Verdicts & Settlements

Negligent hiker injured on trail must pay $9.2K rescue bill, top state court rules

A Michigan man didn’t train adequately before a solo hike in New Hampshire in 2012 and ignored adverse weather reports. Now he must pay the $9,200 cost of his rescue from a remote area, the state’s top court ruled Thursday. The New Hampshire Supreme Court also found that Edward Bacon,…

Apr 30, 2015 12:50 PM CDT

Former cop’s ALS brain-disorder defense succeeds; jurors find him not responsible in double slaying

Jurors in Wisconsin have found a former sheriff’s deputy wasn’t responsible for the slayings of his wife and her sister after his lawyers argued at trial that he suffered from a brain disorder associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Dane County jurors delivered the verdict early Thursday, finding that Andrew Steele,…

Apr 30, 2015 8:21 AM CDT

Earlier clean-costume dispute helped fired Disney workers get rehired in Lion King case

More than a decade ago, a dispute over the condition of skintight underwear performers at Walt Disney World were required to don beneath their costumes led to new contract provisions intended to guarantee the cleanliness of the garments. Those provisions helped three Walt Disney World performers, who were fired last…

Apr 29, 2015 12:45 PM CDT

As law firm struggled due to undiscovered $5M theft, office manager and her family enjoyed luxuries

Carmen Salindong was known for the successful Los Angeles bakery she established with her life savings and help from family. But actually the former law firm office manager used a substantial amount of the money embezzled from attorney Robert Smylie, now 67, for the venture, reports the Los Angeles Times…

Apr 28, 2015 12:00 PM CDT

2 lawyers convicted in scheme to get film-industry tax credits without paying required expenses

Two prominent lawyers were convicted Monday by a federal jury in New Orleans for their roles in a scheme by three business partners to obtain film-industry tax credits from the state of Louisiana without paying required expenses. Found guilty of conspiracy and mail fraud charges were attorneys Michael Arata, a…

Apr 28, 2015 11:00 AM CDT

Judge rebuked for posting on Facebook about trials she was overseeing says ethics panel got it wrong

At least one mistrial resulted because a Texas judge posted on her Facebook account about trials she was overseeing, a judicial ethics panel noted in its decision rebuking her for the practice. However, 405th District Judge Michelle Slaughter says she did nothing wrong by discussing the cases on her Facebook…

Apr 27, 2015 2:55 PM CDT

80-year-old lawyer won biggest case of his career last year

If you think success has eluded you, take heart: There’s still time to succeed. That’s the lesson in this Desert Sun story about an 80-year old California lawyer who last year won a $10.4 million judgment in a medical malpractice case, the biggest award of his career. The Palm Springs…

Apr 27, 2015 11:44 AM CDT

Man admits role in law firm scam; says he funneled $2.5M via 38 accounts last year

A Florida man has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering in federal court in Tampa, concerning his role in a scheme that scammed law firms. Muhammad Naji, 33, admitted in a court document filed last week that he funneled $2.5 million through 38 bank accounts last…

Apr 27, 2015 9:55 AM CDT

NYC transit agency may ban all political ads to avoid complying with federal judge’s ruling

Ordered by a federal judge in Manhattan to allow a pro-Israel satirical “killing Jews” ad on buses and subways, New York City transit officials have come up with a new strategy to block it. In a Friday letter to U.S. District Judge John Koeltl, a lawyer for the Metropolitan Transportation…

Apr 24, 2015 2:40 PM CDT

After losing libel lawsuit over parody Twitter account, lawyer sues opposing counsel and newspaper

Earlier this year, attorney Todd Levitt lost a Michigan libel lawsuit over a parody Twitter account by a Central Michigan University student that mocked his “badass” approach to legal marketing. Although it used his name, photo and law firm logo, the parody Twitter account was not actionable, an Isabella County…

Apr 24, 2015 12:05 PM CDT

Ex-CIA chief David Petraeus gets probation, is fined $100K for giving classified info to biographer

Once a highly regarded military leader in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, retired four-star general David Petraeus on Thursday was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to pay a $100,000 fine for revealing classified information to his biographer and then-lover, Paula Broadwell. The fine imposed by a federal…

Apr 23, 2015 3:40 PM CDT

Courtroom incident shows why 6 security officers are needed at sentencings, lawman says

An incident in a Georgia courtroom this week shows why it’s important to have at least six security officers on hand for sentencings, as local policy requires, a lawman says. After hearing Monday that he was going to spend at least 20 years in prison for his role the armed…

Apr 23, 2015 2:40 PM CDT

Judge rules prosecutors undercharged cop in fatal shooting and acquits him

Protests followed a Chicago judge’s decision on Monday to toss a charge of involuntary manslaughter against a Chicago police officer accused of firing his gun into a crowd, killing 22-year-old Rekia Boyd. Judge Dennis Porter said Cook County prosecutors had undercharged the officer, 46-year-old Dante Servin, because his alleged acts…

Apr 23, 2015 10:41 AM CDT

Transgender teen wins right to obtain driver’s license that ‘looks like me’

A transgender teen ordered to take off her makeup for a driver’s license photo has changed South Carolina policy as a result of her lawsuit. The new policy says driver’s license applicants may be photographed the way they regularly appear, even if their clothing or makeup doesn’t conform with gender…

Apr 23, 2015 5:45 AM CDT

En banc 9th Circuit nixes Barry Bonds obstruction conviction

After years of litigation, former baseball slugger Barry Bonds has prevailed in a criminal case related to his claimed use of performance-enhancing drugs. Saying in a two-page opinion that his conviction by a federal jury in San Francisco on a single obstruction count was not supported by the evidence, an…

Apr 22, 2015 4:40 PM CDT