Government

State Bids to Block Health Reform Could Bring ‘Free-for-All Lawsuit’

A constitutional clash could emerge between the states and the federal government in a battle over the health reform law awaiting President Obama’s signature. Already, Idaho and Virginia have passed laws seeking to thwart the federal bill requiring individuals to carry health insurance, Reuters reports. In 36 other states, bills…

Mar 22, 2010 12:51 PM CDT

County Atty Turns in Keys After License is Suspended Over ‘06 Relationship With Client

An elected county attorney in Iowa has reportedly turned in his office keys after the state’s top court today suspended his law license over a sexual relationship he had with a private client in 2006 while representing her in a child-custody case. Floyd County Attorney Jesse Marzen declined to comment…

Mar 19, 2010 11:56 PM CDT

St. Louis Pays a Second Law Firm to Stay in Downtown Building

St. Louis apparently likes law firms so much that it is willing to pay them to stay in the city. On Thursday, the St. Louis Development Corp. agreed to give Sandberg Phoenix & Von Gontard a $150,000 forgivable loan to renew its lease in the One City Center building, according…

Mar 19, 2010 4:44 PM CDT

9th Cir. Panel Refuses En Banc Rehearing of Ruling Ex-AG Ashcroft Can Be Sued by Witness

Refusing an en banc rehearing of an earlier 2-1 ruling by an appellate panel, the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has effectively held once more that former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft can be sued for civil damages by a man who says he was unconstitutionally jailed…

Mar 18, 2010 9:36 PM CDT

ABA Weighs in on Law School’s Side in Case Over Christian Student Group

The American Bar Association filed an amicus curiae brief (PDF) with the U.S. Supreme Court late yesterday in a case that puts two cherished values at odds. On the one hand, the University of California’s Hastings College of the Law, like the ABA, has a policy against discrimination. On the…

Mar 16, 2010 11:13 PM CDT

In What May Be a Worldwide First, Genderless Person Is ID’d in Australia

Born biologically male, Norrie May-Welby, now 48, had a sex-change operation and became female 20 years ago. Now May-Welby has broken new ground and become a person legally recognized as having an unspecified gender, in what may be a world first, the Telegraph reports. As the Scavenger apparently first reported…

Mar 16, 2010 7:35 PM CDT

Detroit to Tell Workers to Tone Down Scented Products Under ADA Settlement

The scent of litigation success isn’t a sweet smell for at least one plaintiff who recently won a $100,000 settlement in a federal Americans with Disabilities Act discrimination case. As part of the pact in the federal lawsuit filed by planner Susan McBride, the city of Detroit has agreed to…

Mar 16, 2010 5:16 PM CDT

When Not Working for Paying Clients, Lawyer Is Suing Officials ... and Growing Veggies

Larry Loigman has a general practice in New Jersey. But the 55-year-old Middletown practitioner is best-known for what amounts to volunteer work litigating against local government, reports the Asbury Park Press. From alleged fiscal mismanagement by government officials to illegal duck crossings, Loigman doesn’t hesitate to step in and file…

Mar 15, 2010 7:33 PM CDT

Greenberg Traurig Partner Charged With Overbilling Client By $1M to Gain Prestige in Firm

A now-former partner of Greenberg Traurig has been criminally charged with theft for allegedly overbilling a government client in the Chicago suburbs by more than $1 million. Mark McCombs, 50, is accused of taking advantage of longstanding professional and personal relationships with officials in Village of Calumet Park and charging…

Mar 6, 2010 2:23 AM CST

FBI Probing Gov’t Attorney’s Office in Embattled Maricopa County, Ariz.

After litigation against judges and efforts to search their computers by the local government attorney in embattled Maricopa County, Ariz., the FBI has now expanded an earlier probe of the county sheriff’s office to include as well the office of County Attorney Andrew Thomas. Although the FBI would neither confirm…

Mar 5, 2010 11:12 PM CST

‘West Coast Ralph Nader’ Dies at 91, Kept Justice Frankfurter Note on Desk

After growing up during the Great Depression, William Bennett dropped out of law school to serve as a bomber pilot in World War II, flying 35 missions over Nazi-occupied Europe and returning with the Distinguished Flying Cross and four Bronze Star medals. By the time he graduated from University of…

Mar 5, 2010 8:17 PM CST

Missouri High Court Erases $100 Camera-Generated Ticket, Faults City for Lacking Judicial Review

A onetime Kansas City police officer who took his challenge of a $100 traffic ticket all the way to the Missouri Supreme Court has prevailed. Retired Missouri Highway Patrol Officer Adolph Belt Jr. challenged the ticket issued in Springfield, and the ruling effectively shutters the program and will lead to…

Mar 3, 2010 12:53 PM CST

NY’s Proposed Press Credentials for Bloggers May Resolve Litigation, Serve as Model

Bloggers who filed suit two years ago against the City of New York to obtain the same press privileges afforded to traditional journalists from brick-and-mortar enterprises are closer to a resolution. Rafael Martínez Alequin, Ralph E. Smith and David Wallis sued the New York Police Department in 2008 after they…

Mar 2, 2010 10:18 PM CST

Police De-text-ive

Is it a privacy violation to review messages on a work-issued pager?

Mar 1, 2010 9:30 AM CST

Child Kidnap Victim Held 18 Years Seeks Damages re Delayed ID of Suspect Parolee

Child kidnap victim Jaycee Dugard and her family are seeking damages from the state of California”s Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board, over “various lapses” by the Department of Corrections, reports the Associated Press. She was allegedly held for 18 years by parolee Phillip Garrido and his wife in their…

Feb 26, 2010 5:54 PM CST