Former prosecutor is suspended for demeaning remarks, false denial about snitch threat

A former Delaware prosecutor has been suspended from law practice for his conduct during a death penalty trial that included disparaging and demeaning remarks about the pro se defendant. The lawyer, former Deputy Attorney General R. David Favata, was suspended for six months and a day, which means he can’t…

Jul 29, 2015 7:49 AM CDT

Suit claims sapphire purchased by lawyer for $9,000 is actually worth about $30

A lawyer in Wilmington, Delaware, says he paid $12,000 in 1999 to surprise his wife with a 4-carat pink sapphire ring on her birthday. Lawyer Sam Frabizzio says the sapphire itself cost $9,000, while the gold ring and six diamond baguettes added $3,000 to the cost. When Frabizzio had the…

Jul 13, 2015 6:15 AM CDT

Courthouse shooter’s relatives convicted of cyberstalking, face possible life prison terms

A federal jury in Wilmington, Delaware, has convicted three family members of a courthouse shooter of cyberstalking causing death. Lenore Matusiewicz and her children, David Matusiewicz and Amy Gonzalez, now face possible life prison terms when they are sentenced in October in the landmark case. Prosecutors say this is the…

Jul 10, 2015 11:40 AM CDT

Were relatives culpable in shooter’s deadly courthouse attack? Jury to decide in cyberstalking trial

A federal jury began deliberating Wednesday in an unusual cyberstalking case against three relatives of a man who committed a fatal courthouse shooting. Prosecutors say the wife, son and daughter of Thomas Matusiewicz played a role in his deadly Feb. 11, 2013 attack on Christine Belford and Laura Mulford, by…

Jul 9, 2015 12:10 PM CDT

Delaware leads the way in adopting legislation allowing estate executors access to online accounts

Jul 1, 2015 4:30 AM CDT

Delaware bans bylaws imposing legal fees on plaintiffs in losing shareholder litigation

A law banning corporate bylaws that impose a hefty price on investors who file unsuccessful shareholder derivative suits has been signed by Delaware’s governor. It prohibits companies from requiring plaintiffs in such cases to pay the company’s attorney fees. However, in a nod to disappointed companies, the new law does…

Jun 25, 2015 3:15 PM CDT

Federal cyberstalking trial blames courthouse shooter’s widow, son and daughter for slaying of woman

There’s no dispute that former police officer Thomas Matusiewicz shot two women to death at a Delaware courthouse on Feb. 11, 2013, as they were headed to a child-support hearing, and then committed suicide. But an unusual federal cyberstalking trial now underway in Delaware also seeks to hold his widow,…

Jun 12, 2015 11:10 AM CDT

Jury in Delaware awards $100M to 51-year-old woman in transvaginal mesh case

Delaware is not a state known for big jury verdicts in individual personal injury cases. But on Thursday a jury there awarded a 51-year-old former bank teller $25 million in compensatory damages and $75 million in punitives against Boston Scientific Corp. Deborah Barba said she suffered constant discomfort, urinary tract…

May 29, 2015 12:25 PM CDT

$72M payday for 2 small law firms OK’d by judge

Citing “true contingency risk,” a Delaware Court of Chancery judge on Wednesday OK’d a $72.5 million attorney’s fees payment to two small law firms that represented the plaintiffs in a shareholder suit against a videogame maker. The settlement approved by Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster also included a $275 million…

May 21, 2015 12:15 PM CDT

New BigLaw associates make the most money in NYC, says survey

While $160,000 is widely recognized as the benchmark starting salary paid to first-year associates by the top BigLaw firms, a number outside New York City pay less. Before the recession hit the legal industry hard, 80 percent of the law firms employing 700 attorneys or more said they were paying…

Apr 20, 2015 2:45 PM CDT

Amid battle over bill banning fee-shifting bylaws in Delaware, legal experts point to loophole

Among a number of proposed changes in Delaware corporate law, a bill that would ban companies from enacting fee-shifting bylaws is the most controversial. Authorized by a state supreme court decision last year, such bylaws, if they are widely adopted, potentially could significantly curtail shareholder derivative litigation in the state…

Apr 8, 2015 1:15 PM CDT

Following courthouse prank, Delaware courts are reviewing which security officers should be armed

Court officials in Delaware are reviewing which security officers should carry guns following a reported courthouse prank earlier this month that allegedly involved a firearm. “The Judiciary has been actively working on its policies regarding courthouse security and who should have firearms and has sought advice from the best sources,”…

Feb 25, 2015 10:13 AM CST

Still battling code-theft case, former Goldman Sachs programmer sues bank for legal fees

A former computer programmer for Goldman Sachs Group Inc. ultimately prevailed in a federal prosecution over claims that he stole source code from his employer. But Sergey Aleynikov is still battling Goldman to obtain reimbursement for some $3 million he says he has expended in legal defense fees, reports Reuters.…

Feb 10, 2015 3:50 PM CST

Delaware lifts ban on smiling for camera on driver’s license photos

Effective immediately, Delaware motorists may smile for the camera when they get their driver’s license photos taken. Announced Wednesday, the state motor vehicles division policy change reflects an upgrade in facial recognition technology, reports the News Journal. A prior ban on smiling was intended to prevent identity theft by making…

Jan 29, 2015 10:00 AM CST

Federal judge axes suit against law firm in sunken-treasure hoax, sets sanctions hearing for partner

A well-known Delaware law firm is no longer facing a civil lawsuit over a sunken-treasure hoax. But a sanctions hearing has been scheduled later this week by a federal judge in Florida for partner Bruce Silverstein of Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor, Delaware Law Weekly (sub. req.) reports. Silverstein is…

Dec 9, 2014 12:15 PM CST