Divorce Train Wrecks

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.08.18

* Among all of his other legal worries, Michael Cohen is now under investigation for tax fraud. This guy just can't catch a break. [Wall Street Journal] * You may remember the "frozen trucker" case that Justice Neil Gorsuch was plagued by during his confirmation hearings. As it turns out, Judge Brett Kavanaugh has his own "frozen trucker" case, but his involves a woman who was drowned by a killer whale at SeaWorld. Stay tuned for questions about that. [Slate] * You may want to lateral to another firm in a hot market like Texas, but bless your heart, that doesn't mean your current firm is going to just let you do it. More and more firms -- like Weil Gotshal, Baker Botts -- have been enforcing their contractual "hold" provisions and delaying lateral moves. [Texas Lawyer] * Let's face it: if you're applying to law schools, you're not going to be able to get in to all of them. Figure out which ones are your safety schools ASAP. [U.S. News] * Angelina Jolie has accused Brad Pitt of neglecting his child support obligations in a new court filing, claiming that the actor hasn't made any "meaningful" payments in the year and a half since Jolie filed for divorce. [NBC News]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 03.16.18

* Vanessa Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law, filed for an uncontested divorce against Donald Trump Jr. Apparently Jr.’s controversial tweets destroyed their marriage. At least they're not destroying a country. [Page Six] * Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe was forced to plead with senior officials at the Justice Department not to fire him just days before his expected retirement. This man has a pension, and he wants to keep it, even if he has to beg. Let's see if he was able to change anyone's mind. Cross your fingers... [Washington Post] * The late Justice Antonin Scalia's judicial legacy is being quietly erased each time members of the Supreme Court examine legislative history. The legal legend absolutely, positively hated using legislative history to interpret laws, and it's been happening more frequently since his death. [New York Times] * Never could've seen this coming: Mossack Fonseca, the law firm behind the Panama Papers, will be closing by the end of the month. "The reputational deterioration, the media campaign, the financial siege, and the irregular actions of some Panamanian authorities have caused irreparable damage" to the firm. [American Lawyer] * If you haven't been following @LadyLawyerDiary on Twitter, you should start. It's a community for women lawyers to talk about exactly what's going on behind closed doors in the legal profession by "outing stupid sexist stuff" and celebrating women's successes. It's a great place to find support, so join up soon. [Big Law Business]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 02.14.18

* "Plaintiffs’ claim to being the only ones in the world who can refer to players playing and haters hating is frivolous." Taylor Swift has successfully shaken off an absurd copyright infringement lawsuit thanks to her lawyer's player-hating. [THR, Esq. / Hollywood Reporter] * President Trump has nominated 87 judges thus far, and of those nominees, 80 are white, five are Asian-American, one is Hispanic, and one is African-American. Trump's nominees are 92 percent white, which "turns the clock back on years of work and effort that went into promoting judicial diversity." [USA Today] * Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! What better way for a law firm to celebrate the special occasion than to offer a free divorce? We may have more on this later. [UPI] * Yesterday was the second anniversary of Justice Antonin Scalia's death, and [t]hanks to [his] disruption, the Supreme Court may never be the same." Admirers, critics, and clerks share their memories of the man, the myth, the legend. [National Law Journal] * Elizabeth Rose, a former employee of Vice Media, has filed a proposed class-action suit against the company, alleging that women were "systemically and intentionally" paid less than their male counterparts in violation of equal pay laws in New York and California, as well as in violation of the Equal Pay Act. [Los Angeles Times] * Judge Sandra Townes, the first African-American woman to be appointed to the Eastern District of New York, has died of cancer at 73. RIP. [New York Law Journal]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.16.17

* Could this be the case that puts the nail in the death penalty's coffin? Justice Breyer probably hopes so. Neal Katyal of Hogan Lovells has asked the Supreme Court to hear an Arizona death row inmate's case, arguing that the state's death penalty law is unconstitutional and that it must be struck down. [BuzzFeed] * "[T]he Tiffany trademark is not something to be trifled with." Judge Laura Taylor Swain of the Southern District of New York has ruled that Costco must pay more than $19 million after selling rings and attempting to pass them off as a luxury brand by using and infringing upon the Tiffany trademark. Treble damages are a bitch, and Costco plans to appeal. [New York Law Journal] * After a special Senate primary, former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, who was once removed from his post and later suspended from it, and Senator Luther Strange, who was appointed to fill the seat formerly occupied by AG Jeff Sessions, will face each other in a runoff for the state's GOP nomination. Voters seem thrilled with their options. [New York Times] * A former law firm partner who is accused of creating a fake Match.com account using the name of a real female attorney and allegedly signing her up for emails from a weight loss surgery company, the Obesity Action Coalition, and Pig International -- all from his law firm computer -- is facing discipline before the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission [Law.com] * Joseph Amico, who was arrested back in April after threatening to blow up a Manhattan attorney who he allegedly referred to as a "n****r lover" has been rearrested, this time for allegedly harassing the judge in his divorce case. Amico, who was free on $50,000 bail, has an optimistic attorney who's confident his client will receive a "favorable bail disposition." [New York Daily News] * If you're searching for a job to take after law school that doesn't necessarily involve practicing law, then you may want to consider a career in policy work. After all, having a law degree when working in the policy world likely amounts to some sort of a JD Advantage-type job. [U.S. News & World Report]

By Staci Zaretsky