Verdicts & Settlements

RIAA to Stop Suing Over Music Downloads; ISPs are New Copyright Cops

Ending a controversial enforcement effort in which it appeared to be fighting something of a losing battle, the Recording Industry Association of America says it will stop suing consumers over illegal music downloads via the Internet. “The decision represents an abrupt shift of strategy for the industry, which has opened…

Dec 19, 2008 8:21 PM CST

$700K Client Comp Case in Wash. State Ups Annual Fee Ante for All Attorneys

In the largest compensation claim ever paid by the Washington State Bar Association’s client protection fund as a result of misconduct by a single lawyer, clients of former attorney Barry Hammer are to receive $700,000. Hammer, 62, has surrendered his license and was sentenced to three years in federal prison…

Dec 19, 2008 7:41 PM CST

Malpractice Suit Filed against Quinn Emanuel Over Settlement Explanation

A former client has sued Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges, claiming the law firm failed to advise him of the potential ramifications of a settlement with a former business partner. According to the complaint by ex-client Todd Kurtin, he was supposed to receive nearly $49 million in four payments…

Dec 19, 2008 4:26 PM CST

In-House Tax Lawyer Acquitted of Filing False Return for his Ex-Employer

The former global tax manager for the Bechtel Corp. has been acquitted on charges he was responsible for a false tax return filed by the company. A federal jury in California acquitted Mark Muntean after deliberating for slightly more than an hour, the Recorder reports. Prosecutors had claimed Muntean advocated…

Dec 19, 2008 4:07 PM CST

Reprimand for Fla. Appeals Judge Who Criticized Colleague in Opinion

A Florida appeals judge who criticized a colleague in a written opinion is to be called before the state supreme court for a public dressing-down. “Judge Michael E. Allen will be publicly reprimanded for his scathing published opinion that said a fellow 1st District Court of Appeal Judge cast a…

Dec 18, 2008 7:52 PM CST

Fla. Doc Gets 30 Years in Medicare Case

Most individuals convicted of Medicare fraud get about 2½ years in prison, on average. But a Florida physician who aggravated a judge by lying on the stand got a lot more. “U.S. District Judge Federico Moreno hammered Dr. Ana Alvarez-Jacinto, 54, with one of the stiffest punishments ever for a…

Dec 18, 2008 5:34 PM CST

Ex-Brown & Wood Partner among Three Advisers Convicted in Tax Case

Former Brown & Wood partner Raymond Ruble was convicted of tax evasion Wednesday for writing opinion letters supporting fraudulent tax shelters. Prosecutors claim Ruble was paid $50,000 for each opinion letter he wrote, the New York Law Journal reports. The letters said the tax shelters were likely to survive any…

Dec 18, 2008 12:34 PM CST

Top NJ Court Voids ‘Super Lawyer’ Advertising Ban

An opinion by the Advisory Committee on Attorney Advertising banning New Jersey lawyers from participating in publications touting them as “Super Lawyers” and “Best Lawyers in America” has been voided by the state’s top court as unconstitutional. In a unanimous per curiam decision today (PDF), the New Jersey Supreme Court…

Dec 17, 2008 10:11 PM CST

FDIC to Pay Texas Financier $10M to Settle Legal Defense Claim

Ending a legal battle that began after the 1988 collapse of a Texas savings and loan indirectly controlled by financier Charles Hurwitz, the FDIC has agreed to pay him $10 million. The award is intended to cover his defense costs in earlier litigation involving both the thrift’s failure and, a…

Dec 17, 2008 9:40 PM CST

Ex-Law Student Led Battle Against Prevalent Sexual Harassment in Eqypt

Despite a conservative culture based on Islamic law, sexual harassment is prevalent in Eqypt. And women there, who have been reluctant to pursue criminal complaints in a society that makes it difficult for them to do so, are starting to fight back, reports the Los Angeles Times. A 27-year-old former…

Dec 17, 2008 8:58 PM CST

Fla. Lawyer Fires Back at Judge After Ineffective Assistance Ruling

Apparently stung by a Florida judge’s finding Monday that his client deserves a new murder trial because of ineffective assistance of counsel, a Tampa lawyer has fired back at the judge who made the ruling. Attributing the ineffective assistance finding by Circuit Judge William Fuente to a desire to embarrass…

Dec 17, 2008 7:31 PM CST

Judge Refuses to Approve Settlement Proposal in Backdating Case

A federal judge has refused to accept a proposed settlement in an options backdating suit. U.S. District Judge James Ware refused to dismiss a derivative suit at the request of KLA-Tencor Corp. earlier this month, citing concerns about the independence of a member of the board of directors’ special litigation…

Dec 17, 2008 4:50 PM CST

eBay Wig and Robe Briefly Put ‘Barrister’ in Business

A onetime law student had a brief career as a barrister in the United Kingdom, buying his wig and robe on eBay, before he was eventually found out and criminally convicted. Ian Clegg, 32, charged clients 75 pounds (about $117 in U.S. dollars, at the current exchange rate) for his…

Dec 16, 2008 11:42 PM CST

Taliban is, Increasingly, a Source of ‘Justice’ in Afghanistan

Although Afghanistan officially has government courts to settle civil disputes and rule on criminal matters, there is another option that citizens, in some cases, are pursuing in order to get swift–and, some say, fair–resolution of their claims. Rather than pay a bribe to a government judge, they would rather have…

Dec 16, 2008 7:55 PM CST

Retired Lawyer, 74, a ‘Glorified Fence,’ Gets 7 Years in Cezanne Case

A 30-year stolen art saga has ended with a seven-year federal prison sentence for a 74-year-old retired lawyer with dementia who was described by the judge in the case as a “glorified fence.” Robert Mardirosian, a retired Massachusetts lawyer, was sentenced yesterday for attempting to profit from the seven stolen…

Dec 16, 2008 7:28 PM CST