Cold weather may have landed Pennsylvania’s most famous rodent in legal hot water. Punxsutawney Phil, immortalized in the movie “Groundhog Day,” is known worldwide for his ability to predict an early arrival of Spring. This year, Phil was dead wrong, and an Ohio prosecutor who’s tired of cold weather thinks Phil should die for his mistakes.

More...

A federal judge has approved a court settlement between the founders of Fairfield Greenwich Group, which funneled billions of dollars to Bernard Madoff, and a group of investors that sought to recover funds lost in his massive Ponzi scheme.

More...

When the Supreme Court hears arguments in Federal Trade Commission v. Actavis on Monday, the New York Attorney General's Office will have some skin in the game.

More...

The New Jersey coastline is still not the same after the ravaging floods of Hurricane Sandy swept through in November, but a bit of relief is on the way from two unusual sources: A pair of shipping companies that admitted Thursday to illegally dumping oil and other waste in the open ocean.Two companies, based in Cyprus and Germany, subsidiaries of Schoeller Holdings, Ltd., agreed to pay $10.4 million in fines, according to a plea agreement made public in court documents Thursday. Of those fines, $2.6 million will go to help mitigate damage caused by Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey and Delaware, which were among the states hardest hit by the storm.

More...

Law Blog rounds up the morning's news.



Digital ramps: Advocates for disabled Americans say companies have a legal obligation to make their websites as accessible as their stores, and they’ve filed suits pressing firms to install the digital version of wheelchair ramps and self-opening doors. WSJ

More...

Toronto, Ontario (PRWEB) March 2013

Hanson Duby, a personal injury law firm serving the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), recently issued a statement cautioning Toronto area residents that slip and fall accidents and motor vehicle injuries are still a major concern in March. The company also commented on the recent spring thaw and the need for those injured in auto accidents and through slip and falls to understand their legal options.

“While most are excited to see the warmer weather in anticipation of spring, it’s important to remember that weather conditions hovering near zero can produce ‘black ice’. Virtually invisible to the naked eye, black ice can create dangerous sidewalk conditions. The laws require property owners to clear their sidewalks of snow and ice within a reasonable time and can be held responsible for not removing it,” says Brad Duby, Senior Partner at Hanson Duby.

“Late winter and early spring temperatures also create dangerous road conditions. Black ice makes driving extremely difficult at the best of times. Driving this time of year can be exacerbated if a driver is speeding, distracted, or intoxicated,” Duby adds.

Brad Duby graduated from Queens University with an Honours BA in 1996, from the University of Guelph with an MA in 1998, and from the University of Windsor with his LLB degree in 2001. Duby was admitted to the Law Society of Upper Canada in 2002. He is a member of the Ontario Bar Association and the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association.

Duby's practice is devoted to all types of personal injury litigation on behalf of plaintiffs, including motor vehicle accidents, product liability, environmental claims, long-term disability, and slip and falls.

“The changing temperatures can mean snow, icy streets, bridges, highways, dangerous road conditions, and poor visibility. At this time of year, many people get lax about sidewalk clearing protocols and road conditions,” Duby concludes.

Duby advises that anyone injured due to an accident sustained as a result of ice or snow in the GTA to be sure to consult with a seasoned personal injury law firm. Hanson Duby protects the rights of its clients by pursuing the proper compensation.

Hanson Duby Lawyers is a personal injury law firm located in the Annex district of Toronto. The firm specializes in helping injured victims obtain compensation due to car accidents, long-term disability claims, life insurance claims, and product liability claims. The firm serves clients from across the Greater Toronto Area, and provides service in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Tamil, Greek, and French. The site will soon be updated to include pages in Mandarin, Cantonese, Tamil, and Greek to better serve those communities.

More information on Hanson Duby is available by visiting the firm's web site at HansonDuby.com or by calling 416-588-9100.

The Kentucky Supreme Court has voted to disbar Ohio trial attorney Stanley Chesley, a legend of the plaintiffs’s bar whose reputation as a champion of the underdog was marred by charges of greed.

More...

The younger brother of former hedge-fund titan Raj Rajaratnam was indicted by a grand jury for alleged insider trading, federal prosecutors and the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced Thursday.

More...

A handful of Howrey’s former partners can breathe easily, at least for the next few months: they’ve struck a deal that gives them time to work on settling potential lawsuits related to their roles in winding down the law firm.

More...

Gay-marriage supporters, the Obama administration and lower federal courts agree that the Supreme Court should strike down California’s Proposition 8, the 2008 measure banning gay marriage in the state. What they don’t fully agree on is why.

More...

A federal appeals court has ruled that Louisiana violated the constitutional rights of Benedictine monks by preventing them from competing in a casket market dominated by funeral homes.

More...

A lawyer representing Matthew Keys, the Reuters social media editor accused of conspiring to deface a newspaper website, told Law Blog that the prosecution of his client is being driven by an irrational “fear and paranoia” of hackers.Federal prosecutors accused Mr. Keys last week of helping and encouraging Anonymous hackers to deface the website of the Los Angeles Times. After leaking log-in credentials for a server operated by the paper’s parent company, a hacker vandalized the headline and a paragraph in a story about a tax-cut package, said prosecutors.The original headline said: “Pressure builds in House to pass tax-cut package.” According to the indictment filed against Mr. Keys on Thursday, it was replaced with “Pressure builds in House to elect CHIPPY 1337.” Brooklyn attorney Tor Ekeland, who is part of the Mr. Keys's defense team, said the allegations against Mr. Keys were “threadbare,” speculating that it’s possible that prosecutors could follow with a superseding indictment. Jay Leiderman, a California lawyer who is Mr. Keys's lead counsel, said his client maintains his innocence and told Law Blog that he expects the case to move slowly. “These cases.

More...

Mississippi this week became the 49th state in America to permit their residents to make beer at home. That leaves Alabama as the last holdout.As the WSJ reported this month, homebrewing is gaining popularity in America. The American Homebrewers Association, which cheered its victory in Mississippi, says its membership has quadrupled since 2005.But homebrewing bills have stalled in Alabama, which still has about two dozen “dry” counties, according to the state.The most vocal opponent has been Alabama Citizens Action Program, an advocacy group founded in the 1930s. The group’s executive director, Joe Godfrey, an ordained Baptist pastor wrote a piece last year explaining his position:

Supporters of this bill argue that the individuals who are involved in homebrewing are often well-educated, church-attending professionals who are simply wanting to practice home brewing as a hobby. But, let me reiterate, their hobby involves the production of a controlled and addictive substance that often has deadly results.

Mr. Godfrey told Law Blog that he’s probably fighting a lost cause. . . . .

More...

Two months after New York made it illegal to own ammunition magazines with more than seven rounds, state lawmakers say they may increase the limit to ten.

More...

Law Blog rounds up the morning's news.



‘Commitment to compliance’: Microsoft Corp. provided details on its global compliance and ethics program Tuesday, responding to a Wall Street Journal report that the company’s relationship with business partners that allegedly bribed foreign government officials is under investigation. WSJ

More...

Law Blog looks at the legal questions surrounding Mayor Michael Bloomberg's new anti-smoking push.

More...

You know your case is a big deal when the Supreme Court announces it will release same-day audio of the arguments.

More...

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday handed a setback to publishers, ruling in favor of a Thai student who bought inexpensive foreign-edition textbooks and resold them to U.S. students on eBay.

More...

Law Blog rounds up the morning's news.



Hide and seek: Fresh from a bruising setback to his attempt to regulate sugary drinks, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed another aggressive public-health initiative Monday: banning the public display of tobacco products in stores. WSJ

More...

For many student athletes, one of the toughest parts about playing competitive sports is rejection. But just because you got a raw deal or you think a coach has it in for you, it doesn’t mean you’re entitled to legal relief.

More...