Louisiana

Another Charge of Insensitivity for Judge Sanctioned for Wearing Blackface

A Louisiana judge sanctioned for wearing blackface at a Halloween party could face discipline in another case, this time over comments he made to a woman seeking a restraining order against her husband. Five years ago, Judge Timothy Ellender of Houma was suspended for six months and ordered to take…

May 14, 2009 5:58 PM CDT

Woman Sues Wal-Mart Over Alleged Encounter With ‘Norman,’ a Nutria

A lawsuit filed by a Louisiana woman over foot injuries she allegedly suffered while shopping at her local Wal-Mart store has made international headlines because of the claimed cause of the action: Norman the Nutria. Rebecca White says in her lawsuit that she was pushing a full shopping cart when…

May 8, 2009 7:12 PM CDT

2 Longtime La. PI Lawyers Disbarred; Others Disciplined for ‘Jackass’ Fracas

Two longtime Louisiana personal injury attorneys have been disbarred by the state supreme court for allowing nonattorney case managers to run much of their law firm operation. Partners E. Eric Guirard and Tommy Pittenger cooperated with the investigation, which began in 2000, stopped using the case manager system in 2004,…

May 5, 2009 11:40 PM CDT

Ogletree Deakins to Open a 35th Office, in New Orleans

Continuing with its ongoing expansion streak, a national employment boutique is about to establish a new office in New Orleans. Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart will open its 35th office in New Orleans on May 1, the more than 450-attorney firm announces in a press release (PDF) today. The…

Apr 27, 2009 8:23 PM CDT

Husband Arrested in Murder of Up-and-Coming La. Lawyer

When Chiquita Tate met her husband-to-be, she fell for him—hard. Now he is accused of murdering the up-and-coming Louisiana attorney, whose body was found last month in her Baton Rouge law office. She had been preparing to defend a client the next week in a murder trial. Sentenced to 90…

Mar 30, 2009 9:12 PM CDT

Ex-Partner at La. Law Firm Gets 15 Years in Bizarre $30M Fraud Case

In the final chapter of a bizarre case at one point involving counterclaims that read like the plot of a John Grisham novel, a former partner at a Louisiana law firm who admitted his guilt today was sentenced to a 15-year federal prison term for fraud and money laundering. Ex-attorney…

Mar 26, 2009 2:08 AM CDT

Lawyer Reprimanded for Suing Sister over Disciplinary Complaints

A lawyer who sued his sister for defamation after she filed three disciplinary complaints against him has received a reprimand from the Louisiana Supreme Court. Disciplinary officials had recommended a three-month suspension and another nine-month deferred suspension for Metairie lawyer Roy Raspanti, the Seattle Times reports. The Louisiana Supreme Court…

Mar 18, 2009 3:18 PM CDT

Panel Says La. Should Pay Katrina Doc’s $450K Defense Costs

As one member called a Louisiana doctor who at one point was accused of criminally euthanizing patients in her care a hero, a panel today recommended that the state should pay some $450,000 in legal defense costs for Dr. Anna Pou. After working at Memorial Medical Center in New Orleans,…

Mar 17, 2009 9:06 PM CDT

Dueling Ethics Accusations Over Prosecutor’s Personal Blog Post

A Los Angeles prosecutor has been accused by a defense lawyer of acting unethically concerning an off-the-clock post he wrote for his personal blog, Patterico’s Pontifications, about a Louisiana murder case. By contacting potential witnesses in a case in which he has no legal role, deputy Los Angeles district attorney…

Mar 5, 2009 8:39 PM CST

Slain La. Lawyer’s Husband Gets 90 Days in Seat Belt Case

Police have made no arrests and named no suspects in the case of a Louisiana criminal defense lawyer found dead in her Baton Rouge law office on Friday as she was about to begin a murder trial today. However, Chiquita Tate’s husband, Gregory Harris, 37, was jailed over the weekend…

Feb 23, 2009 5:08 PM CST

Defense Attorney Found Slain in La. Law Office

Updated: Police are investigating the murder of a Louisiana defense lawyer who was found slain early this morning in her Baton Rouge law office. Chiquita Tate, 34, was stabbed more than a dozen times, reports WAFB, citing an unnamed source. She had been preparing for a double murder trial that…

Feb 20, 2009 10:27 PM CST

Appeals Court Revives Suit Against Katrina Insurers

A federal appeals court based in New Orleans has revived a whistle-blower suit claiming several insurance companies tried to shift the burden of paying for Hurricane Katrina damages onto the federal government. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the Louisiana suit may continue against all but two insurers,…

Feb 20, 2009 6:17 PM CST

Judge Says Firm Must Explain ‘Fraudulent’ Removals or Pony Up $25K

A federal judge is so fed up with what he labeled a prominent defense firm’s history of “vexatious” litigation tactics that he has threatened to bar all 20 partners and five associates from practicing in the Western District of Louisiana. That’s just one hot bubble under the skin in a…

Feb 10, 2009 8:57 PM CST

1st Female Chief Justice on Louisiana’s Supreme Court

As the longest-serving member of the Louisiana Supreme Court, Justice Catherine “Kitty” Kimball is set to make history today when she becomes the state’s first female chief justice. In her new leadership role, she succeeds Justice Pascal Calogero, who retired after 36 years on the court, reports the New Orleans…

Jan 12, 2009 6:36 PM CST

Appeals Court Orders New Sentence for Enron’s Jeffrey Skilling

A federal appeals court has ordered a new sentence for former Enron chief executive Jeffrey Skilling, convicted for his role in the collapse of the energy company. The appeals court upheld Skilling’s conviction but overturned his 24-year sentence, the Associated Press reports. Skilling was convicted of fraud, conspiracy, insider trading…

Jan 6, 2009 6:14 PM CST