens to Your Facebook Page After Death? Nebraska Bill Gives Say-So to Estate Representative

A bill pending in Nebraska would make the state the second to give estate representatives the power to handle social media accounts after the death of state residents. The bill would treat Facebook, Twitter and email accounts as digital assets that would be managed by appointed representatives, according to the…

Mar 19, 2012 11:00 AM CDT

Deputies Shoot and Wound Barefoot Man Firing Gun Outside Tulsa Courthouse

A man firing a gun into the air in a plaza outside the Tulsa County Courthouse on Wednesday was shot and wounded by deputies after he pointed the firearm at them, according to Tulsa County sheriff’s police. The suspect is Andrew Joseph Dennehy, 23, of Tulsa, according to the Tulsa…

Mar 8, 2012 12:41 PM CST

A Juror Walks Into a Bar and Gets a Med-Mal Defense Verdict Reversed by Talking to an Attorney

A juror who walked into a bar after the conclusion of a medical malpractice case and talked to a stranger who happened to be an attorney about his bias against the plaintiffs and insistence on trying the case according to his own rules has managed to achieve the opposite of…

Mar 7, 2012 11:30 PM CST

Judge Steps Down, Gets Deferred Sentence re Adopted Twins State Said She Gave to Bailiff’s Sister

An Oklahoma judge and her husband have taken a plea bargain in a fraud case brought over the adopted twins who prosecutors alleged the couple gave to the sister of a bailiff in her courtroom to raise. Tammy Bass-LeSure resigned yesterday from her job as an Oklahoma County district judge…

Mar 2, 2012 7:39 PM CST

Partner Tells Federal Jury Work Done by His Law Firm Was Legit, Not Part of a Lawmaker Bribe Scheme

Testifying in a federal bribery case that began this week in Oklahoma City against a former state senate leader who is also an attorney, a former law partner of another defendant in the case said said his law firm had performed legitimate legal work. “I had no knowledge of any…

Feb 17, 2012 6:52 PM CST

Lawyer Reportedly Ousted from Her Arraignment on Drug Charges for Talking Too Much

A suburban Oklahoma City lawyer was removed from the courtroom on Tuesday during her arraignment on drug charges, reportedly because she was talking too much. Amy McTeer of Nichols Hills is charged with methamphetamine possession, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia and public intoxication, NewsOK reports. A court officer told the…

Feb 8, 2012 3:26 PM CST

Top Okla. Court Revives Lawyer’s Suit Against Co-Counsel Who Gave Her Zip in $12.3M Case

A recent law school graduate who lined up a client for a wrongful conviction case early on in her legal career, then helped him file suit in federal court and retain more experienced counsel to pursue the case to a $14.5 million jury verdict is entitled to sue for a…

Feb 1, 2012 7:00 PM CST

Garth Brooks Awarded $1M in Suit Claiming Hospital Broke Donation Deal to Honor His Mom

A jury has awarded country singer Garth Brooks $1 million in a suit claiming an Oklahoma hospital reneged on an agreement to name a building after his late mother in exchange for a $500,000 donation. The jury awarded $500,000 on Tuesday for breach of contract and $500,000 in punitive damages,…

Jan 25, 2012 12:32 PM CST

10th Circuit Says Federal Judge Got It Right, Correctly Blocked Okla. Voter Ban on Shariah Law

A federal appeals court in Denver today gave a green light to a lawsuit over an Oklahoma voter initiative that approved a state constitutional amendment banning state courts from looking to Islamic religious law in their rulings. Executive director Muneer Awad of the Council on American-Islamic Relations had standing to…

Jan 10, 2012 8:59 PM CST

Okla. Mom Won’t Be Charged For Killing Intruder; Accomplice Is Charged With Murder

A teen mother from Oklahoma who shot and killed an intruder on New Year’s Eve won’t be charged, but an alleged accomplice is facing a murder charge. Eighteen-year-old Sarah McKinley of Blanchard was on the phone with a 911 dispatcher when she shot Justin Shane Martin, 24, according to the…

Jan 5, 2012 12:35 PM CST

Okla. Courthouses Report a Last-Minute Rush to File Lawsuits in Advance of Damage Caps

Oklahoma lawyers were rushing to file lawsuits on Monday in advance of a new cap on damages. More than 400 lawsuits were filed at the Oklahoma County District Courthouse, compared to 50 to 70 personal injury lawsuits on a typical day, NewsOK reports. Deputy clerk Megan McWilliams said the day…

Nov 1, 2011 1:52 PM CDT