Verdicts & Settlements

Ex-prosecutor who choked woman at bar while costumed as Clark Kent gets community service

A former Manhattan prosecutor has been sentenced to 10 days of community service and alcohol counseling concerning a 2014 incident in which he choked a woman at a Halloween party being held at a New York City bar, while costumed as Clark Kent. Eli Cherkasky, 35, was convicted of assault,…

Nov 5, 2015 2:05 PM CST

Annual holiday season battle begins over nativity scenes

With the holiday season fast approaching, government officials are girding their loins for the annual battle over what displays will be permitted on public property. Commissioners in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, showed little enthusiasm on Monday for entering the fray, in an interview with WLFI. The station asked County Commissioners President…

Nov 5, 2015 12:10 PM CST

City to pay $175K in legal costs for ACLU’s successful suit against panhandling law

A successful challenge of a panhandling law by the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine will cost the city of Portland $175,000 in legal expenses, in addition to the cost of defending the civil rights suit. An agreement to pay this amount was filed Wednesday in federal court in Portland,…

Nov 4, 2015 4:50 PM CST

Juror is fined $1K for posting on Facebook and causing mistrial

Add another name to the growing list of jurors sanctioned for social media use during trial, in violation of the court rules. “Dying from boredom” while serving as a juror in a New York City robbery case in September, Kimberly Ellis couldn’t resist posting on her emotional state and details…

Nov 4, 2015 4:30 PM CST

DOJ to pay $200K to immigration judge over recusal pressure because of her Iranian heritage

The feds have agreed to pay a $200,000 settlement to an Iranian-American immigration judge who says she was ordered to recuse herself from cases involving Iranian nationals after she attended a White House meeting with Iranian-American community leaders. In addition to the monetary settlement with Judge Ashley Tabaddor, who works…

Nov 4, 2015 3:15 PM CST

2nd lawyer avoids conviction in case related to developer’s bankruptcy

Initially convicted by a federal jury in a bankruptcy fraud case related to a client real estate developer’s financial collapse, an Arkansas attorney is now in the clear. After the trial, the district court reversed attorney Kenneth Vaughn Knight’s conviction on a false statement count and granted him a new…

Nov 4, 2015 11:35 AM CST

Air-bag maker Takata agrees to pay $70M penalty; company is accused of facilitating ‘massive crisis’

Takata Corp. has agreed to pay a $70 million fine for delays in disclosing defects that could cause its air bags to explode. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced the fine Tuesday, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) report . The fine could climb…

Nov 4, 2015 9:51 AM CST

$75K fine for fatal train trestle accident during movie filming is upheld on review

A $74,600 fine imposed on the producers of the movie Midnight Rider over a fatal train accident that occurred during filming of the movie has been effectively upheld on appeal. The Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission last week declined to hear an administrative appeal, which frees the producers to…

Nov 3, 2015 4:35 PM CST

Lawyer charged in marijuana operation case says state and federal laws ban prosecution

Arrested last year at his Denver law office, a Colorado attorney facing federal charges in connection with an alleged illegal marijuana operation says he shouldn’t be prosecuted. That’s because state law permits him to do what he did and a federal budget amendment bans the use of federal funds to…

Nov 3, 2015 1:55 PM CST

Doctor convicted of murder in patient OD deaths; case may be first successful US prosecution

A California physician has been convicted of second-degree murder in the prescription drug overdose deaths of three patients, based on reckless conduct. Prosecutors say the case may be the first time in U.S. history a doctor has been convicted of murder for prescribing medicine used by the patient to overdose,…

Nov 2, 2015 10:00 AM CST

Man goes on the lam during trial before learning days later that he was acquitted

Fearful of being sentenced to as much as 20 years in prison, Saladin Ghani told his lawyer he was headed to the restroom on Oct. 23. But instead he exited the Georgia courthouse where he was being tried in an identity fraud and theft case and never returned. After 15…

Nov 2, 2015 8:35 AM CST

Pregnancy tests on jailed women required under old settlement are now voluntary due to new lawsuit

Decades ago, to help settle a lawsuit that alleged inadequate prenatal care for women jailed in Alameda County, California, officials decided to have pregnancy tests routinely performed on all women under 60. Now, in response to a new federal civil rights suit, they have agreed to curtail the practice. Women…

Oct 29, 2015 3:10 PM CDT

Lawyer denies telling clerk to hold off disclosing jury note while he completed $25M settlement

A Chicago plaintiffs lawyer who completed a $25 million settlement after learning of a jury note indicating the possibility of a verdict favoring one of the defendants says he never told a court clerk to hold off disclosing the note to opposing counsel. Lawyer Mark McNabola testified on Monday that…

Oct 27, 2015 7:14 AM CDT

Deadline looms for beer and tuna refund bonanza in major class-action settlements

There may not be a free lunch, but a beer and tuna bonanza awaits savvy consumers who apply in time for refunds in class-action settlements. Under a $20 million settlement with Anheuser-Busch Companies LLC that was OK’d by a federal judge in Miami, Florida, this week, consumers who can prove…

Oct 23, 2015 8:30 AM CDT

Judge gives juror 5 days, fines her $500 for doing legal research during trial

A Georgia juror was sentenced to five days in jail for contempt of court and fined $500 on Wednesday because she admittedly did legal research in a criminal case. Judge James Blanchard Jr. found out about the problem when the jury in the Richmond County Superior Court robbery case sent…

Oct 23, 2015 7:25 AM CDT