Trials & Litigation

$1.7M Settlement in Case That Exposed DA’s E-Mail

A $1.7 million settlement was approved today in a federal civil rights case that led to the exposure of a Texas prosecutor’s personal e-mail and his eventual resignation. The Harris County commission unanimously OK’d the settlement with Sean Carlos Ibarra, 37, and Erik Adam Ibarra, 28, as sheriff’s deputies were…

Mar 3, 2008 6:33 PM CST

Ruling on Lawyer’s Nazi Comparison Ads Expected This Week

Embattled Michigan trial lawyer Geoffrey Fieger will learn this week whether a Detroit federal judge views his television ads as prejudicial pretrial publicity. The ad getting the most scrutiny compares the Bush administration to Nazis, the National Law Journal reports. It says: “They came for the Communists … the unionists…

Mar 3, 2008 2:03 PM CST

Mukasey Won’t Ask Grand Jury to Indict Bush Aides

Attorney General Michael Mukasey says the Justice Department won’t seek the prosecution of White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten and former White House counsel Harriet Miers. Mukasey sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi saying he won’t refer House contempt citations to a grand jury because the aides…

Mar 3, 2008 11:35 AM CST

DNA Poised to Show Its Civil Side

After changing criminal law, tests are ready for workers’ comp, toxic tort cases

Mar 1, 2008 8:55 PM CST

Sidewalk Summonses

Forget free samples and coupons. On Jan. 9, shoppers at the Price Chopper supermarket in St. Johnsbury, Vt., got something they really couldn’t refuse—a jury summons, effective immediately.

Mar 1, 2008 6:33 AM CST

ABA Files Amicus Brief Supporting Habeas Corpus in Iraq

Weighing in on an issue that has created concern among lawyers, journalists and human rights advocates, among others, the American Bar Association has filed a U.S. Supreme Court amicus brief on behalf of U.S. citizens arrested by the American military and held in Iraq without U.S. court proceedings. At issue…

Mar 1, 2008 2:43 AM CST

Judge Backtracks, Returns Wikileaks Whistle-Blower Web Address

Updated: Visibly frustrated by the way that Internet technology has outpaced traditional law, a federal judge today nonetheless acceded to First Amendment arguments and said Wikileaks could have its Web address back. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White, who sits in San Francisco, today reversed his decision earlier this month granting…

Mar 1, 2008 1:35 AM CST

U.S. Trustees Seek Countrywide Sanctions, Allege Widespread Abuses

In a highly unusual action, U.S. trustees in three states are seeking sanctions against Countrywide Financial Corp., contending that the major mortgage lender has abused the bankruptcy process by making inaccurate filings and imposing unauthorized fees. The rare concerted filings today by U.S. trustees in Florida, Georgia and Ohio ask…

Mar 1, 2008 1:02 AM CST

Documents Produced in Major Art Case Have Created ... More Art

When officials at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art decided to litigate against artist Christoph Büchel over an incomplete commissioned piece, they probably didn’t realize what they were getting into. Although the museum won its federal court battle to display to the public a massive maze representing American culture that…

Mar 1, 2008 12:01 AM CST

Jury OKs Texas Lawyer’s Focus on Media Strategy in Murder Case

A Texas lawyer who allegedly focused on media strategy rather than the best interests of the client he was defending in a high-profile murder trial in 2003 has won the sympathy of the jury in an excessive-fees case brought by his now-convicted client. By an 11-1 vote, the jury decided…

Feb 29, 2008 8:39 PM CST

Felon Pleads in YouTube AK-47 Case

A South Florida gang leader who posted a YouTube video of himself holding an AK-47 and challenging authorities to “come get some” has gotten his wish. Police arrested Rudy Villanueva, 31, who is the leader of the Bird Road Boys gang, in January, shortly after the Miami Herald ran a…

Feb 29, 2008 8:08 PM CST

Status of Late-Recognized Indian Tribes at Issue in High Court Case

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Monday to decide whether the federal government can take land into trust for an Indian tribe, a move that could bar states from preventing the construction of additional Indian casinos on newly acquired land. Indian Country Today says a ruling against tribal interests in the…

Feb 29, 2008 6:55 PM CST

5th Circuit Slows Down BP Plea, Says More Victims’ Rights Info Needed

Weighing in on a contested plea bargain in a criminal case over a deadly 2005 explosion at a Texas City refinery owned by petroleum giant BP, the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has stopped the clock for now. Ruling on victims’ claims that they are entitled to…

Feb 29, 2008 5:57 PM CST

Bar Presidents Protest ‘Reckless’ Investigation of Mich. Judge

Twelve former presidents of the Grand Rapids Bar Association are protesting the “reckless” manner in which they say the Judicial Tenure Commission is investigating a Michigan judge. In a letter (PDF) to the commission, they say that District Judge Steven Servaas, who has been on the bench for 35 years,…

Feb 29, 2008 5:08 PM CST

Life Outside Prison is Harder for Inmates Found Innocent

Thanks to DNA testing, a number of inmates convicted for crimes they didn’t commit are being released from prison. While happy to win their freedom, many are finding that they still have a long and difficult road to travel even though they’re no longer behind bars, reports Reuters. “As a…

Feb 29, 2008 4:35 PM CST