9th Circuit Court

E-Discovery Trips Up Lawyers

Outside lawyers for Qualcomm Inc. will appear at a Friday hearing that considers whether they should be sanctioned for failing to turn over e-mail in a patent dispute with Broadcom Corp. The dustup has gotten a lot of ink in the legal press, but Qualcomm’s problems are not unique, the…

Oct 9, 2007 11:04 AM CDT

Judge Allows NASA Background Checks

A federal judge has refused to halt background checks for 28 workers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. U.S. District Judge Otis Wright of Los Angeles refused to issue an injunction after the government said information about past drug use would not be used in criminal cases against the workers, the…

Oct 4, 2007 6:04 PM CDT

Focus on Day Casebeer in Discovery Probe

New court filings put the spotlight on a Silicon Valley law firm in a judge’s effort to find out why Qualcomm Inc. failed to turn over hundreds of thousands of discovery documents. Declarations filed yesterday focused on 21 potentially damaging e-mails that were withheld from Broadcom Corp. in a patent…

Oct 4, 2007 11:08 AM CDT

L.A. Courthouse Evacuated

Police ordered the evacuation of the federal courthouse in Los Angeles this morning because of an item described as a briefcase or possibly a travel bag left outside. A bomb squad removed the “suspicious item” and found no explosives, KNBC.com reports.

Oct 3, 2007 5:02 PM CDT

Target Class Action OK’d, Seeks Web Access for Blind

Plaintiffs who contend Target failed to make its Web site accessible to the blind have won class action status for their lawsuit. U.S. District Judge Marilyn Hall Patel of San Francisco certified two class actions, the Wall Street Journal reports (sub. req.). One is a nationwide class action alleging violations…

Oct 3, 2007 1:35 PM CDT

Lawyers May Reveal Work Product in Document Dustup

Qualcomm’s outside lawyers can reveal work-product information to help explain why the company failed to turn over hundreds of thousands of discovery documents. U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Major of San Diego ruled Friday that the lawyers may reveal work product but not information protected by the attorney-client privilege, the Recorder…

Oct 1, 2007 11:24 AM CDT

Patriot Act Surveillance Provisions Struck

An Oregon lawyer mistakenly identified as a suspect in a terrorist bombing has won a ruling that parts of the USA Patriot Act are unconstitutional because they allow surveillance and searches of Americans without probable cause. U.S. District Judge Anne Aiken of Portland ruled that the government avoided probable cause…

Sep 27, 2007 11:12 AM CDT

Alleged Backdating Profit: $5 M for Ex-CEO

Prosecutors contend backdating of stock options by Brocade Communications ex-CEO Gregory Reyes cost investors $12 million and put an extra $5 million in his own pocket. The government set out alleged losses in a sentencing brief filed on Friday, the Recorder reports. The tally: $7 million in government fines, $3…

Sep 24, 2007 1:20 PM CDT

Indicted Milberg Founder Vows to Fight

Updated: Indicted today after years of investigation, the 72-year-old co-founder of what was once unquestionably the nation’s most prominent plaintiffs securities firm is vowing to fight the federal case that has already felled three former rainmakers at Milberg Weiss and put the future of the firm at risk. Melvyn Weiss…

Sep 21, 2007 2:08 AM CDT

US: Milberg Weiss Firm Was ‘Racketeering Enterprise’

Updated: In a stunning series of body blows today in an ongoing battle between the government and one of the country’s most powerful plaintiff firms, federal prosecutors in California announced enhanced charges against the firm itself, the indictment of its co-founding partner and the latest plea deal with a former…

Sep 20, 2007 10:10 PM CDT

CA Lawyer Accused in Investment Scam

A California lawyer has been indicted on charges that he participated in an investment scam that netted more than $1 million from his clients and other victims. Lawyer Gerald M. Shaw of Newport Beach and Gregory De Lavalette of Rancho Santa Fe were indicted yesterday, the Daily Pilot reports. The…

Sep 20, 2007 4:59 PM CDT

Lawyers Seek Vindication in Document Dustup

Former lawyers for Qualcomm Inc. have asked a judge to allow them to reveal privileged information so they can explain why the company failed to produce hundreds of thousands of discovery documents. Heller Ehrman and Day Casebeer Madrid & Batchelder are responding to an order to show cause why they…

Sep 19, 2007 11:52 AM CDT

Hearing Transcripts to Go Online

The policy-making arm of the nation’s federal courts voted today to make it easier for both lawyers and the public to access court materials. For lawyers, the big news is the plan approved by the Judicial Conference of the United States to put transcripts of district and bankruptcy court proceedings…

Sep 18, 2007 7:01 PM CDT

Car Public Nuisance Suit Tossed

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the California attorney general that contends six car companies created a public nuisance by making vehicles that produce greenhouse gases. U.S. District Judge Martin Jenkins of San Francisco said the suit would have required him to balance the interest in reducing…

Sep 18, 2007 11:00 AM CDT

Lerach to Plead Guilty

Securities class action lawyer William Lerach has reportedly agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy in a criminal case that contends his former law firm, Milberg Weiss, paid kickbacks to lead plaintiffs. Lerach will ask for a sentence of one year and prosecutors will ask for two years, the Recorder reports.…

Sep 18, 2007 10:31 AM CDT