Internet Law

Autistic teen who accepted dare to jump into frigid water made his own choice, defense lawyer says

An autistic teen didn’t have to jump into the frigid Atlantic Ocean, a defense lawyer argued in a New Jersey courtroom on Tuesday. In opening arguments, lawyer Jason Volet argued that the teen, Parker Drake, was competent and able to make his own choices, NJ.com reports. Volet’s client, Nicholas Formica,…

Apr 27, 2016 9:19 AM CDT

California bill would allow judges to fine jurors for online misdeeds

Legislation in California would allow judges to fine jurors for researching cases online or for discussing cases on social media during trials. The bill authorizes fines of up to $1,500 for wayward jurors in counties participating in a five-year pilot program, the Associated Press reports. Under the bill, judges in…

Apr 26, 2016 5:45 AM CDT

Suit says BarBri violates ADA; online study materials aren’t fully accessible to blind law grads

Three law students have filed a federal lawsuit against BarBri Inc. contending that the company’s online bar-exam preparation materials aren’t fully accessible to the blind. The suit, filed Monday in Dallas, alleges that BarBri violates the Americans with Disabilities Act by not providing appropriate accommodations, Texas Lawbook reports in an…

Apr 25, 2016 5:25 PM CDT

Lawyers accused of using paralegal to friend litigant on Facebook are facing ethics probe

Ethics regulators may pursue a case against two lawyers accused of using a paralegal to friend a litigant and access nonpublic Facebook pages, the New Jersey Supreme Court has ruled in a decision on the power of the Office of Attorney Ethics. The supreme court ruled that the ethics office…

Apr 20, 2016 7:45 AM CDT

Monitoring of my Twitter account showed racial bias, state lawyer says in labor complaint

A lawyer with the Oregon Department of Justice claims he was the victim of racial bias when co-workers investigated his tweets that used the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter. Erious Johnson Jr. has filed a civil-rights complaint with the state labor department, along with a notice of intent to sue. Johnson is civil…

Apr 18, 2016 8:59 AM CDT

Can hacked data support fraud suit against Ashley Madison? Plaintiffs want to cite lawyer emails

Plaintiffs are seeking to cite hacked documents—including lawyer emails—to allege that the Ashley Madison dating website defrauded the public by creating fake female profiles to interest potential male clients. Plaintiffs in the multidistrict security-breach litigation contend they are entitled to refer to lawyer communications as a result of the crime-fraud…

Apr 18, 2016 5:45 AM CDT

Woman charged after allegedly livestreaming sexual assault on Periscope

It appears Marina Lonina may have taken no direct physical role in the alleged rape of an intoxicated 17-year-old girl by a man in February in Columbus, Ohio. However, the 18-year-old woman was present at the scene and is facing the same felony charges after live-streaming the attack on the…

Apr 15, 2016 11:39 AM CDT

Microsoft sues over law used to keep government access of customer emails a secret

Microsoft has filed a lawsuit challenging a law that creates a low standard for banning disclosure of search warrants seeking its customers’ digital information. Microsoft sued the Justice Department on Thursday in Seattle federal court, report the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.), Reuters, the Washington Post and the Seattle Times.…

Apr 15, 2016 7:55 AM CDT

Convicted journalist gets 2 years for helping Anonymous alter online LA Times story

A former web producer for KTXL was sentenced Wednesday to two years in federal prison for providing log-in credentials that helped the hacker group Anonymous alter a Los Angeles Times article. Both the Fox-affiliated station and the newspaper were owned by the same company at the time, and prosecutors said…

Apr 14, 2016 11:30 AM CDT

Facebook capture of medical info from web searches by users violates HIPAA and other laws, suit says

Updated: A 2012 federal lawsuit over Facebook tracking of users filed by attorney Paul Kiesel was dismissed last year, with leave to refile. U.S. District Judge Edward Davila said the plaintiffs in the San Jose, California, case didn’t make clear how they suffered “a realistic economic harm or loss” due…

Apr 13, 2016 1:15 PM CDT

Order blocking state AG’s investigation of Google is vacated by 5th Circuit

A federal appeals court has vacated an injunction that blocked Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood from investigating Google’s alleged failure to combat illegal and harmful activity on the Internet. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled (PDF) on Friday, report the Recorder (sub. req.), Courthouse News Service,…

Apr 12, 2016 7:41 AM CDT

Suit claims law dean’s email was hacked

A suit filed last week says someone hacked the email of the dean of Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School. The suit says the hacker obtained and circulated a confidential report about a “shouting match” last year between an associate and assistant dean, according to the Daily Report (sub. req.). The…

Apr 8, 2016 9:05 AM CDT

Lawyer is suspended for using email information obtained by client by guessing password

A Missouri lawyer has been suspended for using information obtained by his divorce client by guessing his wife’s email password. The Missouri Supreme Court indefinitely suspended lawyer Joel Eisenstein with leave to apply for reinstatement in six months, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. A disciplinary hearing panel had sought indefinite…

Apr 6, 2016 8:28 AM CDT

Is Uber ride-sharing app a price-fixing scheme? Federal judge OKs conspiracy suit against CEO

A federal judge gave a green light on Thursday to a lawsuit alleging that the head of Uber Technologies Inc. is involved in a price-fixing conspiracy with drivers who use the company’s ride-sharing smartphone application to find paying passengers. Co-founder and chief executive officer Travis Kalanick had sought to dismiss…

Apr 1, 2016 11:05 AM CDT

Google and Oracle lawyers won’t conduct research on potential jurors after judge’s ultimatum

Lawyers in a copyright battle between Google and Oracle have agreed they won’t research potential and empaneled jurors until after the trial. Lawyers revealed their decision on Thursday after the federal judge overseeing the trial said the legal teams should agree to a voluntary ban or should reveal their research…

Apr 1, 2016 7:14 AM CDT