11th Circuit Court

Federal Judge Grants Motion to Delay Trial So Attorney & Family Can Attend BCS Title Game

Seeking to persuade a federal judge in Alabama to grant a civil trial delay so he and his family could attend the Bowl Championship Series title game next month, attorney Michael Mulvaney attached photographic evidence—two photos of his daughters, as youngsters wearing Auburn jerseys, and as teenagers—as he pleaded for…

Dec 10, 2010 8:25 PM CST

Unhappy Holidays for Wesley Snipes: Judge Denies Request for Delayed Jail Term

Updated: Actor Wesley Snipes had sought a month’s delay before he begins serving a three-year sentence for failing to file tax returns, so he could spend the holidays with his four minor children. But the request received a “Bah, humbug!” response from a federal judge in Florida, reports TMZ. Wrote…

Dec 8, 2010 12:31 AM CST

US Attorney Offers Resentencing, Says Federal Judge May Have Been Affected by Drugs or Bias

After a federal judge’s acceptance of a plea deal last month, after he was accused of carrying loaded firearms in his vehicle and buying drugs for a stripper with whom he was having a relationship, federal prosecutors are offering defendants he sentenced during his last months on the bench a…

Dec 3, 2010 1:26 AM CST

Voted Out of Kindergarten by Classmates, Autistic Boy, 5, Gets $350K Settlement

The family of a 5-year-old boy who, at his teacher’s suggestion, was voted out of his kindergarten class by the other children has won a $350,000 settlement of a federal lawsuit. About $150,000 of the money will be paid in structured settlement, starting in 2020, when Alex Barton is 18…

Dec 2, 2010 10:59 PM CST

Ex-Employees Sue Stern’s Foreclosure Law Firm and Related Company Over Hundreds of Layoffs

After laying off hundreds of employees in the last few months, a law firm and related company known for their mortgage foreclosure work on behalf of lenders are now themselves the target of litigation. The law offices of David J. Stern and a related processing company, DJSP Enterprises, didn’t comply…

Dec 1, 2010 11:11 PM CST

Judge Jogging with Juvenile Offenders Would Be Unethical, Says Fla. Supreme Court

Even if it seems like a nice idea, juvenile court judges should not go jogging with adolescent offenders, says the Florida Supreme Court, in a recent ethics advisory opinion. The question was submitted by a Florida jurist who wanted to create a running program for juvenile offenders. The plan was…

Nov 24, 2010 5:46 PM CST

Federal Judge Accused of Buying Drugs for Stripper Will Take Plea Deal

Eager to put what his lawyer calls a “tough situation” behind him, a federal judge accused of carrying loaded firearms in his car around the time he allegedly purchased drugs for a stripper with whom he was having a relationship plans to take a plea deal in federal court in…

Nov 18, 2010 11:58 PM CST

Nancy Grace Settles Suit Over Alleged Show-Related Suicide for $200K Trust Fund

Talk show host Nancy Grace and CNN have settled a suit brought by the family of a young woman who committed suicide in 2006 after being aggressively interviewed by Grace about the then-recent disappearance of her 2-year-old son from her home. Melinda Duckett, 21, shot herself on the day the…

Nov 8, 2010 11:29 PM CST

Bankruptcy Trustee Seeks Clawback from Rothstein’s Pal and Ex-Law Partner Salamone

A friend and former law partner of imprisoned ex-attorney and convicted swindler Scott Rothstein has been sued by a Chapter 11 bankruptcy trustee for Rothstein’s former South Florida law firm. Trustee Herbert Stettin is attempting to claw back six-figure profits that he says were fraudulently transferred to defendant Chris Salamone,…

Nov 1, 2010 5:56 PM CDT

‘Totally Fooled’ by Now-Convicted Rothstein, Law Partner Tries to Explain What He Did for $450K Pay

“Totally fooled” by his then-law partner, Scott Rothstein, who is now serving a 50-year sentence for running a $1.2 billion Ponzi scheme, a Florida lawyer tried to explain in a deposition today what he did to earn $450,000 a year from Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler—plus another $475,000 in payments for a…

Oct 28, 2010 7:59 PM CDT

11th Circuit Mulls Bid by ‘Girls Gone Wild’ Plaintiffs to Remain Anonymous Despite Suit

Legal counsel for four young women told a federal appeals court today that their clients should be allowed to proceed with a civil suit over being filmed as teenagers for Girls Gone Wild videos without having to reveal their names to the public. But lawyers for two media organizations that…

Oct 26, 2010 6:26 PM CDT

Judge’s Ruling Appealed; Litigants Note Allegations of His Drug Use

Two vegans awarded $2 each but no attorney fees or expenses in a civil suit over their arrest in a protest at a HoneyBaked Ham store are challenging Senior U.S. District Judge Jack Camp’s ruling based on the contention that he was using drugs at the time. Camp is accused…

Oct 20, 2010 5:02 PM CDT

Federal Judge Green-Lights Challenge to Health Care Reform Act

A federal judge in Florida has given the green light to a challenge by 20 states of the recent health care reform legislation backed by the Obama administration. However, U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson yesterday dismissed a number of claims in the Northern District of Florida case even as he…

Oct 15, 2010 10:00 AM CDT

Allergan to Pay $375M in Criminal Case Over Off-Label Marketing of Botox

A federal judge in Atlanta yesterday okayed a $375 million settlement of a criminal case by Allergan Inc. concerning the company’s marketing of Botox drug for off-label purposes not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Although Allergan denies wrongdoing, aside from one misdemeanor count over its marketing of…

Oct 6, 2010 5:05 PM CDT

Exotic Dancer’s Tip Links Federal Judge, 67, to Drug & Firearms Case

Updated: A senior federal judge was arrested Friday in a drug and firearms case and held over the weekend in an undisclosed location. The case resulted from a tip by an exotic dancer at an Atlanta strip club from whom U.S. District Judge Jack Camp allegedly purchased illegal substances and…

Oct 4, 2010 8:53 PM CDT