States

Under Fire in Congress, DOJ Mulls Jena Case

At a Congressional hearing today, U.S. Department of Justice officials said they are considering a prosecution over the handling of the case of the so-called Jena Six—black youths who apparently were treated much more harshly than whites concerning similar alleged schoolyard crimes in a small town in Louisiana. However, they…

Oct 17, 2007 12:13 AM CDT

Partners: Void Our Unethical Law Firm Sale

After paying $1 million to a former partner for his share of their Long Island law firm, several New York lawyers tried to void the buyout agreement as unethical and get their money back. A state judge, however, refused to save them from themselves. First of all, their agreement to…

Oct 16, 2007 7:55 PM CDT

Chicago Firm Creates 2 Tiers of Associates

Law firms with two tiers of partners are commonplace. So it was perhaps foreseeable that some would respond to ever-increasing starting salaries for attorneys by creating two tiers of associates. Chicago-based Chapman and Cutler has done just that, giving associates a choice between working more hours for top dollar (the…

Oct 16, 2007 7:20 PM CDT

Dismissed! Lack of CA Judges Ends Cases

Two California criminal cases were dismissed yesterday in Riverside County because of a lack of judges. And seven more—all of them felonies—appeared headed for the same conclusion today. Charges were immediately refiled by prosecutors concerning the one felony case dismissed yesterday, according to the Riverside Press-Enterprise. And the same result…

Oct 16, 2007 6:59 PM CDT

Lawyer Sues Florist for Wrong Wedding Flowers

A lawyer has filed a lawsuit that alleges her wedding florist provided wilted and wrong-colored flowers for her reception centerpieces. The suit by Elana Glatt says the florist used pastel pink and green hydrangeas even though she had specified that they be dark rust and green, the New York Times…

Oct 16, 2007 6:27 PM CDT

Big Legal Bill for Anna Nicole Smith’s Baby

Adults who had a relationship to Anna Nicole Smith are still wrangling over a number of issues related to the deceased starlet’s estate. But they are seemingly entirely agreed on one thing: a bill of nearly $200,000 submitted by the court-appointed lawyer representing the interests of Smith’s baby daughter is…

Oct 16, 2007 5:27 PM CDT

Judge Who Won Libel Verdict Defends Ethics Charge

A judge who won a $2.1 million libel verdict against the Boston Herald choked up as he defended himself on ethics charges that he used court stationery to demand even more money to conclude the case. The Massachusetts Commission on Judicial Conduct has accused Judge Ernest Murphy of using court…

Oct 16, 2007 3:47 PM CDT

Damages ‘Offensive’ in Music Piracy Case, Motion Says

The lawyer for a woman assessed $222,000 in damages for illegally sharing downloaded music contends in a motion for a new trial that the amount is constitutionally excessive. The judgment against Jammie Thomas for illegally sharing two dozen songs amounts to $9,250 for each recording. Her lawyer, Brian Toder of…

Oct 16, 2007 2:15 PM CDT

Boalt Hall Law School Gets New Name

The University of California at Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law has settled on a new name. In January it will officially become the UC Berkeley School of Law, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. School officials paid a consulting firm $25,000 for a branding consultant to interview students and others…

Oct 16, 2007 1:39 PM CDT

Lawyer Accused of Faking Judge’s Signature

A lawyer has been accused of faking a judicial order to persuade his clients that their suit over a neighbor’s pool was proceeding swimmingly. Actually, the defendants had never been served with the suit, according to an opinion last month that gave the plaintiffs more time to effect service, the…

Oct 16, 2007 12:23 PM CDT

Malpractice Suit Tossed in Recovered Nazi Art Case

A federal judge has tossed a malpractice suit against a lawyer who represented the heirs of a German art collector whose property was seized by the Nazis. The suit by nieces and nephews of Gustav Kirstein claimed they had to share their recovery with another claimant because of mistakes by…

Oct 16, 2007 12:01 PM CDT

Jury Rights Wrong Wyeth Verdict

A Nevada jury that withdrew nearly $100 million in a compensatory verdict for plaintiffs who took Prempro and Premarin has now awarded about that much in punitive damages. Jurors yesterday agreed to award $99 million in punitive damages to three plaintiffs who claimed the drugs they took for menopause symptoms…

Oct 16, 2007 11:03 AM CDT

Judge Allows Some Thrombosis Suits Against Airlines

Airlines that fail to act properly in response to a passenger complaint may be sued if the person develops deep vein thrombosis as a result, a federal judge has ruled. Judge Vaughn Walker of San Francisco decided Friday that claims for the potentially fatal blood clot are permitted in cases…

Oct 16, 2007 10:26 AM CDT

Admin Charged in Law Firm Embezzlement

A longtime administrator has been charged with allegedly embezzling more than $200,000 from a New Orleans law firm through a fraudulent bank deposit scheme. Lisa Mayerhafer, 41, who had worked for a decade at Gertler, Gertler, Vincent and Plotkin, is charged with bank fraud in a federal criminal case, reports…

Oct 16, 2007 12:29 AM CDT

Nifong Seeks Legal Fees in Civil Suit re Rape

Mike Nifong, the disgraced former prosecutor who is now being sued for pursuing rape charges against three former Duke lacrosse team players, has asked North Carolina to help him with his legal defense. Because the civil litigation by the exonerated defendants arose out of his work as Durham County prosecutor,…

Oct 15, 2007 11:49 PM CDT