Verdicts & Settlements

Fla. Prosecutor’s Office Disqualified for Listening to Lawyer Phone Calls

A Florida judge has disqualified the entire Broward State Attorney’s Office from trying a murder case after learning that two prosecutors had listened to recordings of the jailed defendant’s phone calls to his attorney. Defendant Luis Martinez’s right to a fair trial was violated by the eavesdropping, Circuit Judge Susan…

Jan 6, 2009 7:59 PM CST

Cost of Lying in Court: 120 Days, Law School Delay for Detroit Mayor’s Ex-Aide

In the latest chapter of a criminal case that ignited public interest with its allegations of sex, lies and steamy text messages between the former Detroit mayor and his ex-top aide, a Michigan judge has calculated the cost of Christine Beatty’s courtroom prevarications. “Lying in court has a price tag,…

Jan 6, 2009 7:14 PM CST

School Board Posts Transcript to Settle Open Meeting Complaint

So-called open meeting laws requiring governmental bodies to deliberate in public about official business, instead of behind closed doors, are common throughout the U.S. And so are violations, perhaps because it can be difficult to enforce such laws. Members of one suburban Chicago school board, however, are reminded of one…

Jan 6, 2009 1:14 AM CST

Beaten Hooters Waitress Wins Unemployment Benefits

The Hooters employment manual doesn’t expressly state that waitresses at the restaurant can’t work with bruises and a black eye. But it does say that the women hired to work in revealing uniforms as so-called Hooters girls at the national chain must have a glamorous appearance and strive for the…

Jan 6, 2009 12:34 AM CST

Nonlawyer Earns Almost $300K a Year from Disability Suits

Thomas Mundy isn’t a lawyer. But he says he’s filed 150 lawsuits over the past 18 months, seeking to enforce a federal law that requires businesses to be wheelchair-accessible. Disabled since a 1988 motorcycle accident and otherwise unemployed, Mundy sues when he runs across violations of state disabilities law, according…

Jan 5, 2009 10:58 PM CST

Landmark UK Case: Law Firms Can Require Partners to Retire at 65

In a much-watched age discrimination case that is expected to be the basis of law firm retirement policies throughout the United Kingdom, a appellate tribunal has ruled that partners can be forced to retire at a specific age. Although the landmark ruling by the Employment Appeal Tribunal does not finally…

Jan 5, 2009 7:36 PM CST

Employing the Law

If recent jury verdicts are any indication, it is good to be a plaintiffs employment discrimination lawyer these days—at least if the case gets to trial:

Jan 1, 2009 7:40 AM CST

Lost in Translation

19% of the U.S. population speaks a language other than English at home. By 2015 the Census Bureau predicts that 17% of the population will be of Hispanic origin. 25% to 40% of households in Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio speak Spanish at home. 35% of Texas residents…

Jan 1, 2009 7:20 AM CST

N.Y. Judge Orders Surgery for Amish Tot After Parents Refuse Consent

Finding that a one-year-old Amish boy will die if he doesn’t have heart surgery, a New York judge has ordered that it be performed despite his parents’ refusal to consent, on religious grounds. “Family Court Judge Barbara R. Potter ordered that 20-month-old Eli Hershberger, who was born in April 2007…

Dec 24, 2008 5:18 PM CST

Nun Says Priests Who Stole Got Lighter Sentences; Too Late to Withdraw Plea

A Nebraska nun sentenced to prison for embezzling from the Omaha Archdiocese says priests who stole from their parishes got probation. But the judge who sentenced her says he warned Markey that he alone decided her sentence, and it’s now too late for her to withdraw her plea, reports the…

Dec 24, 2008 4:11 PM CST

Dismissed Dental Student Wins $1.72M Verdict Against Professors

A former dental student at the University of Michigan who was dismissed after her third year due to claimed academic deficiencies has won a $1.72 million verdict from four faculty members there. After a 14-day trial, a federal court jury found earlier this month that the four violated the due…

Dec 24, 2008 3:50 PM CST

Illinois City’s Efforts to Shush Critics Unconstitutional, Federal Judge Says

A municipality in suburban Chicago violated the First Amendment rights of residents when it imposed greater restrictions on those who wanted to criticize the city in public protests, a federal judge has ruled. “One of the plaintiffs, Jose Zurita of Waukegan, won his claim that Mayor Hyde did not permit…

Dec 24, 2008 3:28 PM CST

Pfizer Ordered to Pay $38M to Calif. Nonprofit

Jurors in Northern California have said drugmaker Pfizer should pay $38 million to a Bay Area medical research nonprofit for stealing trade secrets to develop a pain relief drug. The verdict comes in the 2004 case filed by the San Bruno, Calif.-based nonprofit Ischemia Research and Education Foundation, the Associated…

Dec 24, 2008 11:54 AM CST

Wal-Mart’s $640M Deal May Be Largest Wage Settlement Ever

The behemoth retailer Wal-Mart announced Tuesday that it has agreed to settle 63 cases pending in courts throughout the country for at least $352 million, with payments ultimately reaching $640 million. The high end would depend on how many employees submit claims in the 42 states included in the settlement.…

Dec 24, 2008 11:13 AM CST

Slashed Fees Still Add Up to $1,825 an Hour

A federal judge in Detroit reduced legal fees this week in a $303 million settlement between General Motors Corp. and investors. U.S. District Judge Gerald Rosen said the 19 percent requested by lawyers was too much and wouldn’t sit well with the middle class, according to an Associated Press report.…

Dec 23, 2008 11:41 PM CST