Trials & Litigation

DOJ May Have Known of CIA Tape Destruction a Year Before Court Disclosure

Documents released in the appeal of convicted al-Qaida conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui showed that Justice Department lawyers knew since at least early 2006 that the CIA destroyed a videotaped interrogation of an al-Qaida lieutenant from whom Moussaoui sought information. The date is more than a year before the destruction of the…

Feb 7, 2008 11:42 AM CST

Ky. Judge Bans Prosecutor Objections in Probable Cause Hearings

A Kentucky judge has threatened to hold prosecutors in contempt if they don’t stop making “obnoxious, ridiculous, abundant and useless objections” during probable cause hearings. Jefferson District Judge Sean Delahanty told prosecutors on Tuesday to cool it, saying that their excessive objections were wasting time and disrupting probable cause hearings,…

Feb 7, 2008 12:08 AM CST

No Putting Up with Putdowns; Taking Workplace Bullies to Court

By Wendy N. Davis Accounting manager Joan Frye was working at her job at St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville, Tenn., for only a few days when she began having problems with her new boss. “From the very beginning,” Frye says, “she would put me down. Anything I would do was…

Feb 6, 2008 10:05 PM CST

Former Ethics Counsel Disbarred Over Investigation of Judge

Two Massachusetts lawyers, including the former ethics counsel for two state governors, were disbarred today because of their aggressive investigation of a judge who ruled against their clients in 1995 in a high-profile family battle over control of a supermarket chain. The efforts of Gary C. Crossen and Kevin P.…

Feb 6, 2008 7:40 PM CST

Russian Lawyer Seeks Political Asylum Over Client Wiretapping Case

A Russian lawyer who is a well-known critic of the government there is seeking political asylum in the U.S. because of his legal work. Boris Kuznetsov, 64, claims he is being criminally prosecuted in his home country because of his efforts to obtain a court ruling that his client, a…

Feb 6, 2008 6:13 PM CST

Judge Shines Light on Secret Pact to Settle, Hide Text Messages

A Michigan judge has ordered the release of documents indicating that Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick settled a police whistle-blower lawsuit to try to hide text messages showing he lied about his relationship with his chief of staff, the Detroit Free Press reports. Wayne County Circuit Judge Robert Colombo ordered release…

Feb 6, 2008 5:49 PM CST

Client Decks Counsel, Gets New Lawyer

An unhappy client punched his legal counsel in a Kentucky courtroom Monday, saying that he wanted new representation. And Scott Hafer got his wish after punching public defender Doug Crickmer in the jaw and sending him to the floor in an incident that was recorded by a courtroom camera in…

Feb 6, 2008 4:54 PM CST

Panel Issues Poetic Ruling for Union in ‘Crappy’ Limerick Dispute

An Illinois appeals court has ruled that a limerick penned by a union official did not constitute defamation in an opinion that opens with its own poetic turn. The panel opinion (PDF) written by Judge John Bowman overturned a $2.35 million verdict for a suburban Chicago-area homebuilder who took issue…

Feb 6, 2008 4:40 PM CST

As In-House Lawyers Struggle With E-Discovery, Vendors Ready to Help

Many in-house counsel are ill-prepared to deal with e-discovery, but it’s not for lack of companies willing to help. E-discovery vendors crowded the exhibition floor at LegalTech New York this week, while educational sessions focused on how to prepare for electronic database searches. A survey by Kroll Ontrack released to…

Feb 6, 2008 2:38 PM CST

Duane Morris Defends $1.6M Malpractice Claim

Duane Morris maintained in opening statements this week that it didn’t commit malpractice by failing to include a security guarantee in a settlement agreement it drafted for a client, the Legal Intelligencer reports. The law firm has been sued for $1.6 million by an ex-client who says he received only…

Feb 6, 2008 1:56 PM CST

Judge Gives Defamation Plaintiffs More Time in Suit Against Dr. Phil

A judge has refused to dismiss a defamation lawsuit filed against TV psychologist Dr. Phil McGraw by two brothers questioned in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway. Superior Court Judge Edward Ferns gave lawyers for brothers Deepak and Satish Kalpoe an extra five days to produce documents about the criminal investigation…

Feb 6, 2008 1:29 PM CST

Kansas Supreme Court Halts Release of Abortion Records

The Kansas Supreme Court is barring release of records of abortion patients until it considers a motion to quash grand-jury subpoeanas for the documents. A grand jury has subpoenaed medical files of about 2,000 women as it investigates whether a late-term abortion provider has broken state laws regulating the procedure,…

Feb 6, 2008 12:37 PM CST

Did Lawyer’s E-Mail Goof Land $1B Settlement on NYT’s Front Page?

Updated: An outside lawyer for Eli Lilly & Co. apparently has two people named “Berenson” in her e-mail address book. One is a reporter for the New York Times and the other is her co-counsel assisting in confidential negotiations on a possible $1 billion settlement between the pharmaceutical company and…

Feb 6, 2008 11:55 AM CST

Judge Cuts $11M Award to $5M in Funeral Picketing Case

A federal judge has upheld the $2.9 million in compensatory damages awarded to the father of a fallen U.S. Marine whose funeral was picketed by a fringe Kansas church. But he has cut a Baltimore federal jury’s award of $8 million in punitive damages to $2.1 million, reducing the total…

Feb 5, 2008 10:44 PM CST

Death of King of Torts Threatens Ohio Law Firm’s Lush Life

The untimely death of one of Cleveland’s best-known plaintiffs lawyers has sparked an ugly court spat that could require dissolution of his super-profitable firm and the sale of its private jets and arena football team. The widow of Michael Kelley, known locally as the King of Torts, has filed suit…

Feb 5, 2008 9:51 PM CST