Verdicts & Settlements

11th Circuit Upholds $387K Sanction of Small Firm for Persisting in Case After Bad Client Depo

A divided federal appeals court panel has upheld a sanction of $387,738 against two South Florida attorneys. After their client contradicted herself repeatedly during an eight-day deposition in a sexual harassment case, Bill and Karen Amlong should have ended the litigation, held the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel…

Jan 3, 2011 7:20 PM CST

Judge Settles $50M Suit Against Website for Linking ‘Lawmiss’ Comments to Her E-Mail

A judge has settled a $50 million lawsuit that claimed an Ohio newspaper and its website should not have reported that her e-mail account was the source of anonymous online comments about a serial murder case she had been assigned. The judge, Shirley Strickland Saffold of Cuyahoga County, dropped her…

Jan 3, 2011 3:10 PM CST

For Federal Plaintiffs, Twombly and Iqbal Still Present a Catch-22

Fred Isquith, a New York City-based business litigator representing plaintiffs, recently had a client approach him with an “extremely powerful file—a banker’s box full of materials—and an insider.” Despite that mound of evidence, Isquith’s client felt compelled to hire a special investigator to gather even more facts before filing suit.…

Jan 1, 2011 8:50 AM CST

Judging the Judges: Landmark Iowa Elections Send Tremor Through the Judicial Retention System

Sen. Tom Harkin at a rally in support of three justices facing a retention vote. Photo by AP/Charlie Neibergall In 1962, Iowans changed the way they chose their judges to a system called merit retention, which requires that a special commission nominate qualified judicial candidates for the governor to appoint.…

Jan 1, 2011 6:59 AM CST

Jailed for Life in $11 Robbery, Freed Sisters to Save State Money as 1 Donates Kidney to Other

Jailed for life in Mississippi over an $11 armed robbery, two sisters weren’t scheduled for possible release until 2014. But the state governor brokered their early release in the controversial case, saving Mississippi a lot of money because one sister, Jamie Scott, is on dialysis. Meanwhile, the other, Gladys Scott,…

Dec 30, 2010 6:36 PM CST

US Aid Worker Who Spent Xmas in Haitian Jail Has Been Released, in Latest Child-Kidnap Case

After spending Chrismas in jail, an American who sold his Massachusetts contracting business and went to Haiti to help with relief efforts after the earthquake there early this year has been released. Accused by a Haitian man of taking his young son after the boy was brought to a hospital…

Dec 30, 2010 4:14 PM CST

Convicted of Rape, Former Israel Prez Faces Likely Prison Term

In what a prosecutor called a “badge of honor for Israeli democracy,” a former president of the country has been convicted of rape by a three-judge panel of a Tel Aviv court and faces a likely prison term. Convicted of raping an employee in the 1990s while serving as minister…

Dec 30, 2010 2:43 PM CST

Judge Clears 6 Verrill Dana Lawyers on All Ethics Charges re Ex-Partner’s $300K Theft

Tried on ethics charges in an attorney disciplinary case because they allegedly didn’t act quickly enough to investigate a then-partner’s theft of some $300,000 from clients and the firm and notify Maine authorities in 2007, six Verrill Dana lawyers have been cleared. The lawyers, who were targeted for discipline because…

Dec 30, 2010 12:41 PM CST

Fla. Appeals Court OKs Class Action Against Stern Law Firm Over Foreclosure Fees

A Florida appeals court has given the green light to a class action against an embattled foreclosure king and his Plantation law firm alleging that it charged at least 2,000 homeowners excessive reinstatement fees. The 4th District Court of Appeal agreed with a state circuit court judge that the homeowners’…

Dec 30, 2010 12:11 PM CST

Lawyer Suspended for Giving ‘Certain Items of Value’ to Judge

A Pennsylvania lawyer who cooperated with federal authorities in a criminal case against a former state-court judge reportedly won’t face any criminal charges himself. But Harry Cardoni has been temporarily suspended from law practice by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court based on his admission that he provided “certain items of value”…

Dec 29, 2010 6:06 PM CST

Upset at 29-Year Term, Man Drops F-Bomb, Gets Contempt Time, Too, Which Fed’l Appeals Court Upholds

Apparently unhappy about being sentenced to a 26-year prison term, followed by another three years due to his violation of probation in a prior drug case, a defendant dropped the F-bomb. “F— y’all,” he stated, having several times previously interrupted the Washington, D.C. Superior Court judge during his sentencing, recounts…

Dec 29, 2010 3:01 PM CST

Pro Se Ex-Client Wins ‘Awesome’ $5K Fee Award Against Lawyer

A judge has nixed a New York lawyer’s argument that he shouldn’t have to reimburse an ex-client $5,500 for unearned legal fees, due to a personal bankruptcy and a business name change, reports the Staten Island Advance. Michael DeFilippo must ante up and return the $5,000 retainer Sue Ruberto paid…

Dec 29, 2010 12:18 PM CST

DA Can Prosecute Rape Case Against County Sheriff’s Deputy, Visiting Judge Rules

All eight superior court judges in Yakima County, Wash., have removed themselves from hearing a rape case against a sheriff’s deputy. However, the district attorney can prosecute the case if he wishes to, a visiting judge ruled yesterday, reports the Yakima Herald-Republic. Rejecting a defense argument that DA Jim Hagarty…

Dec 29, 2010 11:52 AM CST

Dead at 54, ‘Ivory Queen of Soul’ is Also Known for Recording Contract Law Clarification

A rare success on the rhythm and blues charts as a white woman singing for Motown Records, Teena Marie died yesterday at her California home, apparently of natural causes. She was 54 years old. In addition to popular and critically acclaimed songs such as Square Biz, released in 1981, and…

Dec 28, 2010 3:02 PM CST

Judge Nixes Secrecy Pact in High-Profile Fatal Toyota Crash Settlement; Automaker Paid $10M

Although Toyota Motor Corp. and the plaintiffs agreed to keep secret the amount the automaker paid to settle a lawsuit over a fiery high-speed crash that killed a California Highway Patrol officer and three family members, a state-court judge held the settlement couldn’t be confidential. Ruling earlier this week on…

Dec 23, 2010 10:37 PM CST