Trials & Litigation

Jury Deadlocked in Conrad Black Case

After nine days of deliberation and a three-month trial, a Chicago jury in the Conrad Black case told the judge today that it’s deadlocked. In a note sent to the judge in the federal case, and subsequently read in court, the jury said it can’t reach a unanimous verdict on…

Jul 10, 2007 10:42 PM CDT

Death Penalty for ‘Most Prolific’ LA Killer

Updated: A pizza deliveryman and convicted rapist who reportedly has murdered more victims than any other serial killer in Los Angeles history was sentenced to death today. Chester Turner, 40, received a capital sentence from Superior Court Judge William Pounders, who ratified a jury’s death penalty recommendation and told him…

Jul 10, 2007 10:09 PM CDT

Misconduct Charges for Libeled Judge

Misconduct charges have been filed against a Massachusetts judge who allegedly went too far in his continuing campaign against a Boston newspaper after winning a big-bucks libel case. After winning $2 million in 2005 from the Boston Herald, which had portrayed Judge Ernest Murphy as lenient to defendants and falsely…

Jul 10, 2007 9:38 PM CDT

Lawyer on TV Break from Spector Trial

An able team of defense lawyers is representing music producer Phil Spector in his ongoing Los Angeles murder trial. So lead attorney Bruce Cutler says he is leaving his client in good hands as he takes a break from courtroom duty to appear in a reality television program. Cutler is…

Jul 10, 2007 8:24 PM CDT

Ex-Cop Testifies on Spector Threats

A judge reversed himself and allowed a security guard to testify that music producer Phil Spector once said that all women deserve a bullet in their heads. The statement is a blow to the defense in Spector’s trial for the murder of actress Lana Clarson, who was killed by a…

Jul 10, 2007 7:57 PM CDT

Feds Promise Loan Reform; States Act

In the wake of widespread reports that mortgage abuses by so-called subprime lenders have led to increased loan foreclosures, federal and state legislators have expressed concern and promised new laws to check fraudulent practices. But so far, federal lawmakers have focused primarily on holding hearings on the subject, prompting state…

Jul 10, 2007 7:33 PM CDT

Mark Geragos Removed from CIA Case

Updated: A federal judge in San Diego has removed Mark Geragos from representing a defense contractor in a CIA fraud case, because the high-profile California defense lawyer refused to submit to background checks to obtain a security clearance. U.S. District Judge Larry Burns said yesterday that it was necessary to…

Jul 10, 2007 6:35 PM CDT

Judge to Mob Trial Lawyer: Chill Blogging

It isn’t just defendants and jurors who have been pushing their luck lately by blogging about their case while it is at trial. An attorney representing an alleged mobster in an ongoing Chicago trial has reportedly been told in chambers by the judge to stop discussing his views of the…

Jul 10, 2007 1:06 AM CDT

John Hill, Former TX Chief Justice, Dies

John Luke Hill Jr., a Houston trial lawyer who went on to become Texas attorney general, secretary of state and chief justice of the state supreme court, died today of a heart condition. He was 83. A 1947 graduate of the University of Texas School of Law, Hill seemingly fulfilled…

Jul 10, 2007 12:07 AM CDT

Atlanta Foreclosures Up, Values Down

In the latest chapter of a sad story that could soon be commonly told throughout the country, an increasing rate of mortgage foreclosures in and around Atlanta is creating a business boom for lawyers and others involved in the litigation process. But meanwhile, it is apparently depressing home values. Because…

Jul 9, 2007 11:22 PM CDT

CA’s Asset Seizure Policy is Changing

In recent years, the California officials have increased the amount of money they spend to locate dormant assets that the government can seize. But they’ve decreased the amount of money they spend to notify owners first—to almost zero. As a result, even when owners could be located with relative ease,…

Jul 9, 2007 10:28 PM CDT

UK Big-Firm Partner Argues Age Claim

A hearing has begun in an age discrimination case brought against one of London’s most prominent law firms by a now-former partner, in a cutting-edge case could potentially threaten the British legal profession’s traditional “lockstep” compensation system. It could also be a sign of more litigation to come, as law…

Jul 9, 2007 7:16 PM CDT

First Banana Workers Get US Court Trial

It has been some 30 years since thousands of banana workers in Central America claim to have been exposed to carcinogenic pesticides on plantations there. Intended to kill worms infesting the roots of banana trees, the pesticides dripped from the leaves onto unprotected workers and leached into the water supply…

Jul 9, 2007 6:00 PM CDT

Owners Blame Cities for Bad Homes

As builders throughout the country rushed to profit in the recent construction boom, a number of homes and developments went up that were badly built or otherwise created problems. But in the resulting blame game, many homeowners are now saying municipalities large and small gave builders free rein instead of…

Jul 7, 2007 12:39 AM CDT

Young Trial Atty Wins Big Katrina Case

A renowned trial lawyer on the Mississippi gulf coast who had a big influence in the life of novelist John Grisham, attorney Will Denton made a name for himself as a plaintiff lawyer after Hurricane Camille hit the state in 1969. He didn’t live to see the devastation wrought on…

Jul 6, 2007 9:41 PM CDT