North Carolina

Lawyer Censured After Making Faces, Arguing with Judge During Trial

A North Carolina lawyer was censured yesterday over conduct at a criminal trial in March that included making disapproving faces and implying to the jury that the judge’s past rulings prevented him from presenting certain evidence. Raymond Marshall of Winston-Salem also walked around the courtroom while questioning witnesses even though…

May 7, 2010 4:06 PM CDT

Former Blackwater Gen’l Counsel, 4 Other Ex-Execs Indicted in Weapons Case

Five former executives of a private security company that made headlines over its involvement in a 2007 Baghdad shooting incident that left 17 Iraqi civilians dead are now under indictment, facing apparently unrelated charges that they illegally stockpiled automatic weapons at Blackwater Worldwide’s headquarters in North Carolina and filed false…

Apr 17, 2010 12:06 AM CDT

NC Judge Suspended; State Chief Justice Didn’t Say Why

North Carolina’s chief justice has indefinitely suspended a Mecklenburg County judge without giving a reason why. The judge, John Totten, was elected in 2008 and has been on medical leave since October, returning to court occasionally, the Charlotte Observer reports. Supreme Court Chief Justice Sarah Parker didn’t explain the reason…

Apr 13, 2010 3:08 PM CDT

Military Jury Convicts Soldier of Murder 20 Years After his Civilian Acquittal

More than 20 years after his acquittal in civilian court, a soldier has been convicted of a triple murder by a military jury. This time prosecutors relied on DNA tests that had not been available in the earlier trial of Master Sgt. Timothy Hennis, according to stories in the New…

Apr 9, 2010 1:13 PM CDT

Lawyer’s Computer Virus Doesn’t Excuse Missed Dismissal Motion, 4th Circuit Says

A federal appeals court has upheld dismissal of a wrongful termination case granted after the plaintiff’s lawyer experienced computer problems and never got e-mail notice of a motion for summary judgment. Lawyer Charles Everage of Charlotte, N.C., said his computer was afflicted by a malware virus and other problems. As…

Apr 5, 2010 11:00 AM CDT

Son of Former NYC Mayor Giuliani Loses Suit Over Duke U Golf Team Dismissal

A lawsuit filed by the son of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani over his elimination from the Duke University golf team has been dismissed by a federal judge in North Carolina. Andrew Giuliani failed to establish that there was an enforceable contract between himself and Duke, held U.S.…

Mar 30, 2010 10:14 PM CDT

Lawyer’s Lover Ordered to Pay $9M in Alienation of Affection Case

A woman accused of having an affair with a lawyer has been ordered to pay $9 million in an alienation-of-affections lawsuit filed by his wife. The defendant, Anne Lundquist, says she will appeal the verdict, the Greensboro News & Record reports. Lundquist did not attend the trial in North Carolina…

Mar 19, 2010 12:04 PM CDT

Judge’s Affair with Courtroom Clerk Didn’t Violate Ethics Rules

A North Carolina judge has admitted to and apologized for an affair with a clerk in his courtroom that he said ended approximately a year ago. But the consensual relationship involving Rowan County District Judge Kevin Eddinger, 55, did not warrant any recommendation of discipline, concluded the North Carolina Judicial…

Feb 18, 2010 5:52 PM CST

Ex-Edwards Aide Turns Over Claimed Sex Tape, as Lawyers Argue On in Privacy Case

After legal wrangling over whether Andrew Young would be accompanied by a security officer, the onetime aide to ex-presidential candidate John Edwards has retrieved his original copy of a purported sex tape of Edwards and his former mistress from a bank safe deposit box and turned it over to a…

Feb 10, 2010 12:41 AM CST

Ex-John Edwards Aide Turns Over Copy of Sex Tape, Is Held in Contempt in Privacy Case

A former aide to onetime Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards has been held in contempt of court for turning over a copy, but not the original, of a claimed sex tape of his boss and Edwards’ then-mistress, reports the Politico. The existence of the tape, which reportedly shows the former…

Feb 6, 2010 1:27 AM CST

Judge Can’t Figure Out Why Lawyers Thought DWI Scheme Was a Good Idea

Two North Carolina lawyers are headed to prison after pleading guilty in a scheme to get drunken driving cases dismissed. The judge overseeing the case said he was baffled by the lawyers’ conduct, the Raleigh News & Observer reports. “I cannot understand why anyone thought this was a good idea,”…

Jan 26, 2010 7:56 PM CST

Young Lawyer’s Soaring Career Is Interrupted by Federal Indictment

After he graduated from a North Carolina law school in 1998, Charles Ruffin Poole’s legal career clearly was on an upward trajectory for which the sky seemed to be the limit. Hired to work in the state attorney general’s office, he quickly gained a much higher political profile when former…

Jan 22, 2010 7:45 PM CST

Longtime Colleagues Split PI Firm Known for Robert Vaughn Ads

Two longtime colleagues in a well-known North Carolina personal injury firm are parting ways, splitting up their Lewis & Daggett partnership. The firm is known for television advertising that features actor Robert Vaughn. Michael Lewis, a 40-year practitioner, is forming Lewis & Associates with 36 of the Winston-Salem firm’s attorneys…

Jan 22, 2010 5:53 PM CST

Chief Justice Practices Special Master Diplomacy in Water Intervenor Dissent

In a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court has allowed a utility and a water supply company to intervene in a dispute over water rights between two states. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. partially dissented in an opinion that gives a shout out to special masters, despite disagreeing with…

Jan 20, 2010 5:02 PM CST

Law Firm Website May Post Case Summaries, N.C. Ethics Opinion Says

A law firm may showcase successful verdicts and settlements on its website, as long as enough information is provided and an “appropriate disclaimer” is included, according to a North Carolina ethics opinion. Consumers researching law firms on the Internet expect to find information about past successes, according to the opinion.…

Sep 17, 2009 3:17 PM CDT