District of Columbia

Upset at 29-Year Term, Man Drops F-Bomb, Gets Contempt Time, Too, Which Fed’l Appeals Court Upholds

Apparently unhappy about being sentenced to a 26-year prison term, followed by another three years due to his violation of probation in a prior drug case, a defendant dropped the F-bomb. “F— y’all,” he stated, having several times previously interrupted the Washington, D.C. Superior Court judge during his sentencing, recounts…

Dec 29, 2010 3:01 PM CST

Law Student Dies After Fall at Exclusive Chicago Club

A unique and extraordinary first-year law student with a promising future has died after somehow falling down the stairs at an exclusive Chicago club he was visiting with his father during the holiday break. Eric Fatla died yesterday from the severe injuries he sustained in the Christmas Eve fall at…

Dec 28, 2010 7:00 PM CST

Sutherland Partner Sues D.C. Over Arrest and $35 ‘Post & Forfeit’ Fee, Seeks $1.2M and Class Status

A partner of Sutherland Asbill & Brennan has filed a federal lawsuit against the District of Columbia and two police officers. White collar criminal defense partner Hamilton “Phil” Fox III contends he was not accorded his constitutional right of defending himself in court after being arrested for disorderly conduct over…

Dec 17, 2010 9:28 PM CST

Judge Refuses to Release Names of SEC Lawyers Who Viewed Porn at Work

The identity of the Securities and Exchange Commission lawyer who spent up to eight hours of day watching pornography at work will remain a secret under a federal judge’s ruling. U.S. District Judge Christine Arguello turned down a Denver lawyer’s request for the names of porn-watching SEC employees, citing privacy…

Dec 10, 2010 2:12 PM CST

WTF? ‘10 Most Obscene Cities’ List Doesn’t Include Most Likely Suspects

Business Insider this week published its third annual “10 Most Obscene Cities in America” list, and New York City ain’t on it. Neither is friggin’ Chicago. According to the online magazine’s posts since 2008, the methodology of the list’s creation was inspired by Florida defense attorney Lawrence Walters. Posts link…

Dec 8, 2010 7:26 PM CST

Judge Tosses Suit Seeking to Prevent Targeted Killing of Cleric Who Urged Jihad

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has dismissed a lawsuit seeking to prevent the government’s targeted killing of a Muslim cleric believed to be hiding in Yemen. U.S. District Judge John Bates said the suit, brought by the father of Anwar al-Awlaki, the targeted cleric, cannot go forward because the…

Dec 7, 2010 5:24 PM CST

He Said, She Said: Lawyer Claims Cop Abused Authority in Relationship Dispute

A bad relationship between a Virginia civil rights lawyer and a Washington, D.C., police officer has become a hard-fought federal court battle, as attorney Matthew LeFande seeks to hold officer Carolyn Mische-Hoeges civilly accountable for allegedly abusing her authority by pursuing a criminal case against him. A federal stalking charge…

Dec 2, 2010 12:41 AM CST

Chevron Claims Patton Boggs Conflict, Due to Lobbying Link, in $27B Environmental Case

In the latest unusual twist in a hard-fought legal battle between Chevron Corp. and individuals in Ecuador who allege environmental damage in a $27 billion class action, the oil company is contending that a new attorney for the plaintiffs is conflicted out because his law firm recently acquired a lobbying…

Nov 30, 2010 3:54 PM CST

Online Law School Reportedly Looking for D.C. Brick-and-Mortar Campus

A company that offers an online law degree is reportedly seeking office space to open a brick-and-mortar law school in Washington, D.C. Kaplan is looking for a building near the Washington Nationals’ baseball stadium, anonymous real-estate sources tell the Washington Post. The newspaper’s corporate owner also owns Kaplan, which operates…

Nov 30, 2010 11:30 AM CST

Fox Rothschild Opens DC Office with 2 Dilworth Lawyers, Plans 20-Plus Lawyers There

After a decade of discussion about establishing an office in the nation’s capital, Fox Rothschild has made its move. With the hire of three lawyers from Dilworth Paxon, the more than 500-attorney Philadelphia-based law firm now has the right team and has planted its flag in Washington, D.C., the Blog…

Nov 29, 2010 8:58 PM CST

Long Line Forms at Florida Law Firm Giving Out 1,000 Free Thanksgiving Turkeys

A long line began forming at 3 a.m. today outside the Orlando offices of a Florida personal injury firm that has promised to give away 1,000 free Thanksgiving turkeys today, no questions asked. As of 8 a.m., Lou Pendás of the Pendás Law Firm and volunteers began handing out the…

Nov 23, 2010 2:20 PM CST

Ingmar Guandique Convicted in Chandra Levy Murder Case

Jurors in D.C. Superior Court today found Ingmar Guandique guilty of first-degree murder in the 2001 killing of Chandra Levy. Despite a lack of forensic evidence directly linking a central American immigrant to the murder of Levy, jurors apparently were persuaded by Guandique’s claimed confession to his cellmate, reports the…

Nov 22, 2010 8:35 PM CST

Law Firm Sues Insurance Broker in Effort to Recover $1.6M Lost to Madoff

A Washington, D.C., law firm that lost $1.6 million in pension money invested with convicted Ponzi schemer Bernard Madoff has sued its insurance broker in an effort to recover the money. Grossberg, Yochelson, Fox & Beyda claims in the suit that its insurance broker did not obtain an insurance bond…

Nov 19, 2010 1:00 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

Report: DOJ Lawyers Won’t Face Criminal Charges Over Sen. Stevens Prosecution

Citing unidentified sources, NPR says a special prosecutor appointed by a federal judge has decided not to bring any criminal charges against prosecutors involved in the collapsed U.S. Department of Justice case against former Sen. Ted Stevens. However, two DOJ lawyers are appealing a civil contempt finding by U.S. District…

Nov 15, 2010 6:23 PM CST