Legal Book » government

Judge Upholds Denial of Permit for ‘Occupy’ Protest at U.S. Court

Master — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 06:02:19 +0000

The “Occupy the Courts” group has been denied permission to demonstrate outside a Manhattan courthouse as part of a national day of protests near federal courthouses over Citizens United, which prohibits the government from limiting independent spending for political purposes by corporations and unions.

Prosecutors Suffer Another FCPA Trial Loss as Judge Acquits ABB Manager of Bribing Mexican Utility Officials

admin — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 22:04:10 +0000

A federal district court judge in Houston has acquitted John O’Shea, the former general manager of the U.S. subsidiary of global manufacturing giant ABB, of charges that he bribed officials at a Mexican state-owned utility.

DEA Agent Involved In Self-Shooting Loses Appeal In D.C. Circuit

Master — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 07:07:09 +0000

Lee Paige, the federal drug agent who accidentally shot himself in the leg during a videotaped talk with children, has lost his appeal in a suit that alleged the government illegally released personal information. The D.C.

Federal government agrees to take license for use of smart cards

admin — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 21:43:43 +0000

A patent licensing and enforcement company has settled an infringement case against the U.S. government over patents for identification cards with embedded electronics. Leighton Technologies has announced that the government took a license.

Federal government agrees to take license for use of smart cards

Master — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 21:43:43 +0000

A patent licensing and enforcement company has settled an infringement case against the U.S.

Chamber of Commerce Cyber Attack a Wake-Up Call for In-House Counsel

Master — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 03:44:58 +0000

The extent of the cyberdamage caused by China-based hackers who hit the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is not yet known. But following the recently publicized information about the 2010 attack, the message to in-house counsel is clear: Protect yourselves.

Judge awards $1.2B in damages against Iran for 1983 Beirut bombing

admin — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 02:48:44 +0000

A D.C. federal judge has issued a final judgment of nearly $1.2 billion in compensatory and punitive damages against the government of Iran for its role in the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, writing that the defendants “must be punished to the fullest extent legally possible.”

DOJ Records $3B In False Claims Act Settlements Last Year

Master — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 06:53:14 +0000

The U.S. Justice Department said on Monday that it recorded more than $3 billion in settlements and judgments in fraud cases against the government in 2011, pushing the total amount covered since January 2009 to $8.7 billion. The bulk of the $3 billion flowed from the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act.

SEC Charges Six Former Fannie and Freddie Executives with Securities Fraud

admin — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 05:58:43 +0000

The SEC on Friday charged six former top executives of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — including their ex-CEOs — with securities fraud, alleging that they knowingly approved misleading statements about the government-sponsored entities’ holdings of risky mortgages. Both Fannie and Freddie entered into non-prosecution agreements with the SEC and agreed to cooperate with the litigation against the former executives. See related story: SEC Suits Against Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac Execs May Turn on Subprime Loan Definition (Subscription access)

Judge Chides Prosecutors in FCPA Case Over Secret Notes

Master — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 08:31:42 +0000

Saying the government “effectively snookered” the defense, a D.C. federal judge on Thursday criticized prosecutors for litigation tactics in a foreign bribery case that kept defense lawyers in the dark about key notes that belong to a government witness.

AT&T Intent On Challenging DOJ Antitrust Suit

Master — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 07:06:56 +0000

AT&T wants to move forward with its challenge of the Justice Department’s antitrust suit over the company’s proposed $39 billion merger with rival T-Mobile, but the government said Friday it is mulling whether to pull the complaint or seek to postpone the proceedings.

Defense Argues Congress Excluded Poker From Definition of Gambling

admin — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 06:03:29 +0000

Lawyers for two men charged with facilitating the massive trade in online poker took aim at the government last week, insisting that Congress exempted financial institutions from liability for processing gambling monies and did not include poker in its definition of gambling.

Court Tosses Longer Child Porn Sentence

Master — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 08:48:57 +0000

The 11th Circuit has vacated a child pornography defendant’s 17 1/2-year sentence, ruling that the government had to prove the defendant sent pornography to a child — not an unidentified adult posing as one — in order to hit the defendant with an increase found in federal sentencing guidelines.

Judge: Ted Stevens Investigation Reveals Prosecutorial Misconduct

admin — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 07:07:32 +0000

A special prosecutor’s report investigating allegations of misconduct in the investigation and prosecution of the late Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens reveals “systemic concealment” of evidence but does not recommend that any of the government’s lawyers face criminal charges, a federal judge said Monday.

Boies, Skadden File $25 Billion Suit Against U.S. for Hank Greenberg over AIG ‘Backdoor Bailouts’

Master — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 07:07:31 +0000

Starr International, which is run by former American International Group CEO Maurice “Hank” Greenberg, is accusing the government of violating AIG shareholders’ due process rights and using its 80 percent stake in AIG to “covertly funnel billions of dollars to other preferred financial institutions.”

Citing Orwell, justices appear wary of GPS surveillance by police

admin — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 05:42:24 +0000

Police use of GPS surveillance and society’s expectations of privacy clashed at the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday as justices weighed technology’s impact on Fourth Amendment rights. A majority of the justices seemed uncomfortable with the government’s defense of law enforcement’s warrantless use of a GPS device on a suspected drug dealer’s car over a four-week period — but they also struggled to find a legal way to regulate such surveillance.

U.S. Will Seek Rehearing in Case Involving Iran Trade Embargo

Master — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 05:04:25 +0000

Federal prosecutors plan to challenge an appeals court’s decision vacating a man’s conviction for violating the trade embargo with Iran. A prosecutor told a judge Wednesday that the government will seek a rehearing by the 2nd Circuit panel that issued the decision or a rehearing en banc in the case.

Firm Settles FTC Suit Charging It Aided Client in Dubious Mortgage Services

Master — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 00:19:57 +0000

A New Jersey law firm has agreed to settle FTC charges that it helped its client, a mortgage modification company, engage in unfair, abusive and deceptive marketing practices.

Judge rules for Florida landowners and against DOJ in property dispute

admin — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 04:17:50 +0000

Continuing a string of recent losses for the Justice Department, a federal claims judge in Washington, D.C., this week rejected the government’s formula for compensating a group of landowners involved in a property dispute in Florida.

U.S. Sentencing Commission issues first study in 20 years on mandatory minimums

admin — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 20:15:24 +0000

Black convicted offenders are the racial group least likely to earn relief from mandatory minimum sentences for assisting the government, according to a major study of mandatory minimum penalties by the U.S.

U.S. Justice Department Targets Assets in Equatorial Guinea Corruption Probe

Master — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 06:32:57 +0000

Federal prosecutors are targeting more than $70.8 million, including nearly $2 million in Michael Jackson memorabilia, that the government contends is the fruit of a money-laundering and extortion scheme in the Republic of Equatorial Guinea.Visit International News

Banks, FHFA debate how to coordinate 17 mortgage-backed securities suits

Master — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 04:10:57 +0000

A federal judge is considering dueling proposals for how to handle suits brought by the Federal Housing Finance Agency against 17 of the world’s biggest financial institutions over $200 billion in sub-par mortgage-backed securities. The banks, represented by 35 lawyers from nine elite firms, argue that the cases should be coordinated, while the government contends that the issues are fact-specific.

GAO Reports Shines Light on Secretive Asbestos Trusts

admin — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 04:01:42 +0000

The Government Accountability Office released a new report on Wednesday analyzing asbestos injury trusts, shining some light on a multibillion-dollar system of plaintiff claims and payouts that operates largely in secret. The GAO found that, while the majority of the trusts made general data available, very few provide detailed information about their activities without being directed to by a court of law.See related story: Going after asbestos settlements

Judge: No Warrant Needed For Cell Phone Location Data

admin — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 04:48:51 +0000

Prosecutors do not need a warrant to compel a cellular phone service provider to turn over data about call location, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., said in a ruling that examines the government’s attempt to get data from the provider amid a U.S.

Raj Rajaratnam Sentenced to 11 Years for Insider Trading

Master — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 22:44:22 +0000

The pivotal figure in the most wide-ranging insider-trading prosecution in history was given a break by Judge Richard Holwell, who pronounced sentence after ruling for the government on virtually everything it wanted in calculating the sentencing range, which he agreed was between 19 1/2 and 24 1/2 years in prison.