5th Circuit Court

31 Ex-Clients Sue O’Quinn Law Firm, Say ‘Silicosis Litigation Machine’ Took Excess Expenses

A federal lawsuit has been filed by 31 former clients of the John O’Quinn law firm in Texas, contending that what they describe as a “silicosis litigation machine” took unauthorized and excessive expenses from their settlement money. Quinn died in a sports-utility vehicle accident in 2009, but his estate is…

Dec 19, 2012 10:21 PM CST

Ex-Crime Lab Supervisors Sue Texas DA, Claim Pointing to Booze Breath-Test Issues Led to Retaliation

Two former supervisors at a troubled police crime laboratory in Houston, Texas, have sued the local district attorney, contending that they suffered retaliation after blowing the whistle about problems with portable breath-alcohol testing stations. The Houston Chronicle reports that the plaintiffs, Amanda Culbertson and Jorge Wong, name three defendants in…

Dec 18, 2012 7:21 PM CST

Student’s Lawsuit Tests High School’s Microchip ID Policy; Will Religion Trump Need to Count Heads?

Many adults have essentially thrown up their hands over the ubiquitous electronic tracking—via cellphones, computers and cameras strategically placed along the roadside and retail shelves—that has eliminated the concept of privacy as we knew it only a decade or so ago. But a 15-year-old is making a federal-court fight out…

Dec 10, 2012 10:21 PM CST

New Orleans US Attorney Resigns Amidst Ethics Probe re Top Assistants’ Internet Postings

The nation’s longest-serving U.S. attorney announced his resignation Thursday at a press conference, effective in less than a week, but said he will stay on in a supporting role to help with the transition. Citing unidentified sources, the Times-Picayune said U.S. Attorney Jim Letten of New Orleans is in discussions…

Dec 6, 2012 10:54 PM CST

Latest Lawyer Sentenced in Judicial Bribery Case Gets 3.5 Years in Federal Prison

A lawyer convicted earlier this year of bribing a South Texas judge was sentenced Thursday in Brownsville to 3½ years in federal prison. Ray R. Marchan was convicted after a jury trial of seven counts in June, including racketeering, but subsequently had one mail fraud conviction reversed, the San Antonio…

Dec 6, 2012 8:49 PM CST

Ex-Associate of Law Firm Charged With Wire Fraud, Accused of Obtaining $453K from Trust Account

An ex-associate of a Baton Rouge, La., law firm has been federally charged with wire fraud for allegedly using fraudulent misrepresentations to persuade his former firm to send $93,750 to a bank account under his control. The charging document, a bill of information, also contends, however, that James M. “Tres”…

Nov 28, 2012 6:08 PM CST

Stanford Receiver Sues Greenberg and Hunton Firms, Says Lawyer’s Work Helped $7B Ponzi Scheme

A court-appointed receiver representing victims of a $7 billion Ponzi scheme for which former billionaire R. Allen Stanford is now serving a 110-year prison term has sued two well-known law firms. In a federal suit filed Thursday in Dallas that seeks class action status, receiver Ralph Janvey and several individual…

Nov 16, 2012 5:37 PM CST

Lawyer Charged with Laundering Drug Cartel Money Is Denied Bail; Feds Call Him a Flight Risk

A jailed Texas lawyer who has been federally indicted concerning his role in a claimed conspiracy to launder some $600 million for a Mexican drug cartel has been denied bail at a Wednesday hearing. Prosecutors contended, and U.S. Magistrate Judge Norbert Garney apparently agreed, that Marco Antonio Delgado is a…

Nov 14, 2012 8:37 PM CST

Texas Lawyer Indicted and Jailed re Claimed Role in Alleged Mexican Drug Money-Laundering Conspiracy

An El Paso, Texas, lawyer was arrested Friday at a local restaurant and jailed, pending a Thursday detention hearing, on a sealed federal indictment that federal officials say charges him with a role in a claimed conspiracy to launder $600 million in Mexican drug cartel money. Federal officials say Marco…

Nov 6, 2012 10:11 PM CST

5th Circuit Revives Lawyer’s Suit Against Texas re Demand to Remove ‘Workers’ Comp’ from Domain Name

A federal appeals court has revived a Texas attorney’s suit against the state, over an agency’s demand that he stop using the words “Texas” and “Workers’ Comp” in the domain name of his law blog. However, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals also partially affirmed a lower court’s dismissal…

Oct 31, 2012 4:24 PM CDT

5th Circuit Upholds Federal Law Prohibiting Gun Sales to Individuals Under 21

A federal law that prohibits licensed firearm dealers from selling guns to people under the age of 21 was upheld Thursday in the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Individuals between the ages of 18 and 20 can possess handguns, get them as gifts or buy them from…

Oct 25, 2012 9:53 PM CDT

5th Circuit Appears to Favor Monks Challenging Casket Restrictions, But Punts Issue to La. Supremes

A federal appeals court has decided not to be too hasty in a suit challenging Louisiana regulations granting funeral homes in the state the exclusive right to sell caskets. The constitutional issues could be avoided, according to the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, if the State Board…

Oct 25, 2012 10:30 AM CDT

Lawyer Seeks $25M From Insurer, Says He Was Set Up in Criminal Case That Destroyed His Legal Career

A jury trial is beginning this week for a Texas lawyer seeking $25 million in a tortious interference suit against an insurance company with which he formerly had dealings while representing plaintiffs in asbestos cases. Warren Todd Hoeffner, 48, contends that Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. set him up to…

Oct 11, 2012 4:25 PM CDT

Two Lawyers Federally Indicted re Claimed Retail Distribution of Potpourri Laced With Synthetic Pot

Two Lafayette, La., lawyers are among nine individuals and one business defendant accused in a federal indictment unsealed Tuesday of operating a multistate synthetic marijuana manufacturing and distribution network that allegedly brought in millions of dollars in less than a year. Barry L. Domingue, 52, and Daniel James Stanford, 54,…

Oct 3, 2012 4:40 PM CDT

Citing Family Issues, 5th Circuit Chief Steps Down Early

Come Monday and three months earlier than planned, the chief judge of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will step out of her administrative role. In a letter to Chief Justice John Roberts Jr., Edith Jones cited “various family problems” as the reason for the early departure as chief.…

Sep 28, 2012 11:42 AM CDT