Eric Tucker

September 05, 2007 | The Legal Intelligencer

Several defendants being sued by relatives of the 100 people killed in a 2003 nightclub fire have tentatively agreed to a $13.5 million settlement, a lawyer for one family in the case told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

By ERIC TUCKER

3 minute read

July 22, 2008 | Legaltech News

Social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace have helped detectives solve crimes. Now the sites are proving fruitful for prosecutors, who use damaging Internet photos of defendants to cast doubt on their character during sentencing hearings and argue for harsher punishment.

By Eric Tucker

5 minute read

February 14, 2007 | Law.com

Since last February, when the state of Rhode Island won a precedent-setting court victory against three manufacturers over lead paint contamination, the case has been in legal limbo as the companies have challenged the verdict and demanded a new trial. A judge's order is expected soon. Jack McConnell, an attorney representing the state, says he hopes the judge will affirm the verdict and issue a decision "that gets the lead out of Rhode Island as quickly and safely as possible."

By Eric Tucker

5 minute read

May 08, 2006 | Law.com

A judge fined Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch $5,000 and held him in civil contempt after he publicly accused former lead paint makers of twisting the facts during the state's landmark lawsuit against the companies, according to newly unsealed court documents. In the ruling, Superior Court Judge Michael Silverstein said Lynch's remarks violated rules of court conduct regulating what lawyers may say publicly about cases. Lynch on Friday denied violating the court order.

By Eric Tucker

3 minute read

August 21, 2007 | Law.com

In a whirlwind week last month, Ralph Papitto, the former chairman of the Roger Williams University board, admitted using the N-word at a board meeting in May, then volunteered to have his name taken off the law school -- the only one in Rhode Island. The dust-up arrived at a delicate time for the university and especially for the young law school, which lacks the prestige of top-tier institutions but has aggressively sought skilled students from outside the area and diversity in professors.

By Eric Tucker

5 minute read

February 27, 2007 | Law.com

A Rhode Island judge has ordered three former lead paint manufacturers to clean up contamination in the state and said he would appoint a special master to advise him on exactly what the companies should be required to do. Cost of the cleanup has been estimated at more than $1 billion. The judge's 197-page decision affirmed a jury's verdict that the companies were liable for creating a public nuisance, and rejected the defendants' motion for a new trial. The companies said they will appeal.

By Eric Tucker

4 minute read

December 14, 2007 | The Legal Intelligencer

Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island will pay $20 million, but avoid criminal charges following a federal investigation into whether its executives improperly lobbied state legislators for political favors.

By ERIC TUCKER

5 minute read

December 15, 2006 | Law.com

The mother of a Providence, R.I., high school senior who posed in chain mail with a medieval sword for his yearbook picture sued after the school rejected the photo because of a "zero tolerance" policy against weapons. Patrick Agin belongs to the Society for Creative Anachronism, an international organization that researches and recreates medieval history. A suit filed Monday by the Rhode Island branch of the ACLU seeks an order that would prevent the yearbook from being published without Agin's portrait.

By Eric Tucker

3 minute read

August 20, 2007 | The Legal Intelligencer

The law school at Roger Williams University is a relative infant among peers, opened less than 15 years ago and angling ever since to elevate its national profile and climb the rankings ladder.

By ERIC TUCKER

5 minute read

March 06, 2007 | Law.com

A handful of police departments have utilized YouTube as a law enforcement tool, putting up video of suspects and eliciting help from the Internet-using public in identifying them. Experts say the idea has promise, but it's too soon to tell whether it will have staying power amid constantly evolving technologies and the difficulty of making a video stand out among millions. Some also see a risk of fruitless tips, misidentifications or privacy problems.

By Eric Tucker

6 minute read