Oklahoma

No Sign of Missing Okla. Attorney Accused of Embezzling

An Oklahoma attorney who has been missing since last week apparently walked over to a vehicle at his Lake Texoma home and got in. But from there the trail of the longtime Duncan lawyer grows cold, and authorities think Charles Barnes’ absence has something to do with charge filed against…

Sep 23, 2008 5:54 PM CDT

Federal Judge Axes Ex-DA’s Libel Suit Over John Grisham’s ‘Innocent Man’

A libel suit filed over a true-crime book written by best-selling author and attorney John Grisham has been dismissed by a federal judge. Grisham’s book, The Innocent Man, focuses on the wrongful conviction of two men for the 1982 murder of an Oklahoma cocktail waitress, and U.S. District Judge Ronald…

Sep 18, 2008 10:27 PM CDT

Ex-Okla. Appeals Judge Disbarred for False Expense Reports

A former judge on Oklahoma’s top court for criminal appeals has been disbarred for submitting false expense reports to cover the costs of visiting his jailed son and purchases made by the woman who gave birth to the boy. Steve Lile resigned from the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals in…

Sep 17, 2008 1:42 PM CDT

Disbarred Lawyer Plays Another Disbarred Lawyer in Oliver Stone Movie

An Oklahoma City lawyer who was recently disbarred has a role as I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby in an upcoming movie and is seeking other work as an actor. Mike Gassaway has a “great commercial look,” according to his agent, and is seeking work in commercials and other roles in Texas,…

Jul 7, 2008 2:12 PM CDT

Okla. Bar GC Accused of Groping and Biting Woman

A crime report detailing accusations against the general counsel of the Oklahoma Bar Association alleges he groped a woman in a Remington Park suite and bit her breast, the Oklahoman reports. The Oklahoma City lawyer, Dan Murdock, was arrested shortly before midnight on Saturday while hosting a wedding shower in…

Jul 1, 2008 11:03 AM CDT

Okla. Judge Sues Accusers in Indecent Exposure Case

An Oklahoma judge who has been charged with indecent exposure in a criminal case has filed a civil defamation action against his accusers, one of whom reportedly is his ex-girlfriend. Judge Jesse Harris, who sits in Tulsa County District Court, contends in a suit filed yesterday in the same court…

Jun 26, 2008 9:09 PM CDT

Oklahoma Law Firms Benefit from State’s Oil-and-Gas Economy

Oklahoma’s oil-and-gas driven economy is good news for the state’s law firms, which report they aren’t experiencing the kind of downturn that is hitting lawyers elsewhere. Among the firms reporting healthy work opportunities were McAfee and Taft, Hartzog Conger, Crowe and Dunlevy, and Phillips McFall, the Journal Record reports. Tom…

Jun 18, 2008 1:30 PM CDT

Okla. Attorney Disbarred; Court Cites ‘Unbelievable’ Testimony

An Oklahoma attorney has been disbarred by the state supreme court after allegations that he forged a letter under another lawyer’s letterhead, purporting to sign it with that lawyer’s name, and sought to trade legal services for sexual favors, among other claimed misconduct. The lawyer, Michael Gassaway, “obtain[ed] the signature…

Jun 17, 2008 9:36 PM CDT

Okla. Attorney Pleads in Law Partner’s Manslaughter

A Tulsa, Okla., attorney has pleaded no contest in the manslaughter death of his law partner, and a five-year sentence is being recommended by the prosecution. Kenneth Morgan, 34, was charged with first-degree manslaughter and misdemeanor driving under the influence after his partner, Andre Carolina, who also was 34, died…

Jun 17, 2008 4:36 PM CDT

Judge Blasts Proposed Code Change as Promoting ‘Homosexual Agenda’

An Oklahoma judge has taken aim at what he calls the “liberal, pro-homosexual American Bar Association” in a letter opposing a change in the state’s judicial conduct code. Judge Bill Graves of Oklahoma County used that phrase to describe the ABA in a letter opposing a proposed anti-bias amendment to…

Jun 4, 2008 2:51 PM CDT

Okla. Supreme Court Rules Hospital May Be Liable for Attack in Garage

A divided Oklahoma Supreme Court has ruled that a nonprofit hospital may be liable for a parking garage attack. A nurse sued after she was kidnapped from the garage at St. John Medical Center and driven to another location where she was raped, the Journal Record reports. One security guard…

May 30, 2008 12:54 PM CDT

Lawyer Who Leapt From Window After Robbery Arrest Surrenders Law License

An Oklahoma lawyer who leapt from a hospital ledge after he was accused of robbing a drugstore has agreed to resign from legal practice. The Oklahoma Supreme Court accepted Robert Behlen’s resignation in an April 28 opinion, the Legal Profession Blog reports. Robert Behlen was accused of taking painkillers in…

Apr 30, 2008 2:25 PM CDT

Lawyer Who Made Snarky Comments Ordered to Write Civility Article

A lawyer who ordered opposing counsel to “sit quietly in the corner” and “be like a potted plant” has been ordered to write an article on civility for that remark and other cutting comments. U.S. District Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange said lawyer Gerard Pignato should submit the article to the Oklahoma…

Apr 30, 2008 11:12 AM CDT

Judge Vacates Divorce, Giving Wife in Murder Case Military Benefits

An Oklahoma judge has vacated a divorce last month of a military couple, so that the wife can get government benefits following her then ex-husband’s murder of their two children. “Her attorneys said after the hearing the ruling was the only way the longtime stay-at-home mom could get any money…

Mar 27, 2008 5:36 PM CDT

Judge Has Lawyer Handcuffed to Client, Jailed

An Oklahoma judge jailed an attorney after accusing him of lying about his client hiding a witness in a domestic violence case. Oklahoma County District Judge Twyla Mason Gray sentenced lawyer Derek Smith to four days in jail for contempt, the Oklahoman reports. The 36-year-old lawyer was handcuffed to his…

Jan 30, 2008 10:03 PM CST