Carlos Perez-Olivo’s disbarment was approved by New York’s Appellate Division last week. The approval came even though the only charges against Perez-Olivo were: Taking $20,500 from a client to appeal a conviction and then doing nothing (or not enough) to…
Attorney William Kaper of Barrington, Illinois, is suing his ex-wife in hopes of getting back a 5-carat, $98,000 diamond ring that he offered her as part of a proposal that he hoped would result in their second marriage. Kaper and…
Earlier this year I reported on an incident in Washington where a superior court judge had asked all those in the courtroom to shout "Go Seahawks" before being seated. (As you may or may not recall, the Seahawks were in…
Many's the time that we have debated the question whether it is possible to be "too drunk to litigate." This will not settle that debate, but it is one more piece of evidence. A judge in Las Vegas ordered a…
Judge Sidney Stein of the Southern District of New York dismissed a lawsuit last week alleging that police broke the law when they entered a man's Manhattan apartment without a warrant. The judge ruled that the situation, which involved "a…
Prosecutors in Lewistown, Pennsylvania, say they became suspicious of Jeffrey Riddell in March after they got a letter from him on behalf of a criminal defendant he was representing. Although it was written on letterhead, the letter was threatening and…
Also circulating this week, some really excellent work by Judge Gaines of the Maricopa County (AZ) Superior Court. This order resolves a dispute over the terms of a lunch meeting to discuss discovery issues by (among other things) ordering the…
Presented for your approval, Mr. George Swinger, Jr., a man clearly unhappy with the ruling in the trial court, and one for whom an even less happy result awaits on appeal. George Swinger’s Notice of Appeal (language warning, for those…
Phillip Distasio took a new and different approach to defending against pedophilia charges at his pretrial hearing in Cleveland this week. His defense: admit with pride that you are a pedophile. "I’m a pedophile," he told the judge on Wednesday. …
Thank you, Your Honor. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the great thing about our system of justice is that it allows you to hear both sides of the story and then decide. Now, the prosecutor has told you one…