Posts on ‘March 4th, 2009’
Fla. Couple Delays Suit After Drywall Manufacturer Offers Inspection
A Florida couple who complained that the drywall in their home was toxic will wait to file a lawsuit against two U.S. drywall companies after one of them came forward and offered to inspect their home, their attorney said Monday. Brenda and George Brincku claim that metal objects in their home have corroded because of sulphur gas discharged by wallboard that is not 100 percent gypsum.
McDermott’s Change in Coffee Perks Has Some Lawyers Steaming
McDermott, Will & Emery recently brewed up a tempest in a coffee pot when it announced it would no longer provide free joe in its 45th floor lobby. Java would still be available gratis on attorney floors and to clients in the 44th floor reception area — but the single-floor cutback raised ire at even top levels, with one partner e-mailing others that the change “sends a message of desperation.”
McKenna Snags Howard Dean for Government Affairs Practice
McKenna Long & Aldridge has landed Howard B. Dean III, the former Vermont governor, Democratic presidential candidate and chairman of the Democratic National Committee, for its national government affairs practice. Dean will work out of the firm’s Washington, D.C., office as an independent consultant, providing clients with “big picture” counseling, said practice head Eric J. Tanenblatt. McKenna has also added 17 attorneys from a real estate boutique to its Los Angeles office.
Second Appeal Denied in $54 Million Lawsuit Over Judge’s Pants
A Washington, D.C., appeals court has denied a request for a second hearing for a former judge who sued a dry cleaner for $54 million over a lost pair of pants. Roy Pearson Jr.’s final option is to request a hearing before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Parents Denied Right to Dead Son’s Sperm
More than a decade after a fatally ill man deposited his sperm at a tissue bank, a New York appeals court has rebuffed the plea of his parents to use the sperm for conception of a grandchild, clearing the way for the destruction of the sample. The panel held that Mark Speranza’s parents’ proposal to use their dead son’s semen to artificially impregnate a surrogate would “fundamentally violate” state health regulations, which require sperm donors to be screened before their specimens are donated to the public.
9th Circuit Rules Vatican Can Be Sued Over Abuse
Finding abuse to be an exception to the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, the 9th Circuit ruled on Tuesday that victims of sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests can sue the Vatican even though it is considered a sovereign nation.
Federal Judge to Hear Conflict Claims in Madoff Case
A hearing is scheduled for today on federal prosecutors’ claim that the attorney for Bernard Madoff, Ira Sorkin of Dickstein Shapiro, is laboring under a conflict of interest in his representation of the accused operator of a multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme. If New York federal Judge Leonard Sand finds an actual conflict, he will then go on to inquire whether Madoff would waive any rights to claim that the conflict affected the quality of his defense.