Ethics complaint accuses former GE lawyer of disclosing client secrets

An ethics complaint filed in Washington, D.C., accuses a former in-house lawyer for General Electric of disclosing confidential company information after she was fired. The complaint (PDF) against lawyer M. Adriana Koeck alleges she copied her computer hard drive and disclosed confidential information to the media and to federal agencies,…

Aug 4, 2014 3:51 PM CDT

11th Circuit upholds ‘Docs v. Glocks’ law in First Amendment challenge

A federal appeals court is allowing enforcement of a Florida law that prevents physicians from talking with patients about guns in their homes when it is irrelevant to medical care. The Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday vacated an injunction that had prevented the law from taking…

Jul 28, 2014 2:40 PM CDT

People look to Yelp to find lawyers online, survey says | Fallout over Facebook mood study?

Larry Bodine noted a survey of 3,465 people finding that 58 percent of those seeking lawyers make their first stop at business review site Yelp. And this is significant considering three out of four consumers seeking lawyers use online resources at some point in the process, according to a 2012…

Jul 11, 2014 1:30 PM CDT

Woman billed $5K for hospital body cavity searches gets $1.1M settlement

A Texas hospital and two emergency room physicians have agreed to pay $1.1 million to settle a suit by a New Mexico woman who claimed she was subjected against her will to “multiple, redundant and increasingly intrusive” body cavity searches at the facility. The woman, identified as Jane Doe in…

Jul 10, 2014 5:12 PM CDT

Two Muslim American lawyers were subject to NSA email surveillance, report says

Two Muslim American lawyers were among five prominent Americans whose emails were apparently monitored by the National Security Agency, according to a published report. Both lawyers say they believe they were targeted because of their religion, the Intercept reports in a story based on documents released Edward Snowden. Legal Times…

Jul 10, 2014 12:22 PM CDT

Sleeping Yankees fan caught on camera sues for alleged defamation

A Yankees fan who was caught on camera napping at an April 13 game has filed a $10 million suit for alleged defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The suit filed on behalf of fan Andrew Robert Rector claims the ESPN announcers “unleashed [an] avalanche of disparaging words” about…

Jul 8, 2014 1:33 PM CDT

Lawyers in Donald Sterling case battle over removal to federal court for medical privacy issue

Lawyers for Shelly Sterling claim in an emergency brief filed Sunday in federal court that Donald Sterling’s bid to remove a probate case to federal court is an attempt to delay resolution of the dispute over his capacity and sabotage the sale of the Los Angeles Clippers. Lawyers for Donald…

Jul 7, 2014 4:02 PM CDT

Federal panels are taking a harder look at nondisparagement clauses

Jul 1, 2014 8:59 AM CDT

Massachusetts SWAT teams claim immunity from open records laws

Some Massachusetts police departments belong to regional law enforcement councils that claim to be private corporations not subject to the state’s open records law, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. Such claims have helped stymie the ACLU’s efforts to study police militarization in the state, the Washington Post’s The…

Jun 30, 2014 10:14 PM CDT

Could government employees’ personal email accounts be subject to open records law?

Are work-related communications exchanged through government employees’ personal electronic devices public record? The question will be answered by the California Supreme Court, which in the same appeal will also consider work-related emails exchanged through government employees’ personal accounts. Generally, the Mercury News reports, emails sent or received on a city…

Jun 27, 2014 6:49 PM CDT

Facebook appeal claims DA’s request for data on 381 people violates Fourth Amendment

Facebook is contesting the Manhattan District’s Attorney’s right to obtain Facebook information for 381 people, though a judge already forced the social network to release the information. Facebook filed an appeal last Friday, and documents in the case were unsealed on Wednesday, report the New York Times and a Facebook…

Jun 27, 2014 1:06 PM CDT

SCOTUS rules against warrantless cellphone searches in ‘sweeping endorsement of digital privacy’

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that police generally can’t search the contents of a cellphone seized during an arrest, unless they get a warrant. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote the unanimous decision (PDF) finding that such warrantless cellphone searches violate the Fourth Amendment. Justice Samuel A. Alito…

Jun 25, 2014 2:26 PM CDT

Microsoft’s general counsel blasts surveillance court; federal judge upholds bulk collection of data

Microsoft general counsel Brad Smith blasted the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court on Tuesday, saying it creates law “that the American public is not permitted to read.” In a speech at the Brookings Institution, Smith said the court, which reviews government data requests in its fight against terrorism, is unlike…

Jun 25, 2014 12:10 PM CDT

Feds tell local law enforcement to remain silent about cellphone surveillance

Updated: The federal government is putting pressure on local law enforcement to keep quiet about its use of Stingray and other surveillance technology used to gather data off of mobile phones. The Associated Press reports that the Obama administration has taken the rare step of becoming actively involved with state…

Jun 13, 2014 6:45 PM CDT

US prosecutors can’t ‘conscript’ Microsoft to turn over email stored in Ireland, company argues

Microsoft Corp. is asking a federal judge in New York to overturn a magistrate’s order requiring the company to give prosecutors email stored on a server in Ireland. In a brief (PDF) filed on Friday, Microsoft argued the warrant issued under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act “purports to authorize the…

Jun 11, 2014 2:45 PM CDT