Verdicts & Settlements

LSAC Settles ADA Case, Gives Test-Taker with ADD More Time on LSAT

The nonprofit that administers the Law School Admission Test has settled a disability claim by an unidentified test-taker, giving the 22-year-old University of Minnesota graduate more time to complete the exam. The man, who has attention deficit disorder and a learning disability, took the LSAT last week and is waiting…

Oct 4, 2011 9:11 PM CDT

Left Largely in Charge as Supervising Lawyer Struggled, Associate Did Too Much, Is Reprimanded

A young lawyer left largely in charge at a small Nebraska law firm as the supervising partner missed appointments and was eventually hospitalized for stress apparently tried to step in and fill the void. But Jeremy R. Shirk went too far, not only signing pleadings and checks at the partner’s…

Sep 30, 2011 4:59 PM CDT

Attorney Owner Wins Condo Association Wastebasket War, Uses $201K Check to Pay Off Mortgage

A nuisance provision contained in many condominium association governing documents can be a tempting basis for litigation. But it backfired for one Florida condominium association that tried to utilize it to force an attorney owner out of her home, writes local lawyer Jean Winters on the Condos and HOAs page…

Sep 30, 2011 12:56 PM CDT

Gov’t Asks Fed’l Court to Vacate Guilty Plea of Ga. Judge to Honest Services Fraud Conspiracy

A longtime Georgia judge avoided prison in 2009 by taking a plea in a federal corruption case. Now it appears that he likely will also avoid a conviction in the case: Federal prosecutors are joining the defense in seeking to vacate the guilty plea of Brooks E. Blitch III to…

Sep 30, 2011 10:01 AM CDT

Woman Is Told She’ll Get 10 Lashes for Driving in Saudi Arabia Before King Revokes Sentence

Updated: A woman who defied a religious and cultural ban by driving in Saudi Arabia was initially sentenced to 10 lashes in a landmark case in the ultraconservative Muslim county. It is the first time a court has upheld the rule against women drivers, which previously had been more informally…

Sep 29, 2011 1:50 PM CDT

Report: Ad Unit That Showed Gangster Movies to Workers Is New Focus of News Corp. Probe

In addition to telephone voice mail hacking and possible police payoffs, another area of concern is reportedly being investigated in a probe of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp.: Whether a global marketing subsidiary used scare tactics and other anti-competitive methods to pressure clients and crush rivals for supermarket advertising. Federal authorities…

Sep 27, 2011 6:49 PM CDT

Charlie Sheen Settles Suit over His Firing from ‘Two and a Half Men’

Charlie Sheen has settled his $100 million suit against Warner Bros. Television and producer Chuck Lorre for his firing from the hit TV show Two and a Half Men. The amount of the settlement was confidential, report Bloomberg News and the Associated Press. Sheen had claimed breach of contract and…

Sep 27, 2011 2:53 PM CDT

2nd Circuit Revives Suit Against Leeds Morelli, Says Clients Couldn’t OK ‘Enormous’ Nextel Conflict

Saying that an “enormous conflict” inherent in a law firm’s agreement with an opposing party couldn’t be waived by a law firm’s clients, a federal appeals court has reinstated a malpractice suit against Leeds Morelli & Brown. Filed by a group of clients the New York law firm represented in…

Sep 26, 2011 11:25 PM CDT

Calif. Seeks $17M in Back Wages, OT and Penalties from ZipRealty re Alleged Misclassified Workers

In the largest such enforcement action in California history, the state labor commissioner has filed suit seeking $17 million in back wages, overtime pay and penalities from ZipRealty on behalf of hundreds of agents. The company has contended that it was not required to pay minimum wage to outside salespeople.…

Sep 26, 2011 10:48 PM CDT

After Paying Orrick Nearly $1M to Defend Claims by 2 Fired Workers, Oakland Opts to Settle a Case

Firing two at-will employees has cost the city of Oakland nearly $1 million in legal fees, so far, as the two filed sex discrimination suits and made whistle-blower arguments. One also contended that she’d been promised a severance package as a condition of employment. So a divided city council decided…

Sep 26, 2011 8:53 PM CDT

10 of the ‘Irvine 11’ Are Convicted for Disrupting Israeli Ambassador’s Speech

Ten Muslim college students were criminally convicted today by a California jury of disrupting a speech by the Israeli ambassador to the United States at the University of California-Irvine last year. The Orange County Superior Court case has been controversial because critics contend the students, who were convicted of conspiracy…

Sep 24, 2011 1:26 AM CDT

Although Crown Counsel Regrets Closing Crime Rhyme, Verse Used as Hammer Put Defendant in Slammer

Presenting his closing argument in rhymed couplets must have seemed like a good idea at the time to John Ramsay. But the Canadian prosecutor apologized today for doing so, saying that he didn’t mean to detract from the solemnity and dignity of the drunk driving case he was trying in…

Sep 22, 2011 11:46 PM CDT

Jaycee Dugard Sues Feds, Says ‘Colossal Blunders’ Let Parolee Kidnap and Hold Her Captive 18 Years

A woman held captive for most of her life in California by a parolee who had previously served time for a similar crime has sued the federal government seeking compensation. Jaycee Dugard filed suit today in federal court in California, contending that inadequate supervision allowed her to be held by…

Sep 22, 2011 10:59 PM CDT

7th Circuit: Fired Johnson & Bell Lawyer Can Sue for Discrimination During State-Court Tort Appeal

A fired former associate of Johnson & Bell can sue the law firm for discrimination in federal court at the same time that he is appealing an Illinois state-court dismissal of his defamation case, a federal appeals court has ruled. Reversing a federal district judge’s decision that the court should…

Sep 22, 2011 9:38 PM CDT

Tenn. Lawyer Loses License for 4 Months Due to His Conduct in a Family Matrimonial Matter

Updated on 1/30/25: A Tennessee attorney has had his law license suspended for four months in a disciplinary matter related to a protective order obtained by his ex-wife. Richard A. Demonbreun was found to have “violated disciplinary rules by violating an order of protection and submitting a false pleading to…

Sep 22, 2011 9:07 PM CDT