5th Circuit Court

FDIC to Pay Texas Financier $10M to Settle Legal Defense Claim

Ending a legal battle that began after the 1988 collapse of a Texas savings and loan indirectly controlled by financier Charles Hurwitz, the FDIC has agreed to pay him $10 million. The award is intended to cover his defense costs in earlier litigation involving both the thrift’s failure and, a…

Dec 17, 2008 9:40 PM CST

Muslim Charity, 5 Leaders Convicted in Hamas Terrorism Aid Case

A major Muslim charitable organization and five of its former leaders were convicted by a federal court jury in Texas today of aiding terrorism via their charitable contributions. Prosecutors claimed that the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development funded terrorism by paying for charitable projects controlled by Hamas, thus…

Nov 25, 2008 12:34 AM CST

Lawyer Pleads to Tax Misdemeanors; Feds Say He Didn’t File Since ‘94

A Mississippi attorney who allegedly hasn’t filed a federal tax return since 1994 has avoided a trial in the felony tax evasion case he initially faced by pleading guilty today to two misdemeanor counts of failing to file. Marshall Sanders, 57, who practices in Vicksburg, agreed to cooperate with the…

Nov 20, 2008 10:17 PM CST

Vice President Cheney, Ex-AG Gonzales Indicted in South Texas Prison Abuse Case

A grand jury in South Texas has indicted Vice President Dick Cheney and former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales—as well as a former U.S. attorney and two state court judges—concerning their alleged contribution to claimed prisoner abuse at federal detention centers in Willacy County. “Gonzales is accused of using his…

Nov 19, 2008 12:12 AM CST

SEC Sues Billionaire Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban, Alleges Insider Trading

Mark Cuban, a billionaire Internet entrepreneur who owns the Dallas Mavericks basketball team, has been charged by the SEC in a civil case with insider trading. The federal Securities and Exchange Commission contends that Cuban acted almost immediately to sell his entire position in Mamma.com Inc.in 2004, after the online…

Nov 17, 2008 5:27 PM CST

La. Lawyer Pleads Guilty in Bizarre $30M Law Firm Theft Case

A New Orleans gaming lawyer who until recently was contending that his former law firm concocted theft allegations against him pleaded guilty today to charges that he bilked the firm and casino clients out of $30 million, stashing most of it in a Swiss bank account. James “Jamie” Perdigao, 46,…

Oct 31, 2008 8:03 PM CDT

Ex-Partner May Plead in Fraud Case Over Alleged $30M La. Law Firm Theft

A news agency is reporting that James Perdigao, a former partner at a New Orleans law firm who is accused of fraud and money laundering concerning the $30 million he allegedly stole from an Adams and Reese trust account before repaying the money, is now expected to plead guilty. “Court…

Oct 30, 2008 4:24 PM CDT

5th Circuit Ruling Likely to Nix IP Rocket Docket in Texas

An en banc ruling by a federal appeals court in a case involving a car crash is likely to put a crimp in the intellectual property “rocket docket” in the Eastern District of Texas. The ruling by the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Volkswagen was entitled…

Oct 14, 2008 11:51 AM CDT

Suspended Texas Lawyer’s ‘Sextortion’ Conviction is Upheld

A suspended Texas lawyer who was convicted, along with his attorney wife, of misusing the civil litigation system in a scheme to extort money from men who had sex with her, has lost an appeal. The 4th Court of Appeals today upheld Ted Roberts’ 2007 conviction on three counts of…

Oct 8, 2008 11:34 PM CDT

Dog Breeder Sues Movie Studio Over Famous Canine Name: Rin Tin Tin

A Texas dog breeder whose family has been protecting the legacy of Rin Tin Tin for more than 50 years says in a lawsuit that a new movie has sullied it. Daphne Hereford contends that Finding Rin Tin Tin, a foreign movie that was released on DVD in this country…

Oct 7, 2008 8:38 PM CDT

Teens’ Parents Claim 2006 VW Beetle Was ‘Unreasonably Dangerous’

After one Texas teen was killed and another paralyzed in a rollover accident, their parents are suing the manufacturer of their 2006 Volkswagen Beetle. The vehicle was “unreasonably dangerous,” contend Earl and Juanita McGilvra and Michael Kitchings and his daughter, Ashley, in the federal court product liability suit, which seeks…

Oct 7, 2008 6:38 PM CDT

Texas Law Firm Takes $840K Plea, Profited from Auto Accident Scheme

A law firm in Dallas has agreed to pay $840,000 restitution in exchange for an agreed sentence of probation in a federal mail and health care fraud conspiracy case. The case was sparked by an alleged scheme to stage auto accidents involving almost 30 defendants, including two legal assistants. Officers…

Oct 1, 2008 3:05 PM CDT

Held in Solitary Over 35 Years, Albert Woodfox Wins Habeas Petition

One of the nation’s longest-serving prisoners has just won another round in his ongoing appellate battle. Albert Woodfox, 61, who contends he was framed for the 1972 murder of a Louisiana prison guard, won a favorable final ruling yesterday on his habeas corpus petition from a federal district judge. He…

Sep 26, 2008 9:32 PM CDT

US House Gears Up for Possible Impeachment of Federal Judge

Getting into gear to consider possible impeachment proceedings against a federal judge, the House Judiciary Committee formed a task force today to consider the case against U.S. District Judge Thomas Porteous. “The move begins a congressional inquiry into allegations against Porteous that include bankruptcy fraud and perjury,” explains the New…

Sep 17, 2008 9:44 PM CDT

Gag Order Implies Private Hearings for Federal Judge in Sex Abuse Case

A gag order has been issued by a federal judge who has been brought in from Florida to hear the criminal case against U.S. District Judge Samuel Kent of Texas, who is accused of sexually abusing his former case manager. The unusual order, which was issued late Friday by Senior…

Sep 8, 2008 7:52 PM CDT