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Entertainment-Owen Wilson    
McCartney Divorce Getting Nastier -  2006 08-24   
Entertainment-Brooke Shields-Tom Cruise has apologized 2006-09-04
Entertainment Secret Service agents arrested NBA player Lonny Baxter 2006-08-16    
Tom Cruise-Four-month-old Suri Cruise made her public debut 2006-09-06

	• Section Front

•  Sago Survivor Sues Mine Companies The lone survivor of the Sago Mine disaster and the families of two victims filed lawsuits against mine owner International Coal Group and five other companies.  More...

•  Sextuplets Hoax Pair Gets Probation
•  JonBenet Cops Tipped To Karr In 2001
•  Vegas Strikes A Blow To Spontaneity
•  Student Loan ID Data Breached

 

	• Section Front

 

•  Kidnappers Loved The Koran & Cartoons Being a hostage in Iraq was an experience full of contradictions, somewhat like the two things Jill Carroll's guards liked to watch on TV: the Koran channel and Tom & Jerry cartoons. This is Part IX of her story.  More...

•  American Hostage Released In Nigeria
•  Kurds Confront Saddam In Court
•  U.S. Says Iran Offer Falls Short
•  Pakistan's Legacy Of Jihad

 

Legal News STORIES - August 23, 2006

August 23, 2006

•  Dutch Arrest 12 From U.S. Airliner Police arrested 12 passengers who were reportedly behaving suspiciously on a U.S. airline flight that two Dutch F-16's escorted back to Amsterdam. An official said crew members observed passengers trying to use cell phones as the plane took off.  More...

•  Existing Home Sales Plunge
•  Group Claims Kidnap Of Fox Journalists
•  Company Touts Stem-Cell Breakthrough
•  New 'Survivor' A Race Among Races

August 23, 2006	• Section Front

•  JonBenet Suspect's Relatives Make Deal John Mark Karr's relatives offered the movie and book rights to the family's story in hopes of hiring a high-level attorney to defend the schoolteacher against charges he killed 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey 10 years ago.  More...

•  'Thrilled' About Barbaro's Progress
•  Bush: Katrina Repair Will Take Time
•  2,500 Marines Face Involuntary Recall
•  Death Penalty Sought In Cannibal Case
 

August 23, 2006	• Section Front

•  Britain Releases Terror Plot Suspect British authorities investigating an alleged plot to blow up U.S.-bound jetliners released a man with no charges, police said. No further action will be taken against the man, police said, but 10 other people remain in custody.  More...

•  Kurds Confront Saddam In Court
•  Pakistan's Legacy Of Jihad
•  Dutch Arrest 12 From U.S. Airliner

Politics August 22, 2006 

E-Discovery Zero Hour Approaches The National Law Journal As the new Federal Rules of Civil Procedure draw ever closer, "everybody is a little terrified," according to a law firm partner. Particular fear greets Rule 26(f), which requires that parties address the preservation of electronic information 21 days before their first scheduling conference. The upshot: Lawyers need to get organized and help clients corral electronic information pronto. From building "response teams" to learning to think and speak tech, the time to ramp up on e-discovery is now or never. Visit Legal Technology
August 23, 2006

Chief Justices Sound Alarm on Judicial Elections Legal Times Voicing "grave concern" over increasingly partisan and costly campaigns, the nation's state chief justices are launching a campaign to emphasize the "unique nature" of judicial elections. "It's the money, it's the judicial questionnaires, it's a whole constellation of things happening now that don't advance the public's confidence in the courts," says Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Randall Shepard, outgoing chairman of the Conference of Chief Justices, which voted on the measures early this month.

August 23, 2006
Quattrone, Prosecutors Reach Deal to Avoid Third Trial New York Law Journal Frank Quattrone reached a deal with the government Tuesday that will spare him a third criminal trial and allow him to resume his lucrative investment banking career. Under a deferred prosecution agreement approved by Southern District of New York Judge George B. Daniels, Quattrone was not forced to admit any wrongdoing, serve jail time or pay a fine. The charges against him will be dropped in one year if he complies with the rules and conditions of the agreement.

August 22, 2006

•  Airline Terror Plot Suspects In Court Eleven suspects accused in the alleged plot to blow up U.S.-bound airliners arrived in court in London for their first appearance before a judge on terrorism charges. Police have also offered unprecedented details about the probe.  More...

•  Karr To Face Judge
•  World Awaits Iran's Answer On Nukes
•  Cops Nab Fugitive Suspected Of 2 Slays
•  N. Korea Threatens Preemptive Attack
 

August 22, 2006	• Section Front

•  Karr To Face Judge John Mark Karr, the suspect in the murder of JonBenet Ramsey, will make his first of many expected court appearances Tuesday when he goes before a judge in California and decides whether to fight extradition to Colorado.  More...

•  N.O. Mayor: Red Tape Slows Rebuilding
•  Cops Nab Fugitive Suspected Of 2 Slays
•  Judge Drops One Charge Against Padilla
•  Prisoner Shoots Deputy At Courthouse

August 22, 2006	• Section Front

•  World Awaits Iran's Answer On Nukes Iran said it will meet a self-imposed deadline later Tuesday to formally respond to a Western incentives package aimed at persuading it to suspend its uranium enrichment program  More...

•  Airline Terror Plot Suspects In Court
•  N. Korea Threatens Preemptive Attack
•  Olmert Tries To Defuse Anger Over War
•  8 Accused Of Sri Lanka Terror Support

August 22, 2006	• Section Front

•  Bush: War 'Straining' American Psyche President Bush said the Iraq war is "straining the psyche of our country" but leaving now would be a disaster. The president vowed not to flinch from debate about the unpopular war during the fall congressional elections.   More...

•  Calendar May Offer Key CIA Leak Clue
•  Gerald Ford Receives Pacemaker
•  Obama To Take AIDS Test In Africa
•  New Ads' Aim: Stop Kid Web Predators
 

D.C. Federal Judge Slams Lawyers for Role in Hiding Tobacco Risks Legal Times Judge Gladys Kessler's scorn for the tobacco industry was evident in last week's 1,742-page opinion, which found cigarette makers and trade groups had conspired to hide the truth about smoking's health effects for more than 50 years. She also focused her wrath on in-house counsel and outside law firms, which she said directed research in favor of the industry, destroyed documents and "took shelter behind baseless assertions of attorney client privilege." Her opinion singled out three firms in particular. Visit In-House Counsel
August 22, 2006

Cooley Godward and Kronish Lieb Agree to Merge New York Law Journal Leading Silicon Valley law firm Cooley Godward has agreed to merge with New York litigation boutique Kronish Lieb Weiner & Hellman to create a national firm of 550 lawyers, effective Oct. 1. Although the 440-lawyer Cooley has made no secret of its merger ambitions and its quest for a substantial New York presence, Kronish Lieb is something of a surprise partner. The 110-lawyer firm has long been regarded as one of the city's most fiercely independent firms.
August 22, 2006

D.C. Federal Judge Slams Lawyers for Role in Hiding Tobacco Risks Legal Times Judge Gladys Kessler's scorn for the tobacco industry was evident in last week's 1,742-page opinion, which found cigarette makers and trade groups had conspired to hide the truth about smoking's health effects for more than 50 years. She also focused her wrath on in-house counsel and outside law firms, which she said directed research in favor of the industry, destroyed documents and "took shelter behind baseless assertions of attorney client privilege." Her opinion singled out three firms in particular. Visit In-House Counsel
August 22, 2006

Eight Ways to Bill for Litigation Support Special to Law.com Many billing options exist for the myriad tasks that meet under the umbrella of litigation support. While it's clear that services such as data processing and high-tech trial presentation are critical, James McKenna, Morrison & Foerster's firmwide litigation technology manager, tackles the difficult question of "What's the best way to bill for litigation support?" McKenna weighs eight different alternatives for making billing a manageable matter. Visit Legal Technology
August 22, 2006

Major Legal Reforms Expected to Bring Wave of New Lawyers in Japan The Associated Press In the most sweeping reform of Japan's legal system since World War II, the doors are opening for a flood of new lawyers, prosecutors and judges to handle criminal and civil cases in an increasingly litigious society. Experts say the reforms are long overdue and underscore a shift in social attitudes that is forcing Japan to change its policy of keeping the public out of the courts and the number of lawyers low -- about one for every 5,790 people, compared with one for every 268 in the United States.

August 22, 2006
Ex-Judge's Conviction Gets Bumped to a Misdemeanor The Recorder Five months after a California appellate court refused to reverse his conviction for fixing traffic tickets, former Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge William Danser got some good news. Retired Santa Cruz Judge William Kelsay, who presided over Danser's criminal trial in 2004, agreed to reduce the ex-judge's felony conspiracy conviction to a misdemeanor and tossed the rest of his probation. Danser's attorney said last week that his client hasn't decided whether he will return to the legal profession.

August 22, 2006
Miami Federal Judge Tosses Lead Charge in Padilla Terror Conspiracy Case Daily Business Review A Miami federal judge on Monday threw out the lead count of a conspiracy indictment against Jose Padilla and two co-defendants in the latest setback for the government in its bid to prosecute the trio as terror supporters. The defense team in the case successfully characterized the first count of the indictment, alleging "a conspiracy to murder, kidnap, and maim persons in a foreign country," as multiplicitous of the second and third counts in the indictment.

August 22, 2006
8th Circuit: Ban on Sexy Highway Billboards Is Unconstitutional The Associated Press A two-year-old state law banning sexually suggestive billboards along Missouri highways is unconstitutional, a federal appeals court panel ruled Monday. The 8th Circuit overturned a ruling from earlier this year that found banning such billboards within a mile of state highways was a constitutional regulation of commercial speech. The law sought to reduce the possible negative effects posed by sexually suggestive billboards, including harming minors, reducing traffic safety and dropping property values.

August 18, 2006-Evening

•  JonBenet Suspect's Lurid E-Mail Trail Correspondence believed to be between John Mark Karr and a professor reveal a disturbing portrait of a man obsessed with JonBenet Ramsey. In one email he wrote a poem named "JonBenet, My Love" and in another he sympathized with Michael Jackson.  More...

•  Bush Stands By Wiretap Program
•  Ford Announces Plant Shutdowns
•  College: Coming Up With A Short List
•  Jill Carroll On Mujahadeen Movies
 

August 18, 2006-Evening

•  The 'New Normal' For Flying Security at American airports remains at a heightened level in the wake of the foiled plot to blow up U.S.-bound jets with liquid explosives. But some experts say the U.S. needs to reassess the whole manner in which its skies are guarded.   More...

•  College: Coming Up With A Short List
•  Thai Police Back Off JonBenet Claims
•  JonBenet Suspect's Lurid E-Mail Trail
•  Candymakers Spot Chocolate Virgin Mary

August 18, 2006-Evening

•  Report: Haditha Evidence Destroyed Marines being investigated in the killings of two dozen Iraqis appear to have destroyed or withheld evidence, a newspaper reports. Pages from an official logbook were missing, and an incriminating video was not initially given to investigators.  More...

•  Jill Carroll On Mujahadeen Movies
•  West Bank Pullout On Hold
•  Air Terror Mastermind In Afghanistan?
•  Brother: Fidel Castro Is Recovering

August 18, 2006-Evening

•  Bush Stands By Wiretap Program President Bush said he "strongly disagrees" with a federal judge's ruling that his administration's warrantless wiretapping program was unconstitutional and should be shut down.  More...

•  Lamont Confident He Can Broaden Base
•  Running Fast & Furious In Missouri
•  Sharpton Warns Against 'Gangsterism'
•  Court: Former CIA Worker Beat Detainee

August 18, 2006-Evening

•  Braving An HIV Test WebMD explains why HIV testing is better these days and provides tips for getting a test — including when and where to go, what a test is like, and what to expect when the results come in.  More...

•  Lots Of Drinks, Drugs At Teen Parties
•  More Support For Breastfeeding Urged
•  Fewer Vietnam Vets Suffer From PTSD
•  No Monetary Penalty For Big Tobacco

August 18, 2006-Evening

•  Apple Gives OK To Chinese iPod Plant Apple Computer says its investigation into claims of poor conditions at a Chinese iPod factory found no forced labor but revealed workers were exceeding the company's limits on hours and days to be worked per week.  More...

•  Smog Blog Takes Flight
•  7,500 Miles On $5 In Gas, Veggie Oil
•  Hate Those Pesky Geese? Grab Your Gun
•  NASA OKs Asteroids Study

August 18, 2006-Evening

•  It's A 'Material' World For The Duffs Mega-stars Hilary and Haylie are together on the big screen for the first time in "Material Girls." They tell Tracy Smith that having each other on the set was a blast.  More...

•  Paris Hilton Knows What People Want
•  Manilow To Undergo Hip Surgery
•  Bollywood's 'Goodbye' Sets Records
•  Bianca Ryan's 'Got Talent'

August 18, 2006-Evening

•  Amateur Hour? The National Review Online thinks Judge Anna Diggs-Taylor is totally wrong with her ruling that the Terrorist Surveillance Programs is unlawful.  More...

•  A Judge Says No To King George
•  JonBenet Killing Is Far From Solved
•  Re-Stressed-Out Vets?
•  Troops And Hoops

August 21, 2006-
Calif. Judicial Commission Beans Baseball-Watching Judge The Recorder The California Commission on Judicial Performance last week publicly admonished a judge who delayed a murder trial verdict so he could attend a baseball game. The commission found that Superior Court Judge Paul Zellerbach "failed to give his judicial duties preference" when he left a jury deliberating a double homicide case to watch the playoff. The judge told commissioners he didn't expect the jury to return so quickly.
August 21, 2006-
Affirmance, Reversal and the NSA Wiretap Case Special to Law.com Now that the 6th Circuit is slated to hear an appeal stemming from a Detroit federal judge's finding that the president's wiretapping program is unconstitutional, the spotlight is again on the issue of how much a trial court opinion influences the odds of affirmance or reversal. Attorney Howard Bashman examines the factors that go into predicting the outcome of an appellate proceeding, and offers predictions on how the next phase of litigation over the National Security Agency surveillance will shake out.

August 21, 2006-
Judge Overturns $10M Verdict Against Iraq War Contractor in Fraud Case The Associated Press A federal judge has overturned a $10 million jury award -- the first civil fraud verdict arising from the Iraq war -- against a military contractor accused of defrauding the U.S. government. U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III ruled that any fraud by Custer Battles was perpetrated against the provisional authority formed to run Iraq until a government was established, and that the trial evidence failed to show that the U.S. government was the victim, even though U.S. taxpayers ultimately footed the bill.

August 21, 2006-
Judge Given Four-Year Prison Sentence for Indecent Exposure The Associated Press Former Oklahoma judge Donald Thompson was sent to prison for four years for exposing himself by using a sexual device while presiding over jury trials. Special Judge C. Allen McCall also ordered that Thompson pay a $40,000 fine. Thompson's former court reporter testified at his trial that she saw Thompson expose himself during trials at least 15 times between 2001 and 2003. Prosecutors said he used a device known as a penis pump during four trials between 2002 and 2003. August 21, 2006-

August 18, 2006

•  Who Is John Mark Karr? Murder suspect John Mark Karr awaits expulsion to the U.S., where questions mount over whether his stunning confession to the slaying of JonBenet Ramsey was that of a killer or merely someone obsessed with the case. Just who is this former teacher?  More...

•  College: Coming Up With A Short List
•  West Bank Pullout On Hold
•  Report: Haditha Evidence Destroyed
•  Jill Carroll On Mujahadeen Movies

August 18, 2006

•  College: Coming Up With A Short List Horror stories of anxious students' applying to 20 schools or more are commonplace, but a recent survey of 600 high-achieving high school seniors found that the average number of colleges they applied to was just under four.  More...

•  Who Is John Mark Karr?
•  Candymakers Spot Chocolate Virgin Mary
•  JonBenet Confession Under Scrutiny
•  No Monetary Penalty For Big Tobacco

August 18, 2006

•  Air Terror Mastermind In Afghanistan? A Pakistani official told the U.S. military that an al Qaeda operative who masterminded the alleged London airline bomb plot is believed to be hiding in the mountains of Afghanistan.  More...

•  West Bank Pullout On Hold
•  Report: Haditha Evidence Destroyed
•  Jill Carroll On Mujahadeen Movies
•  S. Korea: No Sign North Testing Nukes
 

August 18, 2006

• Lamont Confident He Can Broaden Base Despite a poll showing him behind Sen. Joe Lieberman, Connecticut Democratic candidate Ned Lamont says he can also draw support from moderates, independents and Republicans. The poll showed independent Lieberman leading Lamont 53 percent to 41.  More...

•  Running Fast & Furious In Missouri
•  Sharpton Warns Against 'Gangsterism'
•  Court: Former CIA Worker Beat Detainee
•  U.S. Judge Nixes Warrantless Wiretaps
 

August 18, 2006	• Section Front

•  Paris Hilton Knows What People Want Paris Hilton says hanging out in nightclubs all over the world has taught her what music people like best.  More...

•  Bollywood's 'Goodbye' Sets Records
•  Bianca Ryan's Got Talent
•  Osment Charged With Drunk Driving
•  Gibson Gets Three Years Probation

August 18, 2006	• Section Front

•  JonBenet Killing Is Far From Solved We've been teased and tantalized with so-called facts about the death of JonBenet Ramsey. But despite the startling confession made by John Mark Karr, don't expect any real clarity soon, says Andrew Cohen.  More...

Asbestos Plaintiffs Firm Pins Hopes on an RV From eBay The Recorder Simona Farrise, a name partner at an asbestos plaintiffs firm, likes to go bargain-hunting on eBay and at garage sales. "Other people's junk makes for very good evidence," says Farrise, whose finds have included a 60-year-old occupational safety manual that she used as evidence that American auto companies long ago knew the dangers of asbestos exposure. Now Farrise may have scored her best piece of evidence yet -- a 1973 Dodge Fargo motor home with some original factory-installed parts, bought on eBay. Visit the Employment Law Practice Center-August 18, 2006 • SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED
August 18, 2006

Federal Judge Rules Tobacco Firms Deceived Smokers and Violated Racketeering Laws The Associated Press A D.C. federal judge ruled Thursday that cigarette makers violated racketeering laws, deceiving the public about the health hazards of smoking, but said she couldn't order them to pay the billions of dollars the government had sought, due to an appeals court ruling that said remedies must be forward-looking, rather than penalties for past actions. However, the companies -- except for one, Liggett Group -- were ordered to pay the government's cost for pursuing the suit, estimated to top $140 million. August 18, 2006

Merck Suffers Two Setbacks as It Defends Vioxx Lawsuits The Associated Press Merck & Co. was stung with two major legal setbacks over the withdrawn painkiller Vioxx on Thursday when a federal jury in New Orleans ordered the drugmaker to pay $51 million to a heart attack victim, and a state judge in New Jersey overturned a November verdict favoring the company. Merck said it would appeal the New Orleans verdict and was considering its options in the New Jersey case. Merck still faces more than 16,000 Vioxx-related suits in state and federal courts. August 18, 2006