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Ortiz is first female, first Hispanic U.S. attorney for Massachusetts
The U.S. Senate has confirmed Boston prosecutor Carmen Milagros Ortiz as the first Hispanic and first woman U.S. attorney for the District of Massachusetts. Ortiz was nominated by President Barack Obama on Sept. 17 and confirmed by the Senate on Nov. 6.
EEOC says age bias complaints declining after all; litigators dubious
The sky really isn't falling for older workers — at least not according to fresh data on age discrimination. The EEOC said Friday that it is preparing to release statistics indicating that age discrimination complaints declined by 7% in 2009. That would contradict the expectations of most labor lawyers, given heavy job losses, and an earlier forecast by the agency itself.
Professor withdraws lawsuit against 'Above the Law'
University of Miami School of Law professor Donald Marvin Jones has withdrawn a lawsuit accusing the legal blog Above the Law of publishing a "viciously racist series of rants" after reporting the professor's arrest for suspicion of soliciting prostitution.
D.C. Court of Appeals resurrects cell phone radiation cases
In a ruling that has grabbed the attention of the product liability and telecommunications bars, the D.C. Court of Appeals last week revived a series of lawsuits by individuals who say they were harmed by cell phone radiation, reversing a lower court decision that found the claims were blocked by federal law.
Winston & Strawn hosts a newsroom in its Chicago headquarters
The attorneys in Winston & Strawn's Chicago headquarters got some new officemates this week: the reporters and editors of the Chicago News Cooperative, a fledgling journalism venture that's creating a stir in news circles. The firm is donating office space and legal advice to the startup during its launch.
Legal consultant criticizes ACC's law firm rating index
An Association of Corporate Counsel law firm rating system unveiled last month has triggered a lot of interest from the association's in-house lawyer members, who have submitted 1,500 firm reviews. Lawyers at firms are less enthused.
Michigan lawyer tries a technicality to undo foreclosures
A proposed class action challenging the way foreclosures were carried out in Wayne County, Mich., has been filed in federal court on behalf of 46 Detroit-area residents, most of whom have already lost their homes to foreclosure. They allege that their foreclosures — and potentially hundreds of thousands more — were illegal because the county sheriff did not conduct the foreclosure auctions lawfully.
In latest venue dispute ruling, Delaware court transfers part of patent case to Texas
A Delaware federal judge's transfer of part of a patent infringement case involving software giant Microsoft Corp. to the Eastern District of Texas is the latest example of the federal courts' shifting approach to patent litigation venue battles. The decision is also notable in that the Eastern District of Texas, known as a plaintiff-friendly venue, has itself recently started to transfer cases to other venues in compliance with recent federal appellate decisions.
Florida joins plaintiffs challenging online travel tax collections
The bandwagon of local governments suing online travel companies for withholding hotel room occupancy taxes that the governments insist they are owed just got a little more crowded. The Florida attorney general filed suit Tuesday against Expedia and Orbitz, as did six Florida counties in a separate action, over the calculation and distribution of local taxes on hotel rooms booked through online travel sites.
Suits allege builder, lender and appraiser schemed to inflate housing prices
Homeowners in multiple states are suing over alleged housing price inflation by three companies — a lender, a builder and appraiser. And there may be more, according to Tom Loeser, whose firm Hagens Berman has filed suits on behalf of homeowners against KB Home, Countrywide Financial and LandSafe Appraisal Services.
Boston U.S. Attorney's Office settles health care fraud suit for $112M
The thriving health care fraud unit at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts racked up a $112 million settlement of kickback charges against nursing home pharmacy Omnicare Inc. and manufacturer IVAX Pharmaceuticals Inc on Nov 3.
Senate grills 'piracy czar' nominee
The nominee for a top intellectual property job faced questions from senators Wednesday about how the Obama administration will fight piracy even as it favors minimal restrictions on the Internet. The Senate Judiciary Committee also heard from four nominees for federal judgeships, including Louis Butler Jr., a former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice who drew nationwide attention when his 2008 opponent ran a TV ad involving a sex offender.
U.S. Supreme Court database will extend to 1792
A group of law schools will help expand an online U.S. Supreme Court database so that it reaches back to the court's first recorded decision in 1792. The schools received an $874,000 National Science Foundation grant in September to begin the four-year project, which will add 19,675 cases to a database that now extends from the Court's 1953 term through 2008, said Lee Epstein, a professor at Northwestern University School of Law.
Restaurant chain settles claims of discrimination against men
Lawry's Restaurants Inc. has agreed to pay more than $1 million to settle a sex discrimination class action brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over the company's hiring of only women for food server positions.
Diligence pays off for plaintiffs' attorneys in Wal-Mart wage-and-hour case
A federal judge granted final approval to a settlement under which Wal-Mart will pay between $65 million and $85 million to resolve 39 consolidated wage-and-hour class actions involving more than 3 million Wal-Mart employees — the largest wage-and-hour class on record.
'Obama girl' and Ralph Stanley star in video for Kentucky lawyer seeking appointment
Kentucky Social Security attorney Eric Conn has enlisted "Obama girl" Internet celebrity Amber Ettinger and bluegrass singer Ralph Stanley for his YouTube campaign to be named to the Social Security Advisory Board. Members of the board are appointed by the president.
Supreme Court cautious in question of regulating mutual fund fees
The U.S. Supreme Court appeared wary Monday of second-guessing the fees that mutual funds pay to the investment advisers who run them during oral arguments in Jones v. Harris Associates, a closely watched case that could have major impact on the fee structure in the nation's $10 trillion mutual fund industry.
Law prof sues 'Above the Law' site for 'viciously racist series of rants'
It's the kind of story that tends to get big play on legal blog Above the Law: A prominent law professor and civil rights advocate arrested on suspicion of soliciting an undercover officer for sex. The only problem was that it didn't happen that way, and the blog's coverage veered into racism, according to a federal lawsuit filed by the professor.
CDC's H1N1 advice gives employers cause for concern
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has employers feeling a little queasy over its latest H1N1 flu recommendation: Let employees return to work without a doctor's note.
