5th Circuit Court

Thousands Who Lost Money on CDs from Stanford’s Offshore Bank Are Likely to Be Repaid by SIPC

Investors who purchased worthless certificates of deposit from a brokerage unit of alleged Ponzi schemer R. Allen Stanford’s offshore bank are likely to have at least some of their losses covered by the Securities Investor Protection Corp. Although the SIPC earlier denied such claims, contending that the CDs are still…

Jun 15, 2011 9:58 PM CDT

Court Gives Green Light to Stephen Baldwin Suit Against Kevin Costner Over Oil Spill Cleanup Machine

In happier days, actor Kevin Costner was winning acclaim for his reported efforts, with the help of a trial attorney, to develop a vaccum-cleaner-like machine to clean up oil spills threatening to do serious environmental damage. But news that BP was putting over $50 million into the project after the…

Jun 7, 2011 8:34 PM CDT

‘Beverly Hillbillies’ Actress Files Suit Against Mattel Over ‘Elly May Barbie’

Actress Donna Douglas, who played buxom, none-too-bright Elly May Clampett on the 1960s television hit The Beverly Hillbillies, has filed a federal lawsuit against Mattel Inc., over the toymaker’s new “Elly May Barbie” doll. Although she never gave permission, the packaging for the doll uses a photo of her in…

May 5, 2011 10:35 PM CDT

Mark Lanier ... Movie Star? Lawyer Plays Himself in Film Based on Antitrust Case

A Houston lawyer is getting positive reviews in a new movie in which he pretty much plays himself. Although based on an actual case, Puncture is “a loose conglomeration of several cases with plenty of Hollywood mixed in,” the trial lawyer tells the Wall Street Journal Law Blog, which links…

Apr 26, 2011 7:44 PM CDT

Immunity Doesn’t Bar Former Justice’s Suit Against Ex-US Attorney, 5th Circuit Rules

A federal appeals court has refused to block a lawsuit contending that former U.S. Attorney Dunn Lampton improperly released tax information to an ethics commission about a one-time justice on the Mississippi Supreme Court. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Lampton does not have absolute prosecutorial immunity for…

Apr 20, 2011 3:27 PM CDT

5th Cir OKs Louisiana’s Refusal to List Same-Sex Couple as Parents on New Birth Cert for Adopted Son

Reversing its own 2010 decision that the state must issue a revised birth certificate for a Louisiana-born baby who has been adopted in New York by two men, the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday in an en banc ruling said the state was within its rights…

Apr 13, 2011 5:56 PM CDT

Sext Discrimination? Ex-Staffer Claims Associate Sent Her Inappropriate Image

Updated: Sued by two former female employees for alleged gender-based employment discrimination and federal civil rights violations, a Dallas law firm is apparently arguing with at least one over whether an associate’s email to the woman did or did not link to a photo of a partner’s penis. Plaintiff Katherine…

Apr 11, 2011 3:36 PM CDT

5th Circuit Rules Lawyer and Client Violated Gag Order; Lawyer Gets $5K Fine, 120-Day Suspension

A federal appeals court ruled (PDF) that a former Dallas mayor pro tem violated a gag order and thus gets another 30 days on top of the 18-year prison sentence he received in 2009 for corruption. And his lawyer, who also spoke out of bounds during the same television interview,…

Apr 7, 2011 5:10 PM CDT

5th Circuit Nixes Sanctions Imposed by Federal Judge re Litigant’s Complaints About His Remarks

Saying that a federal judge was disqualified from issuing sanctions in a case that centered on his own alleged remarks showing a lack of impartiality, a federal appeals court has vacated a January order by U.S. District Judge John McBryde imposing penalties on a patent litigant and his lawyers. The…

Apr 7, 2011 12:10 AM CDT

Ex-Judge Takes Plea in RICO Case, Admits Role in Alleged $235K-Plus Court Bribery Scheme

A former Texas judge pleaded guilty yesterday to unspecified charges in a federal racketeering indictment, admitting that he took bribes from attorneys and others during his eight years in office in exchange for favorable treatment in court cases. Abel Corral Limas, who is presently in private practice in Brownsville, was…

Apr 1, 2011 5:25 PM CDT

Ex-New Orleans Police Officer Gets 25 Years for Slaying Unarmed Civilian in Katrina Aftermath

Expressing disgust at what he called an intentional killing of a man police apparently mistakenly believed to be a looter, federal judge today sentenced a former New Orleans officer to more than 25 years in prison for gunning down an unarmed 31-year-old civilian in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. A…

Mar 31, 2011 9:18 PM CDT

Ex-Judge Is Indicted in Federal Racketeering Case, Accused of Profiting from His Work as a Jurist

A former police officer and Texas judge has been federally indicted in a racketeering case, accused of illegally profiting from his work on the bench. The indictment says ex-404th District Judge Abel Limas was paid by four unidentified attorneys for favorable treatment. Meanwhile, he allegedly used a fifth unidentified individual…

Mar 31, 2011 8:52 PM CDT

Feds Ponder Possible Manslaughter and Perjury Charges in Gulf Oil Spill Case, Sources Tell AP

Department of Justice officials investigating the massive oil spill nearly a year ago in the Gulf of Mexico are considering possible perjury and manslaughter charges. However, unidentified sources also caution that the probe is not complete and that criminal charges, while possible, are far from certain, reports the Associated Press.…

Mar 29, 2011 9:30 PM CDT

Motion: Dismiss ‘Tainted’ Case Against Police Sgt Accused in Katrina Danziger Bridge Killings

A defense lawyer says a “tainted” case should be dismissed against a sergeant accused, along with five other current or former New Orleans police officers, in the killing of civilians on Danziger Bridge during Hurricane Katrina, reports the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Federal prosecutors relied on testimony by Sgt. Kenneth Bowen,…

Mar 16, 2011 8:41 PM CDT

Recruiter Got Zip, Sued for $100M, Is Awarded $365K re 12-Lawyer Leap to Lewis Brisbois

After being paid nothing for a 10-lawyer leap to Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, a legal recruiter sued the Los Angeles law firm for $100 million. A federal magistrate judge in Houston has now awarded $365,150 to Houston-based CB Legal Search, reports the Houston Business Journal. The recruiter contended its…

Mar 1, 2011 9:59 PM CST