Verdicts & Settlements

Ore. Lawyer Gets Payday in Calif. Federal Case; 9th Cir. Nixes Birbrower Ban

A prominent Oregon lawyer who helped his son litigate a federal insurance coverage case in California is entitled to attorney fees, a divided federal appeals court panel has ruled, even though he wasn’t temporarily admitted to practice there. The well-known “Birbrower” ban on attorney fees being paid to an unadmitted…

Feb 18, 2009 6:39 PM CST

Federal Judge Kent Lied About ‘Affair’ to Protect Lady, His Lawyer Says

A federal judge facing unprecedented criminal sexual abuse charges was simply being a gentleman when he lied, in an earlier judicial investigation, about what he now describes as an affair, his lawyer said today in court. However, attorney Dick DeGuerin was not successful in his attempt to persuade Senior U.S.…

Feb 18, 2009 1:36 AM CST

Mo. Judge: System Failed at All Levels in Teen’s Murder Conviction

The Missouri justice system failed at all levels as an apparently innocent teen was charged, convicted and found guilty as well on appeal in a college student’s 1992 murder, a state-court judge ruled today. Saying that particular doubt was cast on the conviction of Joshua Kezer by the fact that…

Feb 17, 2009 11:38 PM CST

Oops. Man ID’d from MySpace Photo Wasn’t Actual Assailant

A North Carolina man arrested on Albany, N.Y., assault charges after the victim identified him from a photo on the MySpace social networking site has suddenly been cleared as his trial was about to start. After his lawyer argued in court today that Brandon Hooks, 26, had never been in…

Feb 17, 2009 11:08 PM CST

Burned-Out Lawyer Plans to Opt Out, One Among Many on ‘Dark Side’ of Law

When Glen Rosenberg realized he’d let the statute of limitations expire in a personal injury case for the first time in nearly 20 years of practice, he did the right thing. First, he notified his malpractice carrier. Then he told his client, reports the Connecticut Law Tribune. At a grievance…

Feb 17, 2009 9:05 PM CST

Latest Luzerne Court Follies News: Administrator Pleads Guilty

The administrator of a troubled Pennsylvania court that has recently seen two top judges plead guilty to criminal charges himself pleaded guilty today in federal court in Scranton to embezzling funds. William Sharkey, 57, admitted during a brief hearing this morning that he took more than $70,000 in seized illegal…

Feb 17, 2009 8:07 PM CST

Impeachment Sought of Presiding Texas Criminal Appeals Judge

In a controversial decision in 2007, the presiding judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals refused to delay the court’s scheduled closing by 20 minutes so that a last-minute emergency appeal could be filed in a death-penalty case hours before an inmate’s execution. Now a state lawmaker is calling…

Feb 17, 2009 7:47 PM CST

Ex-Bookkeeper for Ky. Law Firm is Convicted in $93.5K Theft Case

A federal jury has convicted a former bookkeeper for a law firm in Catlettsburg, Ky., of 17 charges related to the theft of nearly $100,000 from her ex-employer, Pruitt & Thorner. Ronda Nixon was found guilty Thursday of 11 wire fraud counts, two bank fraud counts, three aggravated identity theft…

Feb 17, 2009 6:18 PM CST

Disbarred Lawyer, Former Miss. Auditor Get 2 Years in Scruggs-Related Case

In the latest chapter of a $26.5 million Hurricane Katrina legal-fees dispute that led to the downfall of former tort king Richard “Dickie” Scruggs and other professionals, a disbarred lawyer and a former Mississippi state auditor have each been sentenced to two-year federal prison terms. Ex-attorney Timothy Balducci and Steve…

Feb 14, 2009 1:50 AM CST

Jury Verdict Unsealed in Fatal N.Y. Fire: 2 Tenants Not Guilty

An unusual delay apparently didn’t derail a New York jury verdict that was reached Wednesday but only announced in open court today. Two tenants accused of constructing illegal walls that doomed two firefighters who died in a 2005 fire were found not guilty, reports the New York Times. The firefighters…

Feb 14, 2009 12:00 AM CST

Judge to Hold Senior DOJ Lawyers in Contempt in Sen. Stevens Case

In the latest chapter of an ongoing saga of embarrassment for the U.S. Department of Justice, a federal judge angrily said he will hold four of its prosecutors in contempt for failing to comply with a post-trial court order to turn over documents in the case of former Sen. Ted…

Feb 13, 2009 8:40 PM CST

Ohio Judge Axes NCAA Ban on Lawyers for Student-Athletes

An Ohio judge’s finding that a National Collegiate Athletic Association ban on student-athletes using attorneys in contract negotiations is “arbitrary and capricious” could encourage significant legal representation changes nationally concerning Major League Baseball draft picks. The ruling came in a case filed by Andrew Oliver, an Oklahoma State pitcher. Drafted…

Feb 13, 2009 7:56 PM CST

2 Pa. Judges, 2 Lawyers and Others Sued in $2.6M Jail-for-Pay Case

Two Pennsylvania judges accused by federal prosecutors of accepting $2.6 million in kickbacks to jail juveniles in privately owned detention facilities are now being sued for damages. In the first of several expected lawsuits seeking class-action status, a federal complaint was filed yesterday contending that juveniles incarcerated under the scheme…

Feb 13, 2009 7:17 PM CST

Plaintiffs Question Judge’s Son’s Law Firm Link in Medtronic Case

U.S. District Judge Richard Kyle says he didn’t have any idea that his son’s law firm had performed work, in unrelated matters, for a defendant in a massive case he was hearing. But after plaintiff lawyers found out about Fredrikson & Byron’s connection to the litigation against Medtronic Inc., some…

Feb 13, 2009 6:04 PM CST

Plea Likely in 9-Year-Old’s Murder Case; No Prison Time

A plea deal is near for a boy, now 9, who is accused of shooting his father and another man to death at the family’s home, according to his attorney. Details aren’t specified, but “We aren’t going to sign him up for prison. We would never do that,” attorney Benjamin…

Feb 13, 2009 2:07 AM CST