Verdicts & Settlements

Tom Hanks Loses Contractor Dispute Before Arbitration Panel

The actor who starred in a movie about slow-moving contractors and a crumbling house has lost his own real-life battle over home defects. Tom Hanks, who starred in The Money Pit, lost a bid for $3 million in damages before a three-member arbitration panel, report the Associated Press and the…

May 26, 2011 1:23 PM CDT

Not UPL: Suspended Lawyer’s ‘Somewhat Lawyerly’ Tone, Threat to Go ‘Mano a Mano’ Post-Reinstatement

A Colorado attorney working as a paralegal after his law license was suspended has been cleared of legal ethics allegations concerning correspondence he wrote on behalf of a client under the supervision of another attorney. While Matthew Smith’s letters to opposing counsel took a “somewhat lawyerly” tone, the Colorado Hearing…

May 25, 2011 11:59 PM CDT

DOJ Reportedly OKs Possible Prosecution of John Edwards re Affair Cover-Up Payments

Updated: Relying on unidentified sources, major news organizations are reporting that the U.S. Department of Justice has approved the pursuit of a possible criminal indictment against former presidential candidate John Edwards related to money spent to cover up an extramarital affair. The affair cover-up expenditures could have violated campaign-finance law…

May 25, 2011 8:46 PM CDT

Suspect in Slaying of Chief Ariz. Fed’l Judge, Shooting of Congresswoman Found Incompetent for Trial

Jared Lee Loughner, the suspect in the slaying of Arizona’s chief federal district judge and the wounding of congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords during a spree shooting earlier this year, has been found incompetent. Under the ruling today by U.S. District Judge Larry Burns, the 21-year-old Loughner will now spend up to…

May 25, 2011 7:37 PM CDT

Molested Teen Awarded $15M in Suit Against Antitrust Lawyer in Prison for the Assault

A Minneapolis judge has awarded a teenage boy $15 million in a civil lawsuit against the once-prominent lawyer he accused of sexually assaulting him. Judge Denise Reilly ordered former antitrust lawyer Aaron Biber to pay $10 million in punitive damages and $5 million for assault, battery and emotional distress, the…

May 25, 2011 3:40 PM CDT

After Reversal-of-Fortune Win, Bratz Doll Maker Seeks $130M in Legal Fees

Corrected: After a stunning turnaround win in a copyright case, Bratz doll manufacturer MGA Entertainment is seeking nearly $130 million in legal fees. U.S. District Judge David Carter of Los Angeles will hold a hearing today on MGA’s claim for $177 million in punitive damages, along with restitution, attorney fees…

May 25, 2011 2:54 PM CDT

Ex-Jenkens & Gilchrist Partners Paul Daugerdas and Donna Guerin Found Guilty in Tax Shelter Case

After nearly two weeks of deliberations, two former partners of Jenkens & Gilchrist were convicted today by a federal jury in Manhattan on multiple counts in a tax-shelter case. Paul Daugerdas was found guilty of 23 counts, and Donna Guerin of 12, Reuters reports. Both of the Illinois attorneys were…

May 24, 2011 11:45 PM CDT

$6.3M Settlement Wired to Marc Dreier Is Toast, Bankruptcy Judge Tells Ex-Lawyer’s Ex-Client

A former client has lost a legal battle to recoup a $6.3 million settlement stolen by his then-legal counsel Marc Dreier after it was wired to his attorney trust account. Technology investor Paul Gardi and his company, Alix Interactive Media, are bound by the purported Gardi signature Dreier forged on…

May 24, 2011 7:38 PM CDT

Former Attorney Takes Plea in Child Porn Case, Will Get 24 to 37 Months

Two years after the FBI raided his home, a now-disbarred Baltimore attorney has been charged with downloading images of children involved in “explicit” activity from a website controlled by an undercover FBI agent and pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography. After his guilty plea today in Maryland federal court,…

May 24, 2011 6:04 PM CDT

Lead Defense Lawyer Disqualified in Trial of Alleged Mexican Drug Kingpin

Saying that allowing an alleged Mexican drug kingpin to be represented by the lead lawyer of his choice could create significant distraction and delay during trial, a federal judge in San Diego today disqualified Jan Ronis from continuing to defend Benjamin Arellano Felix. Although U.S. District Judge Larry Burns held…

May 23, 2011 9:03 PM CDT

Quest Diagnostics Pays California $241M to Settle Medi-Cal Overcharging Suit

Quest Diagnostics, California’s biggest medical lab testing provider, yesterday in a settlement agreed to repay the state $241 million for alleged Medi-Cal overcharges. According to Bloomberg News, the settlement stems from a 2005 whistleblower lawsuit that alleged the company systematically overcharged Medi-Cal patients and gave illegal kickbacks to doctors, hospitals…

May 20, 2011 4:46 PM CDT

Nearly $1M Awarded to Dad Who Sued Ex-Wife’s Law Firm for Role in Child Abduction

A father whose child was spirited to Spain by his former spouse has won a nearly $1 million verdict against the New Jersey law firm that represented the woman. A jury in Bergen County, N.J., awarded $950,000 to Roy Innes and his daughter in their suit against Lesnevich & Marzano-Lesnevich…

May 18, 2011 4:17 PM CDT

Mack Trucks, Volvo Settle Benefits Case Brought by Retirees for $525M

Mack Trucks and its parent company, Volvo, agreed to pay $525 million to retired employees who challenged the company’s proposed reductions to lifetime health benefits in an Eastern District of Pennsylvania class action lawsuit. According to the Legal Intelligencer, Senior U.S. District Judge R. Barclay Surrick gave preliminary approval of…

May 17, 2011 8:24 PM CDT

Winklevoss Twins Say They’ll Appeal Facebook Case to SCOTUS

Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, twin brothers who say that Facebook was their idea, plan to appeal their case against the social media giant to the U.S. Supreme Court, The Digital Home blog of CNET.com reports. Yesterday, the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the brothers’ request for…

May 17, 2011 3:23 PM CDT

Ex-Texas Chief Justice Settles Suit Claiming Underage Drinking Party Caused Teen’s Death

Former Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Tom Phillips has reached a tentative settlement in a suit claiming an underage drinking party outside his house led to the death of a teen girl in a car accident. Phillips and his wife agreed to settle after mediation in the suit, brought by…

May 17, 2011 2:13 PM CDT