News from July 2008
Former U.S. senator again surfaces in Scruggs probe
Trent Lott (R) (Legal Newsline)-An attorney for State Farm Insurance Company said he is determined to get to the bottom of former Mississippi Sen. Trent Lott's role in a scheme to defraud the insurance company in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
SunMart sued for allegedly cheating consumers at the pump
AUSTIN, Texas (Legal Newsline)--Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said Thursday he was suing the parent company of SunMart gas stations for allegedly cheating motorists at its pumps.
McCollum praises Bush for signing housing bill
Bill McCollum (R) TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Legal Newsline)-Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum said Thursday that legislation signed yesterday by President George W. Bush will help protect homeowners.
Brown weighs in on suburb 'war'
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Legal Newsline) - California Attorney General Jerry Brown may or may not be waging war on the state's suburbs, but he is pretty determined to send some shots across the bow of The Wall Street Journal.
AG reaches agreement with lender to restructure home loans
Martha Coakley (D) BOSTON (Legal Newsline)-The Massachusetts attorney general's office entered into an agreement Thursday with a California company to modify "structurally unfair" mortgage terms.
Court rules racial slurs created hostile workplace for police officer
New Jersey Supreme Court justices NEWARK, N.J.(Legal Newsline)--The New Jersey Supreme Court on Thursday sided with a Jewish police officer in Haddonfield, N.J., ruling that derogatory comments against him created a hostile work environment and violated his constitutional rights.
Michigan court rejects mental disability claim against civil rights group
Michigan Supreme Court building LANSING, Mich. (Legal Newsline)-A woman's mental disability claim has been rejected this week by the Michigan Supreme Court.
AG: Meth Coffee glorifies drug use
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (Legal Newsline)--A San Francisco company marketing a product that critics say glorifies illegal drug use has landed in the crosshairs of Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan.
UBS agrees to pay $4.4 million to settle probe
Martha Coakley (D) BOSTON (Legal Newsline)-UBS AG has agreed to pay $4.4 million to settle allegations by the Massachusetts attorney general that the bank misled cities and government agencies by urging them to invest their money in auction-rate securities.
AG urged to investigate Yahoo-Google deal
Joel Anderson (R) SACRAMENTO, Calif., (Legal Newsline)-A Republican Assemblyman from San Diego is urging state Attorney General Jerry Brown to launch an investigation into the proposed business transaction between Google and Yahoo's search advertising business.
Calif. AG fires up Fox News
Jerry Brown (D) SACRAMENTO, Calif., (Legal Newsline)-More than thirty years in state and national politics have done nothing to slow down California Attorney General Jerry Brown, as the hosts of a Fox News talk show found out in a hurry Tuesday night.
Idaho chief justice undergoes chemotherapy
Dan Eismann BOISE, Idaho (Legal Newsline)-The chief justice of the Idaho Supreme Court has been diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy treatments, a statement said Wednesday.
Blumenthal sues credit-rating firms
Richard Blumenthal (D) HARTFORD, Conn. (Legal Newsline)-Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal on Wednesday sued the nation's three major credit-rating agencies for allegedly engaging in deceptive and unfair practices.
Low-profile judge thrust into the spotlight
Kirk Johnson TEXARKANA, Ark. (Legal Newsline)- Texarkana, home to perhaps the largest class action lawsuit in U.S. history, is more well-known for being divided down the middle by the Texas and Arkansas state line.
Former Dann aide linked to car buying scandal
Dann COLUMBUS, Ohio (Legal Newsline) -- Anthony Gutierrez was fired May 2 as the director of General Services for then-Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann for many reasons, including allegations of sexual harassment, but he continues to make headlines.
Report: Market volatility sparks increase in securities class action filings
Joseph Grundfest PALO ALTO, Calif. (Legal Newsline)-During the first half of 2008, the number of securities class action filings have continued to climb, a study found.
Missouri AG candidates rake in campaign cash
Chris Koster (D) JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.(Legal Newsline)--In the race to succeed Jay Nixon as Missouri's attorney general, Chris Koster has raised and spent more than both his major Democratic competitors, combined, campaign finance reports show.
AG warns of bogus Olympic Games tickets
SALEM, Ore. (Legal Newsline)-Internet sites are marketing bogus tickets for the upcoming Summer Games in Beijing, the Oregon attorney general said Tuesday.
Brown warns Nestle about water plans
Jerry Brown (D) SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Legal Newsline) - A controversial plan to pump pristine water from Northern California's Siskiyou County has now drawn the attention of state Attorney General Jerry Brown.
Scruggses want testimony sealed
Richard "Dickie" Scruggs JACKSON, Miss. (Legal Newsline)-Disgraced plaintiffs' attorney Richard "Dickie" Scruggs and his son want a federal judge to prevent their sworn testimony in a Hurricane Katrina lawsuit from being released.