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Week Of Monday March 8, 2010
GM Battles To Withhold Safety SecretsFREE
It’s a potentially explosive lawsuit focusing on the safety record of a major auto maker. And it has nothing to do with Toyota.
A small army of defense lawyers for once-mighty General Motors is battling in Connecticut court to seal court documents that indicate that poorly designed seat backs may have led to numerous deaths and injuries.
Second Nominee For 2nd Circuit?FREE
Unlike the selection of a new pope, there is no white puff of smoke to signal when a Circuit Court of Appeals judge is being nominated. But the letter of inquiry from the American Bar Association has a similar portent. Just weeks after U.S. District Court Judge Robert N. Chatigny was the subject of ABA and FBI questionnaires and interviews, top Connecticut state and federal judges began to receive inquiries about Susan L. Carney, the deputy general counsel at Yale University.
Verdicts & Settlements
Owner Of 18 Dogs Loses Suit Against Town 
Gladys Kronovitter et al. v. Richard Doyle et al.: A woman who claimed her civil rights were violated when police searched her residence and seized her dogs was unable recently to convince a jury she had been wronged. Gladys Kronovitter, 78, had lived in a decrepit home on Flat Rock Road in Easton for more than 60 years. The home, since condemned, was infamous among her otherwise well-to-do neighbors; it had holes in the roof, but no electricity or plumbing.
Verdicts & Settlements
Hospital Settles Claims That It Overcharged MedicareFREE
The U.S. government and Johnson Memorial Hospital in Stafford Springs entered into a civil settlement agreement late last month to resolve allegations that the infirmary violated the False Claims Act. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Connecticut alleges that Johnson Memorial Hospital overcharged Medicare for infusion therapy, chemotherapy administration, and blood transfusions between 2000 and 2005.
Learning The ABCs Of Helping StudentsFREE
Alyssa Cunningham leads the life of a busy professional. As an associate with Wiggin and Dana’s health care practice, she routinely works into the night at her Hartford office. Then she drops by a house on Hopmeadow Street in Simsbury to see seven teenage boys and make sure they’re keeping up with their studies and chores. For Cunningham, it feels like she’s the mother of the teenagers. But they’re not her own flesh and blood. The Simsbury boarding house is operated by A Better Chance program.
A Move To Decriminalize Teen Prostitution FREE
Just last week, the feds indicted a Connecticut couple for allegedly forcing two 14-year-old girls to engage in commercial sex acts at a Hartford hotel. The couple face sex trafficking charges and could go to prison for a long time. The underage girls, meanwhile, will be treated as victims and receive appropriate help, including counseling. That’s standard operating procedure in juvenile sex trafficking cases handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Connecticut. But in the state courts of Connecticut, the outcome for minors involved in prostitution could conceivably be different.
Better Behavior Or Less Money To Steal?
A year after dire predictions and preparations for the worst, the Client Security Fund is in decent financial shape. But don’t say that to Christopher Blanchard, the Judicial Branch attorney who oversees the fund that reimburses clients wronged by lawyers who steal and embezzle their money. He knows one lawyer’s move can lead to a disastrous draining of money from the fund.
Justices Throw Twist Into Jury Polling Rule
It only takes a minute or two. After the verdict is announced, each juror is asked one by one if they agree with the decision.
It’s the one last ray of hope for the defeated side’s lawyer, a last-ditch effort to learn whether there was some coercion in the jury room or dissension in the ranks that could lead to a new trial.
Q&A
‘Country Lawyer’ Eyes Attorney General’s Post
Litchfield County is the birthplace of the nation’s first law school, and has a long tradition of sending statesmen to Hartford to help govern Connecticut. In the historic display of Connecticut’s political history at the state’s Legislative Office Building, one large panel chronicles “The Roraback Era.” It refers to the early 20th century “Old Deal” politics of rock-ribbed Republican Party Boss J. Henry Roraback, who used politics and hydropower to become a dynamo of power in many forms.
Struggling To Care For Young And Old AlikeFREE
It’s called the sandwich generation. And it has nothing to do with anyone’s eating habits. Rather, the phrase is used to describe adults who now have responsibilities to their elderly parents as well as their children. “At the same time you’re giving your teenager the keys to the car you may be wondering, ‘Is it time to take away my dad’s car keys?” said attorney Sallie Kraus
Defendants To Appear Via Video Monitor
State officials want to hold more hearings in criminal cases in which the defendant appears in the courtroom only through a video hook-up. But the move toward video-conferencing technology won’t come without a little controversy. Defense attorneys are worried about their clients being denied the right to face their accusers, and even prosecutors would prefer more testing before the state commits to videoconferencing on a regular basis.
ABA Cuts Dues To Lure Solos
If you cut it, will they come? That’s what the American Bar Association is asking when it comes to adding solo attorneys to its membership ranks. Last month, the ABA agreed on a radical shakeup of its membership dues in an effort to get more representation from the segment of the bar that is most acutely feeling the effects of a bad economy.
‘All You Want In A Judge’ FREE
As a Hartford lawyer, Robert N. Chatigny never shied away from the high-profile case. He built up his white-collar criminal defense practice from 1983 to 1994 by representing some powerful names in the world of business and entertainment.
As a federal judge, Chatigny found himself presiding over heated debates about the execution of a serial killer.
In his nearly 30-year legal career in Connecticut, Chatigny has been in the middle of some of the biggest legal stories in the state. Now, he has the opportunity to take his career to a larger stage.
Giving Legal Advice By The Book FREE
It was the most shocking moment of Alexander Maresca’s professional life. He sat in the New Haven library answering people’s questions about their legal troubles as part of Ask-A-Lawyer, a volunteer program run by the New Haven County Bar Association. Then a woman came up to him and began pulling off her clothes to show him her injuries. A chemical spill at her job had burned her skin, and her questions were focused on how to get proper medical treatment more than seeking some type of legal solution.
Q&A
Blog Becomes Overnight Sensation
A few months ago, East Hartford attorney Ryan C. McKeen was a fairly typical lawyer-blogger. He launched A Connecticut Law Blog in December 2007 because it “seemed like a cool idea,” and he has been filling his site with posts about his life and his practice at Leone, Throwe, Teller & Nagle. For instance, frequent trips to the courthouse in Litchfield led him along officially designated “scenic roads,” so he posted on the law that defines those roads. Other posts have looked at Connecticut Turkey Law Week, a spoof of McKeen’s creation, as well as judges who despise Halloween. As an ardent Boston Red Sox fan, McKeen also mixes in baseball and the law whenever possible.
Standing Up For Students Who Get In Trouble FREE
The past decade has seen the emergence of “zero tolerance” policies in public schools. A student who brings in drugs or alcohol automatically faces expulsion. Same goes for a kid who brings in a knife or other weapon. In fact, more than 1,200 schoolchildren get expelled from Connecticut schools every year. But before anyone gets kicked out, they have the right to a hearing with an attorney representing them.
Prosecutor’s Illness Caused Disputed MistrialFREE
Perhaps the most common reason for a mistrial is a hung jury. And from time to time a judge might cite improper evidence or misconduct by an attorney or juror. But even veteran trial lawyers couldn’t recall the last time a mistrial was declared due to the prolonged illness and absence of one of the lawyers. That’s exactly why a criminal trial was interrupted in the summer of 2007, in a case that raised questions of double jeopardy and was recently considered by a divided state Supreme Court.
Verdicts & Settlements
Disabled Woman Awarded $1M After Alleged Rape
Jane Doe et al v. Gerald Terry et al: A 16-year-old mentally handicapped girl who claims she was raped in a taxi cab in 2007 was awarded just over $1 million by a jury late last month. According to the victim’s lawyer, Timothy Donahue, of Donahue, Durham & Noonan P.C. in Guilford, the teen attended an after-school program in North Haven for special needs students to help improve her social and adaptive skills. She was transported by Metro Taxi of West Haven several times a week from school to the site of the after-school program and then from that facility back home.
Second Nominee For 2nd Circuit? FREE
Unlike the selection of a new pope, there is no white puff of smoke to signal when a Circuit Court of Appeals judge is being nominated. But the letter of inquiry from the American Bar Association has a similar portent.
Just weeks after U.S. District Court Judge Robert N. Chatigny was the subject of ABA and FBI questionnaires and interviews, top Connecticut state and federal judges began to receive inquiries about Susan L. Carney, the deputy general counsel at Yale University. A relative unknown in Connecticut legal circles, Carney appears to be on track for a seat on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals -- considered by many to be the second most prestigious court in the nation, right after the U.S. Supreme Court itself.
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