Verdicts & Settlements

Former Ethics Counsel Disbarred Over Investigation of Judge

Two Massachusetts lawyers, including the former ethics counsel for two state governors, were disbarred today because of their aggressive investigation of a judge who ruled against their clients in 1995 in a high-profile family battle over control of a supermarket chain. The efforts of Gary C. Crossen and Kevin P.…

Feb 6, 2008 7:40 PM CST

Judge Shines Light on Secret Pact to Settle, Hide Text Messages

A Michigan judge has ordered the release of documents indicating that Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick settled a police whistle-blower lawsuit to try to hide text messages showing he lied about his relationship with his chief of staff, the Detroit Free Press reports. Wayne County Circuit Judge Robert Colombo ordered release…

Feb 6, 2008 5:49 PM CST

Panel Issues Poetic Ruling for Union in ‘Crappy’ Limerick Dispute

An Illinois appeals court has ruled that a limerick penned by a union official did not constitute defamation in an opinion that opens with its own poetic turn. The panel opinion (PDF) written by Judge John Bowman overturned a $2.35 million verdict for a suburban Chicago-area homebuilder who took issue…

Feb 6, 2008 4:40 PM CST

Did Lawyer’s E-Mail Goof Land $1B Settlement on NYT’s Front Page?

Updated: An outside lawyer for Eli Lilly & Co. apparently has two people named “Berenson” in her e-mail address book. One is a reporter for the New York Times and the other is her co-counsel assisting in confidential negotiations on a possible $1 billion settlement between the pharmaceutical company and…

Feb 6, 2008 11:55 AM CST

BP Pleads Guilty in Texas Refinery Explosion That Killed 15

A federal judge in Houston is one step closer to approving a criminal plea deal by petroleum giant BP concerning a 2005 explosion at a Texas refinery that killed 15 and injured more than 170. BP entered a guilty plea today, but U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal hasn’t yet decided…

Feb 5, 2008 12:03 AM CST

States Seek Unclaimed Property for Themselves, Owners Sue

Once upon a time, legislatures throughout the country enacted unclaimed property laws intended to make sure that banks and other companies holding assets that the owners seemed to have forgotten about made efforts to notify them. But today a growing number of states are making it more difficult for owners…

Feb 4, 2008 11:22 PM CST

Snipes Acquitted of Most Serious Tax Charges

Actor Wesley Snipes was acquitted of federal tax-fraud and conspiracy charges in Ocala, Fla., Friday, but found guilty of three minor counts of failing to file a tax return. Snipes, along with two co-defendants, was indicted in 2006 on charges he failed to pay taxes on more than $58 million…

Feb 1, 2008 10:16 PM CST

Oregon’s High Court Re-Reaffirms $79M Philip Morris Verdict

For the third time, Oregon’s high court has upheld a $79.5 million punitive-damages verdict against Philip Morris after the case was twice kicked back to them from the U.S. Supreme Court. Central to arguments in the case are jury instructions. The Oregon court has ruled that jury instructions proposed by…

Jan 31, 2008 10:12 PM CST

Eli Lilly Considers $1B Zyprexa Settlement

Eli Lilly is discussing a possible $1 billion settlement of criminal and civil investigations into the company’s marketing of the anti-psychotic drug Zyprexa. The $1 billion fine, which would be paid to state and federal governments, would be the largest ever paid by a drug company for improper marketing practices,…

Jan 31, 2008 1:26 PM CST

Would-Be OJ Publisher Settles With News Corp.

Former book publisher Judith Regan, fired after her decision to publish a book by O.J. Simpson called If I Did It, has settled a lawsuit she brought against Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. Regan, who claimed sexual discrimination and breach of contract, had asked for $100 million in damages when she…

Jan 28, 2008 9:58 PM CST

Reading Men’s Magazine in Court Costs Attorney $300

A North Carolina judge held an attorney in contempt this week after spotting him reading a copy of Maxim that featured a scantily clad Heidi Montag (headlined as “The Hills’ Hottest Bad Girl”) on the cover. Although attorney Todd Paris protested that the men’s magazine is not pornography and that…

Jan 25, 2008 6:57 PM CST

Heartless Jailhouse Call Rings Up Maximum Prison Term

A twice-convicted drunken driver got the maximum prison term for her latest offense—a little over 10 years—after a jailhouse phone call in which she laughed about driving into and killing a bicyclist while intoxicated was played at her sentencing hearing in Arizona. Characterizing the conversation as “breathtaking in its inhumanity,”…

Jan 25, 2008 6:03 PM CST

Hewitt Asked to Pay $9M for Error in Enron Settlement Payout

Enron’s successor company is asking a federal judge to order the human resources firm Hewitt Associates to pay $9.15 million to cover an error in settlement payouts to former Enron employees. Employees in Enron retirement plans are due a settlement of $218 million. When the first $89 million payment was…

Jan 25, 2008 1:12 PM CST

Md. Judge Criminally Charged in Environmental Case

A Maryland judge who has served on the bench for nearly 25 years has been criminally charged in an environmental case resulting from work done at his waterfront vacation home. The charges against District Judge Askew Gatewood Jr., which carry a potential prison term of up to seven years, if…

Jan 24, 2008 8:22 PM CST

Rare Church of England Tribunal Says Vicar Should Be Fired

In an unusual ruling that could potentially pit ecclesiastical law against statutory employment standards, a Church of England tribunal has decided that a vicar accused of being a bully and a liar—and even spitting at one of his churchwardens—should be fired. The unusual and expensive church tribunal, which was held…

Jan 24, 2008 5:48 PM CST