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Legal News Archive For
January, 2010

“Drew's Law” Allows the Dead to Testify

Added: 2010-01-29 16:09:41

Joliet, IL—Witnesses will testify Tuesday on behalf of a deceased woman, under a new state law that will allow the admission of hearsay evidence in certain cases. The law was passed in 2007 by the Illinois Legislature, and some suggest that it was specifically passed in order to convict Drew P...

Arenas To Face Felony Gun Charge After Locker Room Incident

Added: 2010-01-28 12:52:58

An NBA player who brought weapons into his team's locker room in December has been charged with a felony. In the now-infamous incident, Washington Wizards point guard Gilbert Arenas brought a gun into the locker room, later claiming that it was meant as a joke. Arenas had allegedly been involved...

Sweat Lodge Deaths Not Due to Negligence, Say Lawyers

Added: 2010-01-27 09:07:11

Phoenix, Arizona—Lawyers for the man accused of negligence in the case of three Sedona, Arizona sweat lodge deaths say that their client had no reason to believe that anyone would die during the ceremony. James Arthur Ray, a self-help guru who claims to assist others in achieving spiritual fr...

Execs, Employees Netted in FBI Sting, Accused of Bribery

Added: 2010-01-26 14:17:20

Twenty-two people who work as suppliers to military and law enforcement authorities have been arrested on charges of bribery and corruption. All but one of the executives and other employees were nabbed as they arrived in Las Vegas for a convention, the 2010 Shooting, Hunting & Outdoor Trade...

FBI Acted Illegally, Says the Justice Department's Inspector General

Added: 2010-01-25 10:36:37

An investigation conducted by the Justice Department, the results of which were published last Wednesday, concluded that the FBI broke the law on many occasions between April 2003 and November 2006 when it monitored phone calls and other forms of telecommunication. As part of federal counterterror...

Chain of Yoga Centers Called “Cult,” Sued By Former Employees

Added: 2010-01-22 10:33:38

A popular chain of yoga and wellness centers, founded by a South Korean businessman who has gained a widespread and devoted following, has recently been the target of a lawsuit. The suit, filed in Arizona's federal court by more than two dozen plaintiffs, calls Dahn Yoga a “cult” and its lea...

Former NBA Player Cuts Plea Deal In Shooting Case

Added: 2010-01-21 10:04:29

The New Jersey Attorney General's Office has announced that former NBA star Jayson Williams has made a plea deal in the fatal shooting of his chauffeur. Williams was originally charged with eight counts, including one of aggravated manslaughter, and stood trial in 2004. He was acquitted of three...

Fort Hood Shooter Promoted Despite Poor Performance, Radical Views

Added: 2010-01-20 09:53:20

According to information obtained by the Defense Department, the Army major accused of having gone on a shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas had caused concern among his superiors. Major Nidal Hasan, a psychiatrist who shot and killed 13 people on the Army base in November, had received positive...

Indictment Against Two Ex-Blackwater Security Guards Includes Murder Charge

Added: 2010-01-19 10:37:33

Two arrests were made on Thursday in the controversial Blackwater case, in which two Afghan men were shot and killed, and a third wounded, during a traffic incident. The men who were arrested, Justin Cannon and Chris Drotleff, were security contractors with the company, which has since changed i...

Police Believe Missing Lottery Winner To Be Dead

Added: 2010-01-18 10:21:27

A man who won a multi-million dollar lottery prize—and who subsequently went missing—may be dead, say police. Abraham Shakespeare, a Florida truck driver, won $31 million in a lottery in 2006. A year later, he was embroiled in a court challenge with a coworker, who had accused Shakespeare, 4...

Teen, Guard Involved in Horseplay at Time of Guard's Death

Added: 2010-01-15 10:09:06

Cleveland, OH—Controversy still surrounds the death of a youth prison guard at the hands of an inmate, despite a plea deal having been struck. According to his lawyer, Hubert Morgan, 18, was allegedly wrestling or roughhousing with a guard at the facility, William Hesson. A blow to the abdomen...

Texts to Warn of Illegal Immigrant Roundups in Phoenix Area

Added: 2010-01-14 10:40:12

Phoenix, AZ—An advocate for the rights of illegal immigrants has instituted a texting notification system designed to let thousands of local residents known when crime sweeps are about to take place. Lydia Guzman is the director of a nonprofit group, Respect/Respeto, in Phoenix. She says that ...

Manhunt Ends; Fugitives Found Asleep in Shed After Murder

Added: 2010-01-13 09:49:15

Salt Lake City, UT—A drug dealer who fatally shot a Utah Sheriff's deputy, and who evaded a manhunt for the better part of a day, has been found asleep in a shed. Roberto Miramontes Roman, 37, is accused of fatally shooting Deputy Josie Greathouse Fox, also 37.. After witnessing a midnight mee...

Shooting Suspect Not Competent To Stand Trial

Added: 2010-01-12 10:17:51

Orlando, FL—A judge has ruled that the shooter who recently terrorized a downtown Orlando office building in November is not yet competent to stand trial. Instead, Jason Rodriguez will receive six months of mental health treatment, at the conclusion of which he will be reevaluated to determine hi...

Anti-Abortion Shooter Cannot Claim "Necessity Defense"

Added: 2010-01-11 15:36:03

Wichita, KS—The anti-abortion activist who shot a doctor to death last spring cannot use a “necessity defense” during his trial, a judge has rules. Scott Roeder, 51, has admitted that he gunned down Dr. George Tiller, the head of a women's clinic and one of the few doctors in the United Stat...

Civil Rights Case Attorney To Begin Own Sentence After Corruption Charges

Added: 2010-01-08 09:58:45

A lawyer who became famous in a landmark civil rights case has now become infamous for his participation in a corruption scandal. Bobby DeLaughter was instrumental in prosecuting Byron De La Beckwith, the Ku Klux Klan member who gunned down the NAACP leader Medgar Evers in 1963. DeLaughter, who...

Outback Steakhouse to Pay $19 Million To Settle “Glass Ceiling” Suit

Added: 2010-01-07 10:47:52

Denver, CO—The parent company of the popular steak restaurant chain Outback has agreed to a settlement in a sex discrimination class action suit. Hundreds of thousands of women were represented in the suit, which was brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in Colorado's f...

Father of Terror Suspect Raised Concerns With U.S. Embassy

Added: 2010-01-06 10:08:54

Washington—The father of a man who allegedly attempted to carry out a terrorist attack on board a Northwest flight spoke out with concerns about his son, according to a senior administration official. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, a Nigerian extremist, was able to board Northwest Airlines Fli...

NYU Employee Swindles School To the Tune of $400,000

Added: 2010-01-05 10:27:55

New York—A university employee who is accused of falsifying expense reports in order to steal over $400,000 has been arraigned on multiple charges. John Runowicz, 47, worked as an administrator for the chemistry department at New York University. He allegedly submitted requests for petty cash,...

Sentences Announced for Colorado “Balloon Boy” Parents

Added: 2010-01-04 10:14:03

Larimer County, Colorado—A couple who masterminded a publicity stunt involving their son and a giant homemade hot-air balloon will face jail time and probation, ordered a judge. Richard and Mayumi Heene, whose family had been on the popular ABC television program “Wife Swap,” and who were ...

Auschwitz Sign Found, Suspects Detained for Questioning

Added: 2010-01-01 10:46:59

Warsaw—Authorities in Poland have recovered a sign that had been stolen from the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp, and are holding several men for questioning in the theft. The sign, which is made of hollow steel and which reads “Arbeit Macht Frei,” translated as “Work Sets You Free...

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