ABA Journal Top Stories

Hacker’s Hell: Many want to narrow the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:13:19 -0500

Angered that the Internet site PayPal had ceased allowing its users to donate to the controversial online publisher WikiLeaks, 14 computer users allegedly fought back. They sent PayPal multiple communication requests, a program that hackers use to saturate networks with information and crash them. One of the programmers, Keith W.…

Carlton Fields partners prep to vote on Jorden Burt merger, business journal reports

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:43:46 -0500

The Daily Business Review (sub. req.) reported that there is a pending merger vote by Carlton Fields partners to join insurance firm Jorden Burt and create a 310-lawyer firm, citing sources with knowledge of the discussions. Although Gary Sasso, president and CEO of Carlton Fields, and…

Even after 911 caller’s assault when no cops were on duty, counties vote to keep budget cuts

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:15:11 -0500

Last August, a 911 dispatcher told a distressed woman caller that authorities were unable to help minutes before the woman’s ex-boyfriend broke into her home, choked and sexually assaulted her. Despite the chilling event, two Oregon counties this week rejected property tax increases that would have funded law enforcement and…

Sotomayor takes SCOTUS chief justice seat to re-enact famous baseball case

Fri, 24 May 2013 15:46:55 -0500

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor got the chance to sit at the center of the bench, normally reserved for Chief Justice John Roberts, this week as she presided over the re-enactment of a case that unsuccessfully challenged the ability of baseball team owners to virtually own their players. The…

‘Boys Clubs’ can be a source of workplace gender bias, partner says

Fri, 24 May 2013 15:15:42 -0500

Business leaders often criticize gender discrimination at other companies without realizing they’ve also created a corporate culture that marginalizes women, Duane Morris employment partner Jonathan Segal recently wrote in a column for CNN Money. The piece mentions a $100 million sex-discrimination case filed May 9 against pharmaceutical…

Journalists find massive data security lapse, get threats instead of thanks

Fri, 24 May 2013 14:45:47 -0500

A team of investigative reporters landed in hot water after finding a massive data security lapse that put hundreds of people at serious risk of identity theft. Journalists for the Scripps News Service notified Lifeline, the federal program for low-income Americans that offers a discounted phone service, within hours of…

Insurance lawyer falls to his death while inspecting roof for storm damage

Fri, 24 May 2013 14:15:48 -0500

Michael Andrew Sway, 44, fell through a roof and died Thursday while inspecting a vacant building Lancaster, Ohio, for structural damage, the Columbus Dispatch reports. The industrial building’s owner sued various insurance companies, including Sway’s client, National Fire Insurance of Hartford, regarding a disputed storm damage claim.…

A year after Fitzgerald’s resignation, Obama nominates Latham litigator for Illinois US attorney

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:46:05 -0500

Zachary Fardon, a Latham & Watkins partner who chairs its Chicago litigation department, was nominated Thursday to serve as the Northern District of Illinois U.S. attorney. Previously a federal prosecutor who worked on the corruption trial of former Illinois governor George Ryan, Reuters and…

ABA offers help to those hit hard by Oklahoma tornadoes

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:13:31 -0500

The president of the American Bar Association has extended her sympathies to victims of the Oklahoma tornadoes and says the ABA is organizing relief efforts to provide legal help to survivors of this week's storms. “There are no words to ease the pain of the families who lost loved ones…

Appeals court cuts ‘unconscionable’ estate legal bill from $44M to perhaps $3M

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:35:48 -0500

Citing an "unconscionable" retainer agreement, a New York appeals court has reduced an estate's legal bill from $44 million to what a lawyer for the winning side estimates will be a $3 million final tally. It also is requiring three members of Graubard Miller to return $5 million in gifts…

DA attempts review of 50 homicide cases worked on by allegedly crooked detective over 26 years

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:29:23 -0500

The Brooklyn, N.Y., district attorney’s office is reviewing 50 homicide cases after discovering that a retired police detective allegedly told witnesses who to pick out in lineups, and repeatedly used the same, crack-addicted witness in six separate cases. Louis Scarcella, a retired police detective who held the position from 1973…

Mentally disabled married couple gets housing, but landmark civil rights lawsuit will continue

Fri, 24 May 2013 08:50:51 -0500

Like any ordinary couple, Paul Forziano, 30, and Hava Samuels, 36, were looking forward to sharing a home of their own after they got married in April. But that was almost an impossible dream for the two, who are considered mildly to moderately mentally disabled and reside in separate nonprofit…

In-person networking the right move for every lawyer?; Summer reading recs from bloggers

Fri, 24 May 2013 08:29:12 -0500

Late last week, Philadelphia law partners Jordan Rushie and Leo Mulvihill at Philly Law Blog and Lawyerist, respectively, wrote about "the hustle" that goes along finding clients for their small law practice. Rushie wrote about his unpaid professional / networking activities, which includes heavy…

IRS official took Fifth in House testimony, but did she waive right to do so?

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:20:10 -0500

After invoking her Fifth Amendment right not to testify Wednesday, when she was called before a House committee looking into special Internal Revenue Service scrutiny of tax exemptions sought by conservative groups, an IRS official was put on administrative leave Thursday. But some observers are questioning whether Lois Lerner, who…

Sitting judge is held and under federal investigation

Fri, 24 May 2013 06:30:19 -0500

Corrected: A sitting Illinois drug court judge has been taken into custody and is under federal investigation following the death earlier this year of another judge in what a sheriff says was an apparent drug overdose. Little is being said officially about why Circuit Court Judge Michael Cook, 43, who…

Jodi Arias jury hangs on whether she should get death penalty

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:45:40 -0500

It didn't take long for an Arizona jury to convict Jodi Arias of first-degree murder in the grisly death of her former boyfriend. But it wasn't able to agree Thursday on whether the 32-year-old should get the death penalty in the Maricopa County case. That leaves the prosecution with two…

What law firms should know about cyberattacks and the FBI

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:34:16 -0500

The steady rise of cyberattacks against U.S. companies—with damages that include tens of millions of dollars, lost trade secrets and threats to critical infrastructures—has prompted the FBI to even more greatly stress the importance of information-sharing on cyber intrusions. However, the decision to share sensitive data about a company or…

Is newly appointed DC Circuit judge destined for SCOTUS?

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:06:43 -0500

Washington litigator Srikanth “Sri” Srinivasan’s unanimous Senate confirmation this week to the nation’s second-highest court has some predicting a possible future as one of “The Nine.” Srinivasan’s appointment to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit is another shining moment in a stellar legal career that…

Murder case’s 2nd guilty verdict overturned after court discovers juror read case’s prior appeals

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:20:24 -0500

A second guilty verdict for a California man accused of sexually assaulting and murdering his 13-year-old half-sister was recently thrown out based on evidence that during trial a juror researched the defendant online and read the appellate opinions regarding his first trial. Michael Pizarro was sentenced to life in prison…

Lawmakers propose a ‘critter car’ for Amtrak

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:44:06 -0500

Four House members have proposed a bill that would make Amtrak pet-friendly. The measure calls for Amtrak, which currently only allows service animals that assist disabled train riders, to designate at least one locomotive car as pet-friendly, the Wall Street Journal Law Blog reports. Allowing pet owners…

Ex-judge charged with stealing drug evidence while on the bench

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:54:21 -0500

A former Pennsylvania court judge has been charged on multiple counts of theft and drug possession. The charges against retired Washington County Common Pleas judge Paul Pozonsky, who stepped down last year after he was stripped of all criminal cases by President Judge Debbie O'Dell-Seneca, follow a state police investigation…

What kind of swag does Justice Roberts get?

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:30:44 -0500

When it comes to getting free stuff, it appears that U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder might have better luck than Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. According to a 2010 list released by the State Department’s Office of the Chief of Protocol, gifts given to the U.S. Supreme Court justice include…

Wrongful-death defendant’s lawyer called Michael Jackson ‘the freak’ in email shown to jurors

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:45:53 -0500

Jurors in the Michael Jackson wrongful-death action Wednesday were shown an email from the defendant’s top in-house lawyer, referring to the late performer as “the freak.” According to the Los Angeles Times, the email was written by Ted Fikre, chief legal and development officer with Anschutz…

Ex-DA takes stand at federal racketeering enterprise trial, cites prosecutorial discretion

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:10:12 -0500

A former Texas district attorney is expected to continue testifying Thursday in his federal trial over allegedly operating the DA's office as a criminal racketeering enterprise. However, ex-Cameron County DA Armando R. Villalobos already laid out his defense in testimony Wednesday—prosecutorial discretion, the Valley Morning Star reports. Contradicting…

Drug testing as a condition for unemployment benefits supported by some lawmakers

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:00:25 -0500

Should unemployment benefits be contingent on consenting to a drug test? Yes, in certain circumstances, say Texas lawmakers. The state house passed Bill 21 Wednesday, Reuters reports. The bill had already passed in the Texas senate. If it becomes law, it will apply to unemployed…