Verdicts & Settlements

Mass. Jury Gives $13.5M to Family of ‘Cured’ Woman Who Died of Treatment

Experimental bone cancer treatment cured a 40-year-old Massachusetts woman, as an autopsy determined after she died of side effects from the treatment. So a Suffolk Superior Court jury awarded $13.5 million yesterday to the family of Amy Altman, finding that the mother of two would have survived if doctors at…

Nov 6, 2008 9:35 PM CST

No Practice, No Problem: Embattled Mich. Lawyer Gets Job as COO

Only a few months ago, the future seemingly wasn’t looking rosy for Carl Oosterhouse, a former partner of Dickinson Wright. The Michigan Attorney Discipline Board found that he should have his law license revoked for admittedly misappropriating client and law firm funds at another partnership for which he previously worked,…

Nov 6, 2008 8:36 PM CST

Free Monitoring for Buyers, $6.5M for Lawyers in Massive TJX Data Breach Case

A federal judge in Boston has approved $6.5 million in attorneys fees to the lawyers who brought a class action over a massive data breach at TJX Cos. that is estimated to have involved as many as 100 million accounts compromised by computer hackers. The cost of resolving the breach…

Nov 5, 2008 6:07 PM CST

Federal Judge Overturns Jury Conviction of Georgia Magistrate Judge

A federal judge has overturned a jury verdict against a former part-time magistrate judge in Clinch County, Ga., finding that there wasn’t enough evidence to convict her of perjury and making false statements. “U.S. District Judge Hugh Lawson ordered an acquittal of Linda C. Peterson on charges that she lied…

Nov 5, 2008 5:06 PM CST

Mom Who Drove Teen to Murder Scene Gets 15 Years to Life

A woman who drove her then-14-year-old son to a California park, where he and some friends fatally attacked a 13-year-old boy, was sentenced today to 15 years to life in prison. During her trial last month, Eva Daley, who is in her early 30s, “portrayed herself as a struggling single…

Nov 5, 2008 12:14 AM CST

Among Purged N.Y. Voters: Actor Tim Robbins, Who Protests

Those who had trouble casting their ballots today due to pre-election cleanup of the list of registered voters apparently included at least one well-known name: Actor Tim Robbins, perhaps best-known for his role in Bull Durham (and subsequent longtime relationship with co-star Susan Sarandon). Robbins, 50, was sitting in a…

Nov 4, 2008 9:30 PM CST

Chicago Attorney and Ex-Alderman Ed Vrdolyak Pleads in Kickback Case

A well-known Chicago attorney who is a former longtime city alderman has pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit mail fraud. The case, which involves a claimed kickback paid to put a real estate deal on a fast track, was to have gone to trial this week. “Edward Vrdolyak said he…

Nov 4, 2008 9:07 PM CST

2nd Circuit OKs Suit Over Alleged Union Carbide Water Pollution in Bhopal, India

Nearly 25 years after a catastrophic accident in Bhopal, India, killed thousands of people, a federal appeals court in the U.S. has reinstated a 2004 lawsuit concerning those allegedly exposed to toxic drinking water and contaminated soil after the 1984 gas leak at a Union Carbide Corp. pesticide plant there.…

Nov 4, 2008 8:00 PM CST

Keanu Reeves Cleared in Paparazzo Suit

Actor Keanu Reeves was found not to be liable for a photographer’s injuries last year after the paparazzo apparently got too close to his upscale vehicle. Alison Silva “claimed he was knocked to the ground and injured his wrist in March 2007 when he was trying to take pictures of…

Nov 4, 2008 6:42 PM CST

Second Guantanamo Detainee is Convicted in Military Trial

A military jury at Guantanamo has convicted the propaganda chief for al-Qaida and sentenced him to life in prison. The sentence was markedly longer than the 5½ years given to the first Guantanamo detainee who was convicted, a driver for Osama bin Laden. Prosecutors had contended that the man convicted…

Nov 4, 2008 1:06 PM CST

In Hard-Fought Presidential Race, More Ballot Battles are Likely

If the presidential ballot count in Ohio is close on Tuesday, lawyers who specialize in election law are likely to busy next week. Court challenges are expected in hard-fought states, especially over provisional ballots and questionable voter-registration status, and Ohio appears likely to be front-and-center in the legal fray, reports…

Nov 1, 2008 12:27 AM CDT

Torching Wife’s Messy House Sends Legal Career Up in Smoke

An attorney who is also a former councilman in the Pennsylvania town of O’Hara has been disbarred, after admittedly setting his estranged wife’s house on fire because it was too messy for his taste. Samuel Pontier, 57, was also criminally convicted after the Dec. 29, 2006 blaze, which injured his…

Oct 31, 2008 11:17 PM CDT

La. Lawyer Pleads Guilty in Bizarre $30M Law Firm Theft Case

A New Orleans gaming lawyer who until recently was contending that his former law firm concocted theft allegations against him pleaded guilty today to charges that he bilked the firm and casino clients out of $30 million, stashing most of it in a Swiss bank account. James “Jamie” Perdigao, 46,…

Oct 31, 2008 8:03 PM CDT

Ex-LA Prosecutor’s $1.5M Award Axed; She Was the Problem, Appeals Panel Says

A California appeals court has overturned a $1.5 million discrimination verdict awarded to a former Los Angeles prosecutor. Lynn Magnandonovan claimed she was retaliated against by City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo and other supervisory employees before being wrongfully terminated in 2002, after she complained of sex discrimination and blew the whistle…

Oct 31, 2008 6:13 PM CDT

Legal Bill Battle Heats Up Over $1.7M Texas Arrest Settlement

Two brothers who contend the Texas lawyer who won them a $1.7 million settlement in a wrongful arrest case is overcharging them have taken the bill battle to the next level. After suing their former attorney, Lloyd Kelley, earlier this month, Erik and Sean Ibarra have complained to the state…

Oct 31, 2008 3:44 PM CDT