Verdicts & Settlements

Afternoon Briefs: Retired lawyer liable for son’s death; SCOTUS rejects homelessness case

93-year-old retired lawyer is found liable for son’s shooting death On Friday, jurors in San Diego found a 93-year-old retired lawyer liable for $9.5 million in damages for killing his son with a shotgun a year ago. The lawyer, Richard Peck, had claimed that he shot his son in self-defense.…

Dec 16, 2019 4:42 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Law student wins Dr Pepper’s $100K tuition contest; lawyer makes Miss Universe top 10

A quick strong arm earns law student six figures Tyler Gordon, a 3L at West Virginia University College of Law, on Saturday won $100,000 from the Dr Pepper Tuition Giveaway, after throwing 20 footballs—in 30 seconds—through a structure replicating a giant soda can. Gordon spent a lot of time practicing…

Dec 10, 2019 5:00 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: SCOTUS won’t review abortion ultrasound law; 9th Circuit edits its Taylor Swift decision

Supreme Court won’t review Kentucky abortion law requiring ultrasounds The U.S. Supreme Court refused Monday to hear a challenge to a Kentucky law requiring doctors to display fetal ultrasounds and describe the images to women who request abortions. Doctors who challenged the law claimed that it violated their First Amendment…

Dec 9, 2019 4:36 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Alex Kozinski returns as litigator; judge blocks firm’s defamation suit against ex-partner

Alex Kozinski returns to the 9th Circuit on the other side of the bench After retiring in 2017 amid allegations of sexual misconduct, former Judge Alex Kozinski is returning to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at San Francisco to argue a copyright case. Kozinski will contend that the…

Dec 6, 2019 4:20 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: AG Barr said to disagree with IG; 350-plus lawyers who had abortions file SCOTUS brief

AG Barr reportedly disagrees with DOJ watchdog on justification for Russia probe U.S. Attorney General William Barr reportedly disagrees with a key conclusion in an upcoming report by the Department of Justice’s inspector general on the origins of the Russia investigation. Sources told the Washington Post that Barr thinks the…

Dec 3, 2019 4:40 PM CST

BigLaw firm settles with 5 pregnancy-bias plaintiffs in $200M suit

Five out of seven plaintiffs who sued Morrison & Foerster for alleged “mommy track” bias have settled their claims after a mediation session, according to a court filing.

Dec 3, 2019 11:35 AM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Giuliani considered representing Ukraine prosecutor; US opinion shifts on death penalty

News Roundup

Nov 27, 2019 2:33 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Conviction tossed because of juror’s love pursuit; suit alleges ‘perilous’ prison environment

Appeals court tosses conviction because juror sought relationship with witness A New York appeals court has tossed the attempted murder conviction of Tysheem McGregor because of a juror’s romantic interest in a prosecution witness who was testifying as part of a cooperation agreement. The juror wrote to the witness during…

Nov 22, 2019 4:15 PM CST

Former BigLaw partner is convicted of money laundering in cryptocurrency scheme

A former Locke Lord partner accused of leaving BigLaw to launder money in a cryptocurrency scam was convicted Thursday.

Nov 22, 2019 2:02 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Book says Kennedy suggested Kavanaugh to Trump; no retrial for med-mal defendant who helped juror

Kennedy suggested Trump appoint Kavanaugh to replace him, book alleges Justice Anthony M. Kennedy told President Donald Trump in April 2017 that he should consider his former clerk Brett Kavanaugh for the next opening on the U.S. Supreme Court, according to an upcoming book by Washington Post deputy editorial-page editor…

Nov 21, 2019 4:25 PM CST

Trump adviser Roger Stone is convicted for lying about WikiLeaks in congressional probe of Russian influence

Political consultant Roger Stone, an adviser to President Donald Trump, was convicted Friday for lying to Congress about his contacts with the Trump campaign regarding WikiLeaks’ plans to release documents damaging to Hillary Clinton and his attempts to obtain hacked emails from WikiLeaks.

Nov 15, 2019 12:20 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: AG Barr reportedly declined Trump request on Ukraine statement; Trump ordered to pay $2M

Barr reportedly refused to announce that Trump broke no laws in Ukraine matter Officials reportedly told Attorney General William Barr that President Donald Trump wanted him to hold a press conference to declare that the president broke no laws when he asked the Ukrainian president to investigate former Vice President…

Nov 7, 2019 4:48 PM CST

Former mortgage-relief law firms ordered to pay $59M for misrepresenting their services

A federal judge in Wisconsin has ordered two defunct mortgage-relief law firms and their attorney principals to pay $59 million in restitution and civil penalties for misrepresenting their services to consumers.

Nov 7, 2019 11:22 AM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Judge bans trick-or-treat warning signs; Johnny Depp settles fee dispute

Federal judge sides with sex offenders in battle over trick-or-treat warning signs A federal judge in Macon, Georgia, has granted a request by three sex offenders to stop a county sheriff from placing signs in the front of their homes warning trick-or-treaters to stay away. U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell…

Oct 31, 2019 4:22 PM CDT

Lawyer known as ‘DWI Dude’ is convicted for shakedown of Colombian drug clients

A Texas lawyer who markets himself as the “DWI Dude” has been found guilty on federal corruption charges for a scheme to shake down three Colombian drug clients.

Oct 31, 2019 7:30 AM CDT