Administrative Law

94 Indicted, 36 Arrested This Morning in Record 5-State, $251M Medicare Fraud Bust

More than 360 agents participated today in a five-state sweep that had arrested, as of this morning, 36 of the 94 people indicted in a record-breaking $251 million Medicare fraud case. The raid was announced in Miami, considered ground zero for Medicare fraud, by Attorney General Eric Holder and Health…

Jul 16, 2010 6:15 PM CDT

Goldman Sachs to Pay Record $550M to Settle SEC Suit re Claimed Mortgage-Related Fraud

Accused of misleading investors when it foresaw the mortgage meltdown and offered toxic mortgage-related securities that hedged against it, Goldman Sachs has agreed, without admitting liability, to a record payment of $550 million. The banking titan was sued by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in April. Of the $550…

Jul 15, 2010 9:08 PM CDT

Does Bankruptcy Put a Gay Website’s Teen User Info Into Creditors’ Hands?

An effort by bankruptcy creditors to obtain the one valuable asset of a dying website—its database of information about 1 million subscribers and users—is raising privacy concerns both in the United States and abroad. Because the website is for XY Magazine, whose focus is on young men and teenage boys…

Jul 14, 2010 12:27 AM CDT

2nd Circuit Strikes FCC Expletive Rule, Says Blanket Ban on F-Word & Others Violates 1st Amendment

Saying that a blanket ban on all use of certain expletives on television is unconstitutionally vague and chills the right of free speech, a federal appeals court has struck down a Federal Communications Commission policy that any use of profanity referring to sex or excrement is inherently indecent and could…

Jul 13, 2010 6:01 PM CDT

New Florida Bar Web Rules Ignite Firestorm; ACLU, Law Firms, Even FTC All Object

Stringent new Florida Bar rules on attorney online advertising have ignited a firestorm, attracting criticism from a sweeping array of groups including not only law firms that do business in the state but the American Civil Liberties Union and even the Federal Trade Commission. A common theme is that the…

Jul 8, 2010 7:14 PM CDT

Ethics Panel Nixes Charity Plan to Auction Lunch Dates with Judges

No matter how worthy the cause, it’s not ethical for a judge to allow him- or herself to be auctioned off as a lunch date at a charitable event, an ethics panel of the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline has ruled in an advisory opinion. Doing so would be fraught…

Jul 7, 2010 6:27 PM CDT

Suspension Urged for Lawyer Who Called Judge a ‘Narcissistic, Maniacal Mental Case’

A six-month suspension has been recommended for an Illinois lawyer who repeatedly criticized a judge, calling him, at one point, a “narcissistic, maniacal mental case” during a telephone conversation with the judge and opposing counsel in a family law matter. Although Melvin Hoffman has practiced for more than 35 years…

Jun 30, 2010 6:32 PM CDT

Ex-SEC Lawyer to Get $755K in Whistle-Blower Settlement

Without admitting wrongdoing, the Securities and Exchange Commission has agreed to pay $755,000 to settle a former staff lawyer’s wrongful termination whistle-blower suit. Gary Aguirre had contended that he was abruptly fired in 2005 because of his investigation of a potential insider-trading case against a giant hedge fund, Pequot Capital…

Jun 29, 2010 9:12 PM CDT

IG Says SEC May Have Been Lenient with ‘Prominent Law Firm’ Due to Claimed ‘Significant Ties’

The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating allegations that it may have been unduly lenient with an unidentified “prominent law firm” because of a revolving door between the agency and the legal shop, the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) reports. In a letter yesterday to Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), the…

Jun 16, 2010 8:09 PM CDT

Fried Frank Partner Tapped to Overhaul Oil Agency

A partner at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson has been tapped to overhaul the federal agency that regulates oil companies. Fried Frank litigation partner Michael Bromwich still doesn’t have a title for his job at the Minerals Management Service, which has been dissolved and split into three agencies, Greenwire…

Jun 16, 2010 4:37 PM CDT

Accused in Michael Jackson’s Death, Doc Can Still Practice Medicine

Almost a year after the death of Michael Jackson, the personal physician charged with involuntary manslaughter for allegedly administering a lethal dose of a powerful anesthetic is still practicing medicine in California, Nevada and Texas. And a California judge said today that it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to prevent…

Jun 15, 2010 12:33 AM CDT

Report: BP Warned by Gov’t Agencies, Vinson & Elkins of Potential Issues at Multiple Sites

Government investigators, lawsuits and a law firm’s internal investigation have reportedly alleged an ongoing series of issues with maintenance and noncompliance with regulatory requirements at BP facilities in various United States locations. A lack of maintenance, inaccurate claims of compliance with regulatory standards and pressure on workers who report problems…

Jun 8, 2010 4:47 PM CDT

Judicial Candidate Defends Robocalls on Jurisdictional Grounds

A California judicial candidate says she’s not breaking state law by authorizing robocalls on behalf of her campaign. Victoria Kolakowski, who is seeking election to the Alameda County Superior Court, told KCBS that the calls are placed outside California and are outside the jurisdiction of the California Public Utilities Commission,…

Jun 8, 2010 2:08 PM CDT

6-Month Suspension for Lawyer, 76, Who Was Taped by Client

A 76-year-old New York personal injury lawyer has been suspended for six months after allegedly making unwelcome sexual advances and seeking oral sex from a client. Allen Isaac also allegedly boasted to the client that he could influence appellate judges and used objectionable language to describe one jurist. Plus, he…

Jun 2, 2010 10:17 PM CDT

FTC Postpones Red Flags Rule After Lawmakers Seek Delay

At the request of several members of Congress, the Federal Trade Commission has agreed to postpone until the end of the year enforcement of the controversial new Red Flags Rule that had been scheduled to take effect today. The rule implements a new federal law that the FTC had interpreted…

Jun 1, 2010 10:00 AM CDT