Trials & Litigation

Supreme Ct. to Hear Iraq Detention Case

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed today to decide whether American citizens held in Iraq by a coalition of military forces have a right to have their cases heard in federal court under habeas corpus principles. Solicitor general Paul Clement argues that they do not, because they are being held by…

Dec 8, 2007 12:43 AM CST

25th Birthday for Lethal Injections

Exactly 25 years ago today, strapped to a gurney in a Texas death chamber, 40-year-old Charlie Brooks Jr. became the first person in the U.S. to be executed by lethal injection. Since then, the method has been adopted by many states throughout the country, which considered it a humane alternative…

Dec 7, 2007 11:20 PM CST

Adult Children Sue French Parents for Support—and Win

A growing number of adult children suing their parents for support—and winning—has sparked a lobbying effort to revise the French law that holds parents responsible for supporting their children into their 20s and beyond. French parents’ obligation to “nourish, maintain and raise” their children dates back to an 1804 Napoleonic…

Dec 7, 2007 10:50 PM CST

Dems Seek Probe re CIA Tapes; Destruction a Plus for Suspects’ Defense?

Democratic legislators reacted angrily today to news that the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency had destroyed at least two videotapes of harsh interrogations of al-Qaida terrorist suspects in its custody, and called for an investigation. Meanwhile, observers predicted potential litigation and an adverse effect on the prosecution of suspected terrorists. “Senator…

Dec 7, 2007 9:53 PM CST

Court Bans Age Discrimination in Worker’s Comp Award

Siding with a 76-year-old worker who injured her back bending over to pick up some dropped brochures, the California Court of Appeals has reversed a reduction in disability benefits it said was because of her age. Although a medical expert concluded that Lois Vaira’s injury was in part attributable to…

Dec 7, 2007 7:12 PM CST

Barry Bonds Pleads Not Guilty

Barry Bonds, major league baseball’s home run king, pleaded not guilty in federal court in San Francisco today to perjury and obstruction of justice charges. The court event was a media frenzy, as fans and at least one business outside the courthouse rallied in seeming support of the 43-year-old slugger,…

Dec 7, 2007 6:12 PM CST

Cop Charged After MP3 Recording Revealed in Perry Mason-Type Moment

A New York detective has been charged with perjury after a dramatic cross-examination in which he was confronted with an interrogation secretly recorded on a suspect’s MP3 player. Detective Christopher Perino pleaded not guilty at his arraignment yesterday, the New York Times reports. Defense lawyer Mark DeMarco said he kept…

Dec 7, 2007 12:50 PM CST

Lawyer Refiles Suit Against DontDateHimGirl.com

A Pittsburgh lawyer has refiled his defamation lawsuit against DontDateHimGirl.com in Miami federal court. Todd Hollis is acting as his own lawyer in the suit filed last week, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Hollis alleges the website defamed him with posts that falsely claimed he has multiple girlfriends, is gay or…

Dec 7, 2007 12:32 PM CST

Irked Client Publicly Zings Counsel

Apparently unsuccessful in an effort to contest a $342,000 legal bill in court, the owners of a bankrupt construction company have taken their complaints over the way a big Buffalo, N.Y., law firm handled their case to the court of public opinion. A billboard, a website, flyers distributed to area…

Dec 7, 2007 1:04 AM CST

Police Informant Sues Over Job Loss

A confidential police informant in Atlanta who lost his job after his identity was revealed because of a furor of publicity over a botched drug raid has sued the city for damages. Alex White contends in his federal lawsuit that he made about $25,000 annually from this work and seeks…

Dec 6, 2007 10:47 PM CST

Burn Victim Ridiculed By Shock Jocks Gets $1M Settlement

A lawsuit brought by a burn victim who was publicly ridiculed by radio shock jocks on their program will reportedly be settled for $1 million. Athena Andrikopoulos, 26, who was severely burned when she was a small child, is facially disfigured despite having undergone 60 surgeries, reports the Associated Press.…

Dec 6, 2007 10:14 PM CST

Discovery Spat in Mich. Murder Case

Often it’s the defense that complains about the prosecution withholding evidence in pretrial discovery in a criminal case. But prosecutors are seeking an emergency order from the Michigan Court of Appeals to stop a murder trial scheduled to start Monday because the defense allegedly didn’t produce critical evidence. Allison Bates,…

Dec 6, 2007 9:26 PM CST

No Right to Divorce Counsel in Wash.

There is no right to taxpayer-funded counsel in a divorce case under the Washington state constitution, the state’s supreme court has ruled in a closely watched case. But it would still be a good idea to provide divorce lawyers to those who can’t afford them, the supreme court says in…

Dec 6, 2007 7:45 PM CST

U of Colo. to Pay $2.85M in Football Party Case

The University of Colorado has agreed to pay $2.85 million to settle a lawsuit by two women who say they were raped in 2001 at an off-campus party attended by football players and recruits. Hank Brown, CU’s president, said the settlement was in the best interest of the university, in…

Dec 6, 2007 1:02 AM CST

Girl Teary Over Town Board’s Fowl Vote

Two years ago, a Pennsylvania girl won a prize from her municipality’s recreation board for having the most unusual pet—a rooster. But now, in the latest decision in a case that has been ongoing for months, the North Huntingdon Township zoning hearing board has said Melissa Hensler must get rid…

Dec 6, 2007 12:01 AM CST