News published on Legal Newsline in January 2008

Langston OXFORD, Miss. - Booneville attorney Joey Langston, whose offices were searched last month by the FBI, has withdrawn as counsel for indicted trial lawyer Richard "Dickie" Scruggs.

Wyatt GULFPORT, Miss. - Claiming that an attorney for the former Scruggs Katrina Group won't oblige, State Farm Insurance Cos. filed an emergency motion Monday to obtain information provided from an engineer to indicted trial lawyer Richard "Dickie" Scruggs.

Smith GULFPORT, Miss. - One of the remaining members of the former Scruggs Katrina Group has dropped his Katrina cases, but it has nothing to do with recent requests made by State Farm Insurance Cos. to do so.

Scruggs GULFPORT, Miss. - Indicted trial lawyer Richard "Dickie" Scruggs might soon have to find a way to appear in two places at the same time.

Mike McGrath (C) HELENA -- Montana Attorney General Mike McGrath has won a key battle in his on-going war with neighboring Wyoming over alleged breaches of a bi-state water-use contract.

The Rigsby sisters GULFPORT, Miss. - E.A. Renfroe and Co., Inc., is seeking to force the two "whistleblower sisters" to answer questions to which their attorneys objected in a November Hurricane Katrina-related deposition.

Scruggs GULFPORT, Miss. - Attorneys for State Farm Insurance Cos. have filed another motion asking a federal judge to disqualify all members of the former Scruggs Katrina Group and throw out all the evidence they obtained from one of its higher-profile cases.

Kerri Rigsby and Cori Rigsby Moran Former employees of E.A. Renfroe, Inc., which handled Hurricane Katrina claims on behalf of State Farm. Turned over State Farm documents to Richard "Dickie" Scruggs, claiming they showed State Farm was unfairly treating policyholders. Became insurance litigation consultants for Scruggs at a salary of $150,000.

Founded Keker & Van Nest in 1978 with law school classmate Bill Brockett. Princeton University (1965); Yale Law School (J.D. 1970). Served in U.S. Marine Corps in Vietnam until wounded. Inducted to California State Bar's Litigation Hall of Fame in 2002.

Attorney at The Langston Law Firm in Booneville, Miss. University of Mississippi (B.B.A. 1994); Louisiana State University (J.D. 1997). Played football for Ole Miss. Formerly a partner at Lundy & Davis before joining the Langston firm in 2007

-Former engineer at Forensic Analysis and Engineering Corp.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Ten days after meeting with Rhode Island Chief Justice Frank Williams, the two sides in the State's landmark suit against paint manufacturers received their schedule for the appeal.

Brown WASHINGTON, D.C. - Frustrated with the federal government's decision to block his state's greenhouse gas emission standards, California Attorney General Jerry Brown will lead a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency.