States

Sanctions Will Deter Discovery Abuse, Qualcomm Magistrate Says

U.S. Magistrate Barbara Major made no ruling at the end of a five-hour hearing on Friday on whether to impose sanctions against lawyers for Qualcomm for discovery abuse. But her comments made clear she’s not happy with the lawyers’ failure to produce more than 200,000 electronic documents in a patent…

Oct 15, 2007 11:58 AM CDT

Imprecise Contract Costs Thelen Reid $450K

A law firm’s failure to specify a requirement for minimum billings in an employment contract has cost it a $450,000 arbitration award. A New York judge has upheld the award to a former partner of Brown Raysman Millstein Felder & Steiner who was fired in violation of his employment contract,…

Oct 15, 2007 11:28 AM CDT

WA, Not Parents to Fund Child Mental Care?

In a ruling that could help struggling families, the Washington Supreme Court says the state must help some children who need mental health services even if their parents aren’t unfit. Ordinarily, parents must care for their children unless they abuse or neglect them. But after “Henry’s” parents paid some $200,000…

Oct 12, 2007 11:17 PM CDT

CA v. Court in Sex Offender Residency Sweep

In a showdown between California’s governor and the state supreme court, parole officers yesterday began arresting hundreds of convicted sex offenders for violating a new state law. It prohibits sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of a school or park, as well as a number of other areas where…

Oct 12, 2007 10:31 PM CDT

2 La. Judges Indicted in Racketeering Case

Two Louisiana judges have been indicted for allegedly taking bribes to help get defendants out of jail by reducing bond, among other mechanisms. Both State District Judge Michael Walker, 57, and Caddo Parish Juvenile Court Judge Vernon Claville, 56, are accused in the federal racketeering case of accepting bribes from…

Oct 12, 2007 9:51 PM CDT

Suit Planned in Deer Custody Case

A lawyer for an Oregon family who nursed a deformed deer back to health after finding her as a fawn on a road five years ago says his clients are considering a lawsuit to regain custody of the animal. The pet deer, known as Snowball, was taken about a month…

Oct 12, 2007 9:14 PM CDT

FL Boot Camp Guards Acquitted

Updated: A jury has acquitted eight employees of a Florida boot camp of manslaughter in the death of 14-year-old Martin Lee Anderson. The all-white jury took about 90 minutes to deliberate in the death of the black teen, the Associated Press reports. Anderson died last year after an altercation with…

Oct 12, 2007 5:54 PM CDT

PA High Court Race Hits Record $5 M

For the first time ever, candidates competing for a seat on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court have collectively raised more than $5 million in campaign funds. By mid-September, eight candidates had together raised a total of just over $5 million, smashing a 12-year-old fundraising record, reports the Justice at Stake Campaign…

Oct 12, 2007 4:47 PM CDT

GA Lawyer Cooperates in Mortgage Fraud Trial

A Georgia lawyer who has pleaded guilty for taking part in a mortgage fraud ring will testify in a trial of one of the alleged members that got under way this week. Prosecutors say lawyer James Stovall III of Marietta, Ga., was supposed to represent lenders, but instead he prepared…

Oct 12, 2007 4:13 PM CDT

Merged Firm to Corner Water Market?

A prominent Denver firm is merging with a California firm known for its work on water rights matters, creating a combination that will focus on such work throughout the western United States. Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck will tie the knot with Hatch & Parent on Jan. 1. It will still…

Oct 12, 2007 3:44 PM CDT

GA Judge Tells County to Pay for Alleged Gunman’s Lawyer

A Georgia judge has ordered county officials to pay legal fees to the lead lawyer defending alleged courthouse gunman Brian Nichols. The lawyer, Henderson Hill, is charging $175 an hour, nearly double the state rate of $95 an hour. Judge Hilton Fuller said Fulton County should pay Hill’s legal bills…

Oct 12, 2007 3:10 PM CDT

IL Requires Silence at Start of School Day

The Illinois Legislature has approved a law requiring a moment of silence at the beginning of the school day. Lawmakers acted to override a veto by Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who said the law could erode the separation between church and state, the Chicago Tribune reports. The law is likely to…

Oct 12, 2007 2:51 PM CDT

IL Chief Justice Settles Libel Case

The chief justice of the Illinois Supreme Court has settled his libel suit against a Chicago suburban newspaper for a reported $3 million. The agreement settles ongoing litigation after a $7 million libel verdict for Justice Robert Thomas against the Kane County Chronicle, the Chicago Tribune reports. The Chronicle also…

Oct 12, 2007 2:35 PM CDT

Judge Censured for ‘Nice Butt’ Remarks

A New York town court judge who made light of a defendant’s assertion that his lawyer was “cute” and had “a nice butt” has been censured for the “misguided attempt at humor.” Justice Edmund V. Caplicki Jr. of LaGrange Town Court in Dutchess County informed the lawyer of the remarks…

Oct 12, 2007 1:22 PM CDT

Menopause Drug Verdict: $134.5 M

Three Nevada women who claimed Prempro and Premarin caused their breast cancer have won a $134.5 verdict against the maker of the hormone-replacement drugs. The Reno jury delivered the verdict late Wednesday and will return to the courtroom today to consider punitive damages, the Associated Press reports. The compensatory damages…

Oct 12, 2007 12:57 PM CDT