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Judge affirms $7.3M verdict against law firm
Law Firm News |
2011/02/11 09:54
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| pA Maine judge has upheld a jury verdict that awarded $7.3 million in damages for emotional distress to a businessman who contended he was double-crossed by a law firm he hired./ppA Cumberland County jury last summer said the Portland law firm of Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer and Nelson worked against Peter Redman's interests in a dispute with his brother over control of the now-defunct Northern Mattress and Furniture Co. In a 37-page ruling, Superior Court Justice Thomas Humphrey denied the law firm's motion seeking a new trial./ppRedman, of Old Orchard Beach, was banned from the family business' headquarters over a sexual harassment claim he contended was orchestrated by his brother to wrest control of the business. Redman said the firm failed to defend him against the accusations./p |
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FDIC sues law firm over Ga. bank failure
Headline News |
2011/02/10 15:44
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| pThe Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation is suing a Henry County law firm over a bank failure, saying the firm's handling of loans to a developer represented malpractice./ppThe lawsuit against Smith Welch amp; Brittain and 1 of its partners, J. Mark Brittain, alleges malpractice in Brittain's handling of loans Neighborhood Community Bank made to a developer from 2005 to 2007./ppNeighborhood Community failed in 2009./ppThe suit claims the bank hired Brittain to process loan documents for land purchases by developer Jeff Grant and that Brittain had served as a lawyer for Grant. The FDIC is seeking damages of more than $6 million./ppChristine Mast, an attorney representing Brittain and his firm, said Neighborhood Community was to blame for its failure and that the loans were at risk for default from the beginning./p |
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Murdoch firm to pay Insignia $125 million
Headline News |
2011/02/10 09:54
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| pRupert Murdoch's News America Marketing has agreed to pay a whopping $125 million to settle a years-long lawsuit brought by tiny Insignia Systems Inc. that alleged Murdoch's people unfairly interfered and lied in attempt to take business from the Plymouth company, which provides in-store promotions./ppThe settlement, which is more than Insignia's market value and more than four times its 2009 revenue, was reached a day after the trial commenced before U.S. District Judge John Tunheim in Minneapolis./ppThe deal was announced after the markets closed Wednesday. Insignia's stock has traded lately at more than $6.50 per share, a five-year high and partly in anticipation by traders that Insignia would win a favorable outcome in light of recent, similar settlements reached by other competitors of News America, which is part of Murdoch's News Corp. holdings. Insignia shares closed at $7.57, up 3 percent in Wednesday's trading./ppUnder the settlement, New York-based News America will pay Insignia $125 million and Insignia will pay $4 million in return for a 10-year business arrangement that gives Insignia access to some News America clients. Insignia had sought more than $250 million in damages./p |
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JPMorgan says it did nothing wrong in Madoff fraud
Court Watch |
2011/02/10 02:54
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| pThe bank where Bernard Madoff kept his clients' money is defending itself against allegations that it should have done more to stop his massive fraud./ppJPMorgan Chase said in a court filing late Tuesday that it violated no federal rules and had no obligation to probe Madoff's investment scheme./ppA court-appointed trustee sued the bank this month for $6.4 billion, claiming it suspected Madoff was a fraud but did almost nothing./ppJPMorgan's court filing says that if the trustee were to get his way, it would impose broad investigative duties on banks that don't currently exist./ppThe bank also wants the case moved from bankruptcy court to district court. It says the suit is akin to a huge class action, more properly heard by a jury./p |
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Judge raises questions about Voting Rights Act
Headline News |
2011/02/03 09:55
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pA federal judge on Wednesday questioned whether a key component of the landmark Voting Rights Act is outdated, expressing skepticism about using evidence of racial discrimination from 40 or 50 years ago to justify continued election monitoring for a group of mostly Southern states./ppU.S. District Judge John Bates' comments came during oral arguments in an Alabama county's lawsuit targeting the law — a constitutional challenge that a number of legal observers predict could well reach the Supreme Court./ppShelby County, backed by conservative legal groups, maintains that it and other covered state, county and local governments should no longer be forced to get federal approval before changing even minor election procedures. They note that the Voting Rights Act — enacted in 1965 and extended by Congress for another 25 years in 2006 — relies heavily on past discrimination in determining which jurisdictions are covered by the pre-clearance requirement for election changes, such as moving a polling place or redrawing school district lines./ppBates posed sharp questions to the legal teams on both sides but at times appeared sympathetic to the county's argument.
/p |
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Dick's settles with former Neb. worker over pay
Law Center |
2011/02/03 09:54
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| pDick's Sporting Goods Inc. has reached a settlement with a former employee over just payment for her work./ppCourt records show U.S. District Judge Joseph Bataillon dismissed the lawsuit filed by Dannette Stackhouse, citing the settlement. Details were not disclosed./ppStackhouse's attorney Peter Glennon declined to comment. A message left Wednesday for a Dick's attorney wasn't immediately returned./ppStackhouse said in her lawsuit that employees were forced to work through breaks, were unpaid for overtime and were sometimes locked in the store until work was finished. Her lawsuit was filed on behalf of roughly 900 Dick's workers in Nebraska and sought class-action status./ppStackhouse worked in the sporting goods retailer's Papillion location./p |
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