Harvey Weinstein

Morning Docket: 05.06.21

* A new lawsuit alleges a New Jersey family ate feces-covered food at a McDonald's. One heck of a special sauce... [Patch] * Harvey Weinstein has sued his former lawyer to recover supposedly unearned legal fees. [Hill] * San Diego County will provide lawyers to immigrants facing deportation proceedings. [Minnesota Lawyer] * A man has been convicted of stalking a high-profile Texas attorney. [Dallas Morning News] * Rudy Giuliani's allies are allegedly asking that Donald Trump's team help pay Rudy's legal bills. A family that pays together, stays together...[Hill]

Morning Docket: 04.13.21

* An MLB umpire was awarded $500,000 after filing a defamation lawsuit against a former pro baseball player. Guess his lawyers hit the case out of the park and that can buy a lot of peanuts and Cracker Jacks... [USA Today] * Fox News has hired a new general counsel as it battles a lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems. [Reuters] * Harvey Weinstein's lawyer claimed his client is going blind and is missing teeth in a bid to block extradition to California. [Fox News] * A New York attorney recently appeared on Jeopardy! [Bronx Times] * A lawyer for Marking a Murderer's Steven Avery claims a new witness's statements may exonerate her client. Maybe there'll be another season of the series after all... [Newsweek]

Morning Docket: 04.06.21

* A new lawsuit alleges that a radio personality's "rabid" fans forced a Florida man to leave the Sunshine State. Maybe the plaintiff was just a "snow bird"... [Tampa Bay Times] * The highest-paid lawyers at Viacom/CBS were paid $12.7 million last year. [Bloomberg Law] * The Supreme Court handed Google a win over Oracle in a longstanding copyright dispute. Maybe the justices just hate using Bing... [CNN] * Harvey Weinstein has filed an appeal of his criminal conviction. [Fox News] * A group of farmers recently filed an antitrust lawsuit against a number of agricultural companies. [AP] * A Florida lawyer is getting recognition for helping professional wrestlers trademark parts of their personas. Guess he smells what the Rock is cooking... money. [Tampa Bay Times]

Morning Docket: 09.02.20

* A group of fireworks companies has agreed to dismiss a lawsuit involving New York's COVID-19 restrictions. Guess the litigation didn't start off with a "bang"... [New York Law Journal] * President Trump has won a motion to temporarily delay the release of his tax records. [Fox News] * A new lawsuit alleges that McDonald's discriminates against black franchisees. [Reuters] * A new global settlement plan has been advanced to dispose of claims accusers have against Harvey Weinstein. [Hollywood Reporter] * A 105-year-old woman is leading a lawsuit seeking reparations for the 1921 Tulsa Massacre. [Guardian] * Kanye West is suing to appear on the ballot for president in Wisconsin and Ohio. Maybe Kim K can put her law classes to good use... [Business Insider]

Morning Docket: 07.30.20

* Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is resting comfortably in a New York City hospital after a non-surgical procedure. Wishing RBG a speedy recovery! [CNN] * A new lawsuit aims to break up an alleged monopoly in the cheerleading business. This would make a great sequel to Bring It On... [Atlanta Business Chronicle] * A Kentucky attorney is accused of "monstrous" sexual misconduct in a new lawsuit filed by former employees. [Courier Journal] * Ashley Judd has been given the green light to pursue sexual harassment claims against Harvey Weinstein. [New York Times] * Looks like retailer J.C. Penny will be purchased as a result of its reorganization in bankruptcy. Hopefully there will be some great sales before the restructuring is through... [Washington Post]

Harvey Weinstein Settlement On Hold Because… It Kind Of Sucked

Not everything is a class action.

Morning Docket: 07.02.20

* Novartis has settled a lawsuit which included allegations that the drugmaker gave money to doctors to induce them into prescribing certain medications. These claims would have spiced up the movie Love and Other Drugs... [NBC News] * An Ohio attorney has been arrested on federal bribery and extortion charges. [Toledo Blade] * Only seven law firm mergers and combinations have occurred during the second quarter of 2020 according to Altman Weil, likely due to the chilling effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. [The American Lawyer] * The New York Attorney General has agreed to settle sexual misconduct lawsuits against Harvey Weinstein for $19 million. [Guardian] * A lawyer has lost his bid to avoid the bankruptcy discharge of his $156,000 in legal fees for handling a client's divorce. [Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly] * A former judge and lawyer has been suspended from practice for participating in an inappropriate email chain nicknamed the "forum for hate." Be sure to check out the messed up things that were said by the group which are included in the article. [ABA Journal]

Morning Docket: 05.29.20

* A Florida man who had his law license revoked has filed a pro se lawsuit challenging Governor DeSantis’s lockdown orders. Guess he found one way to get back into a courtroom. [ABC News] * A lawyer who helped a witness skip town so she wouldn't have to testify in court has been suspended from practice. [Bloomberg Law] * If you have ever considered life as an American expat attorney, check out this article. [Black Enterprise] * A CNN news team was arrested on live TV this morning while covering Minneapolis protests related to the death of George Floyd. [CNN] * Harvey Weinstein is facing additional sexual misconduct lawsuits. [Vulture] * The wife of an attorney is accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from an elderly victim. At least she can get free legal advice from her husband... [CBS News]

Morning Docket: 03.11.20

* Justice Sotomayor is recusing herself from a Supreme Court case involving the electoral college, but it has nothing to do with President Trump's recent statement about recusals at the high court. [Washington Post] * A couple filed a lawsuit about coronavirus against a cruise liner while still on a Grand Princess cruise. Hope they're out of containment before depositions... [The Hill] * Harvey Weinstein's lawyer is not optimistic about the amount of prison time the movie mogul may need to serve. [Hollywood Reporter] * It appears real estate heir Robert Durst will testify at his trial over the alleged murder of his friend Susan Berman. [AP] * Federal defense attorneys are alleging that New York City's federal jails are not prepared for the coronavirus outbreak. [New York Daily News] * A man was shot yesterday just steps away from the Bronx DA's office. Should have no problem finding a prosecutor to handle this case. [New York Post]

How Useful Is A Prison Consultant To Harvey Weinstein

It's a lot more than just coaching on which toilet wine pairs best with prison meatloaf. Weinstein will face a remarkably steep learning curve on how to survive the carceral hierarchies he must now exist within.

Morning Docket: 03.06.20

* A Brooklyn court has been disinfected over coronavirus fears. While they're at it, they should clean out the attorneys' room at 360 Adams -- that place has smelled bad for years... [New York Post] * Actor Ed Norton skipped out of a deposition over a deadly fire that erupted at a location at which he was filming. [New York Post] * Harvey Weinstein spent his first night at Riker's Island yesterday, a far cry from the red carpet. [CNN] * The New York Attorney General is cautioning televangelists not to peddle unproven coronavirus cures. [Washington Post] * Check out a piece on the complicated legacy of Michael Bloomberg's "stop and frisk" policy. [The Appeal] * The Supreme Court has lifted a stay of execution for an Alabama man who has been sentenced to death even though he didn't kill anyone. [NBC News] * Two members of the band "Journey" have been kicked out of the group over a trademark lawsuit. Don't stop beleivin' that there will be a solution to this dispute. [Fox News]

Morning Docket: 02.27.20

Stephen Barnes's girlfriend is suing his ex-partner Ross Cellino and Cellino & Barnes over a bonus she is allegedly owed. Hopefully she gets the infamous jingle in the settlement. [Buffalo News] * Harvey Weinstein's lawyer has suggested he may not favor releasing Weinstein since Weinstein might get arrested on different criminal charges when released. [Bloomberg] * A Utah woman who was seen topless by her stepchildren has taken a plea deal to avoid being labeled a sex offender. Her topless husband was standing next to her and wasn't prosecuted...seems like a double standard. [Fox News] * President Trump's re-election campaign is suing The New York Times for libel over an opinion piece about Russian interference in the 2016 election. [USA Today] * Joe Biden has announced that he intends to nominate a black woman to the Supreme Court if he is elected president, and some see parallels to a promise Reagan made during the 1980 presidential campaign. [Washington Post] * The New Hampshire Supreme Court rejected a lawyer's claim that his sleep apnea was to blame for his professional misconduct. Got to hand it to this lawyer for coming up with a creative argument. [AP]

The End Of Weinstein

Part of me is gleeful for his fall and the lesson he symbolizes. But part of me is wary.

Morning Docket: 02.20.20

* Julian Assange was allegedly offered a presidential pardon if he cleared Russia of collaborating with Wikileaks. [AP] * The jury's out (get it?) over whether the op-ed penned by Harvey Weinstein's lawyer will help or hurt her client. [Forbes] * The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has suspended the prosecutor involved in the Jerry Sandusky case. [Philadelphia Inquirer] * A Roanoke lawyer has been acquitted of charges related to an alleged assault at a strip club. Must've had a good attorney. [Roanoke Times] * "Howrey" going to get clawback payments from former partners? The bankruptcy trustee for Howrey is having a difficult time with clawback claims, and I'm just including this story to use the "Howrey" pun one more time... [ABA Journal]

Morning Docket: 02.19.20

* An 80-year-old atheist has won a lawsuit allowing him to have "IM GOD" on his license plates. Only Morgan Freeman should have those tags. [The Hill] * Harvey Weinstein's lawyer is being accused of improperly influencing the jury after publishing an op-ed piece about the case. [New York Daily News] * The Oregon Bar has denied admission to an ex-cop who used his badge to exploit vulnerable women for sex. [The Oregonian] * The Idaho parents of two missing children have moved to Hawaii as officials have faced difficulties bringing charges against the couple. [Knewz] * An Ohio lawyer has been suspended from practice for having sex with a client. [Bloomberg Law] * There is a pretty amazing 97-year-old attorney who is trying what could be his 100th murder trial in my stomping ground. [NorthJersey.com]