Administrative Law

Is Boa Constrictor a Service Animal? Proposed DOJ Standard Says No

Daniel Greene says his almost 5-foot boa constrictor is a service snake. The reptile, who rides around town on Greene’s neck, helps alert the 46-year-old Washington man to impending seizures by squeezing him more tightly when he’s about to have one, Greene tells the Seattle Times. This gives him time…

Oct 19, 2009 9:20 PM CDT

Boy, 6, Reported Aloft, Alone in Balloon, Found Alive at Home

An accidental launch today of an experimental helium balloon reportedly sent a 6-year-old boy high into the air above Fort Collins, Colo., alone, as authorities—including the Colorado National Guard, the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Air Force—pulled out the stops as they scrambled to try to figure out a…

Oct 15, 2009 10:18 PM CDT

As 7,500 Reveal Secret Bank Accounts in 70 Countries, IRS Hunts for More

As 7,500 Americans came forward to reveal, before a partial amnesty deadline today, undeclared accounts in 70 countries, the Internal Revenue Service is gearing up for an enhanced effort to find more. It has opened offices in Beijing, Sydney and Panama City and plans to hire 800 more employees, reports…

Oct 15, 2009 4:50 PM CDT

2 Madoff Victims Sue SEC Claiming ‘Serial, Gross Negligence’

Contending that their losses from Bernard Madoff’s record-breaking Ponzi scheme would have been far less if the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission had “simply done its job,” two of Madoff’s swindled victims have sued the federal agency for $2.4 million in damages. Lawyers from Herrick Feinstein, who are representing the…

Oct 14, 2009 7:55 PM CDT

Calif. Gov. Vetoes Bill to Let State Bar Collect Lawyer Dues, Cites Lax Oversight

The State Bar of California still has enough money to operate through 2009. But apparently seeking to send a message about what he describes as the group’s “inefficiencies,” “political agenda” and a lack of oversight that allegedly allowed a former employee to embezzle $675,000, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed a…

Oct 13, 2009 6:59 PM CDT

FTC Bans Secret Swag Given to Bloggers & Celebrities for Testimonials

The golden era of undisclosed freebies may soon be over for bloggers and celebrities. Those who provide testimonials about products and services will now have to report, under new Federal Trade Commission rules that take effect on Dec. 1, the swag that they could formerly receive in secret. “For bloggers…

Oct 6, 2009 8:56 PM CDT

To Avoid E. Coli Issues With Hamburger, Some Suppliers Simply Don’t Test

Faced with the potential for a costly recall if their product is found to be contaminated with potentially deadly E. coli bacteria, some companies that supply the meat and fat from multiple sources that is often mixed together to create ground beef as cheaply as possible have found a simple…

Oct 5, 2009 10:53 PM CDT

Law Librarians ‘Delighted’ About Online Changes to Federal Register

Past issues of the Federal Register dating to 2000 go online today in a new format that makes the data easier to be moved, reorganized and customized. The new XML format makes it easier for users to find the topic they want to research without having to sift through large…

Oct 5, 2009 12:05 PM CDT

Bucking a Backlog

ABA pitches in to reduce delays in resolving disability claims

Oct 2, 2009 12:30 AM CDT

NTSB Thinks Lost Rudder Led to Fatal ‘Cemetery Sea’ Fishing Boat Accident

Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board think a lost rudder caused a fishing boat to flood and sink in the Bering Sea off the coastline of Alaska last year, killing five of the 47 crew members aboard in an accident that was detailed in an ABA Journal cover story…

Sep 30, 2009 6:03 PM CDT

Urgent Advisory: Remove Floor Mats on Eight Toyota & Lexus Models

As Toyota Motor Corp. plans a huge recall of some 3.8 million vehicles due to loose floor mats that could force the accelerator down, United States transportation officials say owners of eight Toyota and Lexus models manufactured in the last six years should immediately remove the driver’s-side floor mat. Officials…

Sep 29, 2009 10:45 PM CDT

D.C. Sniper’s Alleged Shoplifting Costs Gun Shop Owner His License

A federal judge in Washington state has agreed that the owners of a gun shop from which a rifle used in 2002’s fatal D.C. sniper shootings allegedly was shoplifted should not get back their licenses to sell firearms. Attorney James Frush of Seattle, who represents Brian Borgelt and his former…

Sep 29, 2009 6:42 PM CDT

Sears Roebuck Agrees to Record $6.2M ADA Settlement With EEOC

A federal judge today approved a consent decree in which Sears Roebuck & Co. agrees to a record-breaking $6.2 million settlement of an Americans with Disabilities Act case brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. In an e-mail today, the EEOC says the settlement of claims that the giant retailer…

Sep 29, 2009 6:18 PM CDT

Google Voice Violates Net Neutrality By Blocking Some Calls, AT&T Accuses

In a letter today to the Federal Communications Commission, rival AT&T Inc. complains that Google Voice is violating the agency’s so-called net neutrality rules that apply to telecommunication companies by blocking calls to some rural areas to cut its own expenses. The new aggregation service by the online search giant…

Sep 25, 2009 9:28 PM CDT

In Unusual Public Probe, Calif. Bar IDs 16 Lawyers in Loan Modification Case

In an unusual naming-of-names prior to any official determination of misconduct, the State Bar of California has publicly identified in a Sept. 18 press release 16 lawyers who are under investigation for alleged misconduct concerning loan modification services. Interim Chief Trial Counsel Russell Weiner said the public identification of the…

Sep 21, 2009 11:54 PM CDT