Curt Anderson

May 20, 2010 | Law.com

An attorney wants more than 100 lawsuits filed against BP and other companies involved in the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill combined quickly in a single federal court to avoid what he called legal chaos that could delay potential payments of billions of dollars in damages. Louisiana lawyer Daniel Becnel on Wednesday asked a federal judicial panel to order the lawsuits in five Gulf Coast states centralized in New Orleans or a federal court elsewhere in Louisiana, the state so far hardest hit by the spill.

By Curt Anderson

4 minute read

October 16, 2001 | Law.com

With a weekend deadline looming, the U.S. House of Representatives voted Tuesday to extend a ban on Internet-only taxes by an additional two years, putting off the difficult issue of how state sales taxes should apply to electronic commerce. The bill, which the House passed on a voice vote, would extend until Nov. 1, 2003, a moratorium preventing taxes on Internet access and multiple and discriminatory Internet taxes.

By Curt Anderson

3 minute read

January 06, 2006 | Law.com

By Curt Anderson

3 minute read

June 22, 2007 | Law.com

Lawyers for the family of Ron Goldman and a bankruptcy trustee say celebrity gossip Internet site TMZ.com should be held in contempt for posting a manuscript of O.J. Simpson's "If I Did It" book. At an emergency hearing, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge A. Jay Cristol suggested that the company could eventually be held financially liable for any violation.

By Curt Anderson

3 minute read

August 13, 2007 | The Legal Intelligencer

Jose Padilla was a "star recruit" for a terrorism support cell that provided Muslim extremist soldiers to fight around the globe with al-Qaida to create fundamentalist Islamic regimes, prosecutors said Monday in closing arguments.

By Curt Anderson

4 minute read

May 12, 2004 | The Legal Intelligencer

The U.S. Justice Department has said it is reopening the investigation into the 1955 murder of Emmett Till, a black teenager whose death while visiting Mississippi was an early catalyst for the civil rights movement.

By Curt Anderson

4 minute read

October 11, 2010 | Law.com

The former chief operating officer at the law firm run by convicted Ponzi scheme operator Scott Rothstein was sentenced Friday to the maximum 10 years in federal prison for her role in the $1.2 billion fraud. But Debra Villegas will probably serve far less time because of her extensive cooperation with prosecutors. She is also being allowed to remain free until June 2011 so she can assist in an investigaton into Rothstein's defunct firm. Villegas pleaded guilty in June to a money laundering conspiracy charge.

By Curt Anderson

3 minute read

June 23, 2004 | Law.com

The DOJ on Tuesday disavowed a 2002 memo that seemed to justify use of torture in the war on terror and that argued the president's powers superseded anti-torture laws. Critics have said the memo provided the legal underpinnings for subsequent abuses of prisoners in Afghanistan and Iraq. The memo will be replaced with a new document narrowly addressing interrogation techniques for al-Qaida and Taliban detainees, said DOJ officials.

By Curt Anderson

3 minute read

March 09, 2010 | Law.com

Toyota owners claiming that massive safety recalls are causing the value of their vehicles to plummet have filed at least 89 class action lawsuits that could cost the Japanese auto giant $3 billion or more, according to an Associated Press review of cases, legal precedent and interviews with experts. Those estimates do not include potential payouts for wrongful death and injury lawsuits, which could reach in the tens of millions each.

By Curt Anderson and Greg Bluestein

7 minute read

May 30, 2008 | Law.com

Surf the TV channels anywhere in America on a given weekday, and chances are you'll find a former Miami judge holding court. Miami now counts five former criminal court judges with TV shows, two of whom were nominated for a daytime Emmy this year. South Florida has more than its share of high-profile court cases and colorful characters, and the combination seems to make for must-see TV. "I think it's the water," laughed Marilyn Milian, who has presided over "The People's Court" for the past eight seasons.

By Curt Anderson

5 minute read