Oregon

9th Circuit OKs discharge of $53K in student-loan debt for law grad working as a probation officer

After a 10-year legal battle, a 1997 graduate of an Oregon law school has not only won a federal appeals court ruling that eliminates more than half of his student loan debt, but has established favorable precedent for other recent grads struggling with major debt and minimal job prospects. Finding…

May 28, 2013 3:01 PM CDT

Even after 911 caller’s assault when no cops were on duty, counties vote to keep budget cuts

Last August, a 911 dispatcher told a distressed woman caller that authorities were unable to help minutes before the woman’s ex-boyfriend broke into her home, choked and sexually assaulted her. Despite the chilling event, two Oregon counties this week rejected property tax increases that would have funded law enforcement and…

May 24, 2013 9:15 PM CDT

Judge investigated personal ID theft case, pointing police to suspect who got 13 years

As an Oregon judge, Christopher Marshall had presided over many an identity theft case. So when the Multnomah County circuit court jurist himself was victimized in a health club gym locker break-in, he quickly developed a game plan. In addition to canceling his credit card accounts, he found out where…

May 20, 2013 10:34 AM CDT

‘Nude but not lewd’ airport protester beat indecency rap but is still fighting $1K TSA fine

A tech worker who took it all off at the Portland, Ore., airport last year as a protest of security measures, was acquitted at trial later in 2012 by a Multnomah County judge of the indecent exposure charge that resulted. But the celebration after John E. Brennan’s criminal court victory…

May 10, 2013 10:15 PM CDT

Postcard-only jail mail policy is unconstitutional, federal judge rules

A federal judge in Oregon has found that a suburban Portland jail’s policy of allowing inmates to receive only postcards is unconstitutional, because it violates the First Amendment rights of both those who send and those who receive mail. While the ruling applies only to the Columbia County Jail, it…

Apr 26, 2013 8:02 PM CDT

Juror’s glow reflected cellphone no-no; judge put him in jail

Judge Dennis Graves might never have known that juror Benjamin Kohler was violating his instructions about using his cellphone during a Salem, Ore., armed robbery trial this week. However, the judge’s attention was drawn to an unusual glow on the chest area of the 26-year-old’s shirt after the lights were…

Apr 19, 2013 9:33 PM CDT

Upset by fatal child-abuse trial, juror creates post-verdict college fund for survivor sibling

Josh Henle was initially aggravated to be called for jury duty in a Clackamas County, Ore., case that interfered with his work schedule and Hawaiian vacation plans. Then, as he began to learn about the fatal child-abuse case for which he’d been selected, Henle realized the importance of his role…

Apr 12, 2013 4:00 PM CDT

Prominent law grad and general counsel face SEC case in claimed $13.2M social media stock fraud

A prominent businessman and law graduate who once headed Oregon’s Republican party and was a candidate for state governor has been criminally charged in a securities fraud case. Craig Berkman, 71, who now lives in Florida, was arrested Tuesday at his Odessa home in a case filed by the U.S.…

Mar 19, 2013 9:50 PM CDT

Traffic cops check Facebook page for driver’s girlfriend, determine he’s a fugitive

Two Oregon state troopers were dubious Sunday when the man they had pulled over in a traffic stop in the suburban Portland area showed them a driver’s license that seemed to feature someone else’s photo. So they used the laptop computer in their patrol car to check the Facebook page…

Mar 19, 2013 5:10 PM CDT

Adjunct law prof faces theft and harassment charges over campus demonstration

An adjunct law professor at the University of Oregon not only had his teaching duties reassigned after a confrontation with protestors at a campus demonstration on Thursday but was criminally charged. James Olmsted, 58, was cited for second-degree theft and physical harassment, escorted by authorities from the campus and given…

Mar 18, 2013 3:23 PM CDT

After physical confrontation with campus protesters, adjunct law prof loses teaching duties

Following a confrontation between an adjunct law professor at the University of Oregon and campus demonstrators his name has been removed from the school’s website directory. “The University of Oregon School of Law has reassigned the teaching responsibilities of adjunct instructor James Olmsted to Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Adell…

Mar 15, 2013 8:45 PM CDT

Law firm settles Pfizer case, pays bills and emerges from Chapter 11 bankruptcy

In an unusual move, a Portland, Ore., law firm has been able to pay its bills and emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy after setting a big case. The same prolonged legal battle with Pfizer Inc. that forced Williams Love O’Leary & Powers to file for bankruptcy in 2011 also resulted…

Mar 14, 2013 2:26 PM CDT

Judge censured for comments he made to defendant sentenced to ‘rot in prison’

An Oregon judge was censured (PDF) by the Oregon Supreme Court on Thursday for comments he made when sentencing a defendant to life in prison for his sexual abuse of two 12-year-old boys. Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Tim Barnack said at the sentencing that defendant Richard Lee Taylor, then…

Feb 8, 2013 12:50 PM CST

Did DA and defense lawyer use ‘undeniably invalid order’ to commit schizophrenic man?

Apparently agreeing with a retired Oregon judge’s complaint that a sitting district attorney and a defense lawyer used an “undeniably invalid order” when committing a mentally ill man to the state hospital for treatment, bar authorities have filed a legal ethics complaint. Describing the issue a little differently than retired…

Feb 6, 2013 4:20 PM CST

Gender-reassignment medical costs for court of appeals clerk will be covered by state

A settlement has been reached concerning a medical insurance coverage lawsuit brought by an Oregon Court of Appeals clerk, who argued that the state discriminated by refusing to provide an otherwise-covered benefit to a transgender employee. The state has agreed not only to compensate Alec Esquivel for the doctor-recommended hysterectomy…

Jan 24, 2013 9:24 PM CST