Mary Alice Robbins
May 24, 2007 | Law.com
EchoStar Wins Defense Verdict in Patent Infringement CaseA jury in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas returned a defense verdict in favor of EchoStar Communications Corp. in a patent infringement suit filed by Texas-based Forgent Networks Inc. Forgent sued 15 companies -- including EchoStar and three of its subsidiaries -- in July 2005, alleging in its original complaint that the defendants infringed on its patent related to a computer-controlled video system that allows playback during recording.
By Mary Alice Robbins
2 minute read
April 19, 2010 | Texas Lawyer
Former District Attorney Ron Sutton Pleads Guilty to Two CountsRepresented by a team of attorneys working pro bono, former 198th District Attorney Ron Sutton of Junction pleaded guilty April 12 to two counts of reckless misapplication of fiduciary property, says Mason solo Laird Palmer, one of Sutton's attorneys. As noted in the indictment, the grand jury had indicted Sutton for "intentionally, knowingly and recklessly" misapplying forfeiture funds. Under the plea agreement, Sutton pleaded guilty only to reckless misapplication of fiduciary property, Palmer says.
By Mary Alice Robbins
4 minute read
March 10, 2010 | Law.com
Texas Judge Rescinds His Own Order Over Constitutionality of Death PenaltyAt a hearing Tuesday, Houston Judge Kevin Fine rescinded his March 4 order in which he granted defendant John E. Green's motion to declare the state's death penalty statute unconstitutional, according to Alan Curry, appellate division chief in the Harris County district attorney's office. Curry says Fine now wants the parties to brief the issue that the judge believes was raised in Green's motion, which is: "Is it OK to execute an innocent person so that we can maintain a death penalty?"
By Mary Alice Robbins
2 minute read
June 07, 2010 | Law.com
Suit Filed Over Health Care Reform Limits on Physician-Owned HospitalsA suit filed Thursday in Texas federal court challenges provisions in the new health care reform law that place new restrictions on physician-owned hospitals. The suit may be the only one by a physician-owned hospital or other group challenging those provisions, says Lindsey Birdsong, attorney for plaintiffs Physician Hospitals of America and Texas Spine and Joint Hospital. The suit names as a defendant Kathleen Sebelius, in her official capacity as secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
By Mary Alice Robbins
3 minute read
October 13, 2006 | Texas Lawyer
Judge Who Rejected Plea Deal Recused from CaseA Houston judge who told a 17-year-old defendant that he'd have to serve time in jail on a third-degree felony drug possession charge despite a plea agreement that called for no jail time is off the case.
By Mary Alice Robbins
1 minute read
June 07, 2010 | Legaltech News
Flooding of Dallas Computer System Leaves Courts AdriftGoing paperless can have a downside. Chaos results from the flooding of the basement of the Dallas County Records Building, according to 95th District Judge Ken Molberg. All court records, including docketing and trial-setting records, are in the computer system that has been incapacitated.
By Mary Alice Robbins
2 minute read
August 03, 2007 | Texas Lawyer
Catherine Shelton is a No-Show at State Bar Hearing — AgainCriminal-defense lawyer Catherine Shelton and her attorney, James Lombardino, principal in Houston's Lombardino & Associates, did not attend a July 27 hearing before the State Bar of Texas 4B4 Evidentiary Panel in Houston on Shelton's motion for rehearing and to set aside the disbarment judgment that the panel issued in May.
By Mary Alice Robbins
1 minute read
October 04, 2010 | Law.com
Law Student Drops Suit Over Texas Lawyers' E-Mail AddressesFordham University School of Law student Marni von Wilpert has filed a notice of nonsuit in her case against the State Bar of Texas seeking e-mail addresses of the Bar's members. Bar officials voluntarily released the information to her in August. But that's not the end of the issue.
By Mary Alice Robbins
2 minute read
May 26, 2008 | Texas Lawyer
Court Won't Hear Decade-Old Fee Fight Between LawyersA more than a decade-old fee fight between two Houston attorneys may not be over yet. On May 16, the Texas Supreme Court denied Robert S. "Bob" Bennett's petition for review in Bennett v. Coghlan, a case that began as a dispute over $28,000 in fees that Kelly Coghlan claimed Bennett owed him. But Bennett isn't giving up.
By Mary Alice Robbins
3 minute read
July 11, 2008 | Texas Lawyer
DNCC Chief Counsel Preparing for Denver ConventionAs chief counsel for the Democratic National Convention Committee, Susana Carbajal deals daily with a variety of legal issues in preparation for the convention set to begin Aug. 25 in Denver. The former associate in Austin's Brown McCarroll says she has worked on everything from drafting contracts to dealing with intellectual property rights on the design of the convention's logo.
By Mary Alice Robbins
3 minute read
