Delaware

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

Racketeering suit says law firm aided sunken-treasure fraud, seeks $10M in damages

An investor group has filed a federal racketeering suit against a well-known Delaware law firm and one of its partners, contending that they aided and abetted a sunken treasure fraud concerning emeralds a client claimed to have discovered undersea off the Florida coast. The alleged participation of Bruce Silverstein and…

Oct 9, 2014 10:50 AM CDT

Wilson Sonsini opens second Delaware office with ex-Chancery chief at helm

A Silicon Valley powerhouse has opened a second Delaware office in Wilmington, with an ex-chief of what many consider the nation’s top business court at the helm. Former chancellor William Chandler III retired from the state’s chancery court in 2011 and has since headed Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati’s corporate…

Oct 8, 2014 4:50 PM CDT

Federal judge on courthouse shooter’s ‘hit list’ asked to step aside in cases against family members

A federal judge who was No. 5 on an alleged 16-name “hit list” found among the belongings of a Delaware courthouse shooter (one of the two women killed was No. 1) has been asked to step aside from hearing criminal cases against the shooter’s family members. Prosecutors joined with defense…

Sep 5, 2014 4:25 PM CDT

Prominent law firm says it knew nothing of claimed sunken treasure fraud, wasn’t counsel of record

A partner at a well-known Delaware law firm says in a court filing that he and Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor knew nothing about an alleged fraud on a federal court in Florida concerning a client’s claimed sunken undersea treasure find. Responding to the court’s show-cause order, Bruce Silverstein says…

Sep 2, 2014 2:55 PM CDT

Delaware is first state to adopt model law that says social media accounts can be inherited

When individuals die their social media accounts often expire along with them. Even if their loved ones have the passwords, terms of use for Facebook and other providers routinely restrict account-sharing. But a uniform law that Delaware reportedly has become the first state to enact changes this expectation, recognizing social…

Aug 20, 2014 4:20 PM CDT

Should drug-lab issues derail hundreds of cases? New chief says lab was ‘like a ‘Hoarding’ episode’

Should hundreds of Delaware drug cases be thrown out because of problems in the testing laboratory overseen by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner? Or should proof of tainted evidence be required before cases are dismissed? That is the issue that faces a state-court judge who began hearing arguments…

Aug 20, 2014 11:15 AM CDT

Chief judge of top Delaware court gets gown makeover; sleeve stripes are reminiscent of Rehnquist

The newly minted chief judge of Delaware’s top court has gotten a gown makeover. Chief Justice Leo Strine of the state’s Supreme Court now has two gold stripes on each sleeve of his black robe, the News Journal reports. It also features light blue and gold accents, representing the state’s…

Aug 6, 2014 5:35 PM CDT

Was federal judge on ‘hit list’ reportedly found in courthouse shooter’s belongings?

A public defender representing the son of a man who shot two women to death in a Delaware courthouse last year en route to a child-support hearing is asking the federal judge overseeing a cyberstalking and conspiracy case against David Matusiewicz to step down. Exactly what is said in the…

Jul 29, 2014 9:25 PM CDT

Revered former ‘Judge Biff,’ known for his fairness and sense of humor, is dead at 77

Vincent A. Bifferato Sr., a legendary former Delaware superior court judge known for his fairness, his courtroom presence, his courtesy and his sense of humor during more than 30 years on the bench, has died of esophageal cancer. He was 77 years old. Remembered for his “unerring sense of right…

Jul 29, 2014 6:45 PM CDT

Top state court says Wal-Mart must produce bribery probe documents to shareholders

Upholding a ruling by an influential state business court, the Delaware Supreme Court unanimously agreed Wednesday that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. must produce—for a pension trust fund that is a large shareholder—documents related to an investigation of possible bribery involving the retailer’s Mexican stores. Agreeing with the state’s Court of Chancery,…

Jul 24, 2014 9:30 PM CDT

Plaintiffs lawyers fight ‘loser-pays’ bylaw adopted in middle of shareholder suit

A shareholder suit over $2.5 million in bonuses paid to executives of a pharmaceutical company is the latest battleground in an ongoing fight over a new corporate “loser-pays” bylaw that may have gotten a green light from the Delaware Supreme Court earlier this year. The bylaw at issue in the…

Jul 22, 2014 4:25 PM CDT

Sole woman judge on top Delaware court says she ‘wasn’t taken seriously’ as chief justice contender

A longtime judge on Delaware’s top court says she will be retiring early because she “wasn’t taken seriously” when she applied for the chief justice position. While she has no personal objection to the chief justice recently selected by Gov. Jack Markell, “what bothers me is I wasn’t taken seriously,”…

Jun 23, 2014 10:05 PM CDT

New bill could nix top Delaware court’s OK of loser-pays rule for attorney fees in corporate cases

With unusual speed, a bill was drafted by Delaware lawyers and introduced in the state legislature that could negate a state supreme court ruling last month approving a corporate fee-shifting bylaw affecting shareholder litigation. The bylaw required losing plaintiffs to cover the company’s attorney fees and costs for corporate litigation…

Jun 10, 2014 5:45 PM CDT

Delaware decision could spur fee-shifting bylaws, putting a damper on shareholder suits

The Delaware Supreme Court has upheld a fee-shifting provision in a corporate bylaw that might be adopted by other corporations to make shareholder suits more risky. The May 8 decision (PDF) addressed a federal court’s certified questions about a bylaw adopted by a private company that shifts attorney fees and…

May 20, 2014 10:45 AM CDT