A federal judge has denied a set of motions for a new trial filed by Terry Christensen, the lawyer who was convicted two months ago on charges of hiring private investigator Anthony Pellicano to wiretap his opponent in a high-profile child support case. Christensen had argued that he should be entitled to a new trial because one of the jurors was wrongfully removed during deliberations and because federal prosecutors had violated their discovery obligations numerous times.
Posts on ‘October 29th, 2008’
Visa, MasterCard to Pay up to $2.75 Billion in Antitrust Settlement
Credit card issuers Visa and MasterCard said on Monday they will pay up to $2.75 billion to Discover Financial Services to settle an antitrust suit. In 2004, Discover Financial Services filed a lawsuit against MasterCard and Visa saying they had harmed its business by preventing their member banks from issuing credit cards for Discover’s network.
Ex-Adams and Reese Partner Has $2 Million Bond Revoked
A judge has ordered that James Perdigao, a former Adams and Reese partner charged with bilking some $30 million from the firm’s client trust account, stay in jail after FBI agents arrested him again for hacking the firm’s computer network to download documents. Perdigao was first arrested in 2004 on mail fraud charges and agreed to cooperate with the feds. The case took a turn for the bizarre when Perdigao claimed prosecutors were conspiring against him because he had politically sensitive information.
Gibson Dunn Adds Bankruptcy Trio From Kramer Levin
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher has recruited three bankruptcy partners from Kramer, Levin, Naftalis & Frankel. David Feldman, the former co-head of Kramer Levin’s distressed and special situations lending practice, will join Gibson Dunn as co-chair of the business restructuring and reorganization practice. Eric Wise and Matthew Williams are also joining as partners from Kramer Levin.
6th Circuit Finds Tennessee Wine Law Unconstitutional, Sends Back for Remedy
The 6th Circuit has ruled that Tennessee’s wine industry law contains unconstitutional discriminatory restrictions on winery license requirements, but sent the case back to the trial judge to fashion an appropriate remedy. In addition, the court did uphold the state’s prohibition on selling and shipping wine directly to Tennessee consumers, whether by in-state or out-of-state wine sellers. The case is one of several challenges that grew out of a 2005 U.S. Supreme Court decision.
Judge Calls Morgan Lewis’ Actions a Bid to Thwart Informal Discovery
A New York judge has barred Morgan, Lewis & Bockius from representing four employees of a hospital the law firm is defending against an employment discrimination claim, ruling that the firm’s offer of free services to the potential witnesses constituted an improper attempt to thwart discovery. The decision demonstrates the lack of clarity regarding when a corporate defendant may provide an employee with counsel, preventing the plaintiff’s counsel from communicating directly with the employee.
Will Expletives at the Supreme Court Also Ring Out on C-SPAN?
The tender ears of the Supreme Court justices, and the audience in the courtroom, will be subjected to raw expletives on Tuesday during oral argument in the so-called “fleeting expletives” case. And now C-SPAN, as it does several times each term, has requested permission to air audio of the argument within minutes of its conclusion — raising the question of whether C-SPAN itself will run afoul of the Federal Communications Commission policy at issue in the case by broadcasting the same offending words.