Trials & Litigation

Free Advice to Mattel: Use ‘Iron Triangle’

As Mattel Inc. faces its second toy recall in two weeks over lead-paint issues, a lawyer reportedly is offering some free advice—use the “Iron Triangle Defense.” In plain English, those handling Mattel’s litigation, public-relations and government regulatory work need to put their heads together to figure out how best to…

Aug 14, 2007 8:43 PM CDT

First Legal Action in Bridge Collapse

The first litigation has reportedly been filed in the Minneapolis bridge collapse case, by a law firm seeking access in order to investigate before the site is cleaned up. It was filed Monday in federal court because the firm, Schwebel, Goetz & Sieben of Minneapolis, has been told that federal…

Aug 14, 2007 7:41 PM CDT

Dateline NBC Faces Lawsuits

Dateline NBC is facing lawsuits in connection with a program that exposed would-be predators who thought they were meeting underage kids for possible sexual encounters. One suit has been filed by the sister of a former district attorney who shot himself after he was caught by the sting, the Dallas…

Aug 14, 2007 4:42 PM CDT

Dry Cleaners Drops Fee Claim

The dry cleaners sued for $54 million for losing an administrative judge’s pants is dropping its claim for $83,000 in attorney fees. A motion filed yesterday by Custom Cleaners says it has raised enough money from supporters to cover expenses, the Washington Post reports. However, the cleaners reserved its right…

Aug 14, 2007 2:04 PM CDT

Trial in 35 Katrina Nursing Home Deaths

Jury selection began today in the trial of two owners of a Louisiana nursing home where 35 patients died during Hurricane Katrina, allegedly because they defied a mandatory order to evacuate before the storm surge hit on Aug. 29, 2005. After levees ruptured, a flood inundated St. Rita’s nursing home…

Aug 14, 2007 12:19 AM CDT

Russian Man Facing Trial for 49 Murders

Accused of being one of Russia’s most prolific serial killers, Alexander Pichushkin is to face trial in a month in 49 murders reportedly committed between 1992 and 2006. The 33-year-old is accused of murdering many of his alleged victims, who are mostly men, by plying them with alcohol and then…

Aug 13, 2007 9:47 PM CDT

Reservation Law: Separate & Unequal?

A system of justice that puts the federal courts in charge of adjudicating crimes that occur on Indian reservations can treat Native Americans much more harshly than others accused of comparable offenses elsewhere. “Indian tribes once had control over the dispensation of justice on reservations. But federal laws – some…

Aug 13, 2007 9:25 PM CDT

OJ Simpson Book to be Published

A book by O.J. Simpson that reportedly contains a hypothetical account of how he might have murdered his former wife, Nicole, if he had actually done so, will soon be in bookstores nationwide after all. Withdrawn from publication last year, following a firestorm of criticism, it has been accepted anew…

Aug 13, 2007 8:18 PM CDT

Judge: No Jail for Law Office Bat-Wielder

A middle-aged businessman who smashed a baseball bat through an inner window of an Australian attorney’s office after the lawyer locked himself inside will not be sentenced to jail. Instead, a judge imposed a $4,200 fine and a three-year good-behavior bond on Jim Byrnes, 47, who earlier pleaded guilty to…

Aug 13, 2007 7:16 PM CDT

CT Case: Sarbanes v. Attorney Ethics

Fellow practitioners are watching with increasing concern the case of Philip Russell, a Connecticut lawyer who has been charged with violating the Sarbanes-Oxley Act because he allegedly obstructed justice by destroying a client’s computer. “For a lawyer, especially a criminal lawyer, this is the most important case in a long,…

Aug 13, 2007 5:30 PM CDT

Foreclosure: One California Home’s Story

A single foreclosed home in Southern California is part of a much bigger story. It’s emblematic of what went wrong in the U.S. subprime mortgage industry, leading to turmoil in world financial markets and a downward spiral of decreasing real estate values that isn’t expected to end anytime soon. As…

Aug 13, 2007 4:20 PM CDT

Chicago Parking Ticket a Tough Case

Chicago has a reputation for being overly aggressive about ticketing unwary motorists for dubious parking infractions, especially downtown. Plus, for the relative few who contest parking tickets, either by mail or in person, there is “a widespread perception that the system is tilted to maximize the haul,” writes the Chicago…

Aug 13, 2007 3:28 PM CDT

3 Fen-Phen Lawyers Jailed Pending Trial

Updated: Seeking a several-month delay of a criminal fraud trial for allegedly bilking clients of $64 million in diet drug litigation settlement proceeds has cost three lawyers their freedom. Melbourne Mills, 76, William Gallion, 56, and Shirley Cunningham Jr., 52, were jailed after their bond was revoked today by U.S.…

Aug 10, 2007 9:27 PM CDT

Real Suit Over Animated Sex Character

We’ve written about the virtual online world of Second Life—how lawyers take on second identities there, find business and create legal guidelines to rule their make-believe towns. Now the Associated Press reports on a real lawsuit brought by the creator of a virtual Second Life sex machine that seeks the…

Aug 10, 2007 6:09 PM CDT

Judge Decries Interpreter Shortage

A New York state judge is trying to shine a light on what he calls a “disturbing lack” of courtroom sign-language interpreters for the deaf. Judge Charles Markey of Queens said employment opportunities are exploding for sign language interpreters, and courts paying $250 a day are not matching rates in…

Aug 10, 2007 3:35 PM CDT