News from November 2008
Madigan suing Las Vegas company for "cramming"
Lisa Madigan (D) CHICAGO (Legal Newsline) -- Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has filed a lawsuit against Las Vegas-based company, claiming it cheated Illinois small business by "cramming" them.
Spence: Trial lawyers more important than doctors
Gerry Spence SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline)-Being a trial lawyer is the noblest profession in America, some 500 lawyers who gathered here for the annual Consumer Attorneys of California convention heard from one of the nation's most famed plaintiffs' attorneys.
California's political dominoes teeter toward 2010
Kamala Harris SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline)-When San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris announced her intention to run for state attorney general in 2010 on Wednesday, it came with a caveat that she'll only run if current Attorney General Jerry Brown does not, thus becoming yet another Democratic Party domino waiting to fall in what may be a major California shake-up in 2010
Citigroup enacts moratorium on foreclosures
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) -- Citigroup became the latest financial giant to take measures designed to assist troubled homeowners in danger of losing their homes to foreclosure, according to published reports.
Countrywide settlement may favor Wall Street over Main Street
Oakland, Calif. (Legal Newsline) - Just a month ago, when the terms of the largest settlement in home mortgage history were announced, many hailed the settlement as the first significant step to providing needed relief to homeowners buried in rising interest rates and declining property value.
Cuomo will use settlement money for home oil project
Cuomo NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) - Money from a settlement with the nation's largest power provider will be used in New York to help low-income households cut their home heating costs.
Ga. SC disbars once-prominent attorney
DiTrapano ATLANTA (Legal Newsline) - The Georgia Supreme Court recently disbarred an attorney whose former firm represented the State of West Virginia in litigation against the manufacturer of the prescription painkiller OxyContin.
Minnesota state Supreme Court welcomes back two Justices
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (Legal Newsline) - The Minnesota Supreme Court will welcome back incumbent justices Lorie Skjerven Gildea and Paul Anderson following their wins in Tuesday's elections.
Audit nets defrauded Massachusetts customers additional restitution
Coakley BOSTON (Legal Newsline) - A court-ordered audit of an insurance brokerage firm in Massachusetts has resulted in an additional $410,000 for customers and the Commonwealth, Attorney General Martha Coakley, a Democrat, said Friday.
Arkansas S.C. rules Check-Cashers Act unconstitutional
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Legal Newsline) - The Arkansas Supreme Court ruled the state's Check-Cashers Act of 1999 was unconstitutional because of the triple-digit interest rates it allowed lenders to charge consumers.
Ohio AG's office: Better home improvement laws needed
Rogers COLUMBUS, Ohio (Legal Newsline) - Ohio's Attorney General Office has experienced differing measures of success against two Columbus home improvement contractors recently.
Home builder settles with Gansler
Gansler BALTIMORE (Legal Newsline) - A home-building company will pay $925,000 in restitution to consumers who had their contracts canceled as a result of a settlement engineered by Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler.
Spitzer won't be charged in prostitution scandal
Spitzer NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) - Eliot Spitzer might have lost his job as New York's governor because of a prostitution scandal, but he apparently won't lose his freedom.
Analysts: Chaos now the norm for housing economy, bailout
Jack Kyser SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline)--It's been called a bailout and a boondoggle, a market correction and a rescue plan, a savior and a swindle. But the impact of the recent $700 million given by Congress to strengthen the country's lending institutions remains completely unclear, leading financial analysts say.
Mass. AG to argue before U.S. Supreme Court
Coakley WASHINGTON D.C. (Legal Newsline) - Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley will argue before the United States Supreme Court Monday in a case over drug analysis certificates and a defendant's right to confront his accuser.
Cuomo reaches $350,000 settlement with student loan company
Cuomo ALBANY, N.Y. (Legal Newsline) -- Alexandria, Va.-based Goal Financial has reached a $350,000 settlement agreement with New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo.
Texas small businesses protected in telecommunications fraud case
Abbott HOUSTON, Tex. (Legal Newsline) - Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said Thursday that small-business owners in Texas will benefit from his settlement with the credit company that purchased a now-defunct company.
Ala. AG will fight feds over Medicaid money recovered in pharmaceutical suits
King MONTGOMERY, Ala. (Legal Newsline) - Alabama Attorney General Troy King is upset with new demands made by the federal Medicaid agency seeking to claim what it feels is its share of funds recovered from legal actions against pharmaceutical companies.
Coakley reaches $1.25M settlement with Berkshire Gas Co.
Coakley BOSTON, Mass. (Legal Newsline) -- Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley has reached a settlement agreement with Pittsfield-based Berkshire Gas Company that resolves an investigation into the company's handling of a gas supply contract in 2004.
Corbett outlines next four years
Corbett HARRISBURG, Pa. (Legal Newsline) -- Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett outlined the goals for his second term at a news conference today in Harrisburg