Category: Lawyering

Bizarre, Lawyering, Society, Torts

Eight Angry Men: Jury Sent Home After Alleged Brawl During Deliberations

200px-12_angry_menIt is not clear what is more interesting the legal problems in the trial over Merck’s osteoporosis drug Fosamax or the alleged assaults occurring in the jury room during deliberations. United States District Judge John Keenan in Manhattan was forced to issue the novel “time out” order this week and send home the eight men and women on the jury after lawyers heard yelling from the jury room and a juror alleged that she had been physically threatened and had a chair thrown at her.

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Constitutional Law, Criminal law, Lawyering, Society

Ninth Circuit: California Judge Improperly Influenced Jury to Convict Defendant

250px-US-CourtOfAppeals-9thCircuit-Seal.svgSacramento Superior Court Judge Michael Virga improperly influenced a jury to find a defendant guilty in a sexual assault case. The actions of the former prosecutor have resulted in a new trial being ordered by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

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Academia, Criminal law, International, Lawyering, Society

Really, Really Cold Case: New York Detectives Re-Open the 400-Year-Old Unsolved Murder of John Colman

halfmoonfrontThe murder of John Colman is not exactly a cold case, it is positively glacial. New York detectives have taken up the case 400 years after the English seaman was found murdered and buried in a shallow grave. No weapon, no motive. The culprit, however, is believed to be out of the New York jurisdiction and even Interpol.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, Lawyering, Society

One Orr in the Water: Defendant Stops Trial After Eating Own Waste in Court

bildeOK, this is incredibly disgusting but it is another example of what lawyers sometimes have to deal with in court. James Orr, 66, stopped his trial for robbery and kidnapping when he removed his colostomy bag and began to consume the contents. While this particular act is thankfully uncommon, the courts have to grapple with such acts to terminate trials. Judges are reluctant to reward such conduct with a mistrial, but there are not many good options for the judge. In this case, however, Common Pleas Court Judge Ethna Cooper appears intent upon continuing the trial and prosecutors have argued the act was nothing more than a tactic to stop the trial.
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Criminal law, International, Justice, Lawyering, Society

Former Attorney General Arrested After Allegedly Killing Bicyclist in Road Rage Incident

225px-MichaelJBryantWhen he served as the attorney general for Ontario, Michael Bryant argued for harsh punishment for criminals, including a crackdown traffic crimes such a speeders. He is now accused in a shocking act of road rage that killed a bicyclist who Bryant allegedly rammed into a mailbox.

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Bizarre, Courts, Lawyering, Society

Judge Recuses Himself After Denouncing Latte Drinking, Cigar-Smoking Lawyer

300px-Latte180px-Three_cohiba_cigarsJudge John Doyle is facing accusations that he is a latte-hating, cigar-smoker baiting jurist or worse. Doyle recused himself after losing his patience with a bank lawyer, Farzad Milani, and telling him that he could not allow the lawyer to sit in his office “smoking his Cohiba cigars and drinking his lattes” while the court does all the work. He should be less worried about playing around with judicial ethics as ticking off those jackbooted, over-caffeinated thugs at Starbucks.

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Lawyering, Society, Torts

Rollover: Former Toyota Lawyer Accuses Company of Destroying Evidence of Rollover Problems

credentails_1250px-Toyota.svgAttorney Dimitrios Biller was the former managing counsel for Toyota Motor Sales USA and handled rollover cases for the company. He has now done a rollover of his own — accusing the car manufacturer of destroying evidence of rollover in a “ruthless conspiracy” to hide dangers.

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Bizarre, Constitutional Law, Criminal law, Lawyering, Society

Brooklyn “Doctor” Wins Bail — Just $11 Million in Cash

180px-Prison_cellMichail Sorodsky, a Brooklyn man accused of practicing medicine without a license and abusing patients under anesthesia, has won bail — sort of. The court set bail at either $11 million cash or $33 million bail bond. The constitutional question is whether an $11 million bail is the same as a denial of bond.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, Lawyering, Society

West Virginia Lawyer Tells Jury that Raped Prostitutes Were Not Like Their Mothers and Daughters — Nothing More Than “Whores” and “Tramps”

nicubunu_open_mouthWest Virginia defense lawyer Ed ReBrook had a difficult case in representing Thomas H. Gravely, 31, who was accused of raping Charleston prostitutes. However, critics charge that he made a difficult case worse by calling no witnesses and using highly offensive terms to describe the victims.
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Bizarre, Courts, Criminal law, Lawyering, Politics, Society

You Had Me At “Hello, Your Honor”: Houston Judge Indicted After Allegedly Offering to Help Woman in Exchange for a Sexual Relationship

260xStoryHarris County Criminal Court-at-Law judge Donald W. Jackson, 59, has been indicted on a misdemeanor charge of official oppression – allegedly offering to get a DWI defendant help in dismissing her case in exchange for a sexual relationship. Notably, he allegedly insisted that he was not interested in “a one-night stand” in seeking to secure counsel for Ariana M. Venegas. If so, it is a new variation on past judicial pick-up lines that simply offer to trade sex for rulings.

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Lawyering, Society, Torts

California Deputy Attorney General Ellyn Levinson Loses Torts Case Involving Horseback Riding Injury

800px-Mangalarga_MarchadorCalifornia Deputy Attorney General Ellyn Levinson has lost her personal injury case against a rancher who allowed her to ride one of his horses as a party. A California court ruled that falling off the horse was Levinson’s own fault and not that of the owner.
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Constitutional Law, Courts, Criminal law, Lawyering, Media, Politics

D.C. Attorney General’s Declaration in Protest Case Challenged by Council Members and Lawyers

nickles2resizeThe controversy continues over the District’s alleged destruction of evidence and withholding of documents in the World Bank protest case. The case deals with the mass arrests conducted without probable cause during the World Bank/IMF protests of 2002. Under orders from Judge Sullivan, D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles filed a declaration explaining his actions and that of his staff. It has now been challenged by members of the city council and the litigants.
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Constitutional Law, Courts, Lawyering, Religion, Society

Detroit Muslim Woman Sues After Being Told To Remove Hijab in Court

250px-Kalkan_market_2Raneen Albaghdady, a Muslim in Detroit, is suing ayne Circuit Judge J. William Callahan who told her to remove her hijab or scarf in his courtroom (like the one shown to the left of a different woman). She alleges denial of her freedom of religion as well as denial of access to the courts. She is also suing Wayne County.
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