Legal Book » judge

D.C. Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Over Estate of Late Taiwanese Billionaire Y.C. Wang

Master — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 07:15:25 +0000

The widow of a Taiwanese billionaire has lost her attempt in a Washington, D.C., federal court to reclaim billions of dollars in assets she claims were diverted to one of several trusts controlled by rival family members, but the judge left the door open for her to try again.

SEC Tries to Head Off Rakoff Reprise After Milwaukee Judge Questions Proposed Koss Settlement

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:21:04 +0000

New York federal district court Judge Jed Rakoff’s decision to reject the Securities and Exchange Commission’s $285 million Citigroup settlement inspired a judicial counterpart in Wisconsin to question a proposed SEC deal with another company. Can the SEC avoid a Citi sequel in Milwaukee?

Judge John Facciola on E-Discovery Training at a Crossroads

Master — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:21:00 +0000

D.C. District Judge John Facciola speaks with LTN magazine’s editor-in-chief, Monica Bay, about how e-discovery training is at a crossroads, constrained by limited financial resources at the governmental level. He proposes several solutions to address these challenges, particularly when individuals are unable to meet face to face.

Who gets to take the first crack at Toyota?

admin — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 21:46:59 +0000

So far, 11 cases have been posited for potential bellwether trials in the California state litigation over alleged sudden acceleration in Toyota vehicles.

R. Allen Stanford?s Houston criminal-defense attorneys want to withdraw from the case

Master — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 08:39:07 +0000

Former Wife Takes Priority Over Current Wife in Dispute Over Husband’s Assets, Judge Holds

Master — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 07:03:34 +0000

A man’s current wife has no right to join a post-judgment case brought by her husband’s former wife to protect property that is subject of the current wife’s own divorce proceeding, a New York judge has ruled, thwarting the current wife’s attempt to — as the judge put it — “race to the courthouse.”

GSK Seeks to Limit Contingency Fees in Avandia MDL

Master — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 22:25:58 +0000

Drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline has asked the judge overseeing the federal multidistrict litigation over the diabetes drug Avandia to limit the contingency fees of attorneys representing individual plaintiffs to 25 percent of client accords or awards.

AG’s Directive Does Not Change Judge’s Mind on Drug Resentencing

admin — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:24:06 +0000

Southern District of New York Judge Jed S. Rakoff has refused to alter the lengthy sentences of two convicted crack dealers despite a change in U.S

One Year After Defeat on Morrison Grounds, Hedge Funds Strike at Porsche in Germany

Master — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 04:34:34 +0000

A group of hedge funds suffered a huge blow in 2010, when a federal judge ruled that they couldn’t bring billions of dollars in securities claims against Porsche in the U.S.

One Year After Defeat on Morrison Grounds, Hedge Funds Strike at Porsche in Germany

admin — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 04:34:34 +0000

A group of hedge funds suffered a huge blow in 2010, when a federal judge ruled that they couldn’t bring billions of dollars in securities claims against Porsche in the U.S.

Covington Scores Win in Match Against Comcast

admin — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 21:17:36 +0000

The Tennis Channel has won a case against Comcast, marking the first time an independent programming network has won a discrimination case against a cable or satellite company. The ruling by FCC Chief Administrative Law Judge Richard Sippel opens the door to future court challenges to claims of discrimination.

Goodwin Procter Persuades Judge to Reject Countrywide Class Action for the Second Time

admin — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 08:24:08 +0000

For the second time in two months, a federal judge has refused to certify a class action alleging Countrywide engaged in misleading sales and marketing practices in the run-up to the housing crash. In October, the judge rejected a proposed plaintiff class of 500,000 borrowers; this time it was a class of 60,000.

Judge Recuses From Foreclosure Involving His Lender

Master — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 08:24:05 +0000

A judge whose widely publicized decision to cancel a homeowner’s mortgage was overturned has now recused himself from the case, with public records showing he holds a mortgage through the same lender.

Dreier Trustee’s Lawsuit Proceeds Against Westford

admin — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 20:05:31 +0000

A bankruptcy judge has allowed a $137 million suit filed by the trustee handling the bankruptcy estate of imprisoned ex-lawyer Marc Dreier to go forward against hedge fund Westford Asset Management, a net winner in Dreier’s Ponzi scheme. However, the judge has limited the scope of the recovery the trustee can seek.

Bernstein Liebhard and Wilmer Suffer for Disclosure Failure in Citi Mutual Funds Suit

Master — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 06:53:15 +0000

Three months after a federal judge issued a scathing order blasting the lawyers on both sides of a securities class action against Citigroup and its Smith Barney unit, the judge has dropped Bernstein Liebhard as lead plaintiffs counsel. And on the defense side, Citi appears to have demoted WilmerHale as lead outside counsel.

Bloods Gang Member Draws Life Sentence for Conspiracy To Murder U.S. Judge

admin — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 05:58:55 +0000

A gang member convicted of concocting an elaborate murder-for-hire plot against New Jersey’s top federal judge has been sentenced to life in prison. Derrick “Murder” Menter drew the sentence for masterminding the plan to kill Chief District Judge Garrett Brown Jr.

Illston Sentences Bonds to 30 Days of Monitoring

Master — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 05:58:50 +0000

Famed slugger Barry Bonds was sentenced Friday to two years’ probation and 30 days of house arrest for obstruction of justice, but U.S. District Judge Susan Illston stayed the sentence, pending Bonds’ appeal. Illston cited four reasons from the pre-sentencing report to downgrade the sentence from guidelines.

Over Trustee’s Objections, Former Howrey Bankruptcy Counsel to Get Paid in Full

admin — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 05:58:45 +0000

In a single declarative sentence, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Dennis Montali captured the essence of what was at issue during a nearly two-hour hearing over professional fee applications in the Howrey bankruptcy, saying: “This is not an ATM machine.”

SEC decides to appeal judge’s decision that rejected proposed settlement with Citigroup

Master — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 08:31:45 +0000

Calling the court’s decision “incorrect” and in “legal error,” SEC Enforcement Division head Robert Khuzami has announced that the agency is appealing a decision by Manhattan federal Judge Jed Rakoff, who last month rejected the SEC’s proposed $285 million settlement with Citigroup Global Markets.

Computer-Crime Statute Gets Ninth Circuit Workout

Master — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 08:31:41 +0000

At oral arguments Thursday, 9th Circuit Chief Judge Alex Kozinski repeatedly challenged the Justice Department’s position on the scope of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act — a position that could lead to the criminalization of seemingly innocuous computer activity that runs afoul of employer policies or terms of use agreements.

DOJ Antitrust Suit Against AT&T Is Put On Hold

admin — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 00:58:32 +0000

A Washington, D.C., federal judge this afternoon ordered the Justice Department’s blockbuster antitrust case challenging the AT&T and T-Mobile USA merger be put on hold, at least until January. In a joint motion to stay, lawyers for the opposing sides asked the judge to set a status conference for Jan. 18.

Judge Finds More Problems with Oracle Damages Estimate in Java Megasuit Against Google

Master — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 07:38:10 +0000

In a tentative ruling, San Francisco federal district court Judge William Alsup threw out “a significant portion” of a damages report by Oracle’s expert in a patent and copyright infringement suit against Google, warning that the expert might not get another chance to revise his $1.16 billion estimate.

Ex-Ropes & Gray Attorney Sentenced to Six Months

Master — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 07:37:10 +0000

Former Ropes & Gray associate Brien Santarlas has been ordered to serve six months for stealing inside information on firm clients. While crediting Santarlas for cooperating in the case and providing “crucial” testimony, the judge said he was unwilling to give him a non-custodial sentence.

Soon-to-Retire Judge Claims Lawyer’s Delay Forced Mistrial

admin — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 08:48:56 +0000

A New York judge has ruled that an attorney should face a sanctions hearing for allegedly dragging out a divorce trial to prevent the judge from finishing the case before she leaves the bench upon reaching the mandatory state retirement age.

L.A. Judge Certifies Class in Gutted Countrywide Mortgage-Backed Securities Case

admin — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 06:32:30 +0000

A California judge has certified a class asserting claims against Countrywide Financial over more than $2 billion in mortgage-backed securities. But Countrywide may feel confident about facing the class head on, since the judge had already wiped out claims over nearly $350 billion in securities.