Clear Channel, Lenders Resolve Dispute Over Buyout
May 14, 2008
Clear Channel Communications Inc. said late Tuesday it has resolved a legal dispute with its lenders, clearing the way for its prospective buyers to take the radio and outdoor advertising company private at a reduced price.
By Joseph Altman, Associated Press

MySpace Wins $230M Anti-Spam Judgment
May 14, 2008
A notorious "Spam King" and his partner now owe MySpace about $230 million in damages after a federal judge awarded the popular online hangout what is believed to be the largest anti-spam judgment ever.
By Rachel Metz, Associated Press

Texas Man Sentenced To Death For Killing Deputy
May 14, 2008
A man convicted of killing a Texas sheriff's deputy in a shootout at his house was sentenced to death Tuesday, just days after he was found guilty of capital murder.
Associated Press

Goldmans Put Stock In Assertion Of O.J. Confession
May 14, 2008
Ron Goldman's sister says she's inclined to believe a memorabilia dealer who says O.J. Simpson confessed to him that he killed his ex-wife and Goldman.
By John Rogers, Associated Press

Immigration Raid In Iowa Largest Ever In US
May 14, 2008
A federal immigration raid at a kosher meatpacking plant in northeast Iowa was the largest such operation in U.S. history, with nearly 400 people arrested, federal officials said Tuesday.
By Henry C. Jackson, Associated Press

Ohio Lawmakers Reject AG's Proposed Deal To Resign
May 14, 2008
Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann, under pressure from both parties to resign over sexual harassment by an aide and his own extramarital affair, tried to cut a deal Tuesday to leave office but failed, according to lawmakers.
By Andrew Welsh-Huggins, Associated Press

'Darth Vader' Spared Jail In Jedi Church Attacks
May 14, 2008
A man who dressed up as Darth Vader, wearing a garbage bag for a cape, and assaulted the founders of a group calling itself the Jedi church was given a suspended sentence Tuesday.
Associated Press

Jury Begins Deliberating In Fundraiser's Trial
May 14, 2008
Jurors began deliberations Tuesday in the corruption trial of political fundraiser Antoin "Tony" Rezko, accused of crimes a prosecutor says involved "the highest levels of power."
By Mike Robinson, Associated Press

New Indictment Against Barry Bonds Unsealed
May 14, 2008
Barry Bonds was charged in a new indictment Tuesday with 15 felony counts alleging he lied to a grand jury when he denied knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs and that he hampered the federal government's doping investigation.
By Paul Elias, Associated Press

Court Lets Prosecutor Remain On 'Alpha Dog' Case
May 13, 2008
California's highest court ruled that a prosecutor who helped in the making of "Alpha Dog" may remain on the death penalty case on which the film is based.
By Paul Elias, Associated Press

Second Sect Baby Born Into Texas State Custody
May 13, 2008
A mother taken from a polygamist sect and being held as a minor in state custody gave birth Monday to a baby boy who was immediately taken into child-protective custody.
By Michelle Roberts, Associated Press

Lawyer: 2 Will Admit Fraud Fueled Luxury Lifestyle
May 13, 2008
Presumably, she didn't fleece Prince Charles. But a couple of young jet-setters plan to admit in court that other people who crossed their paths unwittingly financed their luxury lifestyle.
By Maryclaire Dale, Associated Press

No Death Penalty In Case
May 13, 2008
Prosecutors said they would not seek the death penalty against four people charged with murdering the Washington Redskins star Sean Taylor because the accused shooter was a minor when the crime was committed.
Associated Press

Networks, AP Sue In South Dakota Over Exit Polling
May 13, 2008
The three major networks, CNN, Fox News and The Associated Press filed a lawsuit Monday asking a federal judge to strike down a South Dakota law that prevents exit polling within 100 feet of a voting place.
By Chet Brokaw, Associated Press

Jury Selection Starting In R. Kelly's Trial
May 12, 2008
Attorneys in R&B superstar R. Kelly's child pornography trial are expected to begin questioning 150 potential jurors on Monday and it's unlikely any of his fans will be chosen to hear the allegations against one of urban music's biggest stars.
By Michael Tarm, Associated Press

Families Will Make Case For Vaccine Link To Autism
May 12, 2008
The Institute of Medicine said in 2004 there was no credible evidence to show that vaccines containing the preservative thimerosal led to autism in children. But thousands of families have a different take based on personal experience.
By Kevin Freking, Associated Press

State Is Ready To Fight For Its Love Logo
May 12, 2008
In business, as in romance, familiarity often breeds, if not contempt, then indifference.
By Anthony Ramirez, The New York Times

Police In Gun Searches Face Disbelief In Court, But Few Consequences
May 12, 2008
After listening carefully to the two policemen, the judge had a problem: He did not believe them.
By Benjamin Weiser, The New York Times

FBI Withdraws Digital Library's National Security Letter
May 8, 2008
A nonprofit digital library has successfully fought an FBI attempt to seize information about one of its users, and is calling on other groups to challenge government agencies attempting to obtain online customer information without a judge's order.
By Paul Elias, Associated Press

Attorney Says Marine's Sentence For Killing Iraqi Reduced
May 8, 2008
The civilian lawyer for a Marine sentenced to 15 years in the brig for killing an Iraqi says his client's term has been reduced by four years.
By Thomas Watkins, Associated Press

Michigan High Court Says "No" To Gay Partner Benefits
May 8, 2008
A same-sex marriage ban prevents governments and universities in Michigan from providing health insurance to the partners of gay workers, the state Supreme Court ruled Wednesday.
By David Eggert, Associated Press

Group's Lawsuit Challenges NYPD's Stop-And-Frisk Policy
May 8, 2008
A civil liberties group sued Wednesday in a challenge to the NYPD's practice of stopping hundreds of thousands of people each year for questioning, saying it is racially biased.
By Larry Neumeister, Associated Press

Ohio Woman Gets At Least 30 years For Children's Fire Deaths
May 8, 2008
A woman who set a fire that killed her young son and baby daughter was sentenced to at least 30 years in prison on Wednesday.
Associated Press

Agreement Reached On Safety At Texas Juvenile Prison
May 8, 2008
A federal judge has approved a settlement between the Justice Department and the agency that oversees Texas juvenile prisons regarding the safety of inmates at one state facility.
Associated Press

More Than $11.5M Awarded To Florida Residents In Citrus Case
May 7, 2008
Florida owes more than $11.5 million to thousands of Broward County homeowners whose citrus trees were chopped down during a failed effort to control a harmful disease, a jury ruled.
Curt Anderson, Associated Press

Georgia Man Executed, Ending 7-Month Moratorium
May 7, 2008
A Georgia man who killed his live-in girlfriend was executed Tuesday, the first inmate put to death since the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of lethal injections.
By Shannon McCaffery, Associated Press

Kansas High Court Limits Grand Jury's Power In Abortion Case
May 7, 2008
The state's highest court Tuesday allowed a grand jury to keep investigating one of the few U.S. doctors who performs late-term abortions but limited its power to subpoena his patients' records.
By John Hanna, Associated Press

K-Fed Lawyer: Spears' Expanded Visits Recognize 'Progress'
May 7, 2008
Britney Spears will have expanded visits with her sons following a child-custody hearing that went off without a hitch Tuesday, capping a three-month period of relative calm and stability for the troubled pop star and mother of two.
By Linda Deutsch, Associated Press

Texas: Execution Date Set For Mexican
May 6, 2008
A Mexican-born prisoner whose death sentence set off an international dispute and a Supreme Court rebuke of the White House received an execution date of Aug. 5.
Associated Press

Ohio Dems Talking Impeachment After AG Refuses To Resign
May 6, 2008
Risking impeachment, Ohio's attorney general on Monday refused demands from the governor and other fellow Democrats that he resign over a sexual harassment scandal in his office and an affair with a subordinate.
Associated Press

Former Broadway Theater Producers Plead Not Guilty To Fraud
May 6, 2008
Two former Broadway producers pleaded not guilty Monday to participating in large-scale accounting fraud.
Associated Press

Ga. Parole Board Holds Hearing For Convicted Killer
May 6, 2008
A clemency hearing is under way for a convicted Georgia killer whose execution would be the first since the U.S. Supreme Court found lethal injection constitutional.
Associated Press

Problems Hit Merck
May 5, 2008
The roller coaster ride for Merck & Co. shareholders and employees is on another speedy downhill run.
Associated Press

Sanctions Urged For Prosecutors Who Withhold Evidence
May 5, 2008
A district attorney whose office leads the nation in wrongful convictions overturned by DNA testing says prosecutors who intentionally withhold evidence from the defense should face criminal charges or other harsh sanctions.
Associated Press

Amazon Sues NY Over Internet Sales Tax Collection
May 5, 2008
Amazon.com is suing New York over a new law that requires out-of-state online companies to collect sales tax from shoppers in New York.
Associated Press

Ohio AG Admits Affair With Employee
May 5, 2008
Ohio's attorney general admitted an extramarital affair with an employee Friday, soon after three of his aides were fired or forced out after an investigation found evidence of sexual harassment and other misconduct.
By Julie Carr Smyth, Associated Press

Suits Question How Kansas Prosecutor Handled Abortion Records
May 5, 2008
An investigator said he kept edited records from abortion clinics in a Rubbermaid container in his dining room for several weeks. Others, according to testimony, stored them briefly in cars and homes and copied them at a downtown Kinko's.
By John Hanna, Associated Press

Hoping For A Pardon After 32 Years On The Run
May 2, 2008
An attorney for a woman arrested in California 32 years after escaping a Detroit prison said he plans to petition Michigan's governor to commute the nine years remaining on her sentence.
By Allison Hoffman, Associated Press

Oregon Hands Tobacco Industry A Win
May 2, 2008
The same Oregon court that slapped Big Tobacco with a huge punitive damages award has handed the industry a victory by rejecting a class-action lawsuit for medical monitoring costs in a case where harm had yet to occur.
By William McCall, Associated Press

Widow Cleared Of Murder Wants Death Certificate Changed
May 2, 2008
Cynthia Sommer has a death certificate for her Marine husband that lists homicide as his cause of death. Forensic experts said Todd Sommer was poisoned with arsenic.
By Allison Hoffman, Associated Press

Spector Suit Against Former Lawyer Can Go Forward
May 1, 2008
Phil Spector's on-again, off-again breach-of-contract lawsuit against his former lawyer Robert Shapiro appears to be back on after a judge ruled Wednesday the lawsuit can go forward.
Associated Press

Dead Soldiers' Parents Seek Class Action For T-shirt Lawsuit
May 1, 2008
A Tennessee couple who lost their son in Iraq want an Arizona merchant to pay more than $40 billion in damages to survivors of soldiers whose names are on the anti-war shirts he is selling online.
By Paul Davenport, Associated Press

Guatemala To Review Pending Adoptions
May 1, 2008
Guatemalan prosecutors said Wednesday that they will conduct a legal review of all of the country's pending adoptions, after an initial probe turned up irregularities.
By Juan Carlos Llorca, Associated Press

Appeals Court Lets NYC Calories-On-Menus Regulation Proceed
May 1, 2008
A federal appeals court let the city proceed Tuesday with ordering some chain restaurants to post calorie counts on menu boards, but only after the city agreed to postpone issuing fines until mid-July.
By Larry Neumeister, Associated Press

Judge Dismisses Connecticut's Challenge To Education Law
May 1, 2008
A federal judge has dismissed a closely watched challenge to President Bush's signature education law, ruling that the State of Connecticut failed to prove that federal officials had forced it to spend its own money to comply with the law's requirements.
By Sam Dillon, Associated Press

Army Sergeant Says He's Innocent In Iraqi Murder Case
May 1, 2008
A military jury must soon decide whether an Army sergeant committed murder or followed the rules of engagement when he shot an unarmed insurgent in an Iraqi village overrun by al-Qaida forces.
By Angela K. Brown, Associated Press

Nebraska AG Refuses To Sue For Immigrants' Fair Housing Rights
May 1, 2008
Anne Hobbs was angry. The head of the Nebraska Equal Opportunity Commission had just learned of a Hispanic couple who said their landlord asked for their driver's licenses but didn't ask the same of non-Hispanic tenants.
By Nate Jenkins, Associated Press

More Legal Wrangling Probably Ahead In Police Shooting Case
April 28, 2008
The family of an unarmed man killed in a hail of police gunfire on his wedding day pledged Saturday to continue its fight to have someone held accountable for his death, a day after a judge acquitted three officers in the slaying.
By David B. Caruso, Associated Press

300-pound Inmate Complains Jail Doesn't Feed Him Well
April 28, 2008
An inmate awaiting trial on a murder charge is suing the county, complaining he has lost more than 100 pounds because of the jailhouse menu.
Associated Press

Convictions Of 2 Women Who Acted As Midwives Overturned
April 28, 2008
An appeals court overturned the convictions of two women accused of practicing unlicensed midwifery after a mother died of childbirth complications.
Associated Press

Lawyers For Older D.C. Sniper Make Appeal For His Life
April 28, 2008
Washington-area sniper John Allen Muhammad was regularly whipped with hose pipes and electrical cords and beaten with hammers and sticks by family members during a brutal childhood, according to lawyers trying to save him from the death penalty.
By Matthew Barakat, Associated Press

Sweep Of Polygamists' Kids Raises Legal Questions
April 28, 2008
The state of Texas made a damning accusation when it rounded up 462 children at a polygamous sect's ranch: The adults are forcing teenage girls into marriage and sex, creating a culture so poisonous that none should be allowed to keep their children.
By Michelle Roberts, Associated Press

Supreme Court Upholds Photo ID Law For Voters In Indiana
April 28, 2008
The Supreme Court ruled Monday that states can require voters to produce photo identification without violating their constitutional rights, validating Republican-inspired voter ID laws.
By Mark Sherman, Associated Press

Court Hears Arguments On Burden Of Proof In Age Suits
April 24, 2008
It is not necessarily unlawful for an employer to adopt policies that put older workers at a disadvantage. Such policies pass muster under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act as long as they are based on ''reasonable factors other than age.''
By Linda Greenhouse, The New York Times

Talk Of Firing Chicago's US Attorney Cited At Rezko Trial
April 24, 2008
As one of the nation's toughest prosecutors on corruption, Patrick J. Fitzgerald is viewed with icy suspicion at best among Chicago's cigar-chomping, patronage-loving, backroom politicians.
By Mike Robinson, Associated Press

Appeals Court Spares Sea Lions
April 24, 2008
A federal appeals court handed an animal rights group a partial victory in a dispute over the fate of California sea lions in the Columbia River, allowing some to be trapped but none to be killed this spring.
By Joseph B. Frazier, Associated Press

Foster Care Could Be Wrenching For Texas Sect Children
April 24, 2008
Many of the children have seen little or no television. They have been essentially home-schooled all their lives. Most were raised on garden-grown vegetables and twice-daily prayers with family. They frolic in long dresses and buttoned-up shirts from another century. They are unfailingly polite.
By Michelle Roberts, Associated Press

Yoko Ono Sues In NY Over Song In Movie Challenging Evolution
April 24, 2008
Yoko Ono is suing the producers of a movie that challenges the concept of Darwinian evolution, saying they used the song "Imagine" without her permission and led the blogosphere to accuse her of "selling out."
By Samantha Gross, Associated Press

Six Suspects Will Be Tried A Third Time In Sears Plot
April 24, 2008
Federal prosecutors said Wednesday that they would try for a third time to convict six men accused of conspiring to destroy the Sears Tower in Chicago and join the ranks of Al Qaeda.
By Carmen Gentile, The New York Times

$10.57M Verdict Returned In New Jersey Accutane IBD Case
April 23, 2008
A New Jersey state court jury on April 22 awarded $10.57 million in compensation to a Utah woman who claims to have developed inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) from taking the acne drug Accutane.
Mealey Publications

U.S. Supreme Court Declines Louisiana Punitive Damages Appeal
April 23, 2008
The U.S. Supreme Court declined without comment an appeal by ExxonMobil Corp. of a $112 million punitive damages award in a Louisiana property damage lawsuit.
Mealey Publications

9th Circuit Approves Warrantless Border Search Of Laptop
April 23, 2008
A Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals panel ruled that a border search of an airline passenger’s laptop computer, which ultimately led to the discovery of child pornography, did not require “reasonable suspicion” and did not violate the man’s Fourth Amendment rights.
Mealey Publications

Whirlpool Suspends 39 Workers, Says They Lied About Smoking
April 23, 2008
Smoking can be hazardous to your health, and it's turning into a bad career move, too.
By Tom Murphy, Associated Press

Alabama Death Row Inmate Who Challenged Protocol Dies
April 23, 2008
A death row inmate who was challenging Alabama's method of lethal injection died Tuesday, apparently of complications from cancer, officials said.
By Desiree Hunter, Associated Press

Whirlpool Suspends 39 Workers, Says They Lied About Smoking
April 23, 2008
Smoking can be hazardous to your health, and it's turning into a bad career move, too.
By Tom Murphy, Associated Press

Craigslist Fires Back, Says eBay Lawsuit Smells Fishy
April 23, 2008
Craigslist is firing back at its rival and minority owner eBay, scolding the online auctioneer's actions as unethical and smelling of a hostile takeover.
By Amanda Fehd, Associated Press

Judge Orders La. School District To Stop Bible Giveaways
April 23, 2008
A federal judge ordered a public school system to stop allowing in-school Bible giveaways, saying the practice violates the First Amendment separation of church and state.
By Janet McConnaughey, Associated Press

Don't Touch Me There
April 22, 2008
A hospital did nothing wrong when it tried to examine the rectum of a construction worker who had been hit on the head by a falling wooden beam, a jury found Monday.
Associated Press

DNA Samples Taken From Polygamists' Kids
April 22, 2008
Using cotton swabs and cameras, lab technicians began taking DNA samples Monday from hundreds of children and mothers wearing long, pioneer-style dresses in hopes of sorting out the tangled family relationships within the West Texas polygamist sect.
By Michelle Roberts, Associated Press

Judge Rejects Fraud Claim Against State Farm In Katrina Suit
April 22, 2008
A federal judge on Monday dismissed claims of fraud in a key Hurricane Katrina lawsuit that accused State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. of using different engineering reports to deny a couple's insurance policy after the storm.
By Holbrook Mohr, Associated Press

White House Challenges Release Of Visitor Logs
April 21, 2008
The Bush administration is challenging a court ruling that White House visitor logs are public documents, saying releasing the records would infringe on the separation of powers.
By Matt Apuzzo, Associated Press

Can Murder Victim's Statements Be Used At Trial?
April 21, 2008
Dwayne Giles complains that his former girlfriend's statements should not have been used against him at his murder trial because the woman couldn't be cross-examined.
By Mark Sherman, Associated Press

Ethics Law Isn't Without Its Loopholes
April 21, 2008
The optimistically named Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 was supposed to prevent lobbyists from securing undue influence by taking members of Congress to intimate dinners at fancy restaurants.
By Robert Pear, The New York Times

New Gun Laws In Philly Blocked
April 18, 2008
A judge on Thursday temporarily blocked the city from enforcing five gun-control ordinances pending a challenge from the National Rifle Association.
By Maryclaire Dale, Associated Press

Chief Justice Roberts Presides Over Moot Court
April 18, 2008
U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and three federal appeals court judges grilled the counselors on their oral arguments, pushed for answers on policy questions and interrupted speeches for clarification on law.
By Colleen Long, Associated Press

Polygamous-Sect Hearing Descends Into Farce
April 18, 2008
A court hearing to decide the fate of the 416 children swept up in a raid on a West Texas polygamous sect descended into farce Thursday, with hundreds of lawyers in two packed buildings shouting objections and the judge struggling to maintain order.
By Michelle Roberts, Associated Press

Mistrial For 6 In Sears Tower Terror Case
April 17, 2008
A federal judge declared a mistrial on Wednesday in the case of six Miami men charged with plotting to blow up the Sears Tower in Chicago as part of an Islamic jihad.
By Damien Cave, The New York Times

Prosecutors: Snipes Should Serve Max For Tax Crime
April 17, 2008
Federal prosecutors say actor Wesley Snipes should serve the maximum possible penalty for failing to file a tax return.
Associated Press

Judge Sentences Lawyer To 90 days For Lewd Gesture
April 17, 2008
A flick of the wrist has landed an Austin lawyer in jail for contempt of court. A judge sentenced defense attorney Adam Reposa to 90 days in jail on Tuesday for making a lewd gesture and simulating masturbation while standing before a County Court-at-Law judge in March.
Associated Press

Breyer Cites Israeli Court Decision
April 16, 2008
Supreme Court justices Stephen Breyer and Antonin Scalia, frequently on opposite sides of controversial cases, have shared a stage to debate their contrasting views of the Constitution.
By Mark Sherman, Associated Press

'Billable Hours For The Soul'
April 16, 2008
They don't know where they're staying. They don't know if there's a courtroom large enough to hold them all. And they don't know who their clients are.
By Michael Grazyck, Associated Press

Angry Wife Tries Divorce-By-YouTube Tactic
April 16, 2008
We're the YouTube Generation, living in the YouTube Era, in a YouTube World. And now we apparently have a YouTube Divorce.
By Joceyln Noveck, Associated Press

NYPD Settles Protest Suit
April 16, 2008
Police have agreed to rein in mounted patrols and adopt other new policies protecting the rights of demonstrators in order to settle a lawsuit brought by anti-war protesters, the New York Civil Liberties Union said Tuesday.
By Tom Hays, Associated Press

Some Gay Couples Having Trouble Obtaining Divorces
April 16, 2008
Gay couples had to struggle mightily to win the right to marry or form civil unions. Now, some are finding that breaking up is hard to do, too.
By Ray Henry, Associated Press

Red Cross: Change Needed At US Prison
April 15, 2008
The Red Cross criticized the way the U.S. handles prisoners at the highly secretive Bagram military base, urging reforms Monday that would allow detainees to introduce testimony in their defense.
By Fisnik Abrashi, Associated Press

Court Will Hear Wrongful Conviction Case
April 15, 2008
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Monday to decide whether a man who served 24 years in prison before his murder conviction was overturned can sue two former prosecutors for allegedly violating his civil rights.
Associated Press

Media Outlets Sue N.C. Gov. Over Emails
April 15, 2008
Media organizations from across North Carolina sued Gov. Mike Easley on Monday, accusing his administration of violating the state's public records law through the "systematic deletion, destruction or concealment" of e-mail messages.
By Gary D. Robertson, Associated Press

Sect Investigation Moving To Courtroom
April 15, 2008
A court began laying the groundwork Monday to sort out the custody arrangements for hundreds of young children seized from a polygamist sect, with nearly four dozen lawyers seeking to represent the children in attendance.
By Jennifer Dobner, Associated Press

Phone Scammers Hit With $34.5M Fine
April 15, 2008
Two individuals involved in a massive scam that padded consumers' phone bills with calls they didn't make have agreed to pay up to $34.5 million in fines to settle federal fraud charges.
Associated Press

Va. Justices Hear Coeducation Cases
April 15, 2008
The governing board of Randolph Macon Woman's College broke a contract with students when it decided in 2006 to immediately begin enrolling men, a lawyer for a group of female students told the Virginia Supreme Court on Monday.
By Larry O'Dell, Associated Press