11th Circuit Court

Scruggs to Challenge Special Prosecutors in Hearing Next Week

Mississippi plaintiffs lawyer Richard “Dickie” Scruggs will be arraigned next week on a criminal contempt charge for failing to return documents related to State Farm’s handling of Hurricane Katrina claims. Scruggs got the documents from two sisters who worked for a State Farm contractor. Rather than returning them, he gave…

Nov 13, 2007 6:56 PM CST

Squeezing Student by Throat Constitutional

A Georgia teacher who grabbed a 14-year-old boy by the throat and squeezed his neck as he tried to leave her classroom did not violate the youth’s civil rights, a federal appeals court has ruled. The Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the teacher’s action, which left bruises,…

Nov 7, 2007 4:32 PM CST

Justices Seek Ways to Uphold Child Pornography Law

U.S. Supreme Court justices appear intent on finding a way to uphold the latest congressional effort to outlaw child pornography. In oral arguments yesterday, the justices debated how they could uphold the law, known as the Protect Act, and even toyed with the idea of overturning the overbreadth doctrine, SCOTUSblog…

Oct 31, 2007 12:21 PM CDT

Lawyer’s Suit Against Seven Justices Fails

The lawyer for the alleged D.C. madam has failed in his attempt to sue seven justices on the U.S. Supreme Court for refusing to hear an earlier appeal in his divorce case. The seven justices had to recuse themselves in the case brought by Montgomery Blair Sibley, SCOTUSblog reports. That…

Oct 29, 2007 5:38 PM CDT

Appeals Court Halts Another Lethal Injection

A federal appeals court has halted another lethal injection, this time in the case of a terminally ill prisoner. Lawyers for the state of Alabama had argued that the prisoner, Daniel Siebert, could be executed because the state had changed its lethal injection procedure, the New York Times reports. The…

Oct 25, 2007 4:15 PM CDT

Former AG Says DOJ Politicized Prosecution

After a relatively convivial two-day confirmation hearing last week before the Senate Judiciary Committee concerning President Bush’s nomination of Michael Mukasey to be the new U.S. attorney general, the gloves were off again today in a House Judiciary Committee hearing over alleged improper White House political influence in Department of…

Oct 23, 2007 11:05 PM CDT

Sharper Image Purifier Settlement Nixed

A proposal to settle a class action against Sharper Image with $19 coupons for buyers of its Ionic Breeze purifers has been rejected by a federal judge. U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga rejected the proposal as inadequate, the Daily Business Review reports. The legal publication calls the decision a…

Oct 12, 2007 11:06 AM CDT

Anti-Porn Lawyer Wins Round in Judge Dispute

An anti-porn crusading lawyer says he is no longer at risk of being referred to a court ad hoc grievance committee for attaching gay-sex photos to a court filing. Florida lawyer Jack Thompson says the judge vacated an order to show cause why he should not be referred to the…

Oct 10, 2007 6:42 PM CDT

US: Immigrant Goes, $49 K in Savings Stays

After nearly a decade of washing dishes in a Florida restaurant, Pedro Zapeta had saved $62,000. He reportedly lived a frugal life, bicycling everywhere and denying himself all luxuries once he paid for his rent and electricity. No one questions that his savings come from his own hard-earned wages. However,…

Oct 10, 2007 6:32 PM CDT

Lawyer’s Dispute With Bar, Judge Heads for Hearing

The showdown between an anti-porn crusading lawyer and the Florida Bar is headed for a hearing tomorrow when a federal judge considers the bar’s motion to dismiss the suit. Florida lawyer Jack Thompson’s dispute with the bar has expanded to include the judge in the case, who has refused a…

Oct 8, 2007 4:16 PM CDT

‘Bar-Certified Sane Lawyer’ in New Judge Dispute

Anti-porn crusader Jack Thompson has had his share of disputes with judges. The South Florida lawyer is vocal in his criticism—so vocal that The Florida Bar is considering two complaints that contend his statements about two judges violated ethics rules. Now Thompson’s lawsuit (PDF) attempting to put a stop to…

Oct 3, 2007 12:10 AM CDT

Lawyer May Sue Nasdaq for $600 K Loss

A Miami-area lawyer who lost a $600,000 investment in WorldCom stock may pursue his suit against Nasdaq Stock Market Inc. because of an en banc ruling of a federal appeals court. The full 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last week that Nasdaq did not have immunity for ads…

Sep 25, 2007 12:03 PM CDT

2 Lawyers in Bankruptcy Case Crossfire

A well-known defense lawyer is the latest central Florida attorney to be caught in the crossfire between high-profile client Lou Pearlman, a jailed music producer with $500 million in claimed debt, and a bankruptcy trustee. The trustee is asking a bankruptcy judge to compel attorney Robert Leventhal, who has been…

Sep 24, 2007 6:37 PM CDT

Lawyer Pleads in $20 M Mortgage Scam

A Georgia real estate attorney has pleaded guilty in a $20 million federal mortgage fraud case involving some 50 Atlanta area properties that a client company purchased and resold to straw buyers between 2000 and 2001. The company “would acquire properties and on the same day resell or ‘flip’ them…

Sep 22, 2007 12:07 AM CDT

Hearing Transcripts to Go Online

The policy-making arm of the nation’s federal courts voted today to make it easier for both lawyers and the public to access court materials. For lawyers, the big news is the plan approved by the Judicial Conference of the United States to put transcripts of district and bankruptcy court proceedings…

Sep 18, 2007 7:01 PM CDT