States

Ex-Prosecutor Claims DA Fired Him for Being White

A former prosecutor in the Dallas County district attorney’s office has filed a suit that contends he was fired because he was white. Rick Jackson, who headed the organized crime unit, says he was one of 10 senior prosecutors fired in a shakeup by DA Craig Watkins, the Dallas Morning…

Nov 7, 2007 7:10 PM CST

Squeezing Student by Throat Constitutional

A Georgia teacher who grabbed a 14-year-old boy by the throat and squeezed his neck as he tried to leave her classroom did not violate the youth’s civil rights, a federal appeals court has ruled. The Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the teacher’s action, which left bruises,…

Nov 7, 2007 4:32 PM CST

Iraq Prison-Abuse Suit Against Contractor Allowed

A federal judge is allowing a civil lawsuit that claims employees of a U.S. military contractor took part in abuse and torture at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Judge James Robertson of Washington, D.C., refused to grant a motion to dismiss the suit yesterday, the Washington Post reports. The defendant,…

Nov 7, 2007 3:41 PM CST

Asbestos Doc, Now a Defendant, Is Missing

An asbestos doctor accused in a lawsuit of manufacturing asbestos claims is missing, according to the company that is suing him. The suit by CSX Transportation Corp. claims West Virginia radiologist Ray Harron helped manufacture asbestos claims for the railroad’s employees, the New York Times reports. The complaint alleges Harron…

Nov 7, 2007 3:11 PM CST

No Client-Fraud Confidentiality Exception in Proposed NY Rules

Ethics guru Stephen Gillers says new lawyer conduct rules recommended for adoption in New York state are a “resounding” improvement. The New York State Bar Association’s House of Delegates is recommending approval of the ethics revisions, which now go to the state appellate division for consideration, the New York Law…

Nov 7, 2007 2:23 PM CST

Father Loses Appeal Dubbed ‘Roe v. Wade for Men’

A Michigan father who contended he should have the right to decide whether to pay child support has lost his appeal. Men’s rights groups had dubbed the lawsuit a ”Roe v. Wade for men,” drawing objections from women’s rights groups, the Associated Press reports. Matthew Dubay said his ex-girlfriend had…

Nov 7, 2007 1:35 PM CST

Under Pressure, Texas Court Allows E-Mail Pleadings

The highest criminal court in Texas, facing a storm of criticism for failing to accept an emergency death penalty appeal 20 minutes after closing time, will now accept some motions by e-mail. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals announced yesterday that it will allow emergency e-mail motions in death penalty…

Nov 7, 2007 12:43 PM CST

Sea Change in Legal Secretary Job Duties

A sea change from the way law practice was conducted when senior lawyers learned the ropes means that the traditional job of legal secretary will, within the foreseeable future, be a relic of legal history. But, in the meantime, today’s legal secretaries must perform not only the job they used…

Nov 7, 2007 1:13 AM CST

Va. Attorney Charged with ‘Embracery’

A Virginia civil rights attorney is now defending an unusual criminal case in modern-day America. Accused of improperly attempting to influence an Albemarle County grand jury, Deborah Wyatt is charged with five misdemeanor counts of embracery, an English common-law crime that dates back to the Magna Carta and was incorporated…

Nov 7, 2007 12:41 AM CST

Threats—and Response—Irk Law Students at U of Washington

Graffiti and telephone threats have prompted the University of Washington to post a full-time guard at the William H. Gates law school building and require students and faculty to show Husky student identification to enter. But in the wake of the student shooting massacre at Virginia Tech earlier this year,…

Nov 7, 2007 12:16 AM CST

Law Firm Launches Web ‘Chat Service’ for Potential PI Clients

For potential clients who need a personal injury lawyer, setting an appointment and going to an attorney’s office for an initial consultation can be a daunting process. But a British firm hopes to encourage the solicitor-shy to come to them by offering an Internet “chat service” that gives potential clients…

Nov 6, 2007 10:35 PM CST

MIT Sues Well-Known Architect

A famed engineering school has sued a world-renowned architect, contending that his daring design of a recently constructed $300 million building on its Cambridge, Mass., campus is defective. Filed late last month by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Massachusetts state-court suit names as defendants architect Frank Gehry and the…

Nov 6, 2007 10:06 PM CST

GA Judge in Capital Defense Cost Maelstrom Lawyers Up

A Georgia judge who has become a lightning rod for criticism over the high cost of defending a death penalty case has now got his own counsel. Profiled in a recent New York Times article as judicial scapegoat for those seeking to blame someone for what it costs to represent…

Nov 6, 2007 8:03 PM CST

Suit Spurs School to Recognize Pro-Life Club

A Virginia teen has dropped her lawsuit after school officials agreed to recognize her Pro-Life Club. Sixteen-year-old Stephanie Hoffmeier filed suit in Alexandria federal court in September after officials at Colonial Forge High School turned down her request for recognition, the Washington Post reports. The club’s mission is to encourage…

Nov 6, 2007 5:53 PM CST

Guilty Plea in Robbery Hate Crime Case

A man charged with planning to rob a gay man in a hate crime that resulted in his death has entered a guilty plea. Ilya Shurov agreed to plead guilty to manslaughter and attempted robbery as hate crimes, the New York Times reports. He had originally been charged with felony…

Nov 6, 2007 5:18 PM CST