2nd Circuit Court

Sotomayor’s Nomination: Today’s News

ABAJournal.com: “Judiciary Committee Republicans Promise Tough Questions for Sotomayor” ABAJournal.com: “The Four Likely Lines of Attack Against Sonia Sotomayor” ABAJournal.com: “Obama Announces Nomination of Sonia Sotomayor” ABAJournal.com: “Short List of Sotomayor and 3 Others Disappointed Some Liberals” ABAJournal.com: “‘Fendi Crush’ was Highlight of Sotomayor’s IP Practice” Associated Press: “Sotomayor made…

May 26, 2009 11:31 PM CDT

1st Civilian Trial of Gitmo Prisoner Will Be Ghailani’s in N.Y.

Countering critics’ claims that it is too dangerous to transport terrorism suspects to the United States for trial in civilian courts, Attorney General Eric Holder announced today that the first such trial of a detainee at the Guantanamo Bay military base in Cuba will be held in New York. Ahmed…

May 22, 2009 12:00 AM CDT

Fed’l Judge to Hear Request to Ban Media Photos of Handcuffed N.Y. Lawmaker

Saying that First Amendment protections are not absolute, a federal judge in New York has scheduled a hearing to consider whether the media’s repeated publication of photographs of an apparently handcuffed New York lawmaker violate his right to a fair trial. Rejecting arguments by a lawyer for Newsday and News12…

May 21, 2009 6:25 PM CDT

Woody Allen Settles Billboard Lawsuit Against American Apparel for $5M

A clothing company known for its racy advertising and aggressive litigation tactics has agreed to settle for $5 million a lawsuit by Woody Allen over its alleged unauthorized use of his image in a billboard campaign and Internet advertising. But Dov Charney, the founder and chief executive of American Apparel,…

May 18, 2009 5:52 PM CDT

Ex-Mayer Brown Partner Knew Zip re Client’s $2.4B Fraud, His Lawyer Says

A lawyer for a former Mayer Brown partner started outlining his client’s defense yesterday in a federal trial that began in New York this week over what prosecutors describe as attorney Joseph Collins’ help to high-level executives at Refco Inc. in concealing a $2.4 billion corporate fraud. The three executives…

May 14, 2009 5:22 PM CDT

In a Reversal, White House Will Seek to Withhold Photos of Detainee Abuse

The Obama administration has reversed course and decided it will oppose releasing photos of claimed prisoner abuses at U.S. prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan. Anonymous officials told several publications that President Obama met with his legal team last week and said he feared that U.S. troops would be endangered by…

May 13, 2009 5:32 PM CDT

Attorney Marc Dreier Pleads Guilty; Will He Go to Jail Prior to Sentencing?

Once a high-flying partner at the helm of a 250-attorney New York law firm, Marc Dreier pleaded guilty today in federal court in Manhattan to a fraud scheme for which authorities are seeking $700 million in restitution. Dreier, who was arrested in December for allegedly bilking sophisticated investors out of…

May 11, 2009 10:35 PM CDT

Betting Website Lists Sotomayor as Favorite for Supreme Court Seat

Judge Sonia Sotomayor is the front-runner for the U.S. Supreme Court, according to a gambling website. The Irish website Paddy Power lists odds for Sotomayor at 13-8 and odds for Judge Diane Wood at slightly higher than 2-1, FOX News reports. Sotomayor is a judge on the 2nd U.S. Circuit…

May 11, 2009 1:01 PM CDT

Ark. Lawyer in Hot Water Over $9M Settlement-Funds Shortfall

A prominent Arkansas plaintiffs securities lawyer has reportedly come up short on about $9.3 million that was supposed to be paid last month from a fund he controls to clients who made a $65.8 million settlement with BISYS Group Inc. in 2006. Gene Cauley told co-counsel in the case last…

May 8, 2009 11:37 PM CDT

Ex-Paul Hastings Associate Pleads in $4.8M Insider Trading Case

A former tax associate at Paul Hastings Janofsky & Walker has pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy and securities fraud in what officials have described as a $4.8 million insider trading case with multiple defendants. “I knew my trading was wrong,” Eric Holzer, 34, told a federal magistrate judge…

May 7, 2009 10:28 PM CDT

Madoff Firm was ‘Piggy Bank’ for Family, Trustee Says

An investment firm formerly run by convicted Ponzi schemer Bernard Madoff was essentially a “piggy bank” for personal expenses for him and his family, a trustee says in court papers. Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC paid for country club memberships and salaries of family members and servants, reports Reuters.…

May 6, 2009 4:55 PM CDT

2005 Sotomayor Speech May Raise Conservative Eyebrows

New concerns are being aired about Judge Sonia Sotomayor, considered one of the front-runners for the U.S. Supreme Court seat held by retiring Justice David H. Souter, and Exhibit A is likely to be a 2005 speech she made at Duke University. Sotomayor is a judge on the New York…

May 6, 2009 1:24 PM CDT

Woody Allen’s Reputation Isn’t Worth $10M, American Apparel Argues

A clothing manufacturer known for its edgy advertising and aggressive litigation tactics is now taking on Woody Allen. Sued by the director and actor for $10 million for allegedly using his image without permission on billboards and in an Internet advertising campaign, American Apparel Inc. contends that Allen’s image isn’t…

May 5, 2009 5:34 PM CDT

Oops. Partner’s No-Show at Hearing Doesn’t Help WilmerHale Client’s Cause

It’s a standard question at court hearings: Who represents a company involved in the case? The answer was a deafening silence on Monday at a routine U.S. Bankruptcy Court hearing in Manhattan, reports the Bankruptcy Beat blog of the Wall Street Journal. Judge Robert Gerber wasn’t pleased, the newspaper reports,…

Apr 28, 2009 11:25 PM CDT

Another ‘Clawbacks’ Defense for Madoff Clients: No Money

A new defense has been added to the list of reasons why early investors with Bernard Madoff arguably shouldn’t have to pay “clawbacks” of proceeds they received early on during his operation of a $65 billion Ponzi scheme under the guise of a hedge fund. In short, they don’t have…

Apr 28, 2009 10:36 PM CDT