New York

Indicted Milberg Founder Vows to Fight

Updated: Indicted today after years of investigation, the 72-year-old co-founder of what was once unquestionably the nation’s most prominent plaintiffs securities firm is vowing to fight the federal case that has already felled three former rainmakers at Milberg Weiss and put the future of the firm at risk. Melvyn Weiss…

Sep 21, 2007 2:08 AM CDT

US: Milberg Weiss Firm Was ‘Racketeering Enterprise’

Updated: In a stunning series of body blows today in an ongoing battle between the government and one of the country’s most powerful plaintiff firms, federal prosecutors in California announced enhanced charges against the firm itself, the indictment of its co-founding partner and the latest plea deal with a former…

Sep 20, 2007 10:10 PM CDT

Fundraiser Accused of $60 M Ponzi Scheme

Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu is accused in a criminal complaint unsealed today of defrauding investors out of more than $60 million and breaking campaign finance laws. Among those who allegedly lost money are New York investors who thought they were investing in a clothing business, the Washington Post reports. They…

Sep 20, 2007 6:59 PM CDT

NY Judge Laments E-Discovery ‘Fiasco’

A New York federal judge has summed up the problems with electronic discovery in an opinion ordering PSEG Power New York Inc. to produce 3,000 e-mails and 211,000 pages of electronic materials in coherent form. Magistrate Judge Randolph F. Treece of Albany labeled the e-discovery problems a “fiasco” that caused…

Sep 20, 2007 2:12 PM CDT

Cabbies Sue, Say GPS Risks Trade Secrets

Fearful of an invasion of privacy that could allow others to take advantage of a valuable trade secret—the best driving routes to find fares—New York cabdrivers have filed suit to block new rules requiring the installation of GPS and other new technology. While not all taxi drivers and cab owners…

Sep 20, 2007 1:25 AM CDT

Firm: Melvyn Weiss Faces Charges

Updated: A founding partner of one of the nation’s most powerful plaintiffs securities law firms is reportedly resigning from a management role in the face of expected new federal charges against both him and the firm in an ongoing case concerning alleged payments of illegal kickbacks to clients. Melvyn Weiss…

Sep 19, 2007 10:22 PM CDT

Dan Rather Sues CBS for $70 Million

Claiming that CBS News made him a “scapegoat” for the network’s flawed reporting concerning President George W. Bush’s service in the National Guard during the Vietnam War era, former 60 Minutes reporter Dan Rather sued today for $70 million. His lawsuit, which names as defendants the network, its corporate parent…

Sep 19, 2007 9:29 PM CDT

Lawyer Sanctioned for Katrina Suit

A testy federal judge has ordered a New York City lawyer to pay $24,000 in a fine and attorney fees for filing a frivolous suit on behalf of a Hurricane Katrina victim who was evicted by Catholic Charities. The Albany judge said the suit against the Catholic church by lawyer…

Sep 19, 2007 11:32 AM CDT

Judge’s ‘Incessant’ Questions Cited in Reversal

A New York appeals court has cited a judge’s excessive questions as a reason for overturning a felony conviction for drug possession. The court has criticized Judge Arlene Silverman for excessive questions in at least nine other decisions, but this is the first time her interruptions have been used as…

Sep 18, 2007 2:31 PM CDT

Judge Slashes Fees Using Contingency Standard

A federal judge has rejected an attorney’s fee request that would have consumed nearly two-thirds of a $100,000 settlement for a man wrongly accused in a drug case. Judge David Hurd of Utica, N.Y., slashed fees from $63,000 to $29,000, the New York Law Journal reports. The lawyer and his…

Sep 14, 2007 1:21 PM CDT

NY to Rewrite Calorie-Posting Rule

New York’s health department will go back to the drawing board to craft a regulation able to withstand judicial scrutiny that will require restaurants to post calorie counts. At the same time the city is considering an appeal of a federal judge’s ruling on Tuesday that the regulation conflicted with…

Sep 13, 2007 6:52 PM CDT

Stars Stump for Jury Stamp

Mariah Carey was among the celebrities in a New York courthouse yesterday to help unveil a new jury duty stamp. Carey and other celebrities attended because they served on a New York jury panel, the New York Law Journal reports in a story reprinted by New York Lawyer. Other stars…

Sep 13, 2007 6:00 PM CDT

Jurors May Hear 9/11 Cockpit Recording

Updated: A federal judge in New York has ruled that a jury may hear part of the cockpit voice recording made in the minutes before the crash of a plane hijacked by the Sept. 11 terrorists. Judge Alvin Hellerstein said two parts of the recording are likely to be relevant,…

Sep 13, 2007 5:20 PM CDT

Rutgers Player Drops Imus Slander Suit

A Rutgers University basketball player who was targeted, along with teammates, in racist on-air comments by Don Imus has dropped her defamation suit against the shock jock and CBS Radio. As detailed in an earlier ABAJournal.com post, Kia Vaughn claimed libel per se, which eliminates requirements that would otherwise apply…

Sep 12, 2007 11:34 PM CDT

Suit to Seek Pay Hikes for NY Judges

Members of four judges’ associations will file suit today in an effort to force New York lawmakers to give the judiciary a raise. The suit will seek pay hikes retroactive to 2000 and annual cost-of-living raises in the future, the New York Law Journal reports. The complaint was mainly drafted…

Sep 12, 2007 11:57 AM CDT