3rd Circuit Court

$215M Suit Says Grant & Eisenhofer Hid Agreement and Took Excessive Fee from Clients

An investor in Tyco International Ltd. has turned the tables on Grant & Eisenhofer, contending in a malpractice lawsuit seeking class action status that the plaintiffs securities law firm concealed a fee agreement with the lead plaintiff in an earlier case and took an excessive payout from its own clients.…

Aug 3, 2010 11:11 PM CDT

Lawyer in School Webcam Spy Case Wants $418K in Legal Fees Now as Case Continues

A lawyer representing a teenage high school student and his family in a would-be class action over alleged illegal spying via school-district-issued laptop computer webcams says he can ill afford to continue with the high-profile civil rights case without being paid. But because a federal judge has ordered the Lower…

Jul 27, 2010 4:57 PM CDT

Law Firm & Angry Ex-Associate Settle Suit Over Badmouth Blog

Whether you saw it as the “horrendous cyber-assault” claimed by Levinson Axelrod or simply an ex-associate’s legitimate expression of opinion, however unflattering, about the New Jersey law firm that formerly employed him, a badmouth blog that captured public attention with its angry audacity is no more. A confidential settlement last…

Jul 26, 2010 5:53 PM CDT

Law Firm Must Pay Ex-Client Legal Fees & Punitives for Filing Bad-Faith Bankruptcy Petition

Finding that a law firm made a bad-faith involuntary Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition in an effort to force an ex-client to abandon meritorious counterclaims in a fee-dispute case, a federal bankruptcy judge has dismissed the petition and awarded an as-yet-undetermined amount of attorney’s fees and punitive damages to the ex-client.…

Jul 21, 2010 5:38 PM CDT

3rd Circuit Tells Prosecutors to Cut Brief After ‘Moby-Dick’ Objection

A federal appeals court has ordered prosecutors challenging the fraud sentence for a Pennsylvania politician to slash their brief by about 20 percent. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the shorter brief, despite prosecutors’ objections that they needed the extra pages “to thoroughly describe the numerous sentencing errors…

Jul 21, 2010 11:48 AM CDT

Law Firm Partner May Not Sue for Sex Discrimination, 3rd Circuit Rules

A federal appeals court has affirmed the dismissal of a sex discrimination suit filed by a partner in a Pennsylvania law firm, holding that she does not qualify as an employee who is covered by discrimination laws. The court ruled against Alyson Kirleis, a shareholder and director with Pittsburgh law…

Jul 20, 2010 12:22 PM CDT

2 Small Law Firms Face Trial for Allegedly Aiding Parental Child Abduction

Two New Jersey attorneys and their matrimonial firms are facing a looming trial in a high-profile family law case that centers on a client’s transport of her then-4-year-old child to her native Spain, in violation of a United States parenting agreement. The agreement also called for the lawyer initially representing…

Jul 2, 2010 8:20 PM CDT

Frontier Says Google Voice Infringes on Telephone Patent

In a lawsuit filed today in federal court in Delaware, Frontier Communications Corp. contends that the Google Voice feature infringes on a new patent for telephone services. Its suit against Google Inc. seeks damages and a court order preventing the California-based Internet goliath from continuing to use the telephone technology,…

Jun 22, 2010 11:37 PM CDT

3rd Circuit Weighs ‘Nooks and Crannies’ and Trade Secrets Disclosure

Only seven executives know all three parts of the recipe for Thomas’ English Muffins and their distinctive “nooks and crannies.” One of those executives, former senior vice president Chris Botticella, wants to take a new job with a competitor, Hostess Brands Inc. A federal appeals court based in Philadelphia is…

Jun 16, 2010 11:00 AM CDT

Law Firm Spammed Our Investors, Contends Ex-Client in Fee Dispute

Without the permission of its then-client, Skyworks Ventures Inc., a New York law firm sent spam e-mail to the video game company’s investors seeking to perform legal work, contends the New Jersey-based company in an ongoing case. Sued by Scarola Ellis over a disputed bill, Skyworks contends that Scarola Ellis…

Jun 14, 2010 7:57 PM CDT

Accused of Pulling Fire Alarm & Arrested, Librarian Can Sue Law Firm, Federal Judge Rules

A fire alarm activated a year ago on the third floor of Parker McCay’s offices has left the New Jersey law firm still dealing with a super-heated situation. The day after the June 2, 2009 incident, law librarian Sheila Ciemniecki was called into a Parker McCay conference room, where she…

Jun 10, 2010 7:39 PM CDT

Ballard Spahr Bill Near $750K in Ongoing School Laptop Webcam Case

Legal fees charged by Ballard Spahr and a computer forensic expert the law firm retained are nearing $750,000 in a four-month-old matter concerning a school district’s controversial remote activation of webcams on the laptop computers it issued to students. A lawyer for the plaintiffs in a federal class action seeking…

Jun 8, 2010 2:44 PM CDT

Jailed Paralegal Faces 23 New Charges in Alleged $700K Law Firm Thefts

A longtime paralegal and office manager for a suburban Philadelphia law firm is facing 23 new criminal charges after being indicted today by a federal grand jury. Jailed last year after being convicted of identity theft and filing a false police report in another case, Bonnie Sweeten now is facing…

May 21, 2010 12:22 AM CDT

3rd Circuit Tosses Lawyer’s ‘Honest Match’ Suit over Patriots ‘Spygate’ Scandal

A lawyer who filed a $184 million suit against the New England Patriots for secretly videotaping the New York Jets hopes the U.S. Supreme Court will hear his case after his court loss on Wednesday. Princeton, N.J., lawyer Carl Mayer had contended the Patriots deprived season ticket-holders of an “honest…

May 20, 2010 12:27 PM CDT

3rd Circuit to Decide Whether Law Firm Partner Can Sue for Equal Pay

A federal appeals court is being asked to decide whether a law firm partner can sue for alleged pay discrimination. Lawyer Alyson Kirleis alleges Pittsburgh law firm Dickie McCamey & Chilcote pays women lawyers less than male lawyers, the Legal Intelligencer reports. Her suit also claims male partners told her…

May 4, 2010 1:59 PM CDT