Prosecutors Want R. Kelly Trapped In A Jail Cell For 25+ Years
He'll be sentenced at the end of the month, and faces 10 years in prison at a minimum.
Morning Docket: 09.28.21
* R. Kelly found guilty of sex trafficking. Really shouldn't be surprising that a guy that called himself the Pied Piper of R&B lured youth. [New York Post] * A district attorney is about to dismiss 60k weed convictions. About damn time. [Los Angeles Times] * One shot for two, please: study finds COVID vaccination helps boost baby's immunity in utero. [CTV News] * Alabama would rather spend $400M investing in slavery than combat COVID. [Vanity Fair] * Check out how Emily Dillan is balancing being an advocate with getting her JD. Maybe there is hope that some lawyers are good people. [ABA Journal]
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Morning Docket: 06.08.21
* R. Kelly's attorneys are requesting to withdraw as his counsel and say it is "impossible" to properly represent him. Bet the lawyers hope they aren't "trapped" in the courtroom... [Fox News] * A prominent West Virginia attorney passed away this week following a car crash. [Metro News] * The Department of Justice says it will defend former president Trump in a private defamation lawsuit. [Forbes] * Stormy Daniels says her attorneys are cooperating with investigators looking into the operations of the Trump Organization. [Hill] * A Boca Raton attorney was allegedly intoxicated around four times above the legal limit when she was involved in a car crash. Wild even by Florida standards... [Boca News Now]
Morning Docket 05.01.20
* Bed Bath & Beyond has a new top lawyer. Hope she gets more than a 20% discount. [Bloomberg Law] * The husband of the Los Angeles County District Attorney is under investigation for pointing a gun at protesters. [Los Angeles Times] * The NCAA is facing a lawsuit alleging that it did not do enough to protect women from violence perpetrated by male athletes. [USA Today] * The Florida Bar has launched a hotline to help attorneys dealing with stress amid the ongoing pandemic. [Daily Business Review] * R. Kelly "didn't believe he could fly" to Brooklyn for an arraignment on new charges, so he teleconferenced into the proceedings from his jail cell in Chicago. [New York Daily News] * Several death row inmates in Arizona have died because of COVID-19. [NBC News] * A Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice who lost re-election has unrecused himself. Hey, what about no backsies? [CNN]
Morning Docket: 04.17.20
* President Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen will be released from prison early over COVID-19 concerns. He will still be under house arrest, which is not unlike the situation of many people right now... [NBC News] * Speaking of which, R. Kelly's lawyer is trying to get the incarcerated singer cut loose because of COVID-19 and says R. Kelly thinks he'll die of coronavirus in prison. [New York Daily News] * It's been a decade since the Deepwater Horizon explosion, and the Mark Wahlberg movie would be a lot more boring if it just covered the legal battles that ensued from the incident. [Texas Lawyer] * Check out this Boston lawyer who is volunteering 20 hours a week at Massachusetts General Hospital to give back during the COVID-19 pandemic. [Boston.com] * New York's Appellate Division, First Department, will be going all virtual for the foreseeable future. Hope they still have that nifty light system to tell attorneys how much time they have left. [New York Law Journal] * The trial of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes has been delayed because of COVID-19. Thankfully, Theranos isn't around to make faulty COVID-19 tests... [CNN] * Joe Exotic, star of the Netflix docuseries Tiger King, has asked a federal judge for access to a computer and a law library in prison. If he gets a computer, his first priority should be making another music video. [TMZ]
Morning Docket: 03.03.20
* An Oregon lawyer is in hot water after he refused to fork over $200 for a 15-minute lap dance. The billable hour rate for this stripper is probably higher than the lawyer who refused to pay. [The Oregonian] * A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed against the Indiana Attorney General on behalf of women who claim that the AG groped them at a party. [Chicago Tribune] * R. Kelly's lawyers are arguing that it is unconstitutional to prosecute the disgraced singer for allegedly having sex without informing his partners that he may have had an STD. Wonder if this is what the Founders intended. Benjamin Franklin may have had an opinion on this issue... [Page Six] * The Supreme Court has refused to review the constitutionality of bump stock bans. [NBC News] * Apple will pay up to $500 million to settle a lawsuit over intentionally slowing down older phones. [CNN] * The husband of L.A.'s District Attorney pulled a gun on Black Lives Matter protesters camped out outside of their house. Not sure California's castle doctrine covers this... [NBC News]
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Morning Docket: 11.06.19
* Roger Stone left early from his trial yesterday because he complained of food poisoning. At least this is better than R. Kelly's infected toenail excuse... [CNN] * An attorney alleged to have smuggled a hit list out of jail has been denied the reinstatement of her law license. [East Bay Times] * Attorneys for Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes have filed a motion to withdraw from the case, stating that they haven't been paid for more than a year. Holmes has come a long way from paying numerous attorneys hefty fees to go after Theranos whistleblowers. [CNBC] * The Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda has asked that Harvard Law make reparations to that country for the impact Antiguan slave labor had on the creation of Harvard Law School. [Toronto Star] * A celebrated cellist has won $11M in a slip and fall lawsuit against an upscale food market. That's a lot of cheddar. [New York Post] * Kentucky elected its first African American attorney general last night. [The Hill] * The Supreme Court yesterday seemed to frown upon North Carolina's use of copyrighted images of a pirate ship that sunk off its shores. If you want to see good images of a pirate ship, there's a ride you should check out... [USA Today]
Morning Docket: 11.05.19
* R. Kelly has hired a lawyer who specializes in plea negotiations. He might be singing a different tune about case strategy. [Chicago Tribune] * President Trump has been sued for defamation for statements made about sexual assault allegations. [Rolling Stone] * The lawyer defending a Brooklyn judge on obstruction charges has been implicated in the case, according to federal prosecutors. This might be a case where a lawyer needs a lawyer. [New York Post] * The Justice Department has warned the anonymous author of an upcoming expose on the Trump Administration that she or he could be in legal trouble. Hence, why this person has remained anonymous. [Deadline] * A White House lawyer has indicated that he will not comply with an impeachment inquiry subpoena. [The Hill] * An Oregon public defender refused to press charges against a homeless man who stole her coat while in court for drug charges. This lawyer can definitely say she's kind enough to offer the coat off her back... [Oregonian]
Morning Docket: 10.31.19
* Johnny Depp has settled a lawsuit against his former attorney who allegedly bilked him out of millions. In other words: Jack Sparrow has bested another pirate. [Bloomberg] * Hillary Clinton told an audience at Georgetown Law yesterday that she played a pivotal role in the selection of RBG to the Supreme Court. Maybe she'll play herself in the next RBG movie. [CNN] * Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. has been charged with unlawfully touching a third woman. [Yahoo Entertainment] * Attorneys handling the Equifax data breach class action are asking for $77M in fees. I'm still waiting for the money AOC promised me! [Daily Report] * The Second Circuit has upheld the conviction of Martin Shkreli's lawyer for his role in helping Shkreli defraud investors. [Reuters] * R. Kelly skipped a hearing relating to his federal charges because he allegedly had an infected toenail. This excuse is even worse than saying he had to wash his hair. [People]
Morning Docket: 10.22.19
* An alleged New Hampshire church shooter has allegedly beaten his own lawyer... good luck trying to find another attorney to represent him. [Boston Herald] * A bunch of law firms are vying to provide fixed-rate trademark services for Amazon. Wonder if they'll offer free two-day delivery to Prime members. [American Lawyer] * It may be time for the "Piper" to pay — another DLA Piper employee alleges inappropriate behavior by a firm partner and administrators. [Bloomberg] * R. Kelly and his divorce lawyer are in Splitsville over R. Kelly's alleged failure to pay his lawyer's fees. [Chicago Sun Times] * Roger Stone won't be able to show clips from The Godfather Part II at his trial. I guess they made the judge an offer he could refuse. [Daily Beast] * Unfortunately, two beaten-up lawyers make today's Morning Docket. The Cleveland attorney sucker punched by a client after a 47-year sentence was handed down is mulling a lawsuit against the local sheriff's department. [Cleveland.com]
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Morning Docket: 10.15.19
* Attorney for accused poker cheat explains that he loses all the time, so people who win all the time must be possible too. These are the math students law school was built to serve. [Card Player] * A Davis Wright Tremaine partner has resigned amid controversy that a board he served on covered up allegations against the non-profit's founder. [American Lawyer] * Comedy writer writes tale of what would have happened if he'd listened to his mother and gone into law instead of comedy. Having read this contribution to the New Yorker's humor section... he should have listened to his mom. [New Yorker] * Inmate seeks to intervene on R. Kelly's behalf. He feels a kinship because the prisoner is... Trapped in the Jail Cell. [Yahoo] * LST is looking to expand its board as part of its commitment to maintain a board reflecting a cross-section of the legal industry. [Law School Transparency] * Lawyers overpay for less? Shocking! [Legaltech News] * Irell & Manella may be suffering from failed merger exodus. [Business Insider]
Bold Argument: Lawyer Argues R. Kelly Should Have Access To More Girlfriends In Prison
Is it really the wisest strategy for R. Kelly to complain that he should have access to more of his girlfriends?
Morning Docket: 07.12.19
* Conviction sends Bitcoin boss from blockchain to chain gang. [Law360] * Remember Popkin & Stern? Probably not since it collapsed in 1991. Its wild bankruptcy tale is finally coming to an end after art fights and marriage proposals. [Stltoday] * Drug smugglers are now suing their lawyers for saying they knew Alex Acosta but failed to get an "Epstein deal." This "Rule of Law" thing is not going well, folks. [Miami Herald] * Effort to quash the House subpoena of Trump's accountants heads to the DC Circuit today where new judge Neomi Rao will have an early opportunity to cook up some kooky ramblings to justify a purely political decision. [National Law Journal] * Andrew Cuomo steps up to disenfranchise voters to shield his political stooges. [Sunnyside Post] * Municipality hacks keep striking and it's a real problem for everyone's privacy. [Legaltech News] * R. Kelly arrested on new charges. [Huffington Post]
Morning Docket: 06.20.19
* The Anthony Davis deal may have royally screwed up the Lakers and it looks like it might be the lawyers' fault. [Silverscreen and Roll] * A reminder that Law & Order: SVU is largely based on Linda Fairstein. It seems to me that NBC's best move now would be unveiling "Law & Order: Qualified Immunity" forcing Mariska Hargitay to fend off legal challenges after DNA evidence clears characters from past shows. [NBC News] * In shocking new poll, women in law reveal that they don't like being consistently paid less than men. [Law360] * Antitrust law can't solve today's trusts. [NY Times] * The case against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton may fall apart because local elected officials (who surely couldn't be political allies of Paxtons!) are refusing to pay the bill for the prosecution. [Courthouse News Service] * Right-wing groups have drafted copycat bills for state legislatures to pass for years and now pro-choice groups are following the same blueprint. Welcome to modern federalism: less "laboratories of democracy" and more "paving over distinctions with cheaper lobbying bills." [USA Today] * R. Kelly has fully paid his child support bills. Finally, the guy can put all these legal problems behind him... oh. [TMZ]
Morning Docket: 05.09.19
* In "dog bites man" news, a majority of young lawyers think being a lawyer sucks. [Daily Business Review] * ICE is now curtailing immigrant access to legal counsel. [NBC News] * Republican Senators call on Attorney General to resign for ignoring congressional subpoenas... oh, wait, that was when Holder did it. [Tampa Bay Times] * The FTC wants a national privacy law and it's absolutely not getting one because that would require a functional government. [NY Times] * R. Kelly paid child support, but he's still trying to keep the whole thing sealed. Don't pee on my leg... actually, you know what, let's just leave it there. [ABC News] * Stoel Rives elects female managing partner. [The Recorder] * Will Monsanto face a $1B verdict? [Law360]