Verdicts & Settlements

Did Man Confess Before Much-Debated Execution? Former Wife May Think So

In a new twist on a controversial case involving what some believe was the execution of an innocent man for setting the 1991 fire that killed his children, it is now being reported that Cameron Todd Willingham may have made comments amounting to a confession shortly before his own death.…

Oct 16, 2009 7:39 PM CDT

Judge Slaps Railroad With $4M Penalty for ‘Staggering’ Pattern of Misconduct

A Minnesota judge has added a $4 million fine to an already hefty jury verdict against Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. involving a fatal train-car crash related to a crossing gate failure. The railroad is alleged to have begun destroying evidence within minutes of the 2003 crash in Anoka, Minn.…

Oct 16, 2009 11:49 AM CDT

3rd Circuit Nixes Lawyer’s $14M Age Suit Despite ‘Younger & Cheaper’ Note

Even though his employment file at Moser Patterson & Sheridan contained a note “older & better paid/younger & cheaper,” attorney John Kelly’s age discrimination suit against the New Jersey law firm was properly dismissed on summary judgment, a federal appeals court has ruled. Kelly was 52 when he was fired…

Oct 15, 2009 9:10 PM CDT

Messy Foreclosure Cases Likely to Make a Lot of Work for Lawyers

Refusing to vacate a landmark ruling in March that is likely to create a lot of work for real estate lawyers, a Massachusetts judge today held banks accountable for failing to timely file all the foreclosure paperwork that he said is required by state law. By doing so, however, Land…

Oct 14, 2009 10:56 PM CDT

Court Fines 2 Cos. $6.4M for Unauthorized Law Practice, Bans Them From State

The Ohio Supreme Court has fined two “trust mill” companies $6.4 million for the unauthorized practice of law and banned them from doing business in the state. Its ruling this morning imposed $6,387,990 in penalties against American Family Prepaid Legal Corporation; Heritage Marketing and Insurance Services Inc.; and co-owners Jeffrey…

Oct 14, 2009 8:36 PM CDT

What Eliot Ness Was to Gangsters, PR Guy is to Athlete ID Thieves on Twitter

Brendan Wilhide’s increasing high-profile Twitter enforcement role doesn’t provide more than the satisfaction of a job well done. But the 26-year-old Connecticut public relations specialist is, in his spare time, the Eliot Ness of the social networking website, as far as imposters seeking to assume the personas of well-known athletes…

Oct 14, 2009 6:02 PM CDT

Unlucky in Med Mal & Law Firm Suits, Woman Wins Case re ‘Frivolous’ $6K in Costs

Allegedly misdiagnosed with breast cancer, Victoria Kremen had a double mastectomy. Then she sued her doctors for malpractice–and lost, because the statute of limitations had run. Then she sued her lawyers for malpractice—and lost again. Now, however, she’s finally scored something of a legal victory, reports the New York Law…

Oct 13, 2009 7:37 PM CDT

Stanford’s D&O Coverage Can Pay for Private Counsel in $7B Case, Judge Rules

it looks like Texas billionaire R. Allen Stanford may soon have a private lawyer again. After his assets were frozen, he couldn’t afford to pay legal counsel and had to get a public defender. But today U.S. District Judge David Godbey, who sits in Dallas, said he and other executives…

Oct 9, 2009 10:26 PM CDT

Contempt Isn’t a Felony, Says 11th Circuit, Eliminating Possible Draconian Sentences

A disbarred Florida lawyer caught representing a client in federal court after he lost his license to practice expected to plead guilty to criminal contempt. But what Lee Cohn didn’t expect was a ruling from U.S. District Judge William Zloch that the crime was a felony punishable by as much…

Oct 9, 2009 8:56 PM CDT

‘Toxic Titles’ Make Mortgage Foreclosures a Lot More Complex

Already dealing with a deluge of mortgage foreclosures, courts in Massachusetts now have a new problem. And, although litigation over the issue is farther along there than in a number of other states, it’s a growing concern that is also affecting other properties throughout the country. So-called toxic titles created…

Oct 9, 2009 8:27 PM CDT

Lawyer Led Astor’s Son Astray in $60M Fraud Says Ex-Jury Holdout (a Lawyer)

Anthony Marshall repeatedly took advantage the failing mental abilities of his elderly mother, Brooke Astor, diverting millions from the legendary New York socialite’s estate, a jury decided yesterday. But he did so under the influence of advisers including a lawyer who also was convicted, Francis Morrissey Jr., a former holdout…

Oct 9, 2009 5:28 PM CDT

Brooke Astor’s Son & Lawyer are Found Guilty in $60M Estate Fraud Case

For a while it looked like a battling jury might not reach a verdict in a high-profile trial over actions by Brooke Astor’s son and an attorney that allegedly siphoned some $60 million from the legendary socialite’s nearly $200 million estate. But her 85-year-old son and a 66-year-old lawyer were…

Oct 8, 2009 7:31 PM CDT

Law Firm Loses Debt Collection Case; Plaintiff’s Attorney to Seek 6-Figure Fee

A federal judge has ruled against a New York law firm in a hard-fought case over its debt-collection practices, finding after a bench trial that Upton Cohen & Slamowitz conducted a “superficial” review that didn’t meet the standard required for a collection letter from an attorney. Section 1692(e) of the…

Oct 8, 2009 7:12 PM CDT

Judge to Seek Partial Verdict Today in Ongoing Trial Over Astor Estate Planning

Updated: Trying to help a struggling jury get to the finish line, the judge in high-profile New York criminal trial over Brooke Astor’s estate planning has said he will accept a partial verdict in the midst of deliberations, reports the City Room blog of the New York Times. If, after…

Oct 8, 2009 5:00 PM CDT

$9M Verdict for ED Treatment Gone Bad

A Georgia man who claimed the treatment he receive for erectile dysfunction left him permanently scarred has been awarded more than $9 million in damages. John Henry Howard received the treatment from the Boston Men’s Health Center, operating clinics as the Boston Medical Group, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Howard injected…

Oct 7, 2009 12:01 PM CDT