Louisiana

Judge is indicted, accused of making false residency claim

A Louisiana judge was indicted (PDF) on Thursday, accused of falsely claiming in an affidavit that she was a “domicilliary” of Orleans Parish. In fact, the government contends, Orleans Parish Juvenile Court Judge Yolanda King lives in St. Tammany Parish. She was elected last year in a runoff against Doug…

Mar 21, 2014 5:35 PM CDT

Death-row inmate released after 30 years; evidence shows he was elsewhere at time of murder

Glenn Ford has been saying for 30 years that he is innocent in the 1983 slaying of a jeweler and watch repairman for whom he did yard work. And now, the state of Louisiana says in a motion to vacate (PDF) his conviction and sentence, that it has the evidence…

Mar 11, 2014 10:30 PM CDT

Actor and Hollywood producer, both lawyers, indicted over tax credits for film house rehab

A Hollywood producer and entertainment lawyer and a Tulane University Law School graduate who is also an actor and producer have been federally indicted, accused of submitting fraudulent documentation to obtain Louisiana tax credits under a program that is intended to encourage the film industry in the state. Peter M.…

Mar 11, 2014 3:50 PM CDT

DOJ says bar officials violate ADA by asking applicants too much about their mental health

Asking would-be lawyers standard questions about their mental health, including their history of diagnosis and treatment, could violate the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to the civil rights division of the U.S. Department of Justice. In a lengthy Feb. 5 letter (PDF) to the Louisiana Supreme Court, its committee on…

Feb 12, 2014 9:30 PM CST

Judge subpoenas sheriff to explain why assistant DA jailed for violating gag order was released

An assistant prosecutor who acts as a spokesman for the New Orleans district attorney’s office was sent to jail for 24 hours Thursday afternoon by a judge who found him in contempt of a gag order for speaking to the media about a murder case. But Assistant Orleans Parish DA…

Jan 17, 2014 10:34 PM CST

Plaintiff ‘titan’ files civil racketeering class action against rival PI lawyer in BP oil spill case

Both Danny Becnel and Mikal Watts are personal injury titans representing plaintiff fishermen in litigation against BP over the 2009 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. But now the two top personal injury lawyers are squaring off against each other: Becnel, a Louisiana lawyer, filed a class action suit against Watts in…

Jan 8, 2014 10:30 PM CST

As DA appears on radio talk show and criticizes ruling, judge calls in to defend himself

A Louisiana district attorney had the floor on Friday as he discussed a recent high-profile defeat on a local radio station talk show. But not for long. As DA Leon Cannizzaro of Orleans Parish complained about a defense ruling in a police malfeasance case over alleged mistreatment of a handcuffed…

Nov 4, 2013 4:45 PM CST

Judge cites ‘grotesque prosecutorial misconduct,’ reverses cop convictions in Danziger Bridge case

Citing “grotesque prosecutorial misconduct,” including anonymous comments posted on the Internet by lawyers in then-U.S. Attorney Jim Letten’s office and a Justice Department prosecutor, a federal judge has reversed the convictions of five former New Orleans police officers in a civil rights case over shooting deaths and injuries to unarmed…

Sep 17, 2013 8:55 PM CDT

Prosecutors in contraband cellphone case want lawyer to testify about texts with jailed client

Prosecutors are trying to force a New Orleans lawyer to testify about text messages exchanged with a jailed client as evidence the client was using a contraband cellphone. Prosecutors say messages between lawyer Jason Williams and his then-client, Keith Kisack were social in nature and not protected by attorney-client privilege,…

Sep 6, 2013 1:20 PM CDT

Objecting to secret recording of attorney-client meetings got him fired, says sheriff’s deputy

A former chief deputy for a suburban New Orleans sheriff says he was fired for objecting to secret videotapes that routinely recorded conversations during attorney-client meetings in a sheriff’s office interview room. Tregg Wilson, who is a licensed attorney in Louisiana, makes the allegation in a federal lawsuit he filed…

Aug 30, 2013 1:15 PM CDT

Defendant gets 60 days for bringing urine-filled condom to pretrial hearing

Possibly concerned that he faced a potential 15-day sentence if he tested positive for drug use, a defendant in a Louisiana criminal case allegedly tried to smuggle a condom filled with another person’s urine into the Jefferson Parish courthouse on Monday. Now Dennis Walsh, 36, is serving a 60-day sentence…

Aug 29, 2013 5:03 PM CDT

Special judge will decide courthouse vault cocaine case against ex-employee, top court rules

Louisiana’s top court has put an end to a bitter dispute over the judge assigned to hear a courthouse vault cocaine-smuggling case against a former court clerk’s office employee who is also the son of another local jurist. The Louisiana Supreme Court has recused not only the civil judge assigned…

Aug 29, 2013 4:15 PM CDT

19 ‘right to dry’ states outlaw clothesline bans; is yours among them?

Once upon a time, a clothesline was a standard feature of most back yards. But concern that publicly airing clean laundry attached with clothespins to a rope or wire was unsightly, or obstructed views, or even created a safety risk (strangulation is sometimes cited) led a number of condominium associations…

Aug 14, 2013 8:24 PM CDT

Lawyer says going to lunch saved his life in office shooting spree

Timothy Upton usually doesn’t go home for lunch. But the Louisiana lawyer did on Tuesday, a decision he credits for saving his life when a disgruntled former client broke into his Covington office and fired some 60 bullets. Police say Roderick Risk, 47, was looking for Upton. The office manager,…

Aug 5, 2013 3:30 PM CDT

Ex-client committed suicide after breaking into law firm and firing dozens of rounds, say police

The owner of a small Louisiana law firm says a former client broke through its security system Tuesday and “started shooting everything” inside. The shooter is dead in the Covington incident, and partner Tim Upton told the Times-Picayune he believes the shooter committed suicide. The shooter was identified as Roderick…

Jul 30, 2013 9:35 PM CDT