States

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

A Holland & Knight First: Black, Female Leader

Kelly-Ann Cartwright is something of a trailblazer. She has been named executive partner of Holland & Knight in Miami, the first black woman to lead one of the firm’s offices and the only black woman to lead a large law firm in South Florida, the Daily Business Review reports. Cartwright…

Sep 21, 2007 1:59 PM CDT

Delaware State U. on Lockdown After Shooting

Delaware State University is on lockdown after a gunman shot and wounded two students early today. Students have been directed to stay in their dorms, university spokesman Carlos Holmes told the Associated Press. “We don’t know where the shooter’s at.” One of the students suffered “potentially life-threatening” injuries, Holmes said.…

Sep 21, 2007 1:40 PM CDT

Apple CEO, Law Firm May Play Role in GC Case

A well-known law firm and the CEO of Apple Inc. may provide evidence in the civil fraud case against the company’s former general counsel, Nancy Heinen. CEO Steve Jobs has been subpoenaed for a deposition in the Securities and Exchange Commission case against Heinen, who is accused of participating in…

Sep 21, 2007 12:56 PM CDT

Lawyer ‘Totally Taken Aback’ by Missing Money

A former assistant for a Virginia lawyer faces federal accusations that she embezzled thousands of dollars from an estate he was handling. Shelia Mae Boone is accused of forging checks for more than $270,000 from estate funds, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. She is charged with two counts of bank…

Sep 21, 2007 11:38 AM CDT

Bias Suit Claims Cozen Promotes ‘Compliant’ Women

A former junior female partner at Cozen O’Connor has filed a sex discrimination suit against the firm that claims three partners there “prefer and promote women who fit traditional female stereotypes.” Patricia Biswanger alleges Cozen fired her for using firm resources for political activities at the same time it permitted…

Sep 21, 2007 11:14 AM CDT

Poof! ‘God’ Answers Suit, Asserts Lack of Jurisdiction

A response to a legislator’s lawsuit from “God” asserts the court lacks jurisdiction to hear a Nebraska legislator’s lawsuit against him. John Friend, clerk of the Douglas County District Court in Omaha, told the Associated Press the response was one of two filed on God’s behalf. State Sen. Ernie Chambers…

Sep 21, 2007 10:48 AM CDT

1000s Protest in Jena (and Elsewhere)

In a protest largely launched by bloggers that some are calling the dawn of a new 21st century civil rights movement, more than 15,000 people from around the country reportedly marched on a tiny town in Louisiana today. Their goal: to protest what many see as an unfair justice system…

Sep 21, 2007 3:58 AM CDT