Award shaved
1/2/13
By Caitlin Tremblay
Be careful what you tweet. The missives cannot only get you
in some hot water at work but can also become a liability in
court.
According to the Daily Report, Omiesha Daniels originally
was rewarded $237,000 for injuries she sustained in a car
accident that allegedly left her unable to work as a
hairstylist.
But the Gwinnett County State Court jury in Lawrenceville,
Georgia, reduced the award to $142,000 after it was made aware
of some tweets and photos Daniels circulated using Twitter.
Daniels used the social media site to write about her "epic
weekend" partying in New Orleans and to post photos of herself
using the injured arm to hold a handbag.
Daniels told the jury that her handbag was lightweight and
her lawyer told the Daily Report that the all-white jury didn't
understand the difficulty involved in her job, which included
hair-braiding and -weaving.
Defense attorney J. Robb Cruser said the posts about
partying made the jury question her pain and suffering claim.
"Twitter sunk her," he said.
Measure for measure
1/2/13
By Dan Brillman
New Year means new state laws, and new state laws means
bizarre new state laws. Mediaite found eight of the strangest
that took effect Jan 1.
Have an irresistible urge to steal $1,000 worth of cooking
oil? Don't do it in North Carolina, unless you want to risk a
felony conviction. Some businesses in the state, which
apparently has suffered a slew of oil theft, have lost as much
as $10,000 per month.
And while some of us have been distracted by all the news of
the fiscal cliff, it passed our attention that in Illinois
motorcycle wheelies and shark fins are now taboo.
Some others bizarre new laws on the list: Crazy cat ladies
are not welcome in Kansas, where households are limited to four
frisky felines. Plastic bottles are illegal in Concord,
Massachusetts, but driverless cars are OK in California. And
last but not least, you cannot release pigs into the wild in
Kentucky -- so don't even try.
License denied
1/2/13
By Eileen Daspin
F. Lee Bailey, the 79-year old lawyer who has represented
clients from O.J. Simpson to Patty Hearst, has been denied arequest to practice law in Maine, according to the Sun Journal.
Although Bailey passed the Maine Bar Examination in February,
five members of the State of Maine Board of Bar Examiners wrote
in a 22-page decision that he "has not met his burden of
demonstrating by clear and convincing evidence that he possesses
the requisite good character and fitness necessary for admission
to the Maine Bar."
Bailey had been licensed to practice law in Massachusetts
and Florida, but he was disbarred in both of those states after
the Florida Supreme Court found him guilty of attorney
misconduct. The charges were related to Bailey's handling of
stock worth nearly $6 million that was owned by a former client.
According to the court, the stock was given to Bailey for a
limited period, and he was to supposed to use the funds to deal
with the forfeiture of the client's properties and other assets,
CNN reported at the time. When the value of the stock increased,
the U.S. government was supposed to benefit. Instead, Bailey
commingled some of the funds with his own, the court found.
Bailey spent 44 days in federal prison before he was released
after repaying the money.
In addition to the disbarments, the board of Examiners said
that their decision was influenced by Bailey's uncertain
residency status and by recurring income tax questions.
Four members of the Maine Board of Bar Examiners felt Bailey
should be allowed to practice in the state.
Summary Judgments for December 31
Summary Judgments for December 28
Summary Judgments for December 27
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