Government

Pa. Lawyer Didn’t Pursue Plea Offer, Spent $1M to Cut 5 Months Off Sentence

Offered a suggested deal in a federal corruption case that would, at one point, have required him to plead guilty to one fraud count in exchange for a prison term of no more than five years, Vince Fumo reportedly wound up instead taking the case to trial. That strategy cost…

Jul 16, 2009 8:30 PM CDT

Homeless Man, Jailed for Failing to Support Boy Who Wasn’t His, Is Freed

A homeless man has been freed after sitting in a South Georgia jail for more than a year for failing to pay the costs of supporting a boy who wasn’t his. Frank Hatley won his freedom yesterday after a Georgia judge concluded he was indigent, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. “I…

Jul 16, 2009 12:03 PM CDT

Judge Sent Homeless Man to Jail for Failing to Support Boy Who Wasn’t His

Updated: A judge who put a homeless man in a South Georgia jail for more than a year for failing to pay the costs of supporting his “son” knew there was no biological tie. On Wednesday, the judge released Frank Hatley after his new lawyer from the Southern Center for…

Jul 15, 2009 12:37 PM CDT

$8.4M Sex, Lies & Texts Settlement Puts Detroit Lawyers on Hot Seat

The first of a series of legal ethics hearings has begun concerning five attorneys involved in a controversial $8.4 million settlement by the city of Detroit over police whistle-blower litigation and steamy text messages sent by the former mayor to his then-top aide. Because the text messages also showed that…

Jul 14, 2009 6:12 PM CDT

Colo. Governor Gave No-Bid Contract to Hogan & Hartson, His Ex-Firm

Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter hired his former law firm, Hogan & Hartson, to analyze the federal stimulus bill and make sure the state gets its share of federal funds. Ritter hired Hogan & Hartson under a no-bid contract and has so far used $40,000 in federal funds to pay the…

Jul 14, 2009 1:21 PM CDT

Ex-Colleagues Say AG Holder Is Aging Before Their Eyes

Former colleagues of Attorney General Eric Holder say he is “working like a dog” and aging before their eyes. Holder is fielding criticism from Republicans who see him as soft on terrorism and from some Democrats disappointed to learn he is mulling the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate…

Jul 14, 2009 12:54 PM CDT

Prominent Fla. Lawyer Faces Bar Case in Settlement ‘Scheme to Defraud’

A proposed class action settlement characterized by a state appeals court as “a scheme to defraud” has put a prominent Miami lawyer in hot water with the Florida Bar, along with his opposing counsel in the case. In a disciplinary filing, the lawyer regulatory agency contends that founding partner Hank…

Jul 13, 2009 7:18 PM CDT

Medicare Slow to Accept Lawyers’ Offers of Money

Some personal injury lawyers say their clients are willing and ready to reimburse Medicare for the costs of their care, but the agency is taking as long as a year to come up with a figure for the amount owed. Kansas City, Mo., lawyer John Kurtz told McClatchy Newspapers he…

Jul 13, 2009 4:08 PM CDT

AG Holder May Appoint Prosecutor for CIA Torture Inquiry

Attorney General Eric Holder may appoint a criminal prosecutor to investigate whether terrorism suspects were tortured during CIA interrogations. Three sources told the Washington Post that Holder has reviewed a secret CIA inspection report that details several instances that could be likened to torture. He could decide whether to proceed…

Jul 13, 2009 12:45 PM CDT

Did Cheney Break the Law by Hiding CIA Program from Congress?

A report this weekend says former Vice President Dick Cheney told the CIA to withhold information from Congress about a secret counterterrorism program, raising questions about whether such an order violates the law. Two unidentified sources told the New York Times that the new CIA director, Leon Panetta, has halted…

Jul 13, 2009 12:12 PM CDT

SEC Official Says Her Resignation Isn’t Tied to Madoff

The head of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s examinations division is resigning after 14 years in the position, but she says the reason for her departure is not Bernard Madoff. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.), Lori Richards denied that the controversy over the SEC’s failure…

Jul 9, 2009 3:34 PM CDT

Karl Rove Testifies in US Attorney Probe

Former White House political adviser Karl Rove was questioned yesterday by lawyers for the House Judiciary Committee seeking information on the firings of nine U.S. attorneys. Committee chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., told Politico that the deposition began around 10 a.m. and ended at about 6:30 p.m. The transcript may eventually…

Jul 8, 2009 12:10 PM CDT

White House Lawyers Make Less Than $200K

Being a White House lawyer may be prestigious, but it’s not as high-paying as a big law firm job. Salary information released by the Obama administration shows White House counsel Gregory Craig makes $172,200—far short of the $1.7 million he made last year as a partner at Williams & Connolly,…

Jul 6, 2009 3:19 PM CDT

Google Books Settlement May Violate Antitrust Law, DOJ Contends

A pending settlement between Google Inc. and groups representing authors and publishers could violate antitrust law, the U.S. Department of Justice says in a letter to the federal judge in the Southern District of New York who is overseeing the case. Although the DOJ has made no finding that antitrust…

Jul 2, 2009 9:33 PM CDT

Counsel for Accused Lawyer Must Be Given Control of Claimed Child Porn

Defense counsel for an attorney and former New Jersey lawmaker accused in a child pornography case must be given access to the images allegedly found on Neil Cohen’s computers, a state appeals court has ruled. Prosecutors had argued that Cohen’s defense team should only be allowed to view the evidence…

Jul 2, 2009 8:52 PM CDT