Legal Book » tuesday

Antitrust Plaintiffs Ask Federal Judge to Ground United-Continental Merger

admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 03:37:15 +0000

Antitrust attorney Joseph M. Alioto on Tuesday asked a San Francisco federal judge to do what he says government regulators wouldn’t and halt the pending merger of United and Continental airlines.

DOJ Asks Judge to Stay Injunction in Stem Cell Case

Master — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 03:37:14 +0000

The Justice Department on Tuesday filed an emergency motion asking a federal judge in Washington, D.C., to stay his ruling last month that blocks the government from funding research that involves human embryonic stem cells.

Law School Hunger Striker Revealed: He Is a She

admin — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 06:41:36 +0000

“Ethan Haines” caught the attention of the legal blogosphere in early August by announcing that he would go on a hunger strike to push law schools to release more accurate employment statistics. It turns out that “Haines” is actually Zenovia Evans, a 28-year-old woman living in Denver — and that the hunger strike leaves room for fruit smoothies. Evans, who graduated from Thomas M.

DOJ Customer Allocation Conspiracy Probe Nets $3.3 Million Fine for Ga. Food-Service Equipment Maker

Master — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 21:09:00 +0000

Georgia’s Kason Industries Inc. was sentenced Tuesday to pay a $3.3 million criminal fine for conspiring to allocate customers and fix prices in the national food-service equipment market. According to the plea agreement, Kason’s chief executive engaged in discussions by phone, e-mail and in meetings with representatives of another (unnamed) manufacturer.

ABA Votes Overwhelmingly to Support Gay Marriage

Master — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 05:27:43 +0000

The American Bar Association’s governing body Tuesday voted in favor of supporting same-sex marriage at the urging of 14 groups. The measure calls for the elimination of state, territorial and tribal laws restricting marriage between same-sex partners. The ABA House of Delegates voted “overwhelmingly” in favor of the resolution at its annual meeting in San Francisco, said Stephen P

Solicitor General’s Office Fills ‘Political Deputy’ Post

Master — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 04:57:34 +0000

In a surprise announcement, the Justice Department said Tuesday that Leondra Kruger, a 34-year-old assistant to the solicitor general, has been named acting principal deputy solicitor general — the so-called “political deputy” position under Acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal. How Kruger’s appointment plays into speculation over who will be the next solicitor general, replacing now-Justice Elena Kagan, is already under debate.

Appeal Heard in Case Challenging University’s Consideration of Race in Admissions

Master — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 03:22:55 +0000

In Tuesday arguments at the 5th Circuit, lawyers for two women denied admission to the University of Texas at Austin asserted that their suit challenging the constitutionality of the school’s use of race in admissions should move forward.

Recipient of Offensive E-Mails Can’t Force Yahoo to Name Sender

Master — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 03:22:50 +0000

A plaintiff who fails to make out a claim of intentional infliction of emotional distress based on anonymous, offensive e-mails can’t compel the sender’s Internet service provider to reveal his or her identity, a New Jersey appeals court held Tuesday in a published opinion. The ruling instructs how e-mails fit into the contours of the decade-old precedent that allowed for unmasking anonymous posters of injurious comments on the Web if certain tests are met.

Hughes Hubbard Bolsters Antitrust Practice

Master — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 03:31:25 +0000

Hughes Hubbard & Reed on Tuesday said it has added an antitrust partner from Howrey in New York. The hiring of Ethan Litwin will allow Hughes Hubbard to expand in antitrust and add support to what the firm said is a growing international transactional practice.

Non-Client Can’t Attack Joint Representation, Court Rules

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 03:31:17 +0000

Non-clients have no standing to disqualify attorneys from jointly representing others, a California appeals court ruled Tuesday, despite a federal trial court ruling that seemed to suggest otherwise. The ruling reverses a trial court’s disqualification of Calabasas, Calif., attorney Bruce Graham and his firm, Graham & Associates, from representing clients with some allegedly opposing interests in a libel and breach of contract suit.

Former Morgan Crucible CEO Found Guilty of Conspiracy to Obstruct Justice

Master — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 03:31:07 +0000

Federal prosecutors are hailing the conviction of a former British executive as a signal to corporate leaders to shape up. A federal jury in Philadelphia on Tuesday convicted Ian Norris, the former CEO of The Morgan Crucible Co., of conspiring with others to obstruct justice in a federal investigation of price fixing in the carbon products industry

Pill-Stuffed Pens Found in Courtroom During Investment Scheme Trial

Master — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 05:53:59 +0000

An Eastern District of New York courtroom was cleared Tuesday after the federal marshal guarding defendant David Brooks, the former body-armor executive who has been on trial for 22 weeks for allegedly masterminding a $185 million investment scheme, said he saw Brooks accidentally drop pills on the floor. Judge Joanna Seybert ordered the courtroom emptied, and the marshals discovered several pens filled with more than 20 more pills.

Federal Judge Approves Discovery Agreement in Toyota MDL

Master — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 03:43:45 +0000

The judge in the multidistrict litigation against Toyota over sudden unintended acceleration problems approved a joint discovery plan on Tuesday, forestalling a fight over access to evidence. The agreement, endorsed by California federal Judge James Selna, allows Toyota’s lawyers to investigate the vehicles at issue and plaintiffs attorneys to depose executives about the automaker’s electronic throttle control system. Toyota will turn over some of the documents that it gave to Congress earlier this year.

Senate Judiciary Committee’s Vote on Kagan Gets One-Week Delay

admin — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 08:31:15 +0000

The top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee requested on Tuesday a one-week delay before the committee votes on the nomination of Elena Kagan for the Supreme Court. Also at the request of Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., the committee delayed by one week a vote on Bryan Cave partner James Cole to be deputy attorney general

9th Circuit: No Choice of Law on Independent Contractor Status

admin — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 08:31:10 +0000

In a case involving the red-hot issue of employee classification, the 9th Circuit on Tuesday held that employers cannot use choice-of-law contracts to avoid California labor regulations. While workplace contracts may be subject to out-of-state law, actual workplace terms and conditions affecting workers in the Golden State are governed by California statutes, Senior District Judge Edward Korman, sitting by designation, wrote for the unanimous three-judge panel.

EBay Sued for $3.8 Billion for Alleged Patent Infringement

Master — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 08:31:07 +0000

Online auction giant eBay was hit Tuesday with a $3.8 billion patent infringement lawsuit. XPRT Ventures, which holds patents covering e-commerce payments and methods, filed suit in Delaware federal court against eBay and subsidiaries, including PayPal and StubHub.

Saul Ewing Acquires Md. Gaming Firm

admin — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 05:12:11 +0000

Pennsylvania law firms are doubling down on laterals with gaming ties across the mid-Atlantic region. The latest firm to add to its gaming practice is Saul Ewing, which said Tuesday it was acquiring four of the five attorneys at Ruben & Aronson in Bethesda, Md.

Band Penalized for Copied Riff in ‘Down Under’ Hit

Master — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 05:05:37 +0000

A judge on Tuesday ordered Australian band Men at Work to hand over a portion of the royalties from their 1980s hit “Down Under,” after previously ruling its distinctive flute riff was copied from a children’s campfire song.

Justice Department Sues Arizona Over State Immigration Law

admin — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 05:05:34 +0000

The federal government has filed a lawsuit asking a federal judge to strike down most of Arizona’s new immigration law, declaring that federal law pre-empts the action by state lawmakers. The Justice Department filed the complaint Tuesday, naming as defendants the state of Arizona and Gov. Janice Brewer, who has repeatedly defended the law as a necessary response to the federal government’s failure to control illegal immigration from Mexico

Discrimination Suit Against Ballard Spahr Gets New Life

admin — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 07:57:31 +0000

In an opinion handed down Tuesday, the D.C. Circuit determined that a portion of a discrimination case filed against Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll will be allowed to move forward. The trial court had previously granted Ballard Spahr’s motion for summary judgment in a lawsuit filed by a former employee.

Jamaican Drug Kingpin Captured

admin — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 06:50:58 +0000

Jamaican authorities were calling for calm after fugitive drug baron Christopher “Dudus” Coke was taken into custody late Tuesday, shortly before he tried to turn himself in to officials at the U.S. Embassy in Kingston.

Proskauer Rose General Counsel Dies of Heart Attack

admin — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 06:50:57 +0000

Steven C. Krane, the general counsel of Proskauer Rose and a former New York State Bar president who was instrumental in a wide-ranging reformulation of the state’s attorney ethics rules, died Tuesday of a heart attack at age 53. Co-chair of Proskauer’s law firm practice group, Krane was an expert in cross-border legal practice issues and also led the American Bar Association’s battle to exempt lawyers from the Federal Trade Commission’s “red flag” rule to prevent identity theft.

Law Firms Predict More Layoffs Among Non-Equity Partners, Support Staff

admin — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 06:15:19 +0000

A survey released Tuesday by national consulting firm Altman Weil shows that law firms nationwide expect that layoffs will continue this year, although at a lesser rate than in 2009.

Former Secretary Draws Prison Sentence for Stealing From Law Firm

admin — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 03:48:37 +0000

A former confidential secretary for a New York law firm was sentenced Tuesday to 4 1/3 years to 13 years in prison for stealing nearly $700,000 from Riseley and Moriello over a seven-year period. The judge who sentenced Mary Merten noted that her thefts forced one of the victims out of retirement and looted a child’s college savings.

Sessions Fires Warning Shot Over Deferred Prosecutions

admin — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 20:11:11 +0000

The top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee said Tuesday that he’s skeptical about federal prosecutors’ greater use of deferred prosecution agreements in cases of corporate misconduct. Sen.