States

Dad Gives Up Losing Custody Battle

John McHugh knows a lot more about Brazilian family law than he used to. His wife and their 7-year-old daughter now live in Brazil, and, unlike their counterparts in the U.S., judges there routinely award sole custody to the mother. Initially, McHugh, now 47, wasn’t too worried, even when his…

Sep 24, 2007 9:45 PM CDT

New Laws Seek to Ban Iraq T-Shirt Sales

“Bush Lied. They Died.” Those words, on a T-shirt, along with the names of U.S. soldiers who have been killed in the Iraq war, have sparked outrage—and legislation in five states. They now ban the use of names of soldiers killed in Iraq for commercial purposes unless surviving family members…

Sep 24, 2007 8:50 PM CDT

Associate Perk at Bartlit Beck: Free Vacations

Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott wants to keep its associates happy, so it gives them a three-night all-expenses-paid vacation every year. The location? Anywhere in the country, according to a story about cushy Chicago jobs in the Chicago Tribune’s Red Eye. Associates can bring their spouses, stay at fancy…

Sep 24, 2007 7:25 PM CDT

Lawmaker: Feds Didn’t Spot Cyber-Attack

Saying that the Department of Homeland Security didn’t notice for months that its computer system had been attacked by hackers, a Congressman who works closely with the department is now seeking a new government investigation—and blaming the contractor in charge of the system for lax oversight. Meanwhile, the FBI reportedly…

Sep 24, 2007 7:12 PM CDT

2 Lawyers in Bankruptcy Case Crossfire

A well-known defense lawyer is the latest central Florida attorney to be caught in the crossfire between high-profile client Lou Pearlman, a jailed music producer with $500 million in claimed debt, and a bankruptcy trustee. The trustee is asking a bankruptcy judge to compel attorney Robert Leventhal, who has been…

Sep 24, 2007 6:37 PM CDT

No Free Lunch: Bank Sued re Sandwiches

The state of Ohio has filed a lawsuit against Citibank contending that a free sandwich offer was deceptive. Because this and at least one other offer promising free food to college students who showed an ID made no mention of the fact that they would also have to apply for…

Sep 24, 2007 5:56 PM CDT

False Judge Liens Cost Inmate 20 Years

A Texas inmate convicted of filing fraudulent liens against two federal judges will have to serve an extra 20 years in prison. Mycal Antoine Poole had filed false liens for more than $4.1 million against U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks and $37 million against U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew Austin, the…

Sep 24, 2007 3:24 PM CDT

Alleged Backdating Profit: $5 M for Ex-CEO

Prosecutors contend backdating of stock options by Brocade Communications ex-CEO Gregory Reyes cost investors $12 million and put an extra $5 million in his own pocket. The government set out alleged losses in a sentencing brief filed on Friday, the Recorder reports. The tally: $7 million in government fines, $3…

Sep 24, 2007 1:20 PM CDT

Plaintiff Dies, Future Pain Award Stands

A jury award of $150,000 for future pain and suffering must stand even though the slip-and-fall plaintiff died the day after the verdict, an appeals court has ruled. The New York Appellate Division ruled that no statutory provision requires the award to be set aside, the New York Law Journal…

Sep 24, 2007 12:47 PM CDT

Suit Accuses Sheppard Mullin of Conflict

Pan Am is accusing Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton of a conflict of interest in a malpractice suit. The complaint contends the law firm agreed to represent Pan Am’s general counsel even though it had represented two Pan Am subsidiaries in the past, Legal Times reports. The suit claims Sheppard…

Sep 24, 2007 12:22 PM CDT

CA Judge Dismisses Overbooked Attorney

On his own motion, a California judge has dismissed one of the lawyers representing a defendant in a death penalty case, after the attorney said he isn’t ready for trial. Characterizing Norman Kallen, who reportedly is also representing defendants in two other death penalty cases, as overcommitted, Los Angeles County…

Sep 21, 2007 10:08 PM CDT

Judge Takes Crack at Seuss-Style Egg Rhyme

With a nod to Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham, a federal judge has warned an inmate that attaching a hard-boiled egg to his complaint about his prison diet was a half-baked idea. Magistrate Judge James Muirhead of Concord, N.H., ordered the egg destroyed forthwith, the Concord Monitor reports. “Today!…

Sep 21, 2007 4:56 PM CDT

KPMG Prosecutors Claim Secret Defense Pact

Prosecutors battered in an illegal tax shelter case involving accounting firm KPMG have turned the table on defense lawyers. They claim that two lawyers for defendants who worked for Presidio Advisory Services may have had a secret joint defense agreement, the New York Times reports. The Presidio defendants are accused…

Sep 21, 2007 4:24 PM CDT

Media Spotlight Suits O.J. Lawyer

CORRECTED:The man known as O.J. Simpson’s lawyer is in media demand since his client’s arrest on armed robbery charges, a situation he appears to relish. Yale Galanter toiled in relative anonymity in South Florida before he was referred to represent Simpson when he was accused in a road rage incident,…

Sep 21, 2007 3:05 PM CDT

Judge Allows Students’ Hitler Youth Buttons

A New Jersey school may not bar fifth-grade students from wearing a Hitler Youth button to protest school uniforms, a federal judge has ruled. Judge Joseph Greenaway of Newark said there was no evidence the buttons will disrupt the educational process and it is likely the kids will prevail on…

Sep 21, 2007 2:21 PM CDT