Internet Law

Judge Allows Incriminating Text Messages Between Spouses in Child Abuse Trial

A Pennsylvania judge has ruled that incriminating text messages between a husband and wife may be used as evidence in the woman’s child abuse trial. Judge Richard Walsh of Franklin County ruled the spousal communications privilege does not apply in criminal child abuse cases, the Legal Intelligencer reports. Walsh said…

Feb 16, 2012 2:01 PM CST

Hearing Board Recommends Reprimand for Prosecutor’s Misleading Statements to Blogger

A prosecutor accused of misleading a blogger about a prior ethics case should be reprimanded, according to a recommendation by an Illinois hearing board. The hearing panel sustained just one charge of misconduct against Laura Morask. According to the panel’s Feb. 10 report and recommendation, Morask misled blogger and lawyer…

Feb 14, 2012 11:30 AM CST

Suit Claims Ex-Partner Installed Software Allowing Continued Access to Law Firm Files

A Pennsylvania law firm has sued a former partner, claiming he installed software allowing remote access to its computer network before he jumped to a new firm. The law firm, Elliott Greenleaf & Siedzikowski, filed a motion for an injunction to stop the alleged hacking on Thursday, the Legal Intelligencer…

Feb 13, 2012 1:31 PM CST

Juror Who Friended Defendant Could See Jail Time

A Florida man who got kicked off a jury for friending a defendant in an auto accident case apparently compounded his problems with a Facebook post after the fact. Jacob Jock of Sarasota chronicled his excitement at being dismissed, according to lawyer Damien Mallard, who represents the plaintiff. “He went…

Feb 9, 2012 3:33 PM CST

Top Texas Criminal Court OKs Use of Defendant’s MySpace Pages to Convict Him in Slaying

Despite an absence of forensic evidence, Ronnie Tienda Jr. was convicted and sentenced to 35 years in prison in the slaying of a 23-year-old man in a 2007 Dallas freeway shootout. The guns that were fired in the incident were never recovered, nor was there a bullet match. However, Tienda,…

Feb 8, 2012 9:19 PM CST

Brazil Sues Twitter in Bid to Ban Speed Trap and Roadblock Warnings

The attorney general of Brazil has filed a lawsuit against Twitter in a bid to block accounts that warn drivers of police speed traps and roadblocks. The government argues the tweets interfere with police efforts to fight drunk driving, reduce accidents and uncover evidence of crime, report CNN, PC Magazine,…

Feb 8, 2012 12:34 PM CST

Unaware ‘Anonymous’ Existed Until Friday, Partner of Hacked Law Firm Is Now Fielding FBI Phone Calls

Unaware until Friday that the hacking collective known as Anonymous existed, partner Neal Puckett has gotten an extensive education in Internet security issues for law firms over the past three days. The attack that began Friday on Puckett & Faraj could have been much worse, he tells the ABA Journal,…

Feb 6, 2012 8:02 PM CST

Law Firm, Police Hit By Hack Attacks; Lawyer Cell Phone Records Reportedly Accessed

A number of organizations, including at least one law firm, which were targeted late last week in online attacks for which the hacktivist collective known as Anonymous has claimed the blame are still working to get their websites back online. Meanwhile, confidential information that seemingly was obtained in the hack…

Feb 6, 2012 8:00 PM CST

ABA Supports Uniform Law for Online Publication of Court Decisions and Laws

The ABA House of Delegates has approved a resolution supporting the Uniform Electronic Legal Material Act governing the authentication and preservation of laws, court decisions and other legal materials published online. Resolution 102B supporting the model law was approved on a voice vote, though a significant number of delegates voted…

Feb 6, 2012 5:56 PM CST

ABA House Considers Digital-Age Issue: Cops’ Access to Third-Party Records

The ABA House of Delegates has adopted standards that could be used by courts and legislatures when deciding whether law enforcement investigating crimes should have access to records held by third parties. The ABA Criminal Justice Standards on Law Enforcement Access to Third Party Records (Resolution 101A) would apply to…

Feb 6, 2012 4:36 PM CST

Anonymous Hackers Say They Stole Email from Haditha Sgt.‘s Defense Team for ‘People’s Trial’

The hacktivist collective known as Anonymous claims to have obtained material from a law firm’s computer system concerning its defense of a controversial U.S. Marine accused of responsibility for the 2005 slayings of 24 civilians in Haditha, Iraq. Anonymous says it retrieved about three gigabytes of “court mails, faxes, transcriptions…

Feb 3, 2012 9:01 PM CST

Lawsuit Over Ownership of Work-Related Twitter Account Will Proceed

A lawsuit disputing the lawful ownership of a former employee’s Twitter account can proceed, a California judge ruled this week. PhoneDog, a company that reviews mobile devices and services, filed suit against former employee Noah Kravitz for damages of $340,000 and control of the social media account, the Post &…

Feb 2, 2012 6:03 PM CST

New York Prosecutors Subpoena Occupy Protester’s Twitter Posts

Occupy Wall Street protester Malcolm Harris says he’s not sure why the Manhattan District Attorney’s office has subpoenaed his Twitter posts. Harris, a freelance writer and editor, was charged with disorderly conduct after his arrest during an October protest on the Brooklyn Bridge, report Reuters and International Business Times. Harris’…

Feb 1, 2012 12:40 PM CST

Calif. Highway Patrol Pays $2.37M to Settle Family’s Suit Over Grisly Internet Photos of Dead Teen

In a settlement of a precedent-setting case that established a right to file an invasion-of-privacy suit over published photographs of the dead, the California Highway Patrol has agreed to pay $2.37 million to the family of a teen who died in a Halloween 2006 car crash. Grisly photos of the…

Feb 1, 2012 12:35 AM CST

‘Megaretrieval’ Effort Launched to Help Users Get Access to Files on Website Raided by Feds

Customers and other users who stored personal materials on Megaupload have another two weeks to retrieve their files, under an agreement negotiated by the embattled website and its hosting companies. However, it isn’t clear whether and how individuals can access their property since the raid by the U.S. that shut…

Jan 31, 2012 6:56 PM CST