The Kim Kardashian Effect
OK, what could Kim Kardashian possibly effect that would be worthy of a post on a law-themed blog? Nothing really, but she is among the most searched names on the internet and one of the Top 5 “tags”...
View ArticleDeath Penalty Dad Trying to Taint Jury Must Be Stopped
No one in their right mind can actually blame Dr. William Petit for wanting blood. In 2007, his wife and two daughters were viciously slain during a home invasion robbery. Since then he has become a...
View ArticleJustice Takes a Punch to the Nose in Illinois Case
ABC-TV reports that a woman in Joliet Illinois is being charged with battery and reckless conduct for causing the death of one John “Fatboy” Powell by punching him in the face. So why is this...
View ArticleMedford Pharmacy Shooting Lawsuits Will Not Succeed
I guess it should be expected that the families of the tragic shooting of four people in a pharmacy in Medford, NY, would want to attach blame to the Suffolk County Police Department for its failure to...
View ArticleAnniversary of Key Civil Rights Decision Serves as Reminder of Importance of...
Yes, yesterday was the 48th anniversary of the assassination of JFK. There were various blog posts, FB status updates and other commemorations of the historic event. But very little was written about...
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This is Not Your Father’s Jury
Back when I was a young lawyer just starting to try cases for the Manhattan Trial Unit of the NYC Law Department, I got a quick introduction in selecting jurors about 15 minutes before I picked my...
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Courts Should Allow Jurors To Ask Questions and Take Notes
In most states in the Union, including NY where I primarily practice, the concept of allowing jurors to take notes and even ask questions is gaining in popularity. Most federal courts allow juror...
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Cannibal Cop Juror Speaks Out About Overturned Conviction
I was contacted by a juror from the notorious Cannibal Cop case who wanted to break the jury’s silence following the stunning reversal of their guilty verdict by the judge presiding on the case. Since...
View ArticleBlast Lawsuit Is Desperate Plea For Attention – But Women in Suit Claim They...
Today as I was getting my morning coffee, I glanced at the NY Post headline that read “Trauma Queens” over a picture of two twenty-somethings who had filed a lawsuit over the East Village explosion...
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Aunt Loses Lawsuit Against 8 yr Old Nephew For Birthday Hug That Broke Her Wrist
You can file this story under a number of headlines: (1) Why People Hate Lawyers (2) Thank God Common Sense Prevailed (3) Worst Lawsuits of the 21st and 20th Century and (4) Is This From The Onion? A...
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Silver Verdict Shows Risks of “Right to Remain Silent”
The recent “Guilty” verdict in the criminal trial of powerful NY politician Sheldon Silver sent a lot of loud and clear messages. Many in power in Albany use their positions for personal gain....
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Making Jurors Understand the Bill of Rights
On this the 224th Anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights, I was thinking about what to write about the document that defines our country as much as the Constitution does. It such a grand...
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Let’s Use Lessons Learned To Not Pre-Judge Brooklyn Rape Case
A horrible story appears in the NY Press. An 18 year old woman is reportedly raped in a Brooklyn park by 5 men – their ages ranging from 14 to 18. The woman’s father was reportedly threatened with a...
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Ay Caramba! Fed Judge Rules Trump Must Stand Trial Over “Trump U” Fraud Case
It’s not what The Donald waned to hear I’m sure. Federal Judge Gonzalo Curiel — the same judge who Trump accused of being biased against him due to the Indiana native’s Mexican ancestry and Trump’s...
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Colorado Theater Shooting Victims Stuck with $700,000 in Defendants’ Legal Fees
In 2012, James Holmes killed twelve people and injured seventy others in a ten-minute rampage at a screening of “The Dark Knight Rises.” Forty-one victims filed lawsuits some in Federal court and...
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SCOTUS Changes Face of Criminal Trials With New Decision About Jurors and Race
The Supreme Court threw open the normally tightly-sealed doors of the jury room in overturning the conviction of Miguel Pena-Rodriguez in the case of Pena-Rodriguez v. Colorado. In a 5-3 decision...
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Cannibal Cop Juror Speaks Out About Overturned Conviction
I was contacted by a juror from the notorious Cannibal Cop case who wanted to break the jury’s silence following the stunning reversal of their guilty verdict by the judge presiding on the case. Since...
View ArticleBlast Lawsuit Is Desperate Plea For Attention – But Women in Suit Claim They...
Today as I was getting my morning coffee, I glanced at the NY Post headline that read “Trauma Queens” over a picture of two twenty-somethings who had filed a lawsuit over the East Village explosion...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Aunt Loses Lawsuit Against 8 yr Old Nephew For Birthday Hug That Broke Her Wrist
You can file this story under a number of headlines: (1) Why People Hate Lawyers (2) Thank God Common Sense Prevailed (3) Worst Lawsuits of the 21st and 20th Century and (4) Is This From The Onion? A...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Silver Verdict Shows Risks of “Right to Remain Silent”
The recent “Guilty” verdict in the criminal trial of powerful NY politician Sheldon Silver sent a lot of loud and clear messages. Many in power in Albany use their positions for personal gain....
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