News from March 2008
McGraw shuts down Canadian company
McGraw CHARLESTON, W. Va. - West Virginia Attorney General Darrell McGraw made two announcements earlier this month, one a settlement and the other he called a "small victory in the battle against cross-border advance fee loan scams."
Everyone on board with McGraw settlement
McGraw CHARLESTON, W. Va. - West Virginia lawmakers have stopped bickering with Attorney General Darrell McGraw long enough to agree with a settlement designed by McGraw and Gov. Joe Manchin that would use settlement dollars to create sales tax breaks.
GHG litigation still possible against non-compliant counties, Brown's office says
Brown SACRAMENTO -- Despite California Attorney General Jerry Brown's new focus on outreach, California communities who fail to address greenhouse gases may still wind up in court.
'My Bad,' say insurers, of contentious faker-finder test
Dr. Paul Lees-Haley A new psychological test that claims to reveal whether an injured plaintiff is really suffering has launched a bunfight amongst psychologists on both sides of personal-injury lawsuits.
N.Y. Republicans put heat on Spitzer
Spitzer NEW YORK - Faced with a potentially career-ending prostitution scandal, New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer is being called on to resign by the state's Republican party.
Explorer roll-over death leads to suit against Ford
CHICAGO -- The estate of Barbara Griego, who died in 2006 when her 1999 Ford Explorer rolled over on an interstate, filed a products liability and wrongful death suit against Ford in the Circuit Court of Cook County in January 2008.
Candidates chime in on crime, courts and environment in Oregon's Dem AG race
John Kroger SALEM, Ore. -- Vying to be Oregon's next attorney general are two Democrats who have promised to raise the profile of the office by aggressively protecting consumers and defending the state's vast natural resources.
Spitzer allegedly caught in prostitution ring
Spitzer NEW YORK -- Eliot Spitzer, who parlayed his aggressive approach to the Attorney General's office into a successful run at Governor in New York, reportedly has been caught on a federal wiretap soliciting a prostitute.
Junior Scruggs makes another push for dismissal
OXFORD, Miss. - Four days before the issue can be argued at a hearing, the defense team for indicted trial lawyer Zach Scruggs has reiterated the reasons it thinks the judicial bribery charges against Scruggs should be dropped.
Dem. AG in MN blackballs AFSCME, stirs labor abroad
Lori Swanson ST. PAUL -- An international labor advocacy group has accused Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson of illegally preventing lawyers in her office from joining a union.
Junior Scruggs gets Government response to perjury claim
OXFORD, Miss. - Federal prosecutors said Thursday that there is no meat in indicted trial lawyer Zach Scruggs' sweet potato defense.
Florida AG bounces directory over 'activation checks'
Bill McCollum (L) TALLAHASSEE -- Twenty-six states will receive an average of about $15,000 each from an online yellow pages company under a settlement with Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum.
McCollum joins Chamber in anti-counterfeiting cause
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum joined several others Thursday in introducing state legislation designed to combat counterfeit and pirated goods.
W. Va. Court says it can't investigate Maynard-Blankenship friendship
Bastress CHARLESTON, W. Va. - While West Virginia Supreme Court hopeful Bob Bastress is calling for a special group to probe the Chief Justice's relationship with the head of a large corporation, the Court's administrator says there is no need to get all worked up.
McGraw mailer a common target for AG hopefuls
Greear CHARLESTON, W. Va. - Republican candidates for West Virginia's Attorney General's office are taking shots at Democratic incumbent Darrell McGraw instead of each other.
KLG taking advantage of Scruggs' contempt dismissal
Don Barrett GULFPORT, Miss. - The remaining members of the former Scruggs Katrina Group are hoping a federal judge in Alabama has proven their point.
Balducci a liar, junior Scruggs says
Balducci OXFORD, Miss. - Zach Scruggs says he had no knowledge of any plan involving his dad, high-profile trial lawyer Richard "Dickie" Scruggs, and the attempted bribery of a state judge.
Louisiana's new AG probes Foti's last-stand lawsuits
Charles Foti BATON ROUGE -- Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell could be ready to ditch some of the more "curious" cases he inherited from his predecessor.
Group wants W. Va. lawmakers to follow Mississippi's lead
McGraw CHARLESTON, W. Va. - Recent scandals may not make Mississippi seem like much of a legal role model, but a West Virginia legal reform group would like to see its state take some of the same measures.
Due process of law butts heads with free press in Scruggs case
Scruggs OXFORD, Miss. - Legal superstar-turned-criminal defendant Richard "Dickie" Scruggs has a constitutional right to a fair trial with an impartial jury. Mississippi's public has a right to know, and Mississippi media has a right to print allegations about Scruggs.