Leslie Hagan, it appears, was a bit too outstanding for the Justice Department. The attorney worked as a liaison between the Justice Department and the U.S. attorneys’ committee on Native American issues and received consistent “outstanding” marks on her evaluations. However, she is also a lesbian as well as a Republican. It was the first part that allegedly bothered people like Monica Goodling, the oft-ridiculed former Justice official involved in the firings of U.S. Attorneys. Continue reading “A Bit Too Outstanding: Inspector General Investigating Whether Justice Fired Successful Because She Is A Lesbian”
Category: Lawyering
Borat can now claim “Legal Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.” A judge in New York has dismissed a defamation case against Sacha Baron Cohen and the producer, Twentieth Century Fox, of the movie “Borat. Jeffrey Lemerond is shown in an extremely poor light in the movie as he screams “Go Away” and appears to flee Borat when he tries to hug him. Federal Judge Loretta Preska treated the film as the equivalent to a news story in order to dismiss the complaint. Cohen has largely been successful in a variety of court challenges to the film. Continue reading “Very Nice: Borat Wins Defamation Case”
The White House finally released some of the torture memos to Congress — justifications of coercive methods by Professor John Yoo. What is most striking about the memo below is its rather low-grade effort to justify torture — citing a type of self-defense theory for why an isolated detainee might have died or been injured during rough interrogation. Continue reading “Torture Memo Released: Yoo Argues Self-Defense in Cases of Interrogation Deaths or Injuries”
It appears that the national outcry over Wal-Mart’s litigation against Deborah Shank — a brain-damaged former employee — has forced the giant corporation to back off. It will no longer try to collect $400,000 from Shank and her cancer-victim husband. Continue reading “Wal-Mart Backs Down in its Litigation Against Brain Damaged Former Employee”
In a startling disclosure from an exchange at an East London mosque, Imam Abdul Makin and a leading Muslim lawyer have supported the killing and raping of non-Muslim, declaring all non-Muslims as guilty and subject to lethal abuse. As the videos show below, moderate Muslims have a considerable fight on their hands to rid their faith of these unhinged characters. Continue reading “Leading English Muslim Endorses the Killing and Raping of Non-Muslims”
In yet another loss for the Bush Administration in the case of accused Rep. William Jefferson, the United States Supreme Court today denied its appeal on the issue of the constitutionality of its raid of a congressional office. Continue reading “Supreme Court Denies Review in the Jefferson Case”
It is beginning to look like all new hires in the Bush Administration receive with an office, security pass, and list of available criminal defense counsel. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson resigned today in the midst of a criminal investigation into favoritism in government contracts. He is only the latest in an impressive list of Administration officials fleeing on the heels on pursuing constables. Continue reading “All the President’s Men: HUD Secretary Latest to Resign Amid Criminal Investigation”
The struggle between reformers and religious fanatics in Saudi Arabia continues. Leading Wahhabi cleric Sheihk Abdurrahman al-Baraak called for the deaths of journalists Abdullah bin Bijad Al-Otaibi and Yusuf Abu al-Khayl after they published articles in Al-Riyadh newspaper, questioning the view that Christians and Jews are unbelievers. While in most nations this would be viewed as an interesting question for a scholastic debate, Abdurrahman al-Baraak would like it to end in a double beheading. Continue reading “Leading Saudi Cleric Calls for the Death of Two Journalists — Unless They Repent”
Across the country, there is an expanding trend of state supreme courts limits the use of class actions, punitive damages, and industry-wide liability theories. This week brought another major such ruling out of New Jersey. In Tarr v. Bob Ciasulli’s Mack Auto Mall, the court ruled that punitive damages can only be used to punish a defendant and not simply to deter others. For sexual harassment plaintiff Carol Tarr, it means a remand on the issue. Continue reading “New Jersey Supreme Court Limits the Use of Punitive Damages”
Charles Smith has done something that thousands and mom-and-pop stores have failed to do in decades: he beat Wal-Mart. The computer store owner from Convers, Georgia prevailed after being sued by Wal-Mart in a trademark case seeking to shutdown his internet sites entiteld Wal-Qaeda and Walocaust. The lawsuit by Wal-Mart was always weak and seemed designed to harass a critic and try to force him to abandon his small website under a barrage of lawyers and motions. Continue reading “Wal-Qaeda v. Wal-Mart: Superstore Loses Trademark Lawsuit Intended to Shutdown Internet Critic”
One of my students spotted the video below on a restaurant that is placing open beer taps at tables. The idea presents not just novel possibilities for parties but also lawsuits. Continue reading “Innovation or Litigation? Beer Table Taps Could Present Novel Dram Shop Questions”
Today, the Supreme Court will hear the case of Indiana v. Edwards and explore the question of the limits as self-representation — the subject of the column below. Continue reading “A Fool and His Lawyer: Can You Be Competent to Stand Trial But Unfit to Represent Yourself?”
Wal-Mart has always been a target for many people who a monster corporation that strangles local stores and offers low-paying jobs with little benefits to locals. A story, however, in Jackson, Missouri has left many gasping. Wal-Mart has successfully sued Debbie Shank, a brain damaged former employee, for insurance money that she received before an award in a car accident case. Shank is not only struggling to survive but she lost her son recently in Iraq. Continue reading “Big Box, Small Heart: Wal-Mart Wins Judgment Against Brain Damaged Woman to Get Back Insurance Money”
Virginia Tech massacre is offering $100,000 to each of the 32 families of victims killed in the 2007 shooting rampage of Seung-Hui Cho. The offer is a relatively low given the strong case of negligence by the University and the higher averages for wrongful death awards. Continue reading “Virginia Tech Offers Settlement to Families of Victims in 2007 Shooting”
Prosecutors have charged Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick with perjury and other criminal counts tied to his effort to conceal and deny an affair with his former aide, Christine Beatty. Beatty was hit with perjury and obstruction charges as well. Things are likely to get worse before they get better for both of the defendants. Continue reading “Detriot Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick Criminally Charged and Could Faced 15 Years in Prison”