Pro Se Songwriting Plaintiff Missed Hearings, Irritated Judges and Won Her Case

Despite irritating some judges, New York songwriter Peggy Harley has won her pro se lawsuit claiming that she was the author of a Grammy-nominated song recorded by singer Ann Nesby. Harley’s 13-page complaint contained misspellings and grammatical errors, the New York Times reports. She missed court hearings or showed up…

Aug 20, 2012 4:47 PM CDT

NFL Sues Insurers, Saying They Have Duty to Defend Brain Injury Claims

Dozens of insurance companies have not met their obligation to defend the National Football League in brain injury claims, the organization claimed in a Los Angeles Superior Court action filed Wednesday. The defendants include virtually every major insurer in the country, Reuters reports. According to the complaint, the NFL has…

Aug 16, 2012 6:10 PM CDT

Los Angeles Deploys Unusual Weapon on Ticket Scalpers, Seeks Injunction Banning Them From Stadiums

In recent years, government officials in California and elsewhere have increasingly turned to court injunctions to try to keep known gang members from running the streets. Now the same legal weapon is being deployed on significantly smaller fry—ticket scalpers. In a court filing this week, Los Angeles City Attorney Carmen…

Aug 10, 2012 8:37 PM CDT

Federal Judge OKs Mom’s Suit Against Maker of Breastfeeding How-To Film Used in 3rd Party’s Porn

A New Jersey mother who agreed to be featured, without compensation, in a televised breastfeeding instructional film says she was horrified to discover the video had been altered and posted online as part of a pornography film, using her full name. Now a federal judge in New Jersey has given…

Aug 10, 2012 5:56 PM CDT

Baker Hostetler Partner Tapped to Lead Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press

Bruce Brown, a Baker Hostetler media law partner, was tapped to lead the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, the organization announced in a press release. Brown, who is a former Legal Times reporter, starts the executive director job in September, The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times reports.…

Aug 7, 2012 7:47 PM CDT

Panelists Describe Lawyers’ Work Behind the Scenes in NCAA Investigations

Anyone hoping to hear a spirited discussion over whether the NCAA overstepped its authority when it sanctioned Penn State over the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal instead was schooled in the NCAA’s investigation and enforcement process. A panel of four lawyers spoke today about that process at the Young Lawyers…

Aug 3, 2012 7:32 PM CDT

Lawsuit Claims Casino Let Man Drink Himself to Death

A federal lawsuit filed Wednesday claims a Mississippi casino served so much alcohol to a man taking powerful prescription painkillers that he collapsed and died on the floor of his hotel bathroom. The suit filed against the IP Casino Resort and Spa in Biloxi, Miss., on behalf of Bryan Lee…

Aug 2, 2012 5:18 PM CDT

Deductive Reasoning: Documentary Filmmakers Get a Boost, as IRS Deductions Ruling Gets the Boot

Aug 1, 2012 8:40 AM CDT

Rolling the Dice: States Double Down in Bid to Lure Online Gamblers

Aug 1, 2012 7:40 AM CDT

Prominent Swim Coach Faces Hearing re 1989 Settlement Over Claimed Relationship With Young Teen

In the latest example of an institution revisiting claimed long-ago child sex-abuse that, in retrospect, may not have been handled optimally, USA Swimming has sought an emergency disciplinary hearing. It concerns a prominent Washington, D.C.-area coach who reportedly agreed to a $150,000 structured settlement in 1989 that required a young…

Jul 25, 2012 8:10 PM CDT

Former Penn State President Claims Ex-GC Didn’t Seek Outside Advice or Prepare Him for Grand Jury

Former Penn State president Graham Spanier defended his response to allegations against Jerry Sandusky in a letter to university trustees that criticized the school’s then-general counsel for failing to hire an experienced law firm during the grand jury probe. Spanier said he wouldn’t have ignored child sexual abuse complaints because…

Jul 24, 2012 11:42 AM CDT

Penn State Avoids NCAA ‘Death Penalty,’ Is Fined $60M, Faces More Sanctions re Child Sex-Abuse Case

The governing body of college sports declined to impose a so-called “death penalty” on Pennsylvania State University by shutting down its entire football program as a punishment for the institution’s handling of child abuse allegations concerning former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. However, at a press conference Monday the National College…

Jul 23, 2012 3:52 PM CDT

Playwright Says He Can’t Afford ‘Fancy Lawyer’ to Fight ‘Three’s Company’ Copyright Claim

A playwright who re-imagined Three’s Company for an Off Broadway play says he gave in to a cease and desist demand, promising at the end of the run that he won’t produce the play again or circulate the script. David Adjmi told the New York Times that he feared the…

Jul 18, 2012 1:55 PM CDT

Federal Judge Allows Circus’s Racketeering Suit Against Animal Rights Groups

A federal judge is allowing a racketeering case filed by the parent company of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus against a coalition of animal rights groups. U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan ruled earlier this week on behalf of corporate parent Feld Entertainment Inc., according to The BLT:…

Jul 13, 2012 11:00 AM CDT

Judge Quickly Tosses Lance Armstrong’s Suit, Says Complaints Aren’t Press Releases

A federal judge who once invited squabbling lawyers to a “kindergarten party” is back in the news for his quick dismissal a lawsuit filed by Lance Armstrong. Hours after Armstrong filed an 80-page suit against the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks of Austin dismissed it. Sparks said…

Jul 10, 2012 11:45 AM CDT