Verdicts & Settlements

7th Circuit OKs $25K student-loan discharge for ‘destitute’ paralegal

A “destitute” paralegal who has made reasonable efforts to repay her student loan debt is entitled to a bankruptcy discharge of the remaining $25,000 or so despite the fact that she never enrolled in a federal income-contingent repayment plan, a federal appeals court has ruled. Reinstating a bankruptcy court’s determination…

Apr 10, 2013 6:20 PM CDT

Special prosecutor wins hard-fought $100K legal bill battle, plus ruling he won’t have to itemize

Forced to use a court-appointed special prosecutor after the Rensselaer County, N.Y., district attorney stepped aside from a ballot fraud case against local politicians, county lawmakers weren’t happy with the bill that resulted. But they are apparently going to have to pay the remaining $100,000 or so that is due…

Apr 10, 2013 5:04 PM CDT

Closing attorney loses federal mortgage fraud appeal, now faces likely lengthy prison term

A federal appeals court has reinstated the conviction of a North Carolina real estate closing attorney who faces a sentence of up to 25 years in a mortgage-fraud case. Convicted for her role in closing 210 transactions between 2000 and 2004, for which she received $235,000 in attorney fees, Victoria…

Apr 9, 2013 9:04 PM CDT

Did man’s frog phobia help him win $1.6 million verdict in land-runoff case?

Nobody knows for sure how much Paul Marinaccio’s testimony about his frog phobia may have upped the ante in a $1.6 million jury award over a land runoff case. However, the 65-year-old’s detailed explanation of how “petrified” he is by the small creatures now proliferating on his property wasn’t enough…

Apr 9, 2013 5:30 PM CDT

‘Divorce from hell’ began with $5,400 monthly alimony offer, ended with $1,500 installments

A month after their 2008 divorce case was filed in Pinellas County, Fla., Terry Power offered to pay his wife of nearly 20 years $5,400 per month in alimony until he retired, and $50,000 in cash. He also was willing to give Murielle Marie Helene Fournier half of the contents…

Apr 8, 2013 4:37 PM CDT

Judge nixes attorney fees for lawyer in oil spill case, says client’s signature on doc was forged

Saying that he believes a plaintiff’s signature on a legal representation document concerning the Gulf of Mexico oil spill was forged, a federal judge in New Orleans nixed attorney fees for a Texas lawyer. Attorney Brent Coon had sought a 25 percent share of an undisclosed settlement his claimed client,…

Apr 5, 2013 5:25 PM CDT

‘Pregnant man’ can’t divorce, judge rules

As the U.S. Supreme Court mulls arguments in a landmark case over the right under federal law of same-sex couples to marry the same way that heterosexual couples do, a ruling last week by an Arizona judge illustrates the difficulties nontraditional couples face under the patchwork of state laws now…

Apr 4, 2013 4:40 PM CDT

Judge OKs pro se prisoner’s libel suit over legal publication’s recap of his case

Sentenced to a life prison term in 1983 after being convicted of second-degree murder in the slayings of two U.S. marshals, Yorie Von Kahl has apparently honed his litigation skills in the meantime. Unhappy with a summary of a judge’s sentencing ruling published by a Bureau of National Affairs Inc.…

Apr 3, 2013 5:14 PM CDT

Judge OKs record municipal bankruptcy, says city can’t otherwise provide services

In what is being billed as the biggest municipal bust ever, the city of Stockton, Calif., has been given a green light, over the objection of creditors, to go ahead with a bankruptcy case after a required 90-day mediation period. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Klein ruled Monday that creditors did…

Apr 1, 2013 10:33 PM CDT

Firm’s job contract doesn’t require arbitration of ex-associate’s suit, appeals court says

A former associate has won a round in a disability discrimination case she filed two years ago against Bingham McCutchen. The law firm had sought to arbitrate a California complaint by Hartwell Harris that the firm didn’t do enough to accommodate her unusual sleep disorder, But a trial-level judge ruled…

Apr 1, 2013 9:24 PM CDT

Appeals court reverses $68K verdict against lawyer over claimed termite damage in home prior to sale

Updated: When Sarah Seitz first saw her dream home, it contained only a couch in the living room, a spare tile in one bedroom closet and some window coverings on the floor of another bedroom closet. All, it turned out, concealed termite damage in the home that attorney Anne C.…

Apr 1, 2013 4:43 PM CDT

$838K murder defense bill in Arias case pits public right to know against attorney-client privilege

So far, the taxpayers of Maricopa County, Ariz., have spent over $838,000 to defend Jodi Arias in a high-profile capital murder case and they likely will be on the hook for over $1 million by the time the legal battle concludes. Under state law, the public has a right to…

Mar 28, 2013 9:38 PM CDT

Polo mogul’s adoption of girlfriend, 42, is nixed by appeals court

John Goodman’s adoption of his girlfriend, Heather Anne Hutchins, who was then 42 years old, came at a time when he was facing a criminal trial over a fatal auto accident, a wrongful death suit and a dispute over the management of a trust fund for his two children. But…

Mar 28, 2013 7:30 PM CDT

Baker Botts gets another $5.2M in litgation over $142M fee award in $6B bankruptcy case

After years of litigation, Baker Botts was awarded another $5.2 million in legal fees on Tuesday for defending its earlier $142 million fee award for representing a copper mining operation in a bankruptcy case. The law firm’s representation of Asarco LLC was part of a long-running legal battle that began…

Mar 28, 2013 6:13 PM CDT

Man stranded on Disney’s ‘It’s a Small World’ ride wins pain and suffering damages

A disabled man trapped on a ride at Disneyland as music blared overhead has won an $8,000 damages award in federal court. The nightmare for Jose Martinez began the day after Thanksgiving in 2009 when his and his wife’s ride on “It’s a Small World” was coming to an end.…

Mar 27, 2013 6:12 PM CDT