Readying for Trouble: Yearlong Initiative by TIPS Focuses on Disaster Preparedness and Response

Oct 1, 2011 6:30 AM CDT

ABA Urges Congress to Bolster Legal Services Provisions in Older Americans Act

Oct 1, 2011 6:20 AM CDT

Judge Refuses to Block Kansas Law Restricting Insurance Coverage for Abortions

A federal judge refused Thursday to block enforcement of a new Kansas law restricting insurance coverage for abortions. The law, which took effect July 1, prohibits insurance companies from offering abortion coverage as part of a general health plan, except when a woman’s life is at risk, the Associated Press…

Sep 30, 2011 9:27 PM CDT

Retired Justice Stevens Says His Medical Marijuana Opinion Supports Health Care Law

Retired Justice John Paul Stevens is citing one of his own opinions as offering legal support for President Obama’s health care law. Stevens referred to the opinion, Gonzales v. Raich, in an interview with Bloomberg News. The 6-3 decision held the federal government had commerce clause authority to ban medical…

Sep 28, 2011 3:04 PM CDT

Petition Claims State Farm Secretly Raised Millions for Ill. Justice Who Voted Its Way in $1B Case

Lawyers seeking to reinstate a $1 billion verdict against State Farm claim the insurer covered up the full extent of its fundraising on behalf of an Illinois Supreme Court justice who voted to overturn the award. In a petition filed last week, former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson and other Tennessee…

Sep 15, 2011 12:47 PM CDT

Federal Judge Got It Wrong, Va. Lacks Standing to Challenge Health Care Reform, 4th Circuit Rules

Developing: In a ruling today, the Richmond, Va.-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declined to strike down a controversial health care plan backed by President Barack Obama, nixing a challenge to the legislation by the state of Virginia. A federal district court earlier held that the health plan didn’t…

Sep 8, 2011 6:58 PM CDT

Judge Scrutinizes Legal Fees in Ponzi Case; Lawyers Have Received More Than Victims, So Far

Amid concern that lawyers have so far collected more than triple the amount paid to victims, an appellate judge has limited several firms’ fee awards for work on the receivership case connected to WexTrust Capital. And it’s not the first time he’s spoken out on the issue. Judge Denny Chin…

Aug 26, 2011 8:25 PM CDT

Former GC Sentenced to 15 Years for Aiding Life Settlement Fraud; Defense Argued He Was Naïve

The former general counsel of a Houston life settlement company has been sentenced to more than 15 years in prison for aiding a corporate scheme that defrauded investors of $100 million. Even the prosecutor described the defendant, Russell Mackert, as kind and mild-mannered, Corporate Counsel reports. Mackert’s lawyer, Carolyn Grady,…

Jul 29, 2011 3:49 PM CDT

Motion: Kasowitz Troops Posed as Sham Hedge Fund Execs to Contact Represented Man

A motion to disqualify Kasowitz Benson Torres & Friedman from continuing to represent the plaintiff insurer in a hard-fought lawsuit against multiple hedge funds contends that the law firm contacted a represented individual working for one of the defendants in the case. Multiple hedge fund defendants in the New Jersey…

Jul 21, 2011 8:00 PM CDT

3 Lawyers, Worker’s Comp Arbitrator Face Disciplinary Cases re Claimed ‘Ex Parte Party’

A former Illinois Worker’s Compensation Commission arbitrator and three lawyers are facing legal ethics charges concerning alleged misconduct characterized by the Legal Profession Blog as an “ex parte party.” Plus, in addition to allegedly sending ex parte emails to three lawyers on one side of worker’s comp cases without copying…

Jul 19, 2011 6:52 PM CDT

Associate Faces Legal Ethics Case re Claimed Ex Parte Emails with Worker’s Comp Arbitrator

An associate with a St. Louis law firm is facing a legal ethics case over her alleged ex parte emails with an arbitrator concerning the merits of a client’s Illinois worker’s compensation case. Kerry O’Sullivan, 36, who is licensed in both Missouri and Illinois, cooperated with the Illinois Attorney Registration…

Jul 12, 2011 11:03 PM CDT

Lateral Associate Working at Clausen Miller Wasn’t a Licensed Attorney, Law Firm Concludes

A lateral associate at Clausen Miller who reportedly worked at two law firms for nearly a decade apparently may never have been licensed to practice. In fact, it’s not even clear that Mark Pastuszak graduated from law school, the Daily Business Review reported. Pastuszak worked as an insurance coverage associate…

Jul 11, 2011 11:40 PM CDT

New York AG Probes Life Insurers’ Efforts to Find Beneficiaries

The New York attorney general is investigating whether nine companies are trying hard enough to find beneficiaries of life insurance policies after the holder dies. If a case results, an unidentified source tells Bloomberg, the office of AG Eric Schneiderman could invoke the Martin Act, which doesn’t require proof of…

Jul 5, 2011 5:05 PM CDT

Girl Sues Dad, Claims He Triggered Traumatizing Road Rage Incident

Through her mother and attorney, a 10-year-old girl is suing her father, who was shot in the head following a road rage incident in Philadelphia. The suit maintains that the girl’s father, Thomas Timko, set off a chain of events in 2009 that led to the shooting, according to an…

Jul 5, 2011 2:24 PM CDT

6th Circuit Upholds Health Care Law’s Insurance Mandate

A federal appeals court has upheld the insurance mandate in the Obama administration’s health care law. In a 2-1 opinion (PDF), the Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a requirement for individuals to buy health insurance or to pay a tax penalty. The plaintiffs challenging the law—the Thomas…

Jun 29, 2011 5:04 PM CDT