Trials & Litigation

Feds Promise Loan Reform; States Act

In the wake of widespread reports that mortgage abuses by so-called subprime lenders have led to increased loan foreclosures, federal and state legislators have expressed concern and promised new laws to check fraudulent practices. But so far, federal lawmakers have focused primarily on holding hearings on the subject, prompting state…

Jul 10, 2007 7:33 PM CDT

Mark Geragos Removed from CIA Case

Updated: A federal judge in San Diego has removed Mark Geragos from representing a defense contractor in a CIA fraud case, because the high-profile California defense lawyer refused to submit to background checks to obtain a security clearance. U.S. District Judge Larry Burns said yesterday that it was necessary to…

Jul 10, 2007 6:35 PM CDT

Judge to Mob Trial Lawyer: Chill Blogging

It isn’t just defendants and jurors who have been pushing their luck lately by blogging about their case while it is at trial. An attorney representing an alleged mobster in an ongoing Chicago trial has reportedly been told in chambers by the judge to stop discussing his views of the…

Jul 10, 2007 1:06 AM CDT

John Hill, Former TX Chief Justice, Dies

John Luke Hill Jr., a Houston trial lawyer who went on to become Texas attorney general, secretary of state and chief justice of the state supreme court, died today of a heart condition. He was 83. A 1947 graduate of the University of Texas School of Law, Hill seemingly fulfilled…

Jul 10, 2007 12:07 AM CDT

Atlanta Foreclosures Up, Values Down

In the latest chapter of a sad story that could soon be commonly told throughout the country, an increasing rate of mortgage foreclosures in and around Atlanta is creating a business boom for lawyers and others involved in the litigation process. But meanwhile, it is apparently depressing home values. Because…

Jul 9, 2007 11:22 PM CDT

CA’s Asset Seizure Policy is Changing

In recent years, the California officials have increased the amount of money they spend to locate dormant assets that the government can seize. But they’ve decreased the amount of money they spend to notify owners first—to almost zero. As a result, even when owners could be located with relative ease,…

Jul 9, 2007 10:28 PM CDT

UK Big-Firm Partner Argues Age Claim

A hearing has begun in an age discrimination case brought against one of London’s most prominent law firms by a now-former partner, in a cutting-edge case could potentially threaten the British legal profession’s traditional “lockstep” compensation system. It could also be a sign of more litigation to come, as law…

Jul 9, 2007 7:16 PM CDT

First Banana Workers Get US Court Trial

It has been some 30 years since thousands of banana workers in Central America claim to have been exposed to carcinogenic pesticides on plantations there. Intended to kill worms infesting the roots of banana trees, the pesticides dripped from the leaves onto unprotected workers and leached into the water supply…

Jul 9, 2007 6:00 PM CDT

Owners Blame Cities for Bad Homes

As builders throughout the country rushed to profit in the recent construction boom, a number of homes and developments went up that were badly built or otherwise created problems. But in the resulting blame game, many homeowners are now saying municipalities large and small gave builders free rein instead of…

Jul 7, 2007 12:39 AM CDT

Young Trial Atty Wins Big Katrina Case

A renowned trial lawyer on the Mississippi gulf coast who had a big influence in the life of novelist John Grisham, attorney Will Denton made a name for himself as a plaintiff lawyer after Hurricane Camille hit the state in 1969. He didn’t live to see the devastation wrought on…

Jul 6, 2007 9:41 PM CDT

City Didn’t Discriminate re Bipolar Atty

A former city attorney in Lake Geneva, Wis., says he won’t appeal a state administrative law judge ruling that he wasn’t discriminated against due to his bipolar disorder. Michael Rielly had contended the city didn’t reasonably accommodate his disability last summer when it fired him from his elected position several…

Jul 6, 2007 9:19 PM CDT

Posturing Shown in KPMG Notes

Recently released notes of conversations between federal prosecutors and lawyers for accounting firm KPMG reveal posturing and bluster as both sides pressed for a favorable resolution of tax shelter allegations. KPMG avoided criminal charges by fulfilling a two-year delayed prosecution agreement, but the criminal prosecution of 16 former tax employees…

Jul 6, 2007 8:19 PM CDT

Armed Attorney Forced Off Murder Case

A Florida attorney who allegedly carried a loaded gun into a Broward County courthouse in his briefcase has been removed as defense counsel in a murder case and charged with carrying a concealed firearm. Stephen Finta, 59, told the judge in the case that he was carrying the .357 Ruger…

Jul 6, 2007 8:15 PM CDT

Dry Cleaners Seeks Fees

Owners of a dry cleaners that successfully defended a $54 million lost-pants lawsuit claim the plaintiff was out to destroy their lives and should pay their legal fees. The cleaners seeks nearly $83,000 in fees in a motion filed yesterday. It alleges that plaintiff Roy Pearson submitted “outrageous demands for…

Jul 6, 2007 6:04 PM CDT

Katrina Hospital Death Charges Dropped

Charges have been dropped against two nurses accused of having helped murder four patients, aged 61 to 90, allegedly given a lethal drug cocktail by a physician during the chaos created by Hurricane Katrina. The unusual case involved second-degree murder charges filed last summer against nurses Lori Budo and Cheri…

Jul 6, 2007 1:59 AM CDT