Verdicts & Settlements

7th Circuit Cites ‘Unreasonable Fury’ of Chief District Judge as Reason for His Mid-Trial Removal

Putting an end to speculation about why a chief federal district judge was suddenly removed from an ongoing criminal trial in Chicago, the federal appeals court that axed him earlier this week explained today in a written opinion that it acted because of the jurist’s “unreasonable fury” against prosecutors. Responding…

Jul 30, 2010 7:30 PM CDT

Sued for Alleged Unpaid $359K Legal Bill, Client Pursues Counterclaim Seeking $628K Refund

A suit filed by Constantine Cannon seeking $359,000 plus interest and punitive damages for work performed for a client family and its real estate business has put the law firm in peril not only of being out-of-pocket for the $359,000 but having to return another $628,000. In a counterclaim that…

Jul 29, 2010 7:11 PM CDT

Temp Agency Pays $650K to Settle EEOC Suit Claiming ‘Cupcake’ Wasn’t a Dessert

An Ohio temporary agency has agreed to pay $650,000 to settle allegations it used code words to identify the race and sex of job applicants. The suit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission had claimed the company, Area Temps, profiled job hunters despite promises of equal employment opportunities, WKYC.com…

Jul 29, 2010 10:30 AM CDT

7th Circuit Removes Chief District Judge Mid-Trial After Evidence Dispute with US Attorney

Updated: Ruling on an interlocutory appeal by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, a federal appeals court in Chicago not only agreed with the prosecutor that the chief district court judge had erred by excluding fingerprint evidence in a drug case but removed the jurist from the ongoing trial. “The case shall…

Jul 29, 2010 2:43 AM CDT

Innocent ‘Rapist’ Exonerated After 27 Years, Too Late to Pursue New Suspects ID’d By DNA

For the second time in a week, Texas prosecutors are calling for the release of a convicted rapist exonerated by DNA evidence after serving a lengthy prison term. After serving 27 years, Michael Anthony Green has put in more time than any other exonerated inmate convicted of rape, reports the…

Jul 28, 2010 9:54 PM CDT

Homeowners Ass’n Loses Parking Case, Must Pay Owner’s $187K Legal Bill

A battle over whether a Florida homeowner could park his pickup in his own driveway racked up over $187,000 in legal bills for the unswerving owner by the time the Eagles Homeowners Association appealed a Hillsborough Circuit Court ruling in his favor. And now the association has not only lost…

Jul 28, 2010 5:18 PM CDT

NYC Settles Sean Bell Case for $3.25M, 2 Other Victims Get $3M and $900K

The city of New York has paid $7.15 million to three victims to settle a civil rights case concerning an unarmed African-American man who was shot to death by police in a hail of bullets outside a Queens night club in November 2006 as he celebrated in anticipation of his…

Jul 27, 2010 11:02 PM CDT

Jeffs Wins Appeal of Rape Convictions Based on His Role as Minister at 14-Year-Old’s Wedding

Agreeing with defense lawyers that a claimed marital rape involving two teenagers hadn’t been properly focused upon in jury instructions, the Utah Supreme Court has overturned unusual felony accomplice rape convictions of a religious leader based on his role in promoting an underage marriage between an unwilling 14-year-old and her…

Jul 27, 2010 7:14 PM CDT

Despite ‘Utter Lack of Taste & Propriety,’ FB Posts Didn’t Libel & Parents Had No Duty to Monitor

In an apparent effort to extend the frontiers of defamation law where cyberbullying is concerned, a New York law firm sued four former classmates of an Oceanside High School student and their parents seeking $6 million in compensatory and punitive damages for an alleged vicious Facebook onslaught under the guise…

Jul 26, 2010 8:55 PM CDT

Law Firm & Angry Ex-Associate Settle Suit Over Badmouth Blog

Whether you saw it as the “horrendous cyber-assault” claimed by Levinson Axelrod or simply an ex-associate’s legitimate expression of opinion, however unflattering, about the New Jersey law firm that formerly employed him, a badmouth blog that captured public attention with its angry audacity is no more. A confidential settlement last…

Jul 26, 2010 5:53 PM CDT

Lawyer’s Multiple Disability Claims Irk Targeted Businesses in Calif. City

A San Diego lawyer has irritated business owners in the town of Redlands, Calif., by sending out letters on behalf of clients demanding $6,500 settlements for claimed violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act and related state law. Attorney James Mason says he represents two disabled veterans who don’t live…

Jul 23, 2010 5:31 PM CDT

Lewis Brisbois Can’t Use SLAPP Law as Shield Against Ex-Client’s Malpractice Suit

A law firm known for its insurance expertise has arguably now made a bad situation worse–twice–by litigating insurance-related issues. Sued for malpractice by ex-client Kmart Corp., Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith invoked the protection of a California civil rights statute, contending that its effort to seek a declaratory judgment on…

Jul 22, 2010 8:35 PM CDT

Procrastinating Lawyer’s Lies About Estate Work Require Disbarment, Says Top NH Court

For nearly five years after Bertha McInnes died on Sept. 12, 1998, attorney Lynn Morse worked on her $461,500 estate, filing an appearance in Rockingham County Probate Court within 10 days of her death. Again and again, Morse sought delays and promised to meet deadlines but didn’t. When the executrix,…

Jul 22, 2010 7:15 PM CDT

Lesbian Settles Prom Suit, Applauds School Policy Change

A Mississippi school district has agreed to pay $35,000 to settle a lawsuit by a lesbian teen denied the chance to attend a school-sponsored prom with a same-sex date. The Itawamba County School District in Fulton also agreed to adopt a nondiscrimination policy that specifically protects gays and lesbians, according…

Jul 22, 2010 12:27 PM CDT

Conrad Black Released on Bond After Some $40M in Legal Bills; How Much More Can He Afford to Pay?

Freed today from a federal prison in Florida, onetime media mogul Conrad Black is seemingly potentially on track for a possible reversal of his fraud and obstruction of justice convictions. But a major roadblock remains: His legal fees. An estimated $40 million in defense costs for Black have been covered…

Jul 21, 2010 11:29 PM CDT