Evidence

Emojis help make one case and destroy another; corruption defendant used winking emojis

Emojis helped prosecutors building a case against a Los Angeles city councilman but didn’t work as intended in a plaintiff’s employment discrimination case.

Oct 26, 2021 3:55 PM CDT

Did pandemic make jurors more skeptical of scientific evidence? Some see a change

Jurors appear more skeptical of scientific and medical testimony following the COVID-19 pandemic, according to some lawyers and experts interviewed by Law.com.

Oct 26, 2021 1:18 PM CDT

Retired prosecutor, disbarred for withholding evidence, says law practice is ‘a screwed-up obscenity’

A retired prosecutor in Maryland told the Baltimore Sun that he didn’t “give a damn” when the newspaper informed him that he had been disbarred for failing to disclose exculpatory evidence and making false statements about its content.

Oct 26, 2021 9:53 AM CDT

Judge reprimands Littler Mendelson for ‘baseless legal and factual statements’ in disability bias case

A federal judge in Phoenix has formally reprimanded Littler Mendelson for “baseless legal and factual statements” made in a court document while defending DISH Network in a disability bias case.

Oct 7, 2021 11:58 AM CDT

Infowars host who called Sandy Hook shooting a ‘giant hoax’ loses suits because of discovery abuse

Infowars host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones is liable by default in three defamation lawsuits filed over his claims that the December 2012 mass shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, was a “giant hoax.”

Oct 4, 2021 1:02 PM CDT

Federal judge ends clash with defense lawyer by walking out of courtroom during his argument

A lawyer has filed a motion that objects to a federal judge’s decision to leave the bench during a hearing on suppression of evidence against his client.

Sep 28, 2021 9:24 AM CDT

Singer R. Kelly is found guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking

Jurors in Brooklyn, New York, have found singer R. Kelly guilty of all nine counts of racketeering and sex trafficking following a six-week trial in which witnesses testified about an abusive scheme to exploit women and underage girls for sex.

Sep 27, 2021 3:45 PM CDT

Judge accused of eating evidence apparently kills himself before FBI agents enter home for arrest

A Maryland judge facing a federal charge of child exploitation apparently killed himself before FBI agents entered his home to arrest him Friday.

Sep 13, 2021 11:41 AM CDT

Judge sanctions pro-Trump lawyers for election suit, cites ‘guesswork’ affidavits and unwarranted claims

A federal judge has sanctioned lawyers for their election fraud lawsuit in Michigan, saying their claims were based on “speculation, conjecture and unwarranted suspicion.”

Aug 26, 2021 10:31 AM CDT

Lawyer who once represented Stormy Daniels wins mistrial on charges he stole from clients

Suspended California lawyer Michael Avenatti has won a mistrial in his federal wire fraud trial on charges that he stole millions of dollars in settlement money from clients.

Aug 24, 2021 4:12 PM CDT

Governments should adopt the ABA’s best practices recommendations for police body-worn cameras, ABA House says

The ABA House of Delegates passed a resolution Monday urging governments around the country to adopt its policies on police body-worn cameras—technology that is a key part of measures on policing reform.

Aug 9, 2021 4:42 PM CDT

Federal appeals judge criticizes disparate-impact theory; are his opinions op-ed columns?

A federal appeals judge who is attracting national attention for his “aggressive rhetoric” in legal opinions has written a concurrence criticizing disparate-impact theory, likening it to critical race theory.

Aug 5, 2021 2:03 PM CDT

Judge scrutinizes BigLaw firm in ruling on evidence from blood-testing company Theranos that may be ‘irretrievably’ lost

The founder of blood-testing company Theranos can’t exclude government evidence at her fraud trial on the basis of lost, purportedly exculpatory evidence because her company was responsible for the destruction, a federal judge in San Jose, California, has ruled.

Aug 5, 2021 1:15 PM CDT

Federal appeals court upholds Judicial Watch’s $2.3M judgment against its founder

A federal appeals court has upheld a $2.3 million judgment obtained by the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch against its founder, Larry Klayman.

Aug 2, 2021 1:05 PM CDT

‘Making a Murderer’ subject Steven Avery loses appellate bid for new-trial hearing; his lawyer is undeterred

The Wisconsin Court of Appeals on Wednesday rejected a request for a hearing in a new-trial bid by Steven Avery, whose case was portrayed in the Making a Murderer Netflix series.

Jul 29, 2021 1:42 PM CDT