Verdicts & Settlements

Ex-Justice John Paul Stevens Chats with Stephen Colbert About His Citizens United Dissent

Marking the two-year anniversary of a controversial U.S. Supreme Court decision that opened the door to so-called Super PACs, former Justice John Paul Stevens appeared last night on comedian Stephen Colbert’s The Colbert Report to discuss his dissent in the Citizens United case, among other topics. In a clip from…

Jan 20, 2012 8:13 PM CST

‘Doubly Snake Bit’ NY Law Firm Must Pay 2nd Suspended Ex-Partner Full Agreed Buyout Amount

A New York law firm contesting its contractual duty to pay an agreed $750,000 buyout to a partner who was suspended from practice the day after the June 6, 2001, deal was struck was “doubly snake-bit,” a judge said in a Nassau County Supreme Court opinion. That’s because the same…

Jan 19, 2012 11:33 PM CST

Judge OKs Jury’s $1.3M Retaliation Award to DA’s Office Investigator

A Santa Barbara judge brought in to oversee a California retaliation case against the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office after local judges recused themselves has OK’d a $1.3 million jury award to a former investigator. However, an attorney for the county and the DA’s office said they intend to appeal…

Jan 13, 2012 8:34 PM CST

Judge Points Finger at 10-Year-Old’s iPhone, Likens It To a Spy Tool for One of Two Warring Parents

Blaming a 10-year-old’s iPhone for creating further problems in a hard-fought child custody case, a New York judge has likened it to a spy tool for the noncustodial parent and called for it to be replaced with an ordinary cell phone. Saying that the boy uses it to make photos…

Jan 13, 2012 12:10 AM CST

Wash. Lawyer’s License Lifted After Roommate Used Attorney Phone Privileges to Talk with Inmates

A Washington state defense lawyer has lost her law license over phone calls between a housemate and two inmates, using the attorney’s free legal phone privileges. Kimberly Grijalva, who was previously convicted of theft concerning the phone calls, also allegedly let an inmate use her cellphone during a jail visit,…

Jan 12, 2012 10:24 PM CST

NY Judge Nixes Bank’s Foreclosure Judgment Because Process Server Didn’t Keep Records

Opening a door to a potential defense that apparently has largely or entirely gone unnoticed in mortgage foreclosure cases, a New York judge last month overturned a bank judgment because a process server didn’t keep records required by law. A former police officer working for A&J Process Service admitted to…

Jan 12, 2012 10:02 PM CST

Judge Axes $77M Suit Filed Against Kasowitz by Ex-Associate with ‘Superior Legal Mind’

Ruling from the bench yesterday, a New York judge dismissed a $77 million lawsuit filed against Kasowitz Benson Torres & Friedman by a former first-year associate who said he was unfairly fired by the firm in 2011. Because Gregory Berry signed a valid release after reaching a $27,000 severance agreement…

Jan 11, 2012 11:21 PM CST

Surprising Observers, Aga Khan Fights Record $75M French Divorce Court Award

To many, a divorce award of $75 million or so might seem astronomical. But it’s practically small change to a man worth between $5 and $10 billion. And so observers expected the Aga Khan to ante up when a French court ruled in September he should pay that amount to…

Jan 11, 2012 8:34 PM CST

Hit by Defendant Judgments, Copyright Troll Righthaven Decries ‘Scorched Earth’ Effort to Collect

Once upon a time, not so long ago, those running the company at Righthaven LLC saw a seemingly lucrative litigation opportunity. The Nevada-based entity obtained copyright licenses from several newspapers and filed infringement claims against individuals who allegedly made unauthorized use of protected material posted on the Internet. But in…

Jan 10, 2012 11:00 PM CST

2nd Circuit Axes Refco Lawyer’s Conviction in $2.4B Fraud Case, Says Judge Erred re Juror Note

Convicted by a federal jury in New York in 2009 and sentenced to seven years in a $2.4 billion corporate securities fraud case, a former Mayer Brown partner today won a vacation of his conviction. Because Joseph Collins was denied his constitutional right to be present at every stage of…

Jan 9, 2012 8:21 PM CST

SEC Won’t Allow Some Civil Defendants to Settle Without Admitting the Allegations

The Securities and Exchange Commission is changing its policy regarding defendants that settle civil violations without admitting or denying the allegations. Now defendants will no longer be able to use the “neither admit nor deny” language if they have already been convicted of the same conduct on the criminal side,…

Jan 9, 2012 4:24 PM CST

Onetime Billionaire Allen Stanford Is Competent for $7B Fraud Trial, Judge Rules

A onetime Texas billionaire who has been imprisoned as a flight risk since 2009 is competent to stand trial next month in a $7 billion fraud case, a federal judge in Houston ruled today. Although experts for R. Allen Stanford, 61, said he suffers from amnesia and other mental impairments…

Dec 22, 2011 9:15 PM CST

DA Mulls Call for Case Review, Because Top Court Justice Got Free Legal Services from Party’s Firm

A Wisconsin district attorney is pondering whether to ask the state supreme court to reconsider a controversial ruling over a state collective bargaining law for public employees, following news that one of the justices who voted on the case received free legal representation from a party’s law firm, the Milwaukee…

Dec 22, 2011 8:55 PM CST

Federal Judge Blocks Part of New SC Immigration Law, Says It Infringes on Feds’ Role

A federal judge in South Carolina has temporarily blocked provisions of a new state immigration statute that were to go into effect Jan. 1, finding the state was infringing on the federal government’s prerogative to enforce immigration law. Among the new rules nixed by U.S. District Judge Richard Mark Gergel…

Dec 22, 2011 7:43 PM CST

Bank of America to Pay Record $335M to Settle Claims of Countrywide Mortgage Lending Bias

Updated: Bank of America Corp. has agreed to pay a $335 million to settle claims that the Countrywide Financial unit it purchased discriminated against minorities by giving them mortgages with less favorable terms than the ones granted to whites. An independent monitor will be appointed to determine how the settlement…

Dec 21, 2011 9:31 PM CST