2nd Circuit Court

Claimed $40K Contract Hit Attempt on Fed’l Judge, Prosecutor Creates New Trouble for Jailed Con Man

Updated: A New York man who was serving time in federal prison in New York after selling overpriced coins in a $40 million telemarketing scheme on Long Island and in South Florida is now facing new trouble. Joseph Romano is accused of plotting from his prison cell to hire a…

Oct 9, 2012 9:01 PM CDT

Civil Suit Accuses Ex-Partner of Chinese BigLaw Firm of Conspiracy to Bilk US Clients of $10M

In a civil securities fraud suit filed in federal court in New York, a group of investors has accused a former partner in a Beijing-based BigLaw firm of conspiring with her husband to bilk them of $10 million. Helen Lv and her former 1,200-attorney law firm, DeHeng Law Offices, are…

Oct 9, 2012 8:22 PM CDT

Florida Trial Lawyer Willie Gary and His Law Firm Must Pay $12.5M to Litigation Funding Company

A Florida trial lawyer known both for the big verdicts he has won and his lavish lifestyle has been hit with a $12.5 million verdict in a case brought by a litigation funding company. Willie Gary, his law firm, Gary, Williams, Lewis & Watson, and another partner are the defendants…

Oct 4, 2012 3:48 PM CDT

New Indictment Expands Case Against Madoff Ex-Employees, Says Securities Fraud Started in 1970s

Five former longtime employees at Bernard Madoff’s now-defunct investment firm are facing new charges, in an expanded new indictment. The new indictment is apparently based on information provided by others who have taken pleas in the $20 billion swindle for which their former boss is serving a 150-year prison term.…

Oct 2, 2012 4:24 PM CDT

Ex-Hospital CEO Faces Criminal Racketeering Case, Accused of Taking $1.4M in Kickbacks Over a Decade

A former CEO of the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York is facing a federal criminal racketeering case on charges that he took some $1.4 million in illegal kickbacks between 1996 and 2007 from vendors, a hospital employee and a United Kingdom healthcare organization. John R. Reynolds left his…

Sep 26, 2012 9:41 PM CDT

Former Programmer Accused of Stealing Source Code Wants Goldman Sachs to Pay $2.4M Legal Fees

A former computer programmer for Goldman Sachs Group Inc. who has now been charged in state court in Manhattan related to his alleged theft of confidential source code from his ex-employer to use in a new job has filed suit seeking over $2.4 million in legal fees. Sergey Aleynikov says…

Sep 26, 2012 8:07 PM CDT

9 Out-of-State Colleagues Will Help Overwhelmed Federal Court in Conn. Get on Top of Caseload

On paper, the federal district court in Connecticut has lost only one judge, who was elevated to the New York City-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. But three more have been sidelined by death, illness and, in the case of one senior judge, the need for a reduced schedule.…

Sep 24, 2012 6:31 PM CDT

Proposed $71M Dewey Clawback Deal Gives Nod to Jones Day Partners’ Fraud Claims

In the latest development in a proposed $71 million plan to claw back some profits from former partners of the failed Dewey & LeBoeuf law firm, those in charge of the deal have agreed to give four high-profile bankruptcy lawyers leeway to pursue fraud claims against their former firm. The…

Sep 17, 2012 11:05 PM CDT

Citibank Says It Had No Duty to Warn Ex-Partner About Dewey Finances

Sued by Citibank for defaulting on a $209,000 loan he used to finance his capital contribution to Dewey & LeBoeuf, a former partner of the defunct law firm last month fired back in a federal court motion seeking summary judgment and claiming fraudulent inducement. Citibank, ex-partner Steven Otillar contends, helped…

Sep 17, 2012 5:52 PM CDT

Former Jenkens & Gilchrist Partner Takes Plea in Tax Shelter Opinions Case; Will Forfeit $1.6M

A former partner of Jenkens & Gilchrist pleaded guilty to conspiracy and tax evasion Thursday in federal court in Manhattan concerning a decade-long tax-shelter scheme that the trial judge says is the biggest American tax-fraud case ever. Donna Guerin, 52, agreed to forfeit $1.6 million and could face a maximum…

Sep 13, 2012 9:57 PM CDT

Federal Judge Certifies Class In ‘Sewer Service’ Suit Against NY Debt Collection Law Firm

A federal judge in Manhattan has certified a class that potentially includes thousands of plaintiffs in a lawsuit against consumer debt purchaser Leucadia National Corp. and a New York law firm, Mel S. Harris and Associates, that specializes in debt collection. Alleging violations of not only the federal Fair Debt…

Sep 12, 2012 3:51 PM CDT

Ice Cream Maker Ben & Jerry’s Wins Lookalike Porn Movie TRO; Boston Cream Thigh, Other DVDs Nixed

It might seem unlikely that those who enjoy Ben & Jerry’s gourmet ice cream would think the Vermont-based maker of trademarked flavors such as Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Peanut Butter Cup and Boston Cream Pie has anything to do with similar sounding porn flicks such as Chocolate Fudge Babes, Peanut Butter…

Sep 7, 2012 6:30 PM CDT

Investors Class Action Against Goldman Sachs Revived in 2nd Circuit

A class action against Goldman Sachs Group Inc. brought by investors who claim the investment bank misled them about risks that come with mortgage securities was revived Thursday in the New York City-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The finding reverses a 2010 judgement dismissing the action, Bloomberg News…

Sep 6, 2012 8:50 PM CDT

2nd Circuit OKs Trademark Protection for French Designer Christian Louboutin’s Red-Soled Shoes

Disagreeing with a federal district court that earlier denied a preliminary injunction sought by a French designer after another high-fashion industry icon allegedly infringed on his trademarked red-soled shoes, a federal appeals court Wednesday said that Christian Louboutin is entitled to seek a legal remedy except when the shoes in…

Sep 5, 2012 4:14 PM CDT

Federal Judge Says Calif. Law Allows Clawback Claims Against Ex-Thelen Partners But NY Law Doesn’t

In a ruling that could affect former partners of other failed law firms, a federal judge in New York held Tuesday that a bankruptcy trustee can pursue clawback claims against some but not all of Thelen’s former partners. Drawing a distinction between what is permitted under California and New York…

Sep 4, 2012 10:31 PM CDT