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Legal Ethics
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July 11, 2024
Atty's Suit Against Aircraft Cos., Blank Rome Attys Survives
A federal judge ruled in favor of a lawyer who alleges that aircraft companies and attorneys with Blank Rome LLP brought a baseless lawsuit against her in retaliation for switching from corporate defense to the plaintiffs bar, denying a motion to dismiss and allowing her lawsuit to continue.
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July 11, 2024
Fla. Ex-Judge Who Inflated Campaign Finances Disbarred
The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday disbarred a former county court judge for various ethical violations, including inflating campaign finances, making misrepresentations in his application for a judicial nominating commission seat and misconduct during the disciplinary proceedings.
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July 11, 2024
Cruise Ship Co. Sanctioned With Fees In Sexual Assault Suit
Carnival Corp. will have to pay fees related to a discovery dispute stemming from a $10.2 million sexual assault personal injury lawsuit, a Florida federal judge has ruled in a sanctions order, finding that the cruise company must pay a portion of the legal bills of a female passenger after "clear" discovery violations occurred.
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July 11, 2024
Atty's Missteps Conflicted Her At Trial, Mass. Justices Say
Massachusetts' highest court on Thursday ruled that a man convicted of murder should get a new trial because his lawyer would have had to deride her own performance during her client's police interview in order to provide the best possible defense.
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July 11, 2024
NJ Atty Pushes To End Seton Hall Ex-Prez's Whistleblower Suit
Former Seton Hall University board chair and prominent defense attorney Kevin H. Marino has joined the school in asking a New Jersey court to dismiss a rancorous lawsuit brought by the school's ex-president, saying a new report proves the suit is built on lies.
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July 11, 2024
YSL Prosecutors Oppose Judge's Recusal Amid Mistrial Bid
Prosecutors on Wednesday argued there is no reason Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville should stop overseeing the ongoing racketeering trial against Atlanta rapper Young Thug and his associates, approximately an hour after the rapper moved for a mistrial.
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July 11, 2024
Talc Law Firms Beat J&J Subpoenas Seeking Funding Info
The Beasley Allen Law Firm, another plaintiffs law firm and a litigation funder defeated subpoenas from Johnson & Johnson in talc litigation, with a special master reasoning that the broad swath of discovery permitted in federal courts still has limits.
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July 11, 2024
2 Of Alaska's 3 District Judge Seats Listed As 'Emergencies'
Two of the three district judgeships on the District of Alaska have been listed as "judicial emergencies" following the recent resignation of Judge Joshua Kindred over findings of sexual misconduct.
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July 11, 2024
Atty Fined For Missing 'Every Deadline' Since Feb. In Bias Suit
A Philadelphia-based attorney has missed so many deadlines in a federal race bias lawsuit against a Penn State University branch campus that the senior circuit judge assigned to his case issued sanctions and a stern warning that a large caseload is no excuse on Thursday.
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July 11, 2024
Judge Warns Fake-Atty Suspect Not To Blow Off Court Dates
A convicted fraudster from Long Island pled not guilty Thursday in New York federal court to charges that he earned hefty fees while posing as a lawyer in a scam targeting inmates — and also was warned not to "sick out" of court dates.
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July 11, 2024
Ex-Bankruptcy Judge Says Immunity Bars Atty Romance Suit
A former U.S. bankruptcy judge being sued over a secret romantic relationship he had with a former Jackson Walker LLP lawyer who practiced in his court urged a Texas federal court on Thursday to toss the case, arguing that he enjoys "absolute immunity" from civil lawsuits over "judicial acts" even if he engaged in misconduct.
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July 11, 2024
Ga. Dem Helps Block NY Judge's Nomination From Advancing
President Joe Biden's nomination of U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn for the Southern District of New York failed to advance out the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, after a key Democrat joined Republicans in opposition over her recommendation in a case that an inmate be transferred to a female facility.
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July 11, 2024
House Fails To Pass Inherent Contempt Resolution For AG
The House on Thursday failed to pass a Republican-led inherent contempt resolution for Attorney General Merrick Garland in hopes of obtaining audiotapes of President Joe Biden's interviews with special counsel Robert Hur in the classified documents investigation, but the measure's sponsor promised to try again.
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July 10, 2024
Ex-Kasowitz IP Pro Says Firm Gave Him Boot, Withheld Pay
Former Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP partner Jay Deshmukh filed a lawsuit in New York state court against his former firm Tuesday, saying the firm "deliberately" fired him weeks before his one-year anniversary so it could hold back more than half his annual pay.
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July 10, 2024
Acquitted Fla. Atty's Bankruptcy Case Converted To Ch. 7
A Florida federal bankruptcy judge denied a request Wednesday by an attorney who was acquitted last year in a billion-dollar medical fraud scheme to dismiss his Chapter 11 case and instead converted it to Chapter 7 proceedings, saying the debtor has no job and no way to pay creditors.
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July 10, 2024
Houston Attys Escape Defamation Suit Over Sex Assault Case
A Texas appeals court said a group of Houston attorneys could escape a defamation suit brought by a man accused of sexual assault by one of their clients, writing that he did "not even raise a scintilla of evidence" that the attorneys knew statements they made to the media about their client's case were false.
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July 10, 2024
Judge Newman Faces More Hurdles In Bid To End Suspension
With the dismissal of Federal Circuit Judge Pauline Newman's lawsuit against her colleagues over her suspension, experts say she faces significant challenges in securing a different outcome on appeal or persuading the court's other judges to let her hear cases again.
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July 10, 2024
Attys Bolt In Groups 'All The Time,' Colo. Judge Says
A Colorado judge hearing the appeal of an attorney who lost a jury trial in which she was accused of trying to lure colleagues away from a well-known regional personal injury firm noted Wednesday that lawyers commonly leave their firms in groups.
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July 10, 2024
Proof Of Ozy Media CEO's Fraud Is Overwhelming, Jury Told
A New York federal prosecutor on Wednesday told the jury weighing the fate of Carlos Watson that the evidence presented at trial clearly shows that the former Ozy Media CEO was at the helm of a scheme to deceive investors into backing the struggling news and entertainment startup, by falsely inflating its financials and lying about the company's prospects in order to keep it afloat.
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July 10, 2024
Feds Say Guo Ran 'Fraud Empire' As Racketeering Trial Wraps
Manhattan federal prosecutors urged a jury on Wednesday to convict Chinese dissident Miles Guo for operating his political movement as a vast racketeering conspiracy that "brainwashed" supporters into spending more than $1 billion on scam investments.
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July 10, 2024
Judge Chides Troopers' No-Show Atty At Sanctions Hearing
A Washington federal judge slapped a group of state troopers with sanctions Wednesday for defying a discovery order in their case against Ford Motor Co., while also calling out their attorney who failed to show up for the hearing despite the court's repeated prodding.
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July 10, 2024
Atty Says Alaska Judge Reprimand Bolsters 4th Circ. Bias Suit
A former public defender awaiting a bench ruling on her sexual harassment claims against the federal judiciary said Wednesday that the judge deciding her case should note a recent ruling reprimanding an Alaska federal judge for his "sexualized relationship" with a clerk in which the Ninth Circuit Judicial Council determined that intent was irrelevant.
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July 10, 2024
Bang Energy Drink Co. Ex-CEO Urges DQ Of Ch. 11 Judge
The former CEO of the company that makes Bang energy drinks urged the disqualification of a Florida federal bankruptcy judge and called for an investigation, alleging that the judge committed misconduct in the company's Chapter 11 case, according to a complaint filed with the Eleventh Circuit.
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July 10, 2024
Margolis Edelstein Fights Bid To Revive Malpractice Suit
An attorney representing Margolis Edelstein told the Delaware Supreme Court on Wednesday that an insurer's malpractice suit against the law firm shouldn't be revived as the firm's purported negligence wasn't the reason the insurer settled an underlying dispute for $1.2 million.
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July 10, 2024
NY Judge Slams 'Whopping' Brief In Terror Suit As Dickensian
A New York federal magistrate judge lectured attorneys in a lawsuit alleging a Pakistani bank funded terrorism, saying a recent joint status letter exceeded the limit by 70 pages and the parties are turning the case into a modern Jarndyce v. Jarndyce from the Charles Dickens classic "Bleak House."
Expert Analysis
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Opinion
3 Ways Justices' Disclosure Defenses Miss The Ethical Point
The rule-bound interpretation of financial disclosures preferred by U.S. Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas — demonstrated in their respective statements defending their failure to disclose gifts from billionaires — show that they do not understand the ethical aspects of the public's concern, says Jim Moliterno at the Washington and Lee University School of Law.
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Trump's 'I Thought I Won' Jan. 6 Defense Is Unlikely To Prevail
Since being indicted for his alleged attempts to overthrow the 2020 presidential election, former President Donald Trump’s legal team has argued that because he genuinely believed he won, his actions were not fraudulent — but this so-called mistake of fact defense will face a steep uphill battle for several key reasons, says Elizabeth Roper at Baker McKenzie.
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Caregiver Flexibility Is Crucial For Atty Engagement, Retention
As the battle for top talent continues post-pandemic, many firms are attempting to attract employees with progressive hybrid working environments — and supporting caregivers before, during and after an extended leave is a critically important way to retain top talent, says Manar Morales at The Diversity & Flexibility Alliance.
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How Judicial Privilege Shields Attys Facing Wiretap Violations
A recent ruling from the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, as well as past rulings across the country, indicates that the judicial privilege is applicable to alleged violations of wiretapping laws, so attorneys presented with audio evidence beneficial to their case should not fear being sued, says David Scott at Kang Haggerty.
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In-Office Engagement Is Essential To Associate Development
As law firms develop return-to-office policies that allow hybrid work arrangements, they should incorporate the specific types of in-person engagement likely to help associates develop attributes common among successful firm leaders, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.
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Perspectives
A Judge's Pitch To Revive The Jury Trial
Ohio state Judge Pierre Bergeron explains how the decline of the jury trial threatens public confidence in the judiciary and even democracy as a whole, and he offers ideas to restore this sacred right.
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How To Recognize And Recover From Lawyer Loneliness
Law can be one of the loneliest professions, but there are practical steps that attorneys and their managers can take to help themselves and their peers improve their emotional health, strengthen their social bonds and protect their performance, says psychologist and attorney Traci Cipriano.
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Noncompetes Hold Atty Privilege Pitfalls For Health Industry
Providers negotiating with medical professionals bound by enforceable restrictive covenants must tread carefully due to not only risk of breaching physicians' covenants but also risk of wrongful conduct that pierces attorney-client privilege, says Scott O'Connell at Holland & Knight.
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Opinion
Litigation Funding Disclosure Should Be Mandatory
Despite the Appellate Rules Committee's recent deferral of the issue of requiring third-party litigation funding disclosure, such a mandate is necessary to ensure the even-handed administration of justice across all cases, says David Levitt at Hinshaw.
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Recalling USWNT's Legal PR Playbook Amid World Cup Bid
As the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team strives to take home another World Cup trophy, their 2022 pay equity settlement with the U.S. Soccer Federation serves as a good reminder that winning in the court of public opinion can be more powerful than a victory inside the courtroom, says Hector Valle at Vianovo.
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Opinion
Guardrails Needed Against Politically Motivated Atty Discipline
As illustrated by revelations about disbarred attorney Tom Girardi’s influence, there is a need to revamp attorney discipline to protect the public, but any reforms to misconduct rules must also consider how bar-directed disciplinary hearings are increasingly used as a political weapon, says Deborah Winokur at Cozen O'Connor.
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Groundbreaking Nev. Law May Alter Insurance Landscape
The Nevada Legislature recently passed a law prohibiting insurers from issuing liability policies with eroding limits provisions that has the potential to create massive shifts in the marketplace — and specifically in areas like professional liability, cyber, and directors and officers insurance, says Will Bennett at Saxe Doernberger.
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Perspectives
Mallory Gives Plaintiffs A Better Shot At Justice
Critics of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Mallory v. Norfolk Southern claim it opens the door to litigation tourism, but the ruling simply gives plaintiffs more options — enabling them to seek justice against major corporations in the best possible court, say Rayna Kessler and Ethan Seidenberg at Robins Kaplan.
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Durham Hearing Shows Common Cross-Examination Errors
Trial attorneys can glean several key cross-examination lessons from the mistakes made by several members of the U.S. House of Representatives during a recent hearing on special counsel John Durham’s FBI probe, say Luke Andrews and Asha Laskar at Poole Huffman.
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Opinion
When Corporate Self-Disclosure Threatens Individuals' Rights
The prosecution of former Cognizant executives in New Jersey federal court demonstrates how the U.S. Department of Justice’s corporate enforcement policy can contravene the constitutional rights of individual defendants who are employed by cooperating companies, says Gideon Mark at the University of Maryland.