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Court denies appeal over inmate's long sentence
Court Watch |
2011/04/18 05:58
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The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from a convicted insurance swindler who is protesting his 835-year prison term.
The court did not comment Monday in turning away a plea from Sholam Weiss for his release from prison and return to Austria, where he was arrested after he fled the United States during his criminal trial in Orlando, Fla. Weiss is in prison for his role in the collapse of a life insurance company in the 1990s that cost thousands of people their life savings.
He still may be able to appeal his conviction and sentence, even though an appeals court had earlier ruled that he forfeited his appeal rights when he became a fugitive.
A judge cut 10 years from Weiss' sentence when Austria returned him to the U.S. |
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Court ruling could mean NJ budget scramble
Court Watch |
2011/04/10 12:05
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| pGov. Chris Christie is warning that if the state Supreme Court rules the way it usually does on a long-running school funding case, it could doom other state services. The build-up about the immediate consequences gives the chapter of the court case known as Abbott v. Burke even more significance than many of the 20 other decisions in the case dating back to the 1980s./ppThe question now before the court is whether the state's cuts in aid to schools for the current academic year were so deep that New Jersey didn't live up to its constitutional requirement of providing a thorough and efficient education to all students.It's not clear when it might be decided./ppBut lawyers for the state and for children in the poorest school districts filed legal papers last week laying out their sides. Oral arguments are scheduled for April 20. Over the long history of the case, the state Supreme Court has consistently ruled that New Jersey should provide more money to the state's poorest school districts./ppThe rulings have led to free preschools for 3- and 4-year-olds in those cities. Those programs are often cited as national models and given credit for improving test scores of grade-school students. The infusion of money has also brought replacements and repairs for many of their decrepit school buildings, extra help for teaching key areas such as reading./p |
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Split over union law reaches Wis. court race
Court Watch |
2011/04/06 09:14
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| pThe slim margin between Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser and his challenger, JoAnne Kloppenburg, has grown slightly in favor of the incumbent as late election numbers are tallied./ppBut the race that reflected Wisconsin's fight over union rights is still too close to call Wednesday morning. With 99 percent of precincts reporting, conservative-leaning Prosser is leading Kloppenburg by 835 votes. Final, official results could vary and a recount appears likely./ppThe race highlights the divide in the state over Republican Gov. Scott Walker's collective bargaining law, which would strip public workers of nearly all their union rights. The issue, which could ultimately be decided by the state Supreme Court, has propelled the relatively unknown Kloppenburg into prominence and heightened voter interest in the election. /p |
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Louisiana to get $12M in Health Net case
Court Watch |
2011/04/06 09:13
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| pThe Louisiana Supreme Court has ordered Health Net Inc., a major health maintenance organization, to cover more than $180 million in claims by consumers, health care providers and creditors in Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas./ppLouisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon told The Advocate that Louisiana will get the smallest portion of the payout./ppWe have about $12 million coming to us to policyholders, providers and general creditors, meaning companies who sold them supplies or that rented them space, Donelon said./ppDonelon said the unanimous ruling, issued Friday, will reimburse all of AmCare Louisiana HMO's members, providers, and creditors for any losses caused by Health Net's conduct./ppHealth Net sold health plans in the three states to AmCareco Inc. in 1999. In 2002, the troubled health plans were placed under state supervision. Each of the state's insurance departments sued AmCareco and Health Net, alleging fraud, negligence, conspiracy and breach of fiduciary duty./ppIn 2005, a state district court jury awarded the Texas plaintiffs around $100 million in damages. In 2005, a state judge in Baton Rouge issued similar verdicts against Health Net and awarded $30 million to the Louisiana and Oklahoma plaintiffs./p |
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Blockbuster showdown coming today in bankruptcy court
Court Watch |
2011/04/02 23:37
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| pSeveral bidders are set to duke it out for Blockbuster Inc. at a bankruptcy auction in New York today. They reportedly include Dish Network Corp. and billionaire investor Carl Icahn./ppThe movie-rental chain has received several bids other than the opening bid of $290 million from a group of debtholders made in February. Blockbuster filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September./ppDish and Icahn have each submitted a bid, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter. /ppDish Network declined to comment. Icahn could not immediately be reached for comment./ppJay Indyke, attorney for the committee of unsecured creditors, says several bids had come in but did not specify who they are from./ppIcahn has been expected to make a bid. He was part of the group of debtholders that provided Blockbuster financing to operate while in bankruptcy in September. Everyone in that group, except for Icahn, made an opening bid in February, known as a “stalking horse” bid, to buy Blockbuster for $290 million. /ppBlockbuster used to dominate the U.S. movie rental business. But it lost money for years as that business declined because customers shifted to Netflix Inc., video on demand and DVD rental kiosks./ppProspective bidders are either after Blockbuster’s assets, such as its name, kiosks and movie-download service, or the money they can make from liquidating the brand, analysts said./p |
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Court nixes new rape trial in dispute over poem
Court Watch |
2011/03/24 09:28
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| pA court has overturned a decision granting a new trial to a convicted rapist who claimed his rights were violated when a poem written by the victim was kept out of evidence during trial in Wayne County. /ppThe poem expressing regret about alcohol and sex was written before the woman's encounter with Dustin Wiecek in 1999. /ppA federal judge says the exclusion hurt Wiecek's ability to fully confront his accuser at trial about her personal life. But a U.S. appeals court on Wednesday disagreed, saying Wiecek's lawyer had much opportunity to challenge the woman's credibility. /ppWiecek was accused of using GHB, known as a date-rape drug. He's already served 41 months in prison, more than the minimum sentence. He's been free on bond since fall 2009. /p |
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