News from March 2008
Carter: Time to move on
Carter INDIANAPOLIS - Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter said Sunday that two terms in office is enough for him.
Fight over Langston's and Balducci's millions appears headed for state court
Balducci NEW YORK - Two former attorneys at the center of Mississippi's judicial bribery scandal want a federal bankruptcy judge's rulings before their fight to preserve fees earned performing state work is transferred to a state court.
AG Goddard hails U.S.-Mexican cooperation on border issues
PHOENIX -- Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard said newly forged cooperation between U.S. attorneys general and Mexican prosecutors will help authorities clamp down on international smuggling and money laundering operations.
Junior Scruggs joins dad in pleading guilty
Dickie Scruggs OXFORD, Miss. - Zach Scruggs became the last of five to plead guilty to a judicial bribery scheme involving Hurricane Katrina attorneys fees Friday, one week after his father did the same.
Tort laws out of whack, costing the Evergreen State, says AG McKenna
McKenna OLYMPIA -- Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna said Thursday that tort laws in the Evergreen State are allowing claimants to unfairly siphon scarce government resources.
Judge DeLaughter may be suspended
DeLaughter JACKSON, Miss. - Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Bobby DeLaughter, one of the players in an alleged judicial bribery scheme conducted by famed trial lawyer Richard "Dickie" Scruggs, may soon be suspended from his job.
Starcher sets oral arguments to help decide possible recusal
Starcher CHARLESTON, W. Va. - Concerning his ability to fairly decide on cases involving the businessman he has criticized, West Virginia Supreme Court Justice Larry Starcher wants to publicly clear the air.
Feds reportedly look into Maynard controversy
Maynard CHARLESTON, W. Va. - Federal investigators were apparently sniffing around the West Virginia Supreme Court while the Justices were preparing to hear a high-profile case for a second time.
Scruggs' old partners warn company not to satisfy State Farm request
Don Barrett, head of the KLG GULFPORT, Miss. - An engineering and analysis firm says it cannot comply with a State Farm Insurance Cos. subpoena in a Hurricane Katrina case because it would violate a settlement reached with the former Scruggs Katrina Group.
McGraw to court: Freeze that retirement fund
McGraw CHARLESTON, W. Va. - West Virginia Attorney General Darrell McGraw will not relent in his civil suit against the former director of a federally and state-funded senior center recently acquitted of a federal charge that he illegally cashed in more than $31,000 in sick leave.
AG will alert W. Va. lawmakers of potential windfalls
McGraw CHARLESTON, W. Va. - West Virginia lawmakers have passed a bill that will require the state's Attorney General to notify them of any large amounts of money that might be coming their way.
Brown files 18-state anti-trust suit against Abbott over Tri-Cor
Jerry Brown SACRAMENTO – Global pharmaceutical giant Abbott Laboratories is in the crosshairs of an 18-state lawsuit announced today involving alleged anti-trust violations.
Hood: Partisan politics has no place in Scruggs saga
Hood JACKSON, Miss. - Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood said Monday he hopes that the saga of admitted felon and prominent trial lawyer Richard "Dickie" Scruggs won't become another reason for Republicans and Democrats to fight.
Miss. GOP forks over Scruggs money, calls for investigation
Scruggs JACKSON, Miss. - Now that he's an admitted felon, famed trial lawyer Richard "Dickie" Scruggs' money is no good to some.
Former AG Moore takes on junior Scruggs' case
OXFORD, Miss. - The man who gave now-troubled trial lawyer Richard "Dickie" Scruggs state power to fight tobacco companies will help represent Scruggs' son Zach in his battle against judicial bribery charges.
AG Brown files injunction against H&R Block over 'Rapid Refund'
Brown SACRAMENTO – With less than a month to go before the end of tax season, California's Attorney General, Jerry Brown, has requested an injunction against tax preparation giant, H&R Block.
Scruggs plea reached same day electronic evidence returned, reportedly saves son
Dickie Scruggs OXFORD, Miss. - Saved by his father's guilty plea, Zach Scruggs will apparently avoid jail time but surrender his law license.
Hood: Federal justice effective against Scruggs
Hood JACKSON, Miss. - In catching high-profile plaintiffs lawyer Richard "Dickie" Scruggs in a judicial bribery scheme, the federal government's methods of investigation worked perfectly, Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood said Friday.
Scruggs surrenders, admits to conspiracy to bribe judge
Scruggs OXFORD, Miss. - One of the most powerful plaintiffs attorneys in the country has admitted to trying to grease the wheels of justice.
Anonymous jury not for Backstrom
OXFORD, Miss. - Indicted trial lawyer Sidney Backstrom has told a federal judge that he has no interest in being put on trial alongside high-profile attorney Richard "Dickie" Scruggs as the two battle judicial bribery charges.