States

Sullivan & Cromwell Sues Electronic Discovery Firm

Sullivan & Cromwell has filed a lawsuit against an electronic discovery firm it hired for a major case that contends the company blew deadlines and made errors in document production. The suit against Electronic Evidence Discovery Inc. says the law firm had to divert staff and resources to deal with…

Jan 7, 2008 12:51 PM CST

Fired US Atty Ryan Takes Pay Cut to Work For San Fran’s Mayor

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has hired former U.S. Attorney Kevin Ryan to lead the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice. Ryan was among at least eight U.S. attorneys fired last year by the Bush Administration. This is his second post, after taking a job in April with the 200-lawyer Allen…

Jan 4, 2008 11:10 PM CST

Apple Accused of Muscling Microsoft Out of Digital Music Market

In a case one blogger at Fortune notes is “rich in irony,” a San Diego lawyer has filed an antitrust suit against Apple, claiming it is illegally maintaining a monopoly because it doesn’t support Microsoft’s Windows Media Audio format. Stacie Somers, who has retained class action counsel, claims in a…

Jan 4, 2008 10:35 PM CST

Boy Injured in China Gets $3.35M Verdict in Mass.

The escalator accident that left a 4-year-old’s hand severely injured, happened in China. But American jurors decided the case, this week awarding $3.35 million after a trial in Massachusetts. In addition to holding the escalator’s Chinese manufacturer liable, a jury in Worcester Superior Court held the U.S.-based Otis Elevator Co.…

Jan 4, 2008 9:37 PM CST

Supreme Court to Review Death Penalty in Child Rape Case

The U.S. Supreme Court today agreed to decide whether it’s constitutional to impose a death sentence for the crime of child rape. The case of 43-year-old Patrick Kennedy was among six the high court granted for review, SCOTUSBlog reports. Kennedy, who sits on death row for raping his 8-year-old stepdaughter,…

Jan 4, 2008 8:36 PM CST

Lawyer-Lawmaker Celebrates Conviction Reversal

A Florida lawyer/lawmaker celebrated a state appeals court ruling that overturned his 2006 conviction for grand theft. Surrounded by supporters, state Sen. Gary Siplin spoke to reporters Monday, saying he felt “refreshed, re-energized and ready,” the Orlando Sentinel reports. “Glory, sweet glory be to God,” Siplin is quoted saying. “The…

Jan 4, 2008 7:49 PM CST

Acting US Atty Named in Minnesota

The Justice Department has named veteran prosecutor Frank Magill to take over as interim U.S. attorney in Minnesota. He replaces the embattled Rachel Paulose, a move the Associated Press characterized as “replacing youth with experience.” Paulose, who when she was appointed was 32 and among the youngest U.S. attorneys ever,…

Jan 4, 2008 7:19 PM CST

Jury Recalled to Testify About Alleged Race Bias

A judge who oversaw the high-profile trial of a man convicted of murdering fashion writer Christa Worthington has taken the unusual step of calling the entire jury back to testify next week about whether race impacted their deliberations. During a hearing set for Jan. 10 and 11, Barnstable Superior Court…

Jan 4, 2008 5:28 PM CST

Immigrants Suing to Force Action on Citizenship Apps

After waiting five years, a veteran federal government employee has decided to sue to force movement on his citizenship petition. Rodrigo Alvear has worked as a federal employee, including three years in the Army, for 30 years. The Chicago Tribune (reg. req.) reports Alvear is among hundreds of thousands awaiting…

Jan 4, 2008 5:01 PM CST

Coin Flip Puts Husch First in Merged Firm Name

A coin flip has determined the name of the law firm created by the merger of St. Louis-based Husch & Eppenberger LLC and Kansas City-based Blackwell Sanders. The new firm will be named Husch Blackwell Sanders, said co-chairman Joseph P. Conran, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. “The firm name was…

Jan 4, 2008 3:09 PM CST

Walter Dellinger to Take Over High Court Argument for Gun Ban

A lawyer who helped Washington, D.C., draft a U.S. Supreme Court brief defending its gun ban will take over as lead counsel on the Second Amendment case pending before the U.S. Supreme Court. Walter Dellinger of O’Melveny & Myers, a former acting U.S. solicitor general, takes over the role of…

Jan 4, 2008 2:34 PM CST

Freed Inmate Wants to Pursue Law, Like Lawyers Who Helped Him

A New York man freed from prison after serving 17 years for two murders he says he didn’t commit says he would like to study law to help others who have been wrongfully convicted. The Suffolk County district attorney has decided not to pursue a new trial against Martin Tankleff…

Jan 4, 2008 1:58 PM CST

Court Order Resolves Britney Spears Family Dispute

A three-hour argument last night over custody of Britney Spears’ two children was resolved ”peacefully by court order,” a Los Angeles police spokesman said. The lawyer for Spears’ ex-husband Kevin Federline, Mark Vincent Kaplan, arrived at Spears’ home around 8 p.m. yesterday evening, and the children were later turned over…

Jan 4, 2008 12:23 PM CST

Judge Raps Plaintiffs Lawyer for Bid to Boot Special Master

A federal judge has told plaintiffs lawyer Waukeen McCoy in no uncertain terms what she thinks of his attempt to boot a special master overseeing a fight over legal fees. San Francisco federal Judge Susan Illston rejected McCoy’s claims that special master Edward Swanson had a conflict of interest and…

Jan 4, 2008 12:01 PM CST

Bonovitz Steps Down as Duane Morris Chair

Sheldon Bonovitz, who oversaw Duane Morris the last 10 years as it tripled in size, is stepping down as chairman. The 70-year-old Bonovitz will remain at the firm, focusing on client development, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. He will be replaced by his second-in-command, 56-year-old John Soroko, who has headed the…

Jan 4, 2008 11:30 AM CST