Utah

Judge’s Ethics Appeal Blames High Warrant Amount on Misplaced Comma Rather than Retaliation

A Utah judge is appealing a reprimand issued in the belief that he entered a $10,000 cash-only warrant for a woman accused of a minor traffic violation because she was rude to his law clerks. Judge Keith Stoney of West Valley City Justice Court told the Utah Supreme Court the…

Jun 6, 2012 11:41 AM CDT

County Prosecutor Won’t Charge ‘Sister Wives’ Family

Corrected: Members of the family portrayed in the Sister Wives reality TV show won’t face prosecution in Utah County, Utah. In a motion to dismiss a challenge to the state’s bigamy law, Utah County Attorney Jeff Buhman said his office has adopted a policy that it won’t prosecute consenting adults…

Jun 1, 2012 11:33 AM CDT

Ark. AG Can’t Sue Law Firm Under Deceptive Trade Practices Statute, State’s Top Court Rules

Reversing a lower court ruling that imposed penalties on an out-of-state law firm for collecting fees on dishonored checks in excess of what is allowed under the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, the state’s top court has ruled that its attorney general has no jurisdiction to pursue such a case…

Mar 28, 2012 5:31 PM CDT

Utah Attorney Is Disbarred for Using $122,500 Settlement Check for Law Firm Operating Expenses

Suspended in 1993 for misuse of a client trust account, Clayne Corey got no leniency from the Utah Supreme Court on Tuesday. Although a district court judge suggested a stayed suspension would be appropriate, because the attorney “did not intend to cause harm or injury” by depositing a $122,500 settlement…

Mar 27, 2012 10:39 PM CDT

Gulf War Hero, a Disbarred Lawyer, Is Accused of Participating in Claimed $54M Fraud on US Military

A former lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve who previously made a name for himself as a politician and New Hampshire lawyer, before being disbarred in 2006, is now gaining a high profile in a new arena. David Young, 49, a Green Beret and Gulf War hero, is accused by…

Mar 15, 2012 4:55 PM CDT

Atheists Group Gets $1, Lawyer $388K as Utah Mulls Roadside Cross Alternatives for Slain Officers

After news that Utah has settled for nearly $400,000 a suit over roadside crosses placed to commemorate troopers slain in the line of duty, lawmakers and others are considering alternatives. Only $1 of the settlement will go to American Atheists Inc. and the three members who filed the federal civil…

Feb 17, 2012 10:01 PM CST

Utah Officials OK Execution by Firing Squad

A death row inmate who wants to be executed by firing squad will get his wish, Utah officials say. Michael Archuleta, who is scheduled to be executed April 5 for the 1988 murder of a 28-year-old college student, has chosen a firing squad over lethal injection, KSL TV reports. And…

Feb 10, 2012 9:08 PM CST

‘Sister Wives’ Lawsuit Can Go Forward, Federal Judge Says

A federal lawsuit challenging Utah’s bigamy law, brought by the stars of the TLC show Sister Wives, can go forward, says a U.S. district court judge. The Utah action was filed by George Washington University Law School Jonathan Turley, on behalf of Kody Brown and his four wives. After their…

Feb 6, 2012 7:48 PM CST

Minutes After ‘I’m Sorry, Goodbye’ Email to Lawyer, Client’s House Blows Up, Killing His 2 Sons

Minutes before apparently setting his Washington state home on fire yesterday, killing himself and his two young sons, Josh Powell sent an email to his lawyer. “I’m sorry, goodbye,” it read. The lawyer, Jeffrey Bassett, didn’t receive it until a couple of hours after it was sent, but even if…

Feb 6, 2012 11:21 AM CST

Appeals Court Upholds Charges Against Couple Accused in Baby’s ‘Co-Sleeping’ Death

A Utah appeals court has refused to dismiss charges against a couple whose baby died in 2006 while sleeping in bed with them. Trevor Merrill and Echo Nielsen are charged with child-abuse homicide and reckless endangerment, report the Salt Lake Tribune and the Associated Press. Their baby, Kayson Bradley Merrill,…

Jan 9, 2012 3:43 PM CST

Hiring Law Students for Free Online Research Is Widespread and Unethical, Opinion Says

Budget-minded lawyers who think they can hire law students for their free access to Lexis and Westlaw should think again, according to a Utah ethics opinion. A lawyer who uses law students to access free online research violates ethical rules, according to the Nov. 15 opinion by the Utah State…

Jan 4, 2012 1:40 PM CST

Ex-Employee Accused of Stealing $155K from Salt Lake City’s Richards Brandt Miller Nelson

An unidentified ex-employee has been charged in 3rd District Court in Salt Lake City with embezzling over $155,000 from a Utah law firm. Richards Brant Miller Nelson picked up on alleged theft after an audit indicated fees were being paid to “consultants” that were not on the firm’s list of…

Nov 19, 2011 12:41 AM CST

Lawyer Arrested at Airport for Carrying a Gun in His Briefcase Blames Forgetfulness

A Utah lawyer arrested at the Salt Lake City International Airport on Thursday for carrying a handgun in his briefcase is blaming a rushed morning and forgetfulness. The lawyer, Craig Swapp, is known for his slogan, “One call, that’s all,” the Deseret News reports. Swapp tells the newspaper he has…

Nov 18, 2011 12:49 PM CST

Another Texas County Mulls Possible MERS Suit; Up to $100M Could Be In Issue in Harris County

With as much as $100 million in unpaid filing fees at issue, another Texas county is pondering possible litigation against those responsible for an electronic system that circumvented the traditional method of recording paperwork when lenders purchase mortgages from each other. On the agenda for a Tuesday meeting of the…

Oct 7, 2011 8:16 PM CDT

Retired Law Firm Partner Is Jailed Pending Psych Eval After Airplane Armrest Incident

A retired former partner at a well-known business law firm with offices in Utah and Nevada has had a rough go of it after he stopped taking his medication, his lawyer says. David Alan Anderson, 60, got into a dispute with a fellow passenger Sunday over the attorney’s “claim” to…

Sep 23, 2011 6:07 PM CDT