Mississippi

Bankruptcy Trustee Joins Homeowner Suit Over Law Firm Foreclosure Fees

A bankruptcy trustee has joined a Mississippi family in challenging fees charged by a law firm and other companies involved in a mortgage foreclosure, on behalf of all similarly situated families in bankruptcy in the Northern District of Mississippi. The law firm, Johnson & Freedman, has participated in “illegal” fee-splitting…

Oct 15, 2010 10:00 AM CDT

Miss. Judge Sends Lawyer to Jail for Refusing to Recite the Pledge

A Mississippi lawyer sent to jail for refusing to recite the Pledge of Allegiance has no hard feelings against the judge who sent him there. Danny Lampley spent almost five hours in the Lee County jail Wednesday because he stood for a courtroom Pledge of Allegiance, but refused to say…

Oct 7, 2010 11:31 AM CDT

Reverberating Courtroom Forces Mistrial; Lawyer Files Motion for Fix

The echo in a Mississippi courtroom is so bad that a judge declared a mistrial in a personal injury case last week. Judge Lisa Dobson declared the mistrial after jurors raised their hands and said they couldn’t hear the testimony, WLOX ABC 13 reports. Juror Jonathan Caston told the broadcast…

Aug 17, 2010 1:44 PM CDT

Pols Caught Up in Alienation of Affection Suits in Mississippi

Two men with ties to state politics are involved in separate alienation of affection lawsuits in Mississippi, one of seven states that still allow the tort. In one of the suits, a county schools superintendent is making a pre-emptive strike with a declaratory judgment suit against Democratic Party chairman Jamie…

Jul 29, 2010 1:34 PM CDT

WSJ Decries ‘Mississippi Tort Mob’ and State AG’s Effort to Hit BP ‘Gusher’

The Wall Street Journal editorial page is no friend of Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood. An editorial today decries Hood’s efforts to change federal law so he can sue oil spill companies in state court. The newspaper uses recently released e-mails in Hurricane Katrina litigation to illustrate his links to…

Jul 28, 2010 2:08 PM CDT

Lesbian Settles Prom Suit, Applauds School Policy Change

A Mississippi school district has agreed to pay $35,000 to settle a lawsuit by a lesbian teen denied the chance to attend a school-sponsored prom with a same-sex date. The Itawamba County School District in Fulton also agreed to adopt a nondiscrimination policy that specifically protects gays and lesbians, according…

Jul 22, 2010 12:27 PM CDT

Partner’s Affair With Client’s Wife Isn’t a Breach of Fiduciary Duty, Court Rules

It is undisputed that a partner of Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz had an affair with the wife of a client and longtime friend while representing the fired bank executive in a wrongful termination suit. But without a showing that the affair adversely affected the representation the situation doesn’t…

Jun 11, 2010 8:33 PM CDT

Neighbor with Record, 3 Others Arrested in Slaying of Lawyer Who Was White Supremacist

A 22-year-old neighbor has been arrested in the slaying of a 67-year-old attorney known for his white supremacist views. Vincent McGee was charged yesterday with murder, and three other individuals were charged today with being accesssories after the fact in the slaying of Richard Barrett, reports the Associated Press. Authorities…

Apr 23, 2010 7:19 PM CDT

Well-Known Lawyer, White Supremacist Was Murdered, Officials Say

A Mississippi lawyer known for his white supremacist views has been found, apparently murdered, in his Pearl home. The body of Richard Barrett, 67, was found today, the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department tells the Clarion-Ledger. However, Sheriff Ronnie Pennington would not give details of his injuries prior to an autopsy.…

Apr 22, 2010 9:51 PM CDT

5th Circuit Footnote Hits a Federal Chief Judge for 6-Year Delay

A footnote in a federal appeals court decision takes aim at the chief judge in the Southern District of Mississippi for taking six years to enter a judgment in a civil case. Chief U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate told the Clarion Ledger that his failure to enter a judgment in…

Mar 26, 2010 2:02 PM CDT

Judge Rules for Lesbian Teen, But Won’t Force School to Hold Prom

A federal judge says he won’t force a Mississippi school district to hold a prom, even though it violated a lesbian teen’s First Amendment rights when it canceled the event. Both sides claimed victory after the ruling, the Clarion Ledger reports. U.S. District Judge Glen Davidson said clearly established case…

Mar 24, 2010 11:35 AM CDT

2 Judges & 1 Lawyer Win Bribery Appeals After 5th Circuit Raises New Issue

Despite an apparent pleading error by the appellants’ counsel, a federal appeals court today reversed the federal program bribery convictions of two Mississippi judges and a trial lawyer. This is likely to shorten their prison sentences, although some other convictions against the three were not vacated. And they could potentially…

Dec 11, 2009 11:23 PM CST

Miss. Judge Bobby DeLaughter Pleads Guilty to Scruggs-Related Obstruction

A Mississippi judge pleaded guilty to a federal obstruction charge and resigned his seat on the bench yesterday, in exchange for a recommended 18-month prison sentence. Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Bobby DeLaughter, 55, had faced a five-count corruption case that could have put him behind bars for as much…

Jul 31, 2009 8:03 PM CDT

Lathrop & Gage Opens Chicago Office, Plans ‘Aggressive Recruiting’

Lathrop & Gage has hired two lawyers formerly with Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal to staff a new office in Chicago, the firm’s second new office this year. Lathrop is not limiting the Chicago office to two lawyers, however. “Additional aggressive recruiting plans are under way,” according to a press release…

Jul 17, 2009 1:54 PM CDT

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