8th Circuit Court

Visually Impaired Lawyer Applies for Social Security Job, Takes Fraud Plea in Disability Income Case

A visually impaired attorney who reportedly failed to report his law practice income to the Social Security Administration in 2010 as he collected disability payments from the agency has taken a plea in a criminal fraud case. Robert Brauker, 37, pleaded guilty on Tuesday in federal court in St. Louis…

Oct 9, 2012 9:22 PM CDT

Federal Court Service Animal Ruling Sought: Can a Companion Cat Fill the Paws of a Companion Dog?

Diane Orenstein has been approved for Social Security disability benefits, and her doctor, psychologist and social worker say the 55-year-old brain-damaged woman would benefit from having a trained companion dog as a service animal. But the board in charge of the Minneapolis condominium association in which she has been a…

Sep 14, 2012 8:27 PM CDT

8th Circuit OKs $222K Award But Avoids Ruling on Key Issue in Historic RIAA File-Sharing Case

After three jury trials, it appears that the legal saga of the first individual to fight a Recording Industry Association of America demand for payment for illegal downloading of copyrighted music still hasn’t come to an end. In a procedurally complex decision Tuesday, a federal appeals court panel held that…

Sep 11, 2012 8:52 PM CDT

Customers Targeted by Workers at Big-Name Banks in Multimillion Dollar ID Theft Schemes

Employees of some of the nation’s biggest banks have reportedly been stealing customers’ identities in multimillion dollar fraud schemes. A federal judge in Minneapolis on Monday sentenced two claimed leaders of a $50 million bank fraud conspiracy to well over 20 years in prison, the Associated Press reports. Julian Okeayaninneh…

Aug 15, 2012 7:02 PM CDT

Medical Photos May Be Posted Online with Patient Names, Says Lawyer for 8 Ex-Patients of Mo. Doctor

Ten women who reportedly agreed to let a St. Louis plastic surgeon put before-and-after photos of their augmented breasts on the Internet are now suing in federal court there, contending that Dr. Michele Koo violated their privacy by linking their names to the photos, which otherwise would not have been…

Aug 14, 2012 7:57 PM CDT

Top Federal Prosecutor in South Dakota Takes Over Review of 56 Tribal Reservation Homicides From FBI

Stepping into the middle of a long-simmering tension between the Oglala Lakota Nation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation that has ignited strong feelings for decades, the top federal prosecutor in South Dakota is reviewing 56 homicides on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. U.S. Attorney Brendan Johnson has taken over…

Aug 7, 2012 10:14 AM CDT

8th Circuit Revives Suit Over Elvis Memorabilia

A federal appeals court has ruled that the heirs to a longtime friend of Elvis Presley can proceed with a lawsuit over a clump of the King’s hair and other memorabilia they claim were stolen and sold at auction. At stake is $250,000 in proceeds from the sale of a…

Aug 2, 2012 8:39 PM CDT

3M Co. Sues Covington for ‘Betrayal,’ Says Firm Switched Sides to Work for Minn. AG on Enviro Suit

Facing a big-bucks environmental lawsuit by the Minnesota attorney general, 3M Company is firing back with a federal court complaint against its longtime former counsel. Covington & Burling has betrayed the company by suddenly ending its representation and switching sides in 2010 to help the AG sue 3M, the tech…

Aug 2, 2012 10:34 AM CDT

It Isn’t Necessarily Big Brother, But Somebody Is Potentially Watching, Virtually All the Time

Think your posts on Facebook are private? Think again. It’s only a computer scanning them, under ordinary circumstances, but certain content could flag a post for human review if criminal conduct is suspected, according to Reuters and Slate. Tempted to say you’re hard at work when you’re not or for…

Jul 17, 2012 9:59 PM CDT

8th Circuit Tosses 19 Contempt Citations for Defendant Who Refused to Stand for Judge

A federal appeals court has ordered a judge to consider the religious rights of a defendant who claimed her Muslim religion prevented her from standing at the opening and close of court sessions. The St. Louis-based 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered Chief U.S. District Judge Michael Davis of…

Jun 5, 2012 1:19 PM CDT

Law Firm to Pay $13.5M Fees Clawback to Convicted Client’s Bankruptcy Estate

A well-known Minnesota law firm has agreed to pay a $13.5 million legal fees clawback to the bankruptcy estate of a longtime client convicted of operating a $3.65 billion Ponzi scheme. Bankruptcy trustee Doug Kelley acknowledged there was no evidence that Fredrikson & Byron knew anything was wrong concerning former…

May 31, 2012 6:01 PM CDT

Federal Judge Mulls Prosecutor Sanctions Over DEA Agent’s Concealment of GPS Monitoring

A federal judge in Iowa is pondering possible sanctions on prosecutors in a narcotics case after learning that a Drug Enforcement Administration agent didn’t reveal in investigative reports that GPS monitoring was being used on vehicles related to then-suspect Angel Amaya. U.S. District Judge Mark Bennett said DEA policy required…

Apr 18, 2012 5:25 PM CDT

Ex-Partner Is Federally Indicted re Claimed Laundering, Via Law Firm, of Client’s $8K Campaign Gifts

Updated: A former Herzog Crebs partner who served on the St. Louis-based law firm’s management committee has been federally indicted in St. Louis along with a former governor of Missouri on accusations of helping a corporate client of the law firm launder a total of $8,000 in election campaign contributions…

Apr 12, 2012 5:53 PM CDT

EEOC Class Action Backfires; 8th Circuit Sides with Defendant Facing ‘Moving Target’ of Discovery

A federal appeals court ruling has made it more difficult for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to pursue large discrimination cases in the Midwest. The ruling by the St. Louis-based 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals criticized the agency for waiting until discovery to investigate sexual harassment claims on behalf…

Apr 6, 2012 10:30 AM CDT

Federal Judge Socks Minn. Lawyer with $50K Sanction, Plus Opponent Attorney’s Fees

A Minneapolis lawyer has been socked by a federal judge with a $50,000 sanction, for what the jurist describes as an illegitimate business model based on repeated frivolous filings, delay and forum-shopping. William Butler’s conduct required a substantial sanction, wrote U.S. District Court Judge Patrick Schiltz, because “he has not…

Apr 5, 2012 8:57 PM CDT