Thomas Scheffey

September 12, 2000 | Law.com

In their wills Charles and Kelly Silk said they wanted Chad and Sara Prigge to raise their children. But after the Silks and two of their children died in a grisly murder-suicide, a series of "clearly improper" actions by the Connecticut Department of Children and Families intervened to undo their desire to have the Prigges raise their remaining children.

By Thomas Scheffey

5 minute read

March 21, 2000 | Law.com

Eight of the nation's major movie studios, battling the spread of a computer program which removes DVD copy-protection, have the creator of a computer hacking Web site in their crosshairs. Paramount, Disney, Columbia Pictures, 20th Century Fox, MGM, Tri-Star and Time-Warner are joining in a concerted federal court action in Hartford, Conn., to keep the Web site designer from offering downloads of a recently-discovered "key" to the DVD's encryption.

By Thomas Scheffey

8 minute read

October 08, 2001 | Law.com

Alleging that he shouted at students and was derelict in his duties, Connecticut school authorities demanded that Thomas O'Connor, a high school teacher, submit to a mental health exam by a school-chosen doctor. O'Connor's attorney, Leon Rosenblatt, is seeking a federal injunction against what he calls an "overbearing bureaucracy which is ... downright hostile to the constitutional right of privacy."

By Thomas Scheffey

5 minute read

January 15, 2002 | Connecticut Law Tribune

When they think they`re right, the Good Hands folks can be an Iron Fist. That`s what Bridgeport Superior Court Judge A. William Mottolese found when he tried to press an Allstate Insurance adjuster to go up $400 to meet a claimant`s $2,450 demand in an minor auto case.

By THOMAS SCHEFFEY Law Tribune Staff Writer

5 minute read

January 18, 2002 | Connecticut Law Tribune

Seven men named John Doe who wanted to establish a drug and alcohol recovery residence in a West Haven single-family neighborhood were told they couldn`t for lack of kinship.

By THOMAS SCHEFFEY

4 minute read

December 08, 2000 | Law.com

Not long ago, the expression "see you in court" was a hollow threat, especially in Connecticut's urban centers, where a backlog of 24,000 civil cases created a delay of three to four years between filing and trial. Now, due to more judges, bigger budgets and new ideas, that trend is reversing.

By Thomas Scheffey

6 minute read

February 15, 2001 | Law.com

Friends counseled William J. "Tocco" Sullivan that as chief justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court, he might want to lose the nickname. No way. Before the legislative Judiciary Committee last month, he opened with "I'm Tocco Sullivan." The story behind the name is a quirky tale, but Sullivan would rather focus on his plans to demystify the supreme court for everyone from schoolchildren to trial judges.

By Thomas Scheffey

6 minute read

June 13, 2002 | Connecticut Law Tribune

The science of land record searching will take a leap into the cyber-age Oct. 1, when people like Philip Peter Apter will be able to start waving magic wands to capture deeds and other public documents.

By Thomas Scheffey

4 minute read

December 28, 2000 | Law.com

Looking forward to a relaxing vacation, Nicholas A. Caruso Jr. boarded a jet in Newark, N.J. Nearly nine hours later, the plane -- with him in it -- still sat on the runway. Caruso sued the airline for emotional distress and false imprisonment, claiming the airline refused to allow him to disembark. But this "tarmac hold" case, like many others, is caught in a conflict between state and federal law.

By Thomas Scheffey

4 minute read

August 23, 2000 | Law.com

Insurance defense lawyer Mark A. Perkins was so sure jurors based a $53,815 personal injury award on faulty reasoning, he hired a private investigator to quiz them later. The jury foreman responded. In Perkins' view, the answers showed the damage figures were sheer speculation -- and unsupportable. But instead of getting the verdict tossed, Perkins found himself in the hot seat.

By Thomas Scheffey

4 minute read