Verdicts & Settlements

Ex-lawmaker charged with felony sex abuse is acquitted by jury

A former state lawmaker being criminally tried in an unusual sexual-abuse case, based on his late wife’s dementia, was acquitted Wednesday by an Iowa jury. Henry Rayhons was charged in the felony case after staff at the nursing home at which Donna Rayhons was then living determined, with the help…

Apr 22, 2015 4:10 PM CDT

Man is jailed for refusing to turn over Facebook and Twitter passwords in business bankruptcy case

Jeremy Alcede personally maintained the Facebook and Twitter accounts for his former Texas gun store and shooting range. He thought of them as his own, and didn’t hesitate to inject his political views as he publicized Tactical Firearms in Katy. But a federal bankruptcy judge disagreed, and ordered Alcede to…

Apr 22, 2015 11:35 AM CDT

Jury convicts rabbi, acquits son in kidnapping-conspiracy case related to religious divorces

Defense counsel said the facts of the situation had been exaggerated. But a federal jury on Tuesday convicted Rabbi Mendel Epstein, as well as two other rabbis, of kidnapping conspiracy related to the religious divorces they helped clients get from reluctant husbands. The two other rabbis, Binyamin Stimler and Jay…

Apr 22, 2015 8:50 AM CDT

Pro se murder defendant found in contempt should be removed as his own counsel, DA says

A self-represented capital murder defendant who removed exhibits from court records should be treated like any other attorney, a Texas prosecutor said at a Tuesday day hearing. “Hold him in contempt,” Smith County District Attorney Matt Bingham urged Judge Jack Skeen, Jr. “Even if he never serves one extra day…

Apr 21, 2015 3:15 PM CDT

Federal judge jails ex-billionaire for contempt until he explains where $13.8M from resort sale went

A federal judge says an ex-billionaire hasn’t fully disclosed what happened to the $13.8 million he got from selling a Mexican resort. So he held Tim Blixseth in contempt and had him taken into custody Monday at a Helena, Montana, court hearing, reports the Associated Press. The 64-year-old is to…

Apr 21, 2015 10:10 AM CDT

Utah mom gets up to life in slayings of 6 newborns found in garage

A Utah woman who pleaded guilty earlier this year to murder in the deaths of six newborns whose bodies were hidden in the garage of her home has been sentenced to as much as life in prison. In exchange for the plea by Meagan Huntsman, who is now 40, the…

Apr 20, 2015 4:15 PM CDT

Nation’s top court OKs state ban on pedicures by foot-nibbling fish

Arizona appellate courts said a state agency acted within its constitutional powers by prohibiting pedicures by foot-nibbling fish and the nation’s top court apparently agrees. The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused without comment to hear an appeal by Phoenix area spa operator Cindy Vong over the pedicure prohibition, reports…

Apr 20, 2015 3:15 PM CDT

3rd Circuit says feds missed forfeiture deadline, awards gold coins worth $80M to dealer’s heirs

Saying that the federal government cannot seize property without filing a civil forfeiture action, a federal appeals court in Philadelphia on Friday reversed a jury verdict awarding vintage gold coins worth perhaps $80 million to the U.S. Treasury. Instead, because the feds missed a 90-day filing deadline under the Civil…

Apr 20, 2015 12:50 PM CDT

Playboy suit says law firm tried $6M case instead of seeking settlement within insurance limits

Playboy has filed a malpractice suit against its former counsel in an employee whistleblower suit. The lawsuit contends that Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton exposed the magazine company to additional liability by taking the case to trial. Filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday, the suit says the California-based…

Apr 20, 2015 9:35 AM CDT

Reed Smith can’t arbitrate malpractice claim; ex-client, an attorney, didn’t sign required form

Reed Smith has lost its bid to arbitrate a malpractice claim concerning a $20.5 million insurance settlement over a 2012 fire in a former client’s Villanova, Pennsylvania, mansion. There was a mandatory arbitration provision in the law firm’s engagement letter. But then-homeowner Jerald Batoff, who himself is an attorney, said…

Apr 17, 2015 2:30 PM CDT

Clothier settles with Eagles singer over ‘Don a Henley and Take It Easy’ ad

An outdoor clothing retailer known for its irreverent approach has apologized to Eagles singer Don Henley and made a charitable donation to resolve a California lawsuit over its use of his name for an upscale T-shirt. An advertisement featuring the slogan “Don a Henley and Take It Easy,” riffing on…

Apr 17, 2015 11:50 AM CDT

Ex-judge gives up law license after taking plea in federal bribery case over jury verdict

A former Arkansas judge who pleaded guilty earlier this year in a federal bribery case concerning his reduction of a jury award from over $5 million to $1 million has given up his license to practice law. Michael Maggio requested in March to voluntarily surrender his license and the motion…

Apr 17, 2015 10:15 AM CDT

Jury awards couple nearly $240K over neighbors’ barking dogs

An Oregon jury has awarded nearly $240,000 to a Rogue River couple who said they had to listen to their neighbors’ dogs constant barking for over a decade. Plaintiffs Dale and Debra Krein said in the Jackson County suit that John Updegraff and Karen Szewc began breeding Tibetan mastiffs in…

Apr 16, 2015 3:45 PM CDT

GM bankruptcy filing in 2009 blocks economic loss claims in ignition-switch cases, judge rules

General Motors Co. is protected by its 2009 bankruptcy filing from being held liable for claims that arose prior to that date, a Manhattan bankruptcy judge ruled on Wednesday. The decision in the Chapter 11 case is expected to affect primarily vehicle owners claiming economic loss due to the diminished…

Apr 16, 2015 9:00 AM CDT

Donald Sterling’s wife wins another round: Judge says ex-companion must return $2.6M to family trust

The wife of former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling has won another round in an ongoing court battle over family assets. Agreeing with Rochelle “Shelly” Sterling that a $1.8 million home and $800,000 in luxury vehicles and cash gifts came out of the married couple’s community property, a Los…

Apr 15, 2015 2:15 PM CDT