Inmates’ quest for paid Wiccan chaplain is resurrected by 9th Circuit

A federal appeals court has ruled that female inmates may pursue their claim that California prison officials violated the Constitution by refusing to hire a full-time Wiccan chaplain. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that a current and a former inmate had made out a…

Feb 21, 2013 11:30 AM CST

Spit-laced burger is grounds for emotional distress suit, state supreme court says

A sheriff’s deputy who claims he was served–but did not eat–a spit-laced burger can sue the burger maker under state product liability law for emotional distress, the Washington Supreme Court has held. The court, in a 6-3 decision (PDF) Thursday, said state law permits relief for emotional distress damages, in…

Feb 4, 2013 7:09 PM CST

Lance Armstrong faces class action re autobiography

At first, news that cyclist Lance Armstrong had admitted using performance-enhancing drugs and blood transfusions to boost his career and help him win consecutive Tour de France titles was followed by jokes that his books would be moved to public library fiction sections. Now, after his confession last week to…

Jan 24, 2013 4:40 PM CST

Indictment: Now-deceased lawyer helped funnel $8M through secret accounts to win HOA contracts

As two lawyers among the latest 11 defendants federally indicted in a massive Nevada homeowner association corruption case pleaded not guilty in a Las Vegas courtroom on Wednesday, a news report described another local attorney, who died last year, as a key figure in the alleged funneling of $8 million…

Jan 17, 2013 8:35 PM CST

Two lawyers among 11 federally indicted re massive alleged HOA corruption scheme

Two Las Vegas lawyers were among 11 defendants federally indicted Tuesday in an alleged massive scheme to take over area homeowner associations. Keith Gregory and Barry Levinson and the other nine defendants were all charged with one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. Some defendants face additional…

Jan 16, 2013 8:29 PM CST

Lawyer takes plea in $30M federal mortgage fraud case

A Las Vegas lawyer has pleaded guilty to a felony bank fraud conspiracy charge concerning his role in a mortgage scheme that cost lenders $30 million, according to federal prosecutors. Gerry Zobrist was accused of participating in a scheme in which federal authorities said banks were persuaded by misrepresentations to…

Jan 15, 2013 6:40 PM CST

Owner of Dog That Chased Police Horse 1.5 Miles Gets Federal Court Order to Delay Euthanasia

Updated: The owner of a dog named Charlie who is facing a state-court euthanasia order after reportedly chasing a police horse a mile and a half in a San Francisco park last year has filed suit in federal court to get a restraining order. Although city officials have expressed interest…

Jan 7, 2013 9:09 PM CST

Longtime Nev. Lawyer Gets 33 Months for Tax Evasion

A longtime Las Vegas practitioner has been sentenced to 33 months in federal prison after being convicted last year of two counts of tax evasion. Ian Christopherson, 57, was also ordered by U.S. District Judge Miranda Du to pay restitution of over $728,000 in the Nevada case, the Las Vegas…

Dec 18, 2012 6:34 PM CST

US Supreme Court to Hear Same-Sex Marriage Cases

The U.S. Supreme Court is going to weigh in on same-sex marriage. Among the certiorari petitions it accepted Friday (PDF) are two in which this is a central issue, as the New York Times (reg. req.) details. One of the two cases to be reviewed by the high court, Hollingsworth…

Dec 7, 2012 9:23 PM CST

Six Strip as San Francisco Lawmakers OK New Ban on Public Nudity

At least six audience members stripped down and began shouting after the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a ban on public nudity. Prepared for the protest of the controversial legislation, sheriff’s deputies covered the protesters with blankets and escorted them from the meeting, the San Francisco Chronicle…

Dec 5, 2012 9:37 PM CST

Stormy Weather: Senators Criticize Kozinski over Maui Conference

Dec 1, 2012 10:30 AM CST

A Sixth Sense: 6th Circuit Has Surpassed the 9th as the Most Reversed Appeals Court

Dec 1, 2012 9:30 AM CST

Couple Makes Federal Case Out of Death of Pet Chased and Killed by Police

News that a large dog who had escaped from its family’s yard but reportedly wasn’t acting aggressively had been chased down and shot to death by police in a small city in Washington state elicited community outrage. Not only sympathetic neighbors and pet owners but the mayor and police chief…

Nov 28, 2012 7:34 PM CST

Federal Judge: Goodyear, Lawyers Must Pay Plaintiff’s Legal Fees, Provide Sanctions Order to Others

Finding that a major corporation and two lawyers representing the company blatantly ignored or evaded their discovery obligations and comparing a hard-fought products liability action to the endless Jarndyce and Jarndyce case described in Charles Dickens’ Bleak House, a federal judge in Arizona has ordered Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co.…

Nov 16, 2012 3:45 PM CST

Lawyer Makes Federal Case Out of Transit Ban for Arguing About Rider’s Constitutional Rights

In a one-year period between Oct. 1, 2011 and Sept. 30, a Portland, Ore., transit agency issued only 23 bans to riders because they allegedly made excessive noise. One was to Jennie Bricker, who is not only an attorney but a partner of Stoel Rives, one of the city’s biggest…

Nov 2, 2012 4:23 PM CDT