Posts on ‘July 21st, 2009’

A hearing Friday marked the first time the process of expunging records for thousands of juveniles who appeared before a former judge embroiled in a Pennsylvania bribery scandal was discussed in open court. Though both the Juvenile Law Center in Philadelphia and the Luzerne County district attorney’s office agreed that the judge’s judgments should be vacated, the two sides sharply disagreed over what else could — or should — be done.

In a key opinion about mid-trial jury deliberations, the Massachusetts high court let stand a nearly $6.2 million judgment in a personal injury case, saying that the trial judge committed an error by allowing jurors to talk about evidence by themselves during a trial despite one side’s objection. But the opinion also upheld the judgment and said the judge’s decision to allow the juror discussions didn’t harm the defendant’s case.

Schnader Harrison has hired Salem Katsh as a partner in its New York intellectual property practice. Previously the chairman of the IP groups at Weil Gotshal and Shearman & Sterling, Katsh was the chair of the IP group at Kasowitz Benson from 2005 to 2006 before leaving to become a solo practitioner. After two-plus years on his own, Katsh said he “missed the camaraderie and collegiality of a law firm.”

Justice Department prosecutors unsealed an indictment Monday in federal district court in Manhattan targeting a “stunning and sophisticated” alleged drug trafficking operation in Mexico that is accused of pumping cocaine and marijuana into the United States. The indictment contains a $1 billion forfeiture demand. The State Department on Monday announced rewards of up to $50 million for information leading to the capture of 10 of the defendants.