Posts on ‘February 20th, 2009’

A judge incorrectly dismissed several insurance companies from a lawsuit accusing insurers of overbilling the federal government for Hurricane Katrina’s flood damage in Louisiana, a federal appeals court has ruled. Wednesday’s ruling by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans only revives part of the case that lawyers for a group of purported “whistleblowers” filed against eight insurers and six adjusting firms after the August 2005 storm.

The Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego has hosted a long list of dignitaries, including 11 U.S. presidents and royalty from at least 10 countries. The seaside resort was scheduled to welcome the partners of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld in April. But, given tough times, the firm canceled its partner retreat. Now, the hotel has filed a breach of contract suit, claiming it is entitled to $385,950 in liquidated damages for, among other things, “877 sleeping room nights” that were set aside for the firm.

Two of Connecticut’s largest firms have confirmed staff cutbacks in the face of a tightening economy, with the brunt falling on secretaries and other office workers. At Day Pitney, co-managing partner James Sicilian confirmed that 66 staff members firmwide were laid off Thursday. David Sturgess, at Updike Kelly, said his firm has laid off three secretaries and two first-year lawyers in the Hartford office. Sturgess noted that his firm’s layoffs “were definitely not performance-related decisions.”

The D.C. Circuit is giving the Obama administration one week to determine whether to press ahead with President George W. Bush’s claim that his former aides are absolutely immune to congressional subpoenas. That leaves the Obama administration little time to decide whether to oppose a lower court’s ruling that former White House counsel Harriet Miers and Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten must show up to congressional hearings investigating the firings of nine U.S. Attorneys.

In a decision drawing parallels to a key 2002 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, a federal judge has found that three provisions of the Wisconsin Code of Judicial Conduct violate the First Amendment in restricting the speech of judicial candidates. Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge John Siefert sued last year seeking to overturn the provisions, which prevented him from affiliating with the Democratic Party, endorsing candidates for other political offices or soliciting contributions for his own campaign.

After five round-the-clock days of legislative horse trading and stalemates, California’s judicial leaders scored two key political victories Thursday as state lawmakers finally closed a $40 billion budget deficit. Among the three-dozen bills legislators sent to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s desk to handle the shortfall was language that lets counties continue paying extra benefits to local judges, and authorization to build or rehabilitate 41 courthouses with $5 billion in bond money.

Someone is always listening. Especially on the train. That’s the lesson for Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, which said Thursday it will conduct layoffs after the Above the Law blog reported an anonymous tipster’s detailed description of a loud cell phone conversation in a public place between two senior managers regarding the reductions. Robert Robbins, head of the corporate and securities practice, reportedly named out loud some of the 15 to 20 attorneys the firm is talking about laying off by the end of March.

A Texas judicial commission filed proceedings Thursday against the presiding judge of the state’s highest criminal court, charging her with cutting off appeals for a condemned inmate on the night of his execution. The commission’s action could result in Judge Sharon Keller’s removal from office. Convicted killer Michael Richard was put to death on Sept. 25, 2007, after Keller ordered a clerk to close the court’s office promptly at 5 p.m. Defense lawyers had asked that the office stay open an extra 20 minutes for a late appeal.

Bank of America Chief Executive Ken Lewis has received a subpoena from the New York state attorney general’s office in connection with Merrill Lynch’s payment of employee bonuses before the companies combined on Jan. 1. Former Merrill CEO John Thain, who was subpoenaed last month, also was questioned by investigators on Thursday about the bonuses that were paid in late December, just days before Bank of America completed its purchase of New York-based Merrill.

A former Virginia assistant attorney general who found a foreign bride through the Internet and lost a custody battle for their child because of alleged domestic abuse has won a First Amendment argument in a Washington state appeals court. A three-judge panel ruled on Wednesday that a family court order prohibiting former Assistant Attorney General Anthony P. Meredith from contacting any government agency regarding his ex-wife’s immigration status was an unlawful prior restraint on his free speech rights.