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Court sides with Yahoo in data collection case
Legal News |
2013/07/18 05:43
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Yahoo has won a court fight that could help the public learn more about the government's efforts to obtain data from Internet users.
The U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which reviews government requests to spy on individuals, ruled Monday that information should be made public about a 2008 case that ordered Yahoo Inc. to turn over customer data.
The order requires the government to review which portions of the opinion, briefs and arguments can be declassified and report back to the court by July 29.
The government sought the information from Yahoo under the National Security Agency's PRISM data-gathering program. Details of the secret program were disclosed by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, who has fled the U.S.
The program came to light in early June after The Washington Post and Guardian newspapers published documents provided by Snowden. It allows the NSA to reach into the data streams of U.S. companies such as Yahoo, Facebook Inc., Microsoft Corp., Google Inc. and others, and grab emails, video chats, pictures and more. U.S. officials have said the program is narrowly focused on foreign targets, and technology companies say they turn over information only if required by court order.
Yahoo requested in court papers filed June 14 to have the information about the 2008 case unsealed. A Yahoo spokeswoman hailed Monday's decision and said the company believes it will help inform public discussion about the U.S. government's surveillance programs. |
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Court rejects cat hoarders' appeal of convictions
Attorney News |
2013/07/09 15:18
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The Montana Supreme Court has denied the appeal of a northwestern Montana couple's conviction of aggravated cruelty to animals after 116 cats were found living in filthy, snowbound trailers.
The Daily Inter Lake reports the court announced the decision July 2 involving Edwin and Cheryl Criswell.
The cats were found in December 2010 and a jury the following year found the couple guilty. In October 2011 Cheryl Criswell received a two-year sentence deferred over six years. Edwin Criswell received a two-year suspended sentence but later violated his probation by testing positive for marijuana and methamphetamine. In January he was sentenced to two years in prison.
In September 2006, the Criswells entered Alford pleas to 10 counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty in northern Idaho in what officials then called the largest animal hoarding case in state history involving 430 animals.
In the Montana case, the Criswells contended they were wrongly convicted because during the trial Flathead County Deputy Attorney Ken Park called them "professional freeloaders," prejudicing the jury. |
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Appeals court to hear dispute over BP settlement
Court Line |
2013/07/08 15:19
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A federal appeals court is wading into a high-stakes dispute over the terms of a multibillion-dollar settlement of claims arising from BP's massive 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is scheduled to hear arguments Monday by attorneys for the London-based oil giant and for Gulf Coast businesses that say the nation's worst offshore oil spill cost them money.
BP asserts that the judge who approved the deal and a court-appointed claims administrator have misinterpreted the settlement, allowing thousands of businesses to secure hundreds of millions of dollars in payments for inflated and fictitious losses.
"The result is that thousands of claimants that suffered no losses are coming forward in ever-increasing numbers, seeking and obtaining outrageous windfalls and making a mockery of what was intended to be a fair and honest court-supervised settlement process," company attorneys wrote in their brief for the hearing.
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SC high court overturns $11M defamation verdicts
Court Watch |
2013/07/05 15:18
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South Carolina's high court has overturned $11 million in verdicts against a Charleston attorney accused of defaming a businessman by comparing him to television mobster Tony Soprano.
The state Supreme Court this week sent a civil case against Paul Hulsey back to Circuit Court, according to a report from The Post and Courier of Charleston.
Hulsey was sued several years ago by Charleston businessmen Lawton Limehouse Sr.
The attorney had previously sued Limehouse's company on behalf of day laborers, claiming staffing agency L&L Services made fake green cards and Social Security cards, exploited workers and failed to pay overtime.
"This is a blatant case of indentured servitude," Hulsey told the newspaper in 2004. "L&L Services took advantage of the complexity of the system. They have created a perfect racketeering system, just like Tony Soprano."
Authorities looked into Hulsey's allegations but didn't bring charges. The lawsuit was ultimately settled for $20,000, according to the high court's ruling.
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The Law Offices of David Stein - Maryland Assault Lawyer
Legal News |
2013/06/25 17:58
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In the state of Maryland, there are different levels in categories for assault. These may be categorized as first degree assault, or second degree assault. A first degree assault would be defined as intentionally causing or attempting to cause serious physical injury to another. First degrees also include assaults attempted with firearms and weapons, with the potential of getting jail time of up to 25 years. Assault in the second degree manner is considered a misdemeanor and is defined as intentionally causing physical injury to another. A physically injury can mean any type of impairment to someone's physical condition. This charge is subject to imprisonment not exceeding 10 years or a fine not exceeding $2,500 or both.
However, sometimes there are valid defenses and arguments as to why someone may commit assault. Some reasons may include common self-defense or even reasonable defense of others. A knowledgeable and skilled Maryland assault lawyer
will be here every step of the way and be the aggressive legal help you need to investigate all viable defenses in order to have your charges dismissed.
Prosecutors in general usually do not have much tolerance when it comes to charges for domestic violence. Maryland domestic violence cases have most often a baseline charge of assault, destruction of property, or on the civil side, protection orders. A charge that involves or stems from a domestic relationship is generally defined as a domestic violence charge or case. As these cases most often involve contemporaneous civil filings, it is imperative to have an experienced Maryland domestic violence lawyer engaged with your case form the very outset. Often times conviction of a domestic violence charge could have ramifications in the ensuing civil cases, such as divorce, custody, or even child support. If you are charged with a domestic assault, violation of a peace or protection order, or any other domestic criminal or civil charge, contact our offices for an immediate consultation. Be sure to contact a Maryland assault attorney so we can fight for your case. |
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