Verdicts & Settlements

Partner Who Used $144K in Client Trust Money to Help Law Firm Weather the Recession Is Suspended

Finding that “substantial mitigating factors” weighed against disbarring a lawyer who made $144,000 in improper client trust account transfers to help her law firm weather the recession, the Minnesota Supreme Court today suspended attorney Jo Fairbairn for 18 months. It also imposed an unusual requirement that she never again serve…

Sep 14, 2011 8:17 PM CDT

Atlanta Thrashers Ownership Group Settles $195M Malpractice Suit Against King & Spalding

A group that recently sold the Atlanta Thrashers hockey team has settled a malpractice suit against King & Spalding. Terms of the settlement were confidential, according to the Associated Press, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Am Law Daily. The $195 million suit, filed in January by the Atlanta Spirit group,…

Sep 14, 2011 6:07 PM CDT

Court Reporter Sues Criminal Lawyer for Defamation Over Altered-Transcript Claim

A Pennsylvania lawyer has so far been unsuccessful in his efforts to obtain an audiotape and other original materials that he contends would help prove his claim that transcripts of his client’s Washington County murder trial were altered. So attorney Noah Geary is now pursuing an appeal of adverse superior…

Sep 13, 2011 5:32 PM CDT

Federal Judge Sides with NJ Solo, Strikes NY Law Requiring In-State Office for Out-of-State Lawyers

A federal judge in Albany has agreed with a New Jersey solo practitioner that a New York law is unconstitutional. It requires out-of-state attorneys licensed to practice in New York to maintain an in-state office if they want to represent clients there. The state argued that the New York office…

Sep 9, 2011 10:09 PM CDT

Judge Acquits Boy, 12, in Murder of Brother, 6, But Finds Him Guilty of Reckless Homicide

Saying that there was a lack of intent, an Indiana judge today acquitted a 12-year-old boy of murdering his 6-year-old brother, but found him guilty, as a juvenile, of reckless homicide. The unidentified boy initially told authorities that his brother had shot himself. But an investigation determined that the 6-year-old’s…

Sep 9, 2011 9:32 PM CDT

Citing $350K Bling, NY Judge Gives Ohio Lawyer 7 to 21 Years in $110M ‘Pump and Dump’

Contending that his legal training had not prepared him to recognize a so-called pump-and-dump securities scheme, an Ohio lawyer today tried to persuade a New York judge today not to jail him. But the argument was unsuccessful: James Margulies, 47, was sentenced to a 7- to 21-year prison term for…

Sep 9, 2011 7:45 PM CDT

Former White House Aide, Once a 4th Circuit Nominee, Is Suspended in DC for Petty Theft

A former White House aide in the administration of President George W. Bush and onetime nominee to a seat on the Richmond, Va.-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has had his law license suspended for a year in the District of Columbia after his conviction in a petty theft…

Sep 8, 2011 10:09 PM CDT

Federal Judge Got It Wrong, Va. Lacks Standing to Challenge Health Care Reform, 4th Circuit Rules

Developing: In a ruling today, the Richmond, Va.-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declined to strike down a controversial health care plan backed by President Barack Obama, nixing a challenge to the legislation by the state of Virginia. A federal district court earlier held that the health plan didn’t…

Sep 8, 2011 6:58 PM CDT

Fla. Appeals Court Reverses Ruling Against Homeowners in Foreclosure Case, Due to Bad Affidavit

A lender will have to try again in a Florida foreclosure case. A state appeals court yesterday reversed a Palm Beach Circuit Court summary judgment against homeowners Gary and Anita Glarum because it relied on an affidavit by a lender representative without personal knowledge, reports the Palm Beach Post. The…

Sep 8, 2011 10:10 AM CDT

Convicted in Client Money-Launder Case, Lawyer Faces New Trial After Fed’l Judge Nixes Jury Verdict

The roller-coaster ride continues for a California attorney charged with helping a law firm client launder money. Following a federal jury conviction in July (jurors deadlocked on a conspiracy charge), Jamie Harley, previously known as Jamie Harmon, saw the verdict in the San Jose case set aside by Chief U.S.…

Sep 7, 2011 11:51 PM CDT

Teacher Settles Privacy Suit Against Software Company Accused of Giving Her Racy Photos to Police

A substitute teacher in Ohio has settled her privacy lawsuit claiming a software company invaded her privacy and violated federal laws when it accessed her sexually explicit photos and gave them to police. Susan Clements-Jeffrey settled the suit on Tuesday, the Associated Press reports. Lawyers did not disclose details. Clements-Jeffrey…

Sep 7, 2011 11:54 AM CDT

Ethics Opinion Raps Pa. Judge for ‘Beyond Egregious’ Attendance Record

An attorney whose attendance record as a Pennsylvania magisterial district judge was “beyond egregious” violated both the rules for district judges and the state constitution, the Pennsylvania Court of Judicial Discipline has ruled. Judge Maryesther Merlo called off from work 116 times during a two-year period and was frequently late…

Sep 6, 2011 7:56 PM CDT

Actor Randy Quaid’s Suit Over His Ex-Lawyer’s Alleged Postings on Entertainment Website Is Dismissed

Actor Randy Quaid and his wife, Evi, waited too long to file suit over alleged postings by a former attorney on his website, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled today. Granting a motion to dismiss by attorney Lloyd Braun based on the statute of limitations, Judge Kevin Brazile nixed…

Sep 6, 2011 7:24 PM CDT

Woman’s $1M Lottery Win Will Also Benefit Court-Appointed Defender in Her Criminal Case

Asked by a court employee about her job and living situation, a 28-year-old woman facing a Washington state methamphetamine possession charge truthfully replied that she is unemployed and resides with her mom in Vancouver. No one asked her about any money she might have stashed away. But because Megan Gatlin…

Sep 6, 2011 6:10 PM CDT

Maricopa Paid Former Ariz Judge $100K to Settle Claim re Ex-County Attorney, Sheriff Arpaio

In the first settlement of some $125 million in claims made by Maricopa County, Ariz., officials who say they suffered damages because of alleged off-the-rails prosecution and litigation by Sheriff Joe Arpaio and ex-County Attorney Andrew Thomas, the county has agreed to pay $100,000 to a retired judge. Former Superior…

Sep 2, 2011 6:48 PM CDT