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Idaho inmates settle lawsuit over prison violence
Topics in Legal News |
2011/09/20 22:08
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A potential class-action lawsuit against the nation's largest private prison company over allegations of violence at the Idaho Correctional Center has been settled in federal court.
The agreement between the inmates and Nashville, Tenn.-based Corrections Corporation of America was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Boise.
In it, CCA doesn't acknowledge the allegations but agrees to increase staffing, investigate all assaults and make other sweeping changes at the lockup south of Boise. If the company fails to make the changes, the inmates can ask the courts to force CCA to comply.
The inmates, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, sued last year on behalf of everyone incarcerated at the CCA-run state prison. They said the prison was so violent it was dubbed "Gladiator School," and that guards used inmate-on-inmate violence as a management tool and then denied prisoners medical care as a way to cover up the assaults.
CCA has denied all the allegations as part of the settlement, but the agreement is governed under a section of the Prison Litigation Reform Act which only applies in cases in which prisoners' constitutional rights have been violated. |
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Ex-Va attorney convicted in law firm embezzlement
Topics in Legal News |
2011/09/06 09:33
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A former attorney has been convicted of embezzling at least $450,000 from the law firm where she worked.
Henrico County Circuit Judge L.A. Harris Jr. on Friday found Kyle C. Leftwich guilty of eight counts of embezzlement in a scheme to divert funds from Marks & Harrison's accounts between 2004 and 2008. She could face up to 160 years in prison when she's sentenced in November.
Evidence showed that Leftwich endorsed Social Security checks made out to her for representing disabled clients. But she deposited the money elsewhere than into the firm's account and rigged firm ledgers to cover her actions.
Leftwich was fired in June 2010 and lost her law license a short time later. She repaid $450,000 to Marks & Harrison as part of a civil settlement. |
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Court approves Harry and David reorganization plan
Topics in Legal News |
2011/08/30 09:21
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Harry & David will emerge from bankruptcy protection in the middle of September, the specialty foods company said Tuesday, after its plan for reorganization was approved in court.
The emergence will likely occur on or around Sept. 13, giving the company plenty of time to ramp up for the crucial holiday season.
Kay Hong, the interim CEO who is heading the restructuring, said that Harry and David is returning as a stronger company that is better positioned for long-term profitable growth. The restructuring plan was approved by the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware
With consumer priorities reshuffled during the recession, the demand fruit basket and gourmet gifts evaporated. Harry & David entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March.
Hong said the company looks forward to the holiday season with strong lineup of new products and plans "to deliver a terrific gift experience and unparalleled customer service as Harry & David has done for generations."
Harry & David Holdings Inc., based in Medford, Ore., sells under the Harry & David, Wolferman's and Cushman's brands online and in stores. |
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BofA sued over $1.75 billion mortgage trust
Topics in Legal News |
2011/08/30 09:20
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Bank of America Corp was sued by the trustee of a $1.75 billion mortgage pool, which seeks to force the largest bank to buy back all of the loans in the trust because of alleged misrepresentations.
The banking unit of US Bancorp said Countrywide Financial Corp, which issued the loans in the HarborView Mortgage Loan Trust 2005-10, breached its obligations by misrepresenting the quality of its underwriting and loan documentation.
It said that because of this material breach, Bank of America, which bought Countrywide in 2008, was obligated to buy back all the loans in the mortgage pool.
The lawsuit was filed in the New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan. |
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No choking charges for Wis. Supreme Court justice
Topics in Legal News |
2011/08/26 10:03
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A conservative Wisconsin state Supreme Court justice who staved off an unusually intense campaign to replace him this summer will not face criminal charges over allegations that he tried to choke a liberal colleague, a prosecutor said Thursday.
Sauk County District Attorney Patricia Barrett, a special prosecutor in the case, said that after reviewing investigators' reports, she decided there's no basis to file charges against either Justice David Prosser or Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, who accused Prosser of choking her.
Barrett, who is a Republican, told The Associated Press that the accounts of the other justices who were present when the alleged altercation occurred varied widely, however she declined to elaborate.
"I believe a complete review of the report suggests there is a difference of opinion. There are a variety of statements about what occurred ... the totality of what did happen does not support criminal charges against either Justice Bradley or Justice Prosser," Barrett said.
Walsh Bradley accused Prosser of choking her in June while the justices were deliberating the merits of a lawsuit challenging Republican Gov. Scott Walker's contentious law stripping public workers of most of their collective bargaining rights. Walsh Bradley, 61, is seen as part of the court's three-justice liberal minority, while Prosser, a 68-year-old former Republican legislator, is considered part of the four-justice conservative majority. The factions have been feuding for years.
The court delivered its verdict the day after the alleged incident, ruling 4-3 to uphold the law and allowing it to finally take effect. As expected, Prosser voted with the majority. |
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