Oregon

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

Once-defiant research firm chief who nixed FBI wire gets 4 years in insider trading case

The founder of a Portland, Ore.-based independent research firm, John Kinnucan, made headlines in 2010 when he publicly announced that he had refused an FBI request to wear a wire in a national insider-trading probe. On Tuesday, the 55-year-old former Broadband Research chief apologized in federal court in Manhattan for…

Jan 15, 2013 6:09 PM CST

2 Men with Assault Rifles Legally Take a Walk Down the Street in Portland, Ore.

Two 22-year-old men committed no crime this week by openly carrying assault rifles, slung over their shoulders, in a residential neighborhood of Portland, Ore., known for its row of antique stores. But the Wednesday afternoon stroll by Steven M. Boyce and Warren R. Drouin created a stir, resulting in a…

Jan 10, 2013 6:47 PM CST

DA Mulls Possible Juvenile Delinquency Case re Boy, 11, Accused in Armed Carjacking Attempt

Initially, it was reported that police planned to pursue no charges against 11- and 7-year-old boys who have been accused of attempting to carjack a vehicle at gunpoint in a church parking lot in Portland, Ore. But the Multnomah County district attorney’s office is now considering whether to pursue a…

Dec 11, 2012 6:01 PM CST

2 Leading Lawyers Face Unusual Ethics Case re Claimed Conflict in Representing Corp. and Workers

Two leading corporate lawyers in Portland, Ore., are awaiting the results in an unusual legal ethics case, pursued a decade after the fact, concerning a claimed conflict in their representation of a corporate client and its employees in a securities matter. Barnes H. Ellis, 72, a retired partner of Stoel…

Dec 5, 2012 11:05 PM CST

Lawyer Makes Federal Case Out of Transit Ban for Arguing About Rider’s Constitutional Rights

In a one-year period between Oct. 1, 2011 and Sept. 30, a Portland, Ore., transit agency issued only 23 bans to riders because they allegedly made excessive noise. One was to Jennie Bricker, who is not only an attorney but a partner of Stoel Rives, one of the city’s biggest…

Nov 2, 2012 4:23 PM CDT

Judge Says Obese Dachshund (77 Pounds!) Stays with Vet Tech, Nixes Dachshund Rescue Custody Bid

After a two-hour hearing, a judge in Portland, Ore., has nixed a dog rescue organization’s bid to take custody of a grossly overweight dachshund known as Obie, who once tipped the scales at 77 pounds, roughly double his ideal weight. Obie reportedly lost 15 pounds under the care of a…

Oct 30, 2012 6:41 PM CDT

LA Times Unveils Database of Boy Scouts’ Files; Top Oregon Court Order May Spark New Civil Cases

As an Oregon Supreme Court ruling earlier this year took effect on Thursday, making more than 1,200 ‘ineligible volunteer’ files maintained by the Boy Scouts of America public, the Los Angeles Times unveiled a comprehensive database of these files and more. Dating back to material from the late 1940s, and…

Oct 18, 2012 9:00 PM CDT

Lawyer Reprimanded for Continued Use of Westlaw After Leaving Prosecutor Job

In a case of reciprocal discipline, the Oregon Supreme Court has publicly reprimanded a lawyer who continued to use a government-paid Westlaw account after he left his job as a prosecutor. Everett Walton used the account for about 14 months when he became a legal aid lawyer in Hawaii, according…

Oct 16, 2012 1:00 PM CDT

Top Oregon Court Asked to Rule: Must Soldier Choose Between Violating Army Order or Probation?

Correction: On probation for two misdemeanor sex offenses, a Oregon man who is a member of the Army Reserve is currently facing a tough choice: Ordered by the U.S. Army to deploy to Afghanistan, Derrick James McDonald, 22, will be in serious trouble if he fails to do so. But…

Sep 13, 2012 10:47 PM CDT

Lawyer Loses Pro Se Case Over Backyard Swimming Pool Built Without Permit, Could Be Fined $360K

Representing himself and his wife pro se, an Oregon attorney told a municipal court judge that they had built a $100,000 backyard swimming pool without a required wetlands permit because the mayor of West Linn told them they could do so. However, that argument was not persuasive to West Linn…

Sep 12, 2012 6:31 PM CDT

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

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

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

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

Once-defiant research firm chief who nixed FBI wire gets 4 years in insider trading case

2 Men with Assault Rifles Legally Take a Walk Down the Street in Portland, Ore.

DA Mulls Possible Juvenile Delinquency Case re Boy, 11, Accused in Armed Carjacking Attempt

2 Leading Lawyers Face Unusual Ethics Case re Claimed Conflict in Representing Corp. and Workers

Lawyer Makes Federal Case Out of Transit Ban for Arguing About Rider’s Constitutional Rights

Judge Says Obese Dachshund (77 Pounds!) Stays with Vet Tech, Nixes Dachshund Rescue Custody Bid

LA Times Unveils Database of Boy Scouts’ Files; Top Oregon Court Order May Spark New Civil Cases

Lawyer Reprimanded for Continued Use of Westlaw After Leaving Prosecutor Job

Top Oregon Court Tells Judge to Postpone Soldier’s Probation While He’s Deployed in Afghanistan

Top Oregon Court Asked to Rule: Must Soldier Choose Between Violating Army Order or Probation?

Lawyer Loses Pro Se Case Over Backyard Swimming Pool Built Without Permit, Could Be Fined $360K

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