Georgia

Despite plans to close, Savannah Law School will allow students to complete education in same city

Savannah Law School has sold its building and announced its decision to close, but that doesn’t mean its current students will have to travel to another city to complete their education. The school “will cease operations over the next five years,” though it will stop admitting new students, according to…

Mar 29, 2018 11:35 AM CDT

Class action claims closing of Savannah Law School is intended to benefit parent school’s finances

A would-be class action lawsuit filed on behalf of Savannah Law School students claims the school is being closed to financially benefit its parent school and to improve the parent school's position before the ABA's accreditation body.

Mar 27, 2018 7:00 AM CDT

Lawyer asked his ‘darlin’ ’ for a gun before falling asleep and fatally shooting her, defense says

Prominent Atlanta lawyer Claud “Tex” McIver had a loving relationship with his wife before he fatally shot her, defense lawyer Bruce Harvey stressed in court on Tuesday during a cross-examination that was at times more of a monologue. Harvey maintains McIver was asleep when he killed his wife while riding…

Mar 21, 2018 12:25 PM CDT

Lawyers argue over apportionment after $1M verdict in BigLaw malpractice case

Lawyers were arguing over how to apportion damages and fees after jurors awarded more than $1 million on Wednesday in a malpractice suit against Alston & Bird. Jurors in Atlanta found that Alston & Bird was partially at fault for work that allegedly helped a corporate manager who paid himself…

Mar 2, 2018 7:00 AM CST

Former publisher and lawyer accuse judge of malicious prosecution in federal lawsuit

The publisher of a now-shuttered weekly newspaper and his lawyer have filed a federal lawsuit against a Georgia judge that alleges she “sought revenge” for their requests for court spending records by pressuring prosecutors to bring charges against them. The malicious prosecution suit was filed on Monday against Judge Brenda…

Mar 1, 2018 4:50 PM CST

Computer refurbisher appeals for freedom after trying to prolong lives of PCs

Updated and corrected: Eric Lundgren, an electronics recycling advocate and computer refurbisher from California, faces more than a year in prison for creating tens of thousands of discs meant to prolong the life of a computer. What landed Lundgren in legal trouble was the creation and planned sale of 28,000…

Feb 28, 2018 3:00 PM CST

Title VII protects workers from discrimination based on sexual orientation, en banc 2nd Circuit says

An en banc federal appeals court has ruled that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects workers from discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Feb 26, 2018 10:56 AM CST

Georgia capital defendant has right to appeal based on racist statements from juror, SCOTUS says

Keith Tharpe, a black Georgia death row inmate who was found guilty of killing his sister-in-law and kidnapping his estranged wife in 1990, may be entitled to a certificate of appealability due to racist statements made by a white juror during deliberations, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday.

Jan 8, 2018 10:49 AM CST

Jan. 7, 1795: The Yazoo Land Fraud Becomes Law

A state-sanctioned land grab tested issues of state sovereignty and federal power in the newly independent United States. Claims under the Yazoo Land Act ultimately were resolved by the Supreme Court in Fletcher v. Peck.

Jan 1, 2018 1:00 AM CST

Ex-BigLaw partner who claimed he was duped by in-house counsel is suspended for altered bills

The Georgia Supreme Court has suspended a former BigLaw partner for submitting altered bills to a corporate client that included work done for personal clients of an in-house lawyer.

Dec 18, 2017 8:00 AM CST

Hospital delays toddler’s kidney transplant after donor dad’s parole violation

A Georgia hospital has pushed back kidney transplant surgery for a 2-year-old boy after a parole violation by his father, the donor. Emory University Hospital had scheduled the surgery for Oct. 3, then delayed it until the boy’s father, Anthony Dickerson, could comply with parole for three months, the Atlanta…

Oct 16, 2017 9:53 AM CDT

SEC alleges general counsel aided Ponzi scheme, approved misleading ads

The Securities and Exchange Commission is alleging that a corporate general counsel participated in a Ponzi scheme that targeted naïve investors in ads that sometimes ran on the Rush Limbaugh Show.

Oct 11, 2017 7:45 AM CDT

Man who flipped the bird at his pastor gets his conviction overturned on First Amendment grounds

A churchgoer convicted of disorderly conduct for flipping the bird at his pastor was engaging in speech protected by the First Amendment, according to the Georgia Supreme Court.

Oct 4, 2017 8:00 AM CDT

Supreme Court stays execution to consider granting cert on juror bias claim

The U.S. Supreme Court has temporarily blocked the execution of a Georgia inmate as the justices decide whether to grant certiorari on his claim that one of the jurors harbored “virulently racist views.” The court stayed (PDF) the execution of Keith Leroy Tharpe on Tuesday evening, report the Atlanta Journal-Constitution,…

Sep 27, 2017 9:22 AM CDT

Judge faces ethics probe after lawyer claims denied bathroom break led to courtroom accident

A Georgia judge acknowledges she is facing an ethics investigation over allegations she denied a bathroom break to a public defender who says she tried to catch the judge’s attention by mouthing the word “bathroom” and passing along a note. But Judge Courtney Johnson of DeKalb County tells the Atlanta…

Sep 19, 2017 7:00 AM CDT