News from September 2009
Calif. trial lawyers dole out campaign cash
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Legal Newsline)--California trial lawyers are expected to shell out big bucks to help their allies get elected in 2010, observers say.
Utah settles first of many pending Medicaid fraud suits‏
Mark Shurtleff (R) SALT LAKE CITY (Legal Newsline) - A drug manufacturer that allegedly overcharged Utah's Medicaid program has agreed to pay a $1 million settlement, the state's attorney general has announced.
Democratic AGs' association fined $10K
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (Legal Newsline)-- The Democratic Attorneys General Association has agreed to pay a $10,000 fine for campaign finance violations in Missouri.
Brown subpoenas credit rating firms
Jerry Brown (D) SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Legal Newsline)-California Attorney General Jerry Brown on Thursday launched an investigation into the nation's three largest credit rating agencies.
AGs meet with federal officials over mortgage fraud
Terry Goddard (D) WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline)--Twelve state attorneys general took part in a meeting Thursday with U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to discuss mortgage fraud.
Window sales scheme shut down by Washington AG
SEATTLE (Legal Newsline) - The Washington attorney general's office has announced a settlement with a Seattle-based window installer over alleged deceptive sales practices and scare tactics.
Ohio justices: Grocers' tax is legal
Richard Cordray (D) COLUMBUS, Ohio (Legal Newsline)-The Ohio Supreme Court has ruled that grocery stores should have to pay the state's Commercial Activities Tax.
Washington justices make it easier to file med-mal suits
OLYMPIA, Wash. - The Washington Supreme Court today overturned a state law that requires an allegedly injured patient to get a certificate of merit before filing a medical malpractice lawsuit.
Koster settles with telemarketers
Koster JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (Legal Newsline) - Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster reached a settlement agreement on Wednesday with a California couple who had violated the state's No-Call List policy.
Tobacco partners suing Scruggs
Scruggs TUPELO, Miss. (Legal Newsline) - Two of disgraced plaintiffs attorney Richard "Dickie" Scruggs' former business partners are suing him, claiming part of the money owed to them from a tobacco settlement was used to further one of Scruggs' judicial bribery schemes.
Coakley reaches pair of settlements
Coakley BOSTON (Legal Newsline) - Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley has reached a settlement with a Waltham-based real estate company over allegations the business violated the state's anti-discrimination act.
Zoeller: Consumer Alert Program an early success
Zoeller BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (Legal Newsline) - Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller says the newly launched Consumer Alert Program is already having an impact on statewide residents.
Private equity firms join Cuomo's pension reform code
Cuomo NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) - Four private equity firms have agreed to return $4.5 million and adopt New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's code of conduct.
Poll: Coakley trails Joe Kennedy in Senate race
Coakley BOSTON (Legal Newsline) - Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley is not the first choice for Democratic voters who will be asked to choose a replacement for the late Ted Kennedy's U.S. Senate seat, a poll released Wednesday shows.
Calif. AG to probe credit rating firms
Jerry Brown (D) SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Legal Newsline)--The California attorney general said Wednesday that he plans to investigate credit rating firms and the role they played in the nation's financial crisis.
Tort reform law debated before Ga. SC
Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Carol Hunstein ATLANTA (Legal Newsline) - The Georgia Supreme Court on Tuesday heard a challenge to a state tort reform measure that installed caps on certain damages in medical malpractice lawsuits.
Wis. air pollution case settled‏
MADISON, Wis. (Legal Newsline) - Violations of state air pollution control laws in 2006 by a Wisconsin pulp and paper mill have been resolved under a settlement announced by the state's attorney general.
Activists want Supreme Court to hear Redskins name case
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline)--The U.S. Supreme Court has been asked to determine if the name of the Washington Redskins football team is offensive, potentially opening up legal challenges for other controversial monikers.
CALA: Pay-to-play again on display in W.Va.
McGraw CHARLESTON, W.Va. (Legal Newsline) - A legal watchdog group is concerned that West Virginia Attorney General Darrell McGraw has again hired campaign contributors to pursue a lawsuit on behalf of the State.
Florida AG sues travel companies
Bill McCollum (R) TALLAHASEE, Fla. (Legal Newsline) - Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum is suing a host of travel companies over allegedly scamming consumers.