Oklahoma

Lawyer Says Newly Released Okla. Bombing Tapes Appear Edited

A lawyer is questioning a gap in some tapes of the bombing of the Oklahoma City federal bombing. Salt Lake City lawyer Jesse Trentadue obtained the tapes through a Freedom of Information Act request. ”The real story is what’s missing,” Trentadue told the Associated Press. The tapes show the confusion…

Sep 28, 2009 12:41 PM CDT

Okla. High Court Holds Injured Casino Patrons Can Sue in State Courts

The Oklahoma Supreme Court has ruled that people injured in Chocktaw casinos can sue in state courts as well as tribal courts. The tribe’s gaming contract with the state had permitted tort suits in “courts of competent jurisdiction” on a limited basis, but did not define the term, lawyer Daniel…

Jul 13, 2009 5:47 PM CDT

Prosecutors Drop Indecent Exposure Charges Against Okla. Judge

Oklahoma Judge Jesse Harris won’t have to stand trial for indecent exposure, but he has to complete a judicial counseling program and pay $1,200 as part of a deferred prosecution agreement on a lesser charge. Prosecutors dropped the indecent exposure charge against Harris, a Tulsa County judge, on Monday, the…

Jun 17, 2009 6:41 PM CDT

Lawyer’s Therapy Dog Manages to Calm Most-Stressed Negotiators

Annie the Australian shepherd is a certified pet therapy dog and something of a business asset to her master, Oklahoma lawyer Joseph Paulk. Paulk is president and founder of Dispute Resolution Consultants, with offices in Tulsa and Oklahoma City. He has found that Annie has an unusual ability, the Journal…

May 27, 2009 6:25 PM CDT

Okla. Lawyer Accused of Selling Stock Based on Law Firm Knowledge

A Tulsa, Okla., lawyer accused of selling stock based on knowledge acquired from a banking client at his law firm, Frederic Dorwart, has agreed to settle the civil charges. Matthew J. Browne, a 56-year-old oil and gas lawyer, was accused of selling his stock in SemGroup Energy after he learned…

Apr 29, 2009 12:09 PM CDT

Think of Twitter as ‘Megatexting,’ But Proceed With Caution

Whether you’ve registered for a free Twitter account, are actively engaged in the microblogging community or simply at a browsing stage, Oklahoma legal technology guru Jim Calloway advises lawyers of all makes to brush up on the fast-growing social network. “There’s no doubt that Twitter is a phenomena, with millions…

Apr 8, 2009 2:50 PM CDT

Woman Who Got Life for Stealing 2 Purses Wants Plea Tossed

An Oklahoma City woman who received a life sentence after she pleaded guilty to shoplifting two purses from a Dillard’s department store is asking that her plea be thrown out. Before sentencing in March, Oklahoma County District Judge Ray Elliott called Cecelia Cathleen Rodriguez a “one-person crime wave” and noted…

Apr 2, 2009 12:30 PM CDT

Lawsuit Should Have Alerted Others of Dreier Issues, Former Colleague Says

Those who practiced at attorney Marc Dreier’s law firm before it imploded late last year apparently had little or no warning of the financial issues he faced. But they would have been forewarned had they read a 2002 lawsuit filed by a former colleague at a small plaintiff securities practice…

Mar 4, 2009 1:24 AM CST

Newspaper Sues Newspaper in Spat Over Circulation Claims

An Oklahoma newspaper publisher filed a libel suit against a competitor, after the rival publication refused to retract claims that the Tulsa World had inflated its circulation figures. But the Urban Tulsa Weekly and its editor and publisher will now be dropped from the suit, because the weekly has agreed…

Jan 22, 2009 6:17 PM CST

FBI Appeals Order Allowing Deposition of Okla. Bombing Conspirator

The FBI is asking a federal appeals court to reverse a judge’s order allowing a lawyer to take the videotaped deposition of Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols. The order permits Salt Lake City lawyer Jesse Trentadue to take the deposition of Nichols and death-row inmate David Paul Hammer, who…

Nov 7, 2008 5:24 PM CST

Okla. Law Requiring Ultrasound Before Abortion is Challenged

A suit has been filed challenging an Oklahoma law that bars physicians from performing abortions unless they first conduct an ultrasound and describe the fetus. Oklahoma is the fourth state mandating ultrasounds but the only state requiring the doctor to turn the ultrasound screen toward the patient and to describe…

Oct 13, 2008 12:01 PM CDT

GC of Oklahoma Bar Gets Probation in Groping Case

The general counsel of the Oklahoma Bar Association has entered a reduced plea in connection with allegations he groped and bit a woman in a suite at a racetrack and casino. Dan Murdock entered an Alford plea on Thursday to a reduced misdemeanor charge of outraging public indecency, report the…

Oct 13, 2008 11:26 AM CDT

Okla. Bar GC Resigns, Faces Sexual Battery Charges

The longtime general counsel of the Oklahoma Bar Association has resigned as he fights charges of sexual battery. Dan Murdock’s resignation is effective at the end of the year, the Tulsa World reports. He was accused of groping a woman in a suite at a racetrack and casino and biting…

Oct 7, 2008 11:45 AM CDT

Missing Okla. Lawyer Found Dead in Seeming Suicide

An Oklahoma probate attorney who has been missing since last week was found dead today not far from his Lake Texoma home. Charles Barnes, 57, had a single gunshot wound to the head, and appears to have committed suicide, reports a local ABC News affiliate. He had been charged earlier…

Sep 24, 2008 8:23 PM CDT

Ex-Judge Disbarred for Using Penis Pump During Trials

A former Oklahoma judge convicted for using a penis pump while presiding over trials has been disbarred. The Oklahoma Supreme Court said Judge Donald Thompson brought discredit on the judiciary and the legal profession by his conduct, and a severe sanction was warranted, the Oklahoman reports. Thompson had been convicted…

Sep 24, 2008 3:55 PM CDT