Chicago divorce attorney, Corri Fetman, 45, is suing Playboy magazine alleging that an executive Thomas Hagopian harassed her and eventually dropped her column from the magazine where she wrote under the nom de guerre “Lawyer of Love.” Fetman previously posed nude for the magazine and has maintained a highly controversial practice in my home town of Chicago.
Continue reading ““Lawyer of Love” Files Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Playboy”
Category: Lawyering
Prosecutors in Maryland appear to have cut a bizarre deal with a former religious cult member. Ria Ramkissoon, 22, agreed to plead guilty in the murder of her 1-year-old son, Javon Thompson, but, if he is resurrected, the deal is off.
Continue reading “The Lazarus Clause: Judge and Prosecutors Secure Plea From Deranged Mother With a Resurrection Clause”
An interesting case has emerged from the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals which removed Judge Dean Whipple of the Western District in Kansas City, Missouri for bias in a contract case. The judge insists that he was pushed over the edge in an exchange with Fred Starrett of Lathrop & Gage in Overland Park, Kansas who represented Sentis Group Inc., and owner Alan Barazi, regarding a contract with Shell Oil Co. to operate 29 mini-mart gas stations in Kansas City.
Continue reading “Federal Court Throws Judge Off Case After Sharp Exchange With Counsel in Court”
According to an Internet report, Washington, D.C. lawyer Thomas Dunlap of Dunlap, Grubb and Weaver has been peddling a tape for a “friend” of Vice President Joseph Biden’s daughter, Ashley, allegedly snorting cocaine at a party in Delaware. With rising criticism in the press, Dunlap reportedly has withdrawn from his controversial role in this political version of the Michael Phelps pot shot. Radar Online is suggesting that the presumably now former friend may have set up Biden by buying the cocaine and hiding the camera — claims that (if proven) could lead to liability for the individual.
Continue reading “Seller’s Remorse: Lawyer Reportedly First Tries to Sell Tape of Ashley Biden Allegedly Snorting Cocaine and Then Withdraws”
Courts in various countries are increasing being asked to enforce the judgments of religious courts — a trend that bothers many civil libertarians. These cases often involve private agreements to submit cases to such courts in arbitration or mediation. An interesting case in New York, however, shows that such courts often lack back professional or ethical guarantees. A New York trial court has thrown out the ruling of a religious court on the grounds of a “judge” in a Rabbinical Court (Beth Din) having possible bias.
Continue reading “Bias in the Beth Din: State Court Vacates Judgment of Religious Court Due to Bias”
Louisiana Attorney Chiquita Tate was in the midst of a high-profile murder trial when she became the subject of a new murder case against her husband, Greg Harris, accused of stabbing her 38 times in her office.
Continue reading “Lawyer Allegedly Murdered By Husband in Midst of High-Profile Murder Trial”
Lawyer and Former Suffolk County legislator George Guldi, 57, is accused in a bizarre fraudulent conspiracy. With the help of a famous dominatrix and two other lawyers, the Long Island attorney is accused of a 450 million mortgage scam.
Continue reading “Fraud Fetish: Lawyers Accused of Duping Fetish Club Members With Help of Dominatrix”
Covington & Burling has filed a response to the complaint filed by staff attorney Yolanda Young alleging that the firm inflated its minority staff numbers by relegating African-Americans in staff attorney jobs with no chance of promotion in the associate rankings. Covington responded with a remarkably rough (and low) appraisal of not just Young but, in the view of some, the other staff attorneys at the firm.
Former judge Ann Lokuta has an intriguing claim for reinstatement: her accusers turned out to be criminals. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued a stay of the Court of Judicial Discipline’s ruling to remove Lokuta and directed the Secretary of the Commonwealth not to place her judicial seat on the May ballot. Lokuta was removed after several weeks of testimony from dozens of witnesses about her abusive behavior toward courthouse staff and attorneys. However, she claims that the witnesses were part of the recent criminal conspiracy by former president judges Michael Conahan and Mark Ciavarella, who took kickbacks to send kids to jail.
Attorney Steven Gustafson of Naperville, Ill. is facing a theft and fraud charges, but it may take longer for him to live down one of the more intriguing allegations in the criminal case: he tried to hit up a priest to help cover up money that he allegedly stole from a trust fund. Remarkably, the priest refused church funds but convinced a parishioner to pony up some of the cash.
Continue reading “Lawyer Accused of Massive Fraud — and Hitting Up Priest”
Lawyers have long complained that some police officers will give clearly false testimony to protect themselves, other officers, or just maintain the “thin blue line.” This week, we saw two detectives in Michigan indicted with a judge and prosecutor for false testimony. The latest such case out of New York involves New York City detective, Debra Eager, 41, who was indicted on three felony perjury charges after her testimony before a grand jury in 2007 drug case was contradicted by a videotape. Continue reading “New York City Detective Charged With Perjury — The Latest in a Series of Such False Testimony Cases Involving Police Officers”
In today’s series of stories of judges acting bravely and badly, here is one for the latter category. Judge Sharon Keller, Chief Judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, has filed her response to the charges of judicial misconduct and incompetence for ordering the closing of the clerk’s office after being informed of a last minute death-penalty appeal. She blames the lawyer and denies any responsibility in the matter.
Continue reading “Judge Keller Defends Herself Against Judicial Ethics Charges”
While Judge Richards in Florida is rescuing witnesses in Florida, former Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Mary Waterstone appeared on the other side of the bench this week as a criminal defendant. Waterstone joined a former prosecutor, Karen Plants, and two police officers Scott Rechtzigel and Robert McArthur as defendants in the case related to a 2005 drug trial. Controversy continues to swirl around the actions of Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy (left), who defended her prosecutor’s actions and resisted criminal charges — while aggressively pursuing the former mayor of Detroit and his aide for false testimony.
Continue reading “An Un-Worthy Moment: Judge, Prosecutor, and Two Police Officers Indicted Over False Testimony in Drug Case”
Broward County Circuit Court Judge Ian Richards does not like people messing around with his witnesses. In the video below, Richards flew off the bench to tackle John Charles Reasee II, 29, who attacked a woman, Nicole Word, testifying against him.
Continue reading “When Judges Attack: Florida Judge Leaps Off Bench To Tackle Defendant”
A recent study of capital cases in Texas shows that nine death row inmates lost their appeals due to the failure of counsel to file by the court deadline. Johnny Ray Johnson was put to death after his lawyers missed a filing deadline by one day. He is one of six such inmates put to death after missed deadlines.