States

Computer Hackers SWAT Homeowners

A Washington state man has been arrested for allegedly perpetrating a bizarre computer hacker attack that resulted in a SWAT team storming a home in upscale Orange County, Calif. Authorities say Randal T. Ellis, 19, of Mukilteo, Wash., hacked into a telephone network and impersonated a resident of a randomly…

Oct 17, 2007 4:20 PM CDT

No Protest Over Disbarred Lawyer’s Ethics Appearance

A rumored protest did not materialize when disbarred lawyer Lynne Stewart appeared yesterday at a Hofstra University law school conference on defending unpopular clients. One student walked out in protest, but he returned to ask a question, the New York Times reports. Stewart was convicted of providing material support to…

Oct 17, 2007 3:21 PM CDT

Coupons Snuffed in $96M Tobacco Antitrust Case

A California judge will be asked in a hearing today to approve a $96 million cash settlement of antitrust claims against the largest U.S. maker of smokeless tobacco products. The case would be the first to produce a cash settlement in antitrust suits against U.S. Tobacco, the Recorder reports. Plaintiffs…

Oct 17, 2007 1:52 PM CDT

NJ Considers Punitives in Will Contests

The New Jersey Supreme Court is considering whether a lawyer and his client should be required to pay punitive damages and attorney fees to the winning side in a will contest. The will, signed by an elderly woman before surgery, made lawyer Ronald Casale the executor of her multimillion-dollar estate…

Oct 17, 2007 11:33 AM CDT

Under Fire in Congress, DOJ Mulls Jena Case

At a Congressional hearing today, U.S. Department of Justice officials said they are considering a prosecution over the handling of the case of the so-called Jena Six—black youths who apparently were treated much more harshly than whites concerning similar alleged schoolyard crimes in a small town in Louisiana. However, they…

Oct 17, 2007 12:13 AM CDT

Partners: Void Our Unethical Law Firm Sale

After paying $1 million to a former partner for his share of their Long Island law firm, several New York lawyers tried to void the buyout agreement as unethical and get their money back. A state judge, however, refused to save them from themselves. First of all, their agreement to…

Oct 16, 2007 7:55 PM CDT

Chicago Firm Creates 2 Tiers of Associates

Law firms with two tiers of partners are commonplace. So it was perhaps foreseeable that some would respond to ever-increasing starting salaries for attorneys by creating two tiers of associates. Chicago-based Chapman and Cutler has done just that, giving associates a choice between working more hours for top dollar (the…

Oct 16, 2007 7:20 PM CDT

Dismissed! Lack of CA Judges Ends Cases

Two California criminal cases were dismissed yesterday in Riverside County because of a lack of judges. And seven more—all of them felonies—appeared headed for the same conclusion today. Charges were immediately refiled by prosecutors concerning the one felony case dismissed yesterday, according to the Riverside Press-Enterprise. And the same result…

Oct 16, 2007 6:59 PM CDT

Lawyer Sues Florist for Wrong Wedding Flowers

A lawyer has filed a lawsuit that alleges her wedding florist provided wilted and wrong-colored flowers for her reception centerpieces. The suit by Elana Glatt says the florist used pastel pink and green hydrangeas even though she had specified that they be dark rust and green, the New York Times…

Oct 16, 2007 6:27 PM CDT

Big Legal Bill for Anna Nicole Smith’s Baby

Adults who had a relationship to Anna Nicole Smith are still wrangling over a number of issues related to the deceased starlet’s estate. But they are seemingly entirely agreed on one thing: a bill of nearly $200,000 submitted by the court-appointed lawyer representing the interests of Smith’s baby daughter is…

Oct 16, 2007 5:27 PM CDT

Judge Who Won Libel Verdict Defends Ethics Charge

A judge who won a $2.1 million libel verdict against the Boston Herald choked up as he defended himself on ethics charges that he used court stationery to demand even more money to conclude the case. The Massachusetts Commission on Judicial Conduct has accused Judge Ernest Murphy of using court…

Oct 16, 2007 3:47 PM CDT

Damages ‘Offensive’ in Music Piracy Case, Motion Says

The lawyer for a woman assessed $222,000 in damages for illegally sharing downloaded music contends in a motion for a new trial that the amount is constitutionally excessive. The judgment against Jammie Thomas for illegally sharing two dozen songs amounts to $9,250 for each recording. Her lawyer, Brian Toder of…

Oct 16, 2007 2:15 PM CDT

Boalt Hall Law School Gets New Name

The University of California at Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law has settled on a new name. In January it will officially become the UC Berkeley School of Law, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. School officials paid a consulting firm $25,000 for a branding consultant to interview students and others…

Oct 16, 2007 1:39 PM CDT

Lawyer Accused of Faking Judge’s Signature

A lawyer has been accused of faking a judicial order to persuade his clients that their suit over a neighbor’s pool was proceeding swimmingly. Actually, the defendants had never been served with the suit, according to an opinion last month that gave the plaintiffs more time to effect service, the…

Oct 16, 2007 12:23 PM CDT

Malpractice Suit Tossed in Recovered Nazi Art Case

A federal judge has tossed a malpractice suit against a lawyer who represented the heirs of a German art collector whose property was seized by the Nazis. The suit by nieces and nephews of Gustav Kirstein claimed they had to share their recovery with another claimant because of mistakes by…

Oct 16, 2007 12:01 PM CDT