Louisiana

Ex-con arrested in alleged murder plot against high-profile criminal defense lawyer

A recently released inmate has been arrested in an alleged plot to kill a lawyer who once represented former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin. The suspect, Kenneth Lee, was arrested last week in the alleged plot to kill New Orleans criminal-defense lawyer Robert Jenkins, report WDSU, the New Orleans Advocate…

Dec 31, 2014 7:18 AM CST

Lawyer is beaten unconscious in New Orleans; neither his Rolex nor his cash was taken

A California lawyer visiting New Orleans for a legal meeting earlier this month was beaten unconscious by attackers who did not take his Rolex, cash or cellphone. Sacramento, California, personal-injury lawyer Bill Callaham says he had visited the French Quarter and was walking back to the Hyatt Regency Hotel at…

Dec 22, 2014 10:07 AM CST

Lawyers face public intimidation charges for reaction after police kick in their door

Husband and wife lawyers in Crowley, Louisiana, have been indicted on charges of public intimidation for their reaction to police who kicked down their door in response to a 911 call from a neighbor. Both lawyers—J. Clay LeJeune, 45, and Mitzi Mayeaux, 40—are well-known, the Advocate reports. Both were charged…

Dec 19, 2014 7:37 AM CST

Judge is suspended for 30 days over trip to lawyer’s hunting ranch after $1.2M case was settled

A Louisiana judge has been suspended without pay for 30 days for taking an expense-paid three-day trip, after a personal injury case was settled for $1.2 million, to a Texas hunting ranch owned by an attorney in the case District Judge J. Robin Free, who is known for his hunting…

Dec 10, 2014 10:45 AM CST

Judge wins re-election but is now too old to serve on bench

The longest-serving judge in Louisiana won election Tuesday to another term of office. But Orleans Parish Criminal Court Judge Frank Marullo is now too old to serve on the bench, under state law. Voters defeated a ballot measure that would have eliminated a state constitution requirement that judges retire by…

Nov 7, 2014 3:35 PM CST

TRO bans incinerated Ebola waste from being transported to Louisiana

Louisiana’s attorney general has obtained a temporary restraining order that keeps incinerated Ebola waste from being transported to the state. Judge Bob Downing issued the TRO on Monday, report the New Orleans Times-Picayune, the Wall Street Journal Law Blog and the Washington Post. The order blocks transport of incinerated waste…

Oct 14, 2014 8:33 AM CDT

Litigation success brings layoffs for 17 attorneys at law firm representing Halliburton

Successfully defending Halliburton Co. in litigation related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill resulted in pink slips for 17 attorneys and six staff members at a Texas law firm. After announcements early last month of a $1.1 billion proposed class action settlement and a finding by a federal judge in…

Oct 8, 2014 4:00 PM CDT

Bankruptcy lawyer surrenders law license to avoid federal prosecution

Louisiana bar discipline officials are surprised that a New Orleans lawyer will avoid federal criminal prosecution by permanently surrendering his law license, the Times-Picayune reports. Attorney Claude Lightfoot’s license had been suspended in 2011 in an unrelated matter in which he advised a disgraced federal judge to significantly misspell his…

Oct 6, 2014 12:39 PM CDT

Former law firm worker takes plea in $197K embezzlement case

A woman who worked for 13 years as a paralegal and financial secretary at a Lafayette, Louisiana, law firm has taken a plea in a $197,000 federal embezzlement case. Michelle Dana Lavergne, 36, pleaded guilty to three counts of making or possessing a forged instrument. She could get as much…

Sep 16, 2014 11:20 AM CDT

Ex-prosecutor blames Ambien, job pressure for Web posts he resigned over; says few were work-related

A former federal prosecutor who posted anonymous comments on a New Orleans newspaper blog–comments which helped derail several high-profile cases and the careers of multiple lawyers in the local U.S. Attorney’s office–says he did so because of the pressure of his job. Interviewed recently at his home by a newspaper…

Sep 10, 2014 3:55 PM CDT

Popeyes Chicken franchisee agrees to settle HIV discrimination claim with EEOC

A Shreveport, Louisiana-based Popeyes Chicken franchisee has agreed to pay $25,000 to settle a lawsuit alleging that it refused to hire an HIV-positive man because of his disability. Under a consent decree with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the franchisee, Famous Chicken of Shreveport, which owns and operates restaurants…

Sep 8, 2014 2:25 PM CDT

BP grossly negligent in Gulf oil spill, federal judge rules; company could face $18B in penalties

BP Plc was grossly negligent concerning the massive 2010 oil spill that occurred after a deadly explosion and fire at the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, a federal judge in New Orleans has ruled. The Thursday decision by U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier, who was selected…

Sep 4, 2014 5:30 PM CDT

Federal judge upholds Louisiana ban on gay marriage, sees rational basis in democratic process

A federal judge in New Orleans has upheld Louisiana’s ban on gay marriage in an opinion that applied rational-basis scrutiny. U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman ruled on Wednesday, report BuzzFeed, the Huffington Post and the New Orleans Times-Picayune. He is the first federal judge to uphold a gay-marriage ban since…

Sep 3, 2014 12:19 PM CDT

DA promises ‘appropriate action’ after defense lawyer allegedly scuffles with prosecutor

A spokesman for the Orleans Parish District Attorney is vowing “appropriate action” after a defense lawyer allegedly scuffled with a prosecutor before a New Orleans judge last Friday. The New Orleans Times-Picayune spoke with lawyers and courthouse staff familiar with the incident. According to their accounts, the incident began after…

Aug 27, 2014 2:19 PM CDT

Louisiana suit claims State Farm emphasizes costs over safety with preferred auto repair shops

A lawsuit filed by the state of Louisiana accuses State Farm of steering customers to preferred repair shops for damaged vehicles, in violation of state unfair-practices and monopolies laws. Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell filed the suit Tuesday in state court in Baton Rouge, report the New Orleans Times-Picayune and…

Aug 21, 2014 11:15 AM CDT