New Rules, New Work: A Lot is Still to be Decided Under Dodd-Frank

Dec 1, 2010 6:50 AM CST

Appeals Court Nixes $292K Debt Cancellation, Despite Mortgage Lender’s ‘Repulsive’ Acts

Reversing a decision by a trial judge in a closely watched case that had seemed to shift the balance of power in problematic mortgage foreclosures, a New York appeals court has held that Justice Jeffrey Spinner exceeded his discretion by canceling a couple’s $292,500 home mortgage due to the lender’s…

Nov 23, 2010 3:54 PM CST

Foreclosure Lawyer Fighting to Keep Own Home; Last Mortgage Payment Made in Dec. 2006

A Florida lawyer who’s gotten national publicity as an expert in foreclosure defense has one thing in common with his clients–he’s fighting to keep his home, too. Peter Ticktin and his wife haven’t made a payment on their nearly 4,000-square-foot Boca Raton house since December 2006 and were sued by…

Nov 20, 2010 12:34 AM CST

Laurence Tribe Leaves DOJ Job, Cites Symptoms of Brain Tumor

The Harvard constitutional law professor who took a leave of absence for a job with the Justice Department is stepping down due to recurring symptoms of a benign brain tumor. Laurence Tribe will return to Harvard in January after serving as the Justice Department’s “senior counselor for access to justice”…

Nov 19, 2010 2:06 PM CST

San Francisco Sues to Close Down Immigration Law Firm, Claims ‘Exorbitant’ Fees

A lawsuit filed by the city of San Francisco claims that a lawyer voluntarily disbarred for high fees and inadequate representation continued to prey on immigration clients by hiring another lawyer to act as a front. In a news conference, City Attorney Dennis Herrera called the disbarred lawyer, Martin Guajardo,…

Nov 18, 2010 2:36 PM CST

Seven DAs Sue Overstock.com, Claim Retailer Overstated Discounts

Seven district attorneys in Northern California have joined together to file a lawsuit against Overstock.com that claims the online retailer overstated its discounts. The suit claims Overstock.com listed comparative prices that were inflated, making its claimed discounts look larger, according to the Oakland Tribune and Redding.com. Overstock has a “best…

Nov 18, 2010 12:32 PM CST

Caffeinated Alcoholic Drinks Face Fed Crackdown

Although gaining in popularity, beverages that contain high levels of alcohol and caffeine are dangerous and illegal, say federal officials prepared to clamp down sales. In a letter to four makers of caffeinated alcoholic beverages, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration stated that adding caffeine to alcohol was unsafe and…

Nov 17, 2010 7:12 PM CST

New Airport ‘Sex Assault’ Search Sparks Pilot Suit and Passenger Civil Disobedience Campaign

A recording of a man refusing what the Transportation Security Administration refers to as a “standard pat down” search at the San Diego airport over the weekend and what he calls a “sexual assault” has gone viral, adding additional impetus to a grassroots movement urging passengers to refuse new x-ray…

Nov 17, 2010 4:52 PM CST

LA County Bans Plastic Bags, Imposes 10-Cent Surcharge on Paper Grocery Sacks

In an effort to encourage shoppers to bring reusable bags from home, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors yesterday banned disposable plastic grocery bags and imposed a 10-cent surcharge on paper grocery sacks, reports the Los Angeles Times. The plastic bag ban is expected to affect over 1 million…

Nov 17, 2010 2:12 PM CST

Fla. Jury Awards $72M in Punitives to Daughter in Smoking-Death Case; R.J. Reynolds to Appeal

A jury in Levy County, Fla., has awarded $80 million to the daughter of a man who died of lung cancer in 1996, at age 78, some six decades after James Cayce Horner began smoking in the 1930s, as a teenager. Of that amount, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. must pay…

Nov 17, 2010 1:30 AM CST

NJ Lawyer, 2 Affiliated Debt Collectors, Agree to $7.9M Settlement With AG of W.Va.

A New Jersey lawyer and his two affiliated Pennsylvania debt-collection companies have agreed to cancel $7.9 million in charged-off debts, delete records of the claimed debts from the credit reports of 1,922 consumers and pay $45,000 in refunds and consumer education costs, under a settlement with the West Virginia attorney…

Nov 17, 2010 12:30 AM CST

Fla. Courts Open Doors to Public in Foreclosure Cases After Rolling Stone Pens Expose

Following a Rolling Stone expose about how a judge in one Florida court handled foreclosure cases on Jacksonville’s “rocket docket,” officials swiftly made changes to improve public access. The issue, which hit the newsstands Friday, was followed by a flurry of letters from the American Civil Liberties Union and media…

Nov 16, 2010 10:14 PM CST

ABA Battles FTC in DC Appeals Court: Does Red Flags Rule Apply to Lawyers?

Seeking to call a decisive halt to an attempt by the Federal Trade Commission to regulate the practice of law, the American Bar Association argued today in federal appeals court that a U.S. District Court judge clearly got it right when he ruled from the bench last year that the…

Nov 16, 2010 12:12 AM CST

NH Supreme Court Rules Company’s Ad Campaign Was Protected Political Speech

The New Hampshire Supreme Court has overturned a $6.7 million verdict against a wireless provider accused of violating state consumer protection laws for false statements in an ad campaign against a competitor. The court found (PDF) that the campaign by Fifth Estate Tower was political speech that was protected by…

Nov 11, 2010 2:51 PM CST

Google Faces FCC Probe of Street View Data Collection Practices

In the wake of good news for Google Inc. concerning a now-concluded Federal Trade Commission probe of the company’s data collection practices for its global Street View mapping project comes bad news: The Federal Communications Commission has revealed that another investigation is ongoing of the Internet goliath’s admitted inadvertent collection…

Nov 10, 2010 10:45 PM CST