New Hampshire

Jury Convicts ‘Obsessed’ Ex-Client of Seeking Hit on N.H. Lawyer’s Wife

In a videotape shown to jurors late last week, a former client of a prominent New Hampshire attorney tells an undercover officer that she wants the lawyer’s wife dead. But when she took the stand herself later in the week, 27-year-old Katherine Mendola blamed her boyfriend for allegedly putting her…

Oct 1, 2008 10:06 PM CDT

Disgraced Former N.H. Judge: ‘I Cried. Who Wouldn’t?’

Cleaning out her desk at her Rockingham County Superior Court chambers on Friday, former N.H. judge Patricia Coffey was disgraced, broke and regretful. Helping her husband, a disbarred lawyer, shield assets from creditors resulted in a three-year unpaid suspension from office by the state supreme court, instead of the three…

Apr 28, 2008 6:03 PM CDT

Judge Who Hid Disbarred Spouse’s Assets Steps Down

Embattled New Hampshire Superior Court Justice Patricia Coffey, who last week was suspended for three years, is stepping down from the bench. The Nashua Telegraph reports that Coffey abruptly resigned Monday after expressing disappointment with the state supreme court sanction. The paper notes that Coffey’s resignation ends a lengthy ethics…

Apr 22, 2008 5:57 PM CDT

Judge Who Tried to Hide Assets for Disbarred Husband Gets 3-Yr Suspension

The New Hampshire Supreme Court has suspended a judge for three years, a term 12 times longer than a disciplinary panel had recommended. The unpaid suspension of Superior Court Judge Patricia Coffey comes after the court concluded she was complicit in a fraudulent property transfer involving her lawyer-husband, the Concord…

Apr 21, 2008 10:53 AM CDT

Lawyer Censured for Misrepresenting Role in ‘Law Firm’

A New Hampshire lawyer has been censured for implying that he was a partner in a small law firm when in fact he simply shared office space with his colleagues. Craig Salomon implied that he was a partner of “Salomon, Randlett & Bernard” by placing a yellow pages ad that…

Jan 9, 2008 1:11 AM CST

N.H. City Says Attorney Malpractice Nixed Insurance

A New Hampshire municipality has sued its former legal counsel for malpractice, contending that he not only failed to appropriately advise the city of Claremont of the legal risks associated with firing the city tax assessor in 2000 but also failed to advise the city that the tax assessor, Steve…

Jan 7, 2008 9:17 PM CST

Judge Helped Spouse Shield Assets

Lawyers recommended to a disciplinary panel at a hearing today that a New Hampshire judge be publicly reprimanded for helping her husband shield assets from creditors as he was being disbarred several years ago. Superior Court Judge Patricia Coffey says she didn’t realize at the time that she was doing…

Dec 10, 2007 9:37 PM CST

‘Obsessive’ Client Accused of Hiring Hit Man to Kill Lawyer’s Wife

A New Hampshire woman has been arrested on charges she hired a hit man to kill the wife of a prominent lawyer she had hired. Katherine Mandola is accused of offering to pay an undercover state trooper $4,000 to kill the wife of lawyer B.J. Branch, the Union Leader reports.…

Dec 7, 2007 3:06 PM CST

Record $460M in Fees Sought in Securities Class Action

Milberg Weiss and two other lead law firms are seeking $460 million in fees and about $29 million in expenses in the $3.2 billion settlement of a securities class action against Tyco International Ltd. The money, said to be a record amount in a securities class action, would also be…

Nov 1, 2007 12:47 PM CDT

Judge Takes Crack at Seuss-Style Egg Rhyme

With a nod to Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham, a federal judge has warned an inmate that attaching a hard-boiled egg to his complaint about his prison diet was a half-baked idea. Magistrate Judge James Muirhead of Concord, N.H., ordered the egg destroyed forthwith, the Concord Monitor reports. “Today!…

Sep 21, 2007 4:56 PM CDT

Bloomberg: Insurers Aren’t Paying Claims

Despite having had to cover Hurricane Katrina, the worst U.S. disaster in the history of insurance, carriers are earning record profits. One reason why is that many don’t pay claims to the extent promised in insurance policies, a news agency says. “Insurers often pay 30-60 percent of the cost of…

Aug 3, 2007 8:47 PM CDT

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Casual Comment Causes Commotion as Cops Converge on Confused Customer

Aug 1, 2007 8:34 AM CDT

N.H. OKs Civil Unions, Sans Legal Pressure

New Hampshire’s governor signed a law yesterday authorizing civil unions for same-sex couples. The state is the fourth state to authorize civil unions and the first to do so without a court order or pending lawsuit, the New York Times reports. The newspaper identifies the other states that permit such…

Jun 1, 2007 4:43 PM CDT