Government

Miami Court Worker Charged in Quickie Divorce Scam

A 16-year employee of the Miami-Dade clerk of courts office has been charged with using her now-former job to scam couples seeking quickie divorces. Olga Avila allegedly charged couples she met through the courts’ Self Help program $670, of which $364 represented filing fees she paid. Authorities say she filled…

Jan 15, 2008 5:11 PM CST

LGBT Legal Clinic to Open in Md.?

Lawyers in Baltimore are organizing a fledgling legal clinic for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered clients. If it gets off the ground, it reportedly will be the first LGBT clinic in the state of Maryland and one of the few in the country. Individuals working with the FreeState Law Project…

Jan 15, 2008 1:33 AM CST

Big Brother is Watching ... in the Barnyard

Seeking to help prevent widespread outbreaks of animal illness that can affect humans, such as avian flu and mad cow disease, federal officials are in the fledgling stages of implementing a national identification program. Eventually, it will require many farmers to register and microchip individual animals among their livestock, and…

Jan 14, 2008 5:33 PM CST

Local Officials Suggest New Ideas for Saving on Legal Fees

Local officials have advanced several cutting-edge concepts lately about how to save money on legal fees. However, the lawyers concerned may not be jumping for joy over the innovative ideas. In Milford, Ohio, a newly elected school board member suggested that the group could save money by eliminating their general…

Jan 10, 2008 12:05 AM CST

Illinois Lawyer Charged in Client Referral Fee Scheme

An Illinois attorney and three former state tax auditors have been federally indicted concerning an alleged client referral scheme. Attorney Dean Roupas, 36, who practices in the Chicago suburb of Burbank, has been charged along with the auditors with participating in an arrangement in which Roupas paid $25,500 to have…

Jan 9, 2008 11:42 PM CST

Release of Racist and Racy DA E-Mail Leads to Call for Resignation

The controversy over the e-mails of District Attorney Charles Rosenthal of Houston heated up yesterday with the disclosure of additional messages sent on government computers that contained racial slurs and off-color jokes and dealt with the DA’s re-election campaign. A federal judge ordered the e-mails released Monday in a lawsuit…

Jan 9, 2008 2:50 PM CST

Baltimore Sues Bank for Lost Tax Revenue Due to Foreclosures

A lawsuit contends Wells Fargo Bank has cost the city of Baltimore needed tax revenues through subprime lending practices that led to increased foreclosures. The New York Times reports that other city lawsuits have tried to hold banks responsible for properties abandoned as the result of foreclosures, but this suit…

Jan 8, 2008 4:45 PM CST

N.H. City Says Attorney Malpractice Nixed Insurance

A New Hampshire municipality has sued its former legal counsel for malpractice, contending that he not only failed to appropriately advise the city of Claremont of the legal risks associated with firing the city tax assessor in 2000 but also failed to advise the city that the tax assessor, Steve…

Jan 7, 2008 9:17 PM CST

Santa & 1st Amendment Attys Busy During Holidays

If you thought Santa was busy this time of year, think about lawyers who specialize in religious expression. They report an upswing of calls in November and December dealing with a host of issues, from public school choirs singing religious songs to nativity displays on government property, the Washington Post…

Dec 21, 2007 5:52 PM CST

Calif. Sues Janitor Cos., Claims ‘Flagrant’ Independent Contractor Abuses

In an apparent escalation of an ongoing effort to police companies that misclassify employees as independent contractors, two California agencies have announced joint litigation against two janitorial companies that send workers to restaurants in multiple counties. In the first lawsuits resulting from a coordinated effort by Jerry Brown, the state…

Dec 20, 2007 1:35 AM CST

Landmark Energy Bill Bans Some Light Bulbs, Ups MPG Ante

A landmark energy bill signed into law today by President Bush will require greater fuel efficiency from a wide range of products, including cars and light bulbs. In an effort to reduce U.S. dependency on foreign oil, the Energy Independence and Security Act requires a 40 percent increase in fuel…

Dec 19, 2007 8:31 PM CST

Manslaughter Case Against Company Over ‘Big Dig’ Accident Continues

In an unusual and much-watched manslaughter case against one of the companies working on the controversial “Big Dig” tunnel project in Boston, a Massachusetts judge refused yesterday to dismiss the criminal charge. Defendant Powers Fasteners Inc., which is the only contractor charged in the manslaughter case, had contended that the…

Dec 19, 2007 6:31 PM CST

New Suit in Duke Lacrosse Rape Case

The fallout continues over a botched investigation and prosecution of an escort service dancer’s allegations—eventually determined to be false—that she was gang-raped in March 2006 by former members of the Duke University men’s lacrosse team. Three former team members who were never charged in the case have filed a 400-page…

Dec 19, 2007 5:15 PM CST

D.C.‘s Top Lawyer Resigns

Washington D.C.’s top lawyer resigned Monday, reportedly amid growing frustration that the mayor was leaving key legal decisions to his general counsel. D.C. Attorney General Linda Singer, who was spearheading the District’s defense of its gun ordinance in the U.S. Supreme Court, did not give a reason for her resignation,…

Dec 17, 2007 7:45 PM CST

Kansas Agog Over AG Sex Scandal

An admitted extramarital affair is the least of it. A longtime employee in the Johnson County, Kan., district attorney’s office says she was sexually harassed by the new state attorney general as part of a two-year affair that involved courthouse trysts and alleged interference with cases being prosecuted by her…

Dec 12, 2007 11:57 PM CST