Administrative Law
‘Frack Master’ of Texas Oil Fame Pleads Guilty to Massive Fraud, Faces Up to 12 Years in Prison
News
Christopher Faulkner, the former CEO of Dallas-based Breitling Energy, became a star in business circles for his high-profile media appearances defending hydraulic fracturing or fracking, reports The Dallas Morning News.
Company Couldn’t Cut Disabled Worker’s Benefits, So It ‘Went Rogue’ and Had Him Arrested, Lawyer Says
News
An attempt to prosecute a man drawing disability payments for an on-the-job injury drew a withering rebuke from a judge, and now the man is suing the insurance company for malicious prosecution.
Barnes & Thornburg Secures Trade Victory for PMP Fermentation Products
News
The U.S. International Trade Commission has unanimously affirmed that PMP Fermentation Products, Inc. was materially injured by unfairly traded sodium gluconate, gluconic acid, and derivative imports from China.
Lawyer Who Called Decision ‘La La Land on Steroids’ is Suspended for His Wide-Ranging Criticism
News
A New York appeals court has suspended a Suffolk County lawyer for three months for “inexcusable” criticism about courts hearing two of his cases, reports the ABA Journal.
Pipeline Companies Should Do More to Prepare for NTSB Accident Investigations
Insight
The National Transportation Safety Board is well known for its sleuthing on plane crashes. However, oil and gas executives often need better education about how the agency tackles one of its other responsibilities – investigating pipeline accidents, advise attorneys with the national law firm LeClairRyan.
Former Foley & Lardner Partner Suspended for Falsifying Documents in IRS Audit of Wealthy Clients
News
A former Foley & Lardner partner was suspended two years by the state Supreme Court for lying to the IRS during an audit of two wealthy estates connected to a major area business, reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Enforcement Pressure Hit Ag, Livestock Operations
Insight
Small ag operations can be compliant with regulations before a historic flooding event and still face financial penalties that push family-owned businesses to the brink of bankruptcy or worse, says attorney Chris Carrington of Denver-based Richards Carrington.
Florida Supreme Court Foils Governor’s Plan to Pick New Justices
News
The Florida Supreme Court’s ruling is a major rebuke to incumbent Gov. Rick Scott, who wanted to pick the new justices before he leaves office.
Trump Reportedly Floating 5 Different Names to Replace Attorney General Jeff Sessions
News
President Donald Trump believes Attorney General Jeff Sessions will likely leave his Cabinet at the end of the year, and so far has five potential replacements in mind who could take his place, reports Business Insider.
Discrimination Defense Lawyer Confirmed for Trump Civil Rights Post
News
Bloomberg Law reports that the U.S. Senate has confirmed Eric Dreiband, a Jones Day attorney who defends companies accused of discrimination, to lead the Justice Department office that enforces anti-bias laws.
HSBC to Pay $765 Million in Settlement Over Pre-Crisis Mortgage Bonds
News
Housing Wire is reporting that HSBC will pay $765 million to the federal government as part of a settlement that covers the bank’s mortgage bond activities in the run-up to the housing crisis.
What Tesla Really Needs, SEC Says, Is an ‘Experienced’ Lawyer
News
Of the all fixes the SEC wants Tesla Inc. to make in the wake of Elon Musk’s now-infamous tweet, one stands out for its novelty: “An experienced securities lawyer.” reports Bloomberg Law.
Morrison & Foerster Will Eat $16M in Fees, Costs Pursuing Vets’ Claims
News
Bloomberg Law reports that Morrison & Foerster LLP accepted a fee award from the U.S. Army that’s $16 million less than the fee the firm could have sought.
Elon Musk’s SEC Settlement Could Have Gone So Much Worse
News
The SEC’s initial suit sought to bar the CEO from becoming an officer or director for any public company, perhaps for life, according to Wired.
North Carolina Bar Accuses Florida Lawyer of Stealing From 2 Death Row Exonerees
News
Orlando lawyer Patrick Megaro took excessive fees when he pocketed a third of the awards despite having done virtually no work on their exonerations or compensation cases, the state bar alleges.
Inside the Private Justice Department Meeting That Could Lead to New Investigations of Tech Giants
News
Participants voiced lingering frustrations that these companies are too big, fail to safeguard users’ private data and don’t cooperate with legal demands.
Ethics Charges Filed Against 6 of 7 Arkansas Supreme Court Justices
News
A spokesman for the Arkansas Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission said it was the first time in the 30-year history of the commission that formal charges of ethical misconduct were brought against any member of the state’s highest court.
Three Charged in $364M Scheme That Paid for Splurges on Diamonds, Bugattis and Mansions
News
A federal grand jury has indicted three men for what officials describe as a $364 million Ponzi scheme to defraud investors, reports The Dallas Morning News.
Patrick Quigley Joins Bradley’s Washington Office as Counsel
News
Patrick R. Quigley has joined the Washington, D.C. office of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP as counsel in the Government Contracts Practice Group.
Citigroup Pays $12 Million to Settle Dark Pool Probe
News
The bank will pay a penalty of $6.5 million and disgorgement and prejudgment interest totaling $5.4 million, while its affiliate, Citi Order Routing and Execution, will pay a penalty of $1 million.
