http://www.ctlawtribune.com The CT Law Tribune delivers news of the most important state and federal court rulings that affect the practice of law in Connecticut. We also provides up to date reports and features on developments in law firms, the courts, government and administrative agencies, law schools, the Legislature and other topics of interest to Connecticut lawyers. en-us Copyright 2013. ALM Media Properties, LLC. All rights reserved. http://www.law.com/jsp/law/terms.jsp http://www.ctlawtribune.com/img/ct/ct_masthead-rss.jpg http://www.ctlawtribune.com Thu, 23 May 2013 15:40:44 EDT Cantor Colburn partner Michael Cantor realized more than a decade ago that the way to bring his intellectual property law firm to the next level was to attract global business to bolster the rapidly growing domestic practice. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202601440718&rss=rss_ct Thu, 23 May 2013 15:40:44 EDT 1202601440718 A coalition of groups and individuals have filed a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of sweeping gun control and firearms safety measures recently approved by the Connecticut legislature. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202601293152&rss=rss_ct Wed, 22 May 2013 18:23:51 EDT 1202601293152 Did something we publish rub you the wrong way? Or do you just want to get something off your chest about one of the pressing legal issues of the day? http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202601052208&rss=rss_ct Wed, 22 May 2013 17:28:46 EDT 1202601052208 A federal jury on Tuesday convicted a former aide to ex-Connecticut House Speaker Christopher Donovan in connection with illegal contributions to Donovan's failed congressional campaign last year. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202601238156&rss=rss_ct Wed, 22 May 2013 13:03:37 EDT 1202601238156 Connecticut's second-highest court blasted a state prosecutor for repeated misconduct and ordered a new trial for a man serving life in prison for the killing of a Waterbury bar owner in 1998. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202601067532&rss=rss_ct Tue, 21 May 2013 16:42:54 EDT 1202601067532 The Law Tribune is looking for articles written by attorneys or other professionals about health law, employment & immigration law, structured settlements, alternative dispute resolution, and law office management. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202598325907&rss=rss_ct Mon, 20 May 2013 15:50:15 EDT 1202598325907 We want your photos! We will feature them online, on FB and in print. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202598478314&rss=rss_ct Mon, 20 May 2013 15:49:22 EDT 1202598478314 The Law Tribune is looking for lawyers with interesting hobbies, side jobs or passions. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202598478385&rss=rss_ct Mon, 20 May 2013 15:46:58 EDT 1202598478385 The Law Tribune would like to highlight in news articles worthwhile pro bono endeavors of all types. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202598478415&rss=rss_ct Mon, 20 May 2013 15:43:34 EDT 1202598478415 If you or your firm has been involved in an interesting lawsuit, we would like to hear about it. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202598460092&rss=rss_ct Mon, 20 May 2013 15:15:06 EDT 1202598460092 New Haven law firm Wiggin and Dana has launched a new China Practice with the intent of bringing several of the firm's practice areas to the growing overseas market. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202600627832&rss=rss_ct Mon, 20 May 2013 14:58:48 EDT 1202600627832 The family of a young disabled boy who was not allowed to bring a service dog with him to school has been compensated $35,000 by the school as part of a settlement agreement for violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202600658199&rss=rss_ct Mon, 20 May 2013 13:58:21 EDT 1202600658199 For many years, there have been raucous debates about the implications of medical device, pharmaceutical and other medical products companies providing payments or gifts to physicians and hospitals. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202600643854&rss=rss_ct Mon, 20 May 2013 13:26:11 EDT 1202600643854 Imagine a hospital's assistant administrator submits millions of dollars in false claims to the Medicare program. Would the administrator face criminal liability if he had no knowledge of the criminal conduct of the assistant? The answer to this question is likely "yes." http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202600643894&rss=rss_ct Mon, 20 May 2013 13:01:01 EDT 1202600643894 In light of recent health-care reform and reductions in reimbursement, more and more physicians are entertaining the possibility of selling their practices to a hospital. However, another potential suitor could include a sale to a large publicly-traded or venture-capital backed physician practice group. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202600643934&rss=rss_ct Mon, 20 May 2013 12:31:12 EDT 1202600643934 Now readers can view news stories, special section articles, opinion pieces and case digests on their digital devices with much more ease, thanks to the launch of new mobile versions of our websites. Although a separate app is in the works, for now all you have to do is call up ctlawtribune.com on your phone or tablet and you'll see our new, cleaner look. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202600644014&rss=rss_ct Mon, 20 May 2013 11:34:56 EDT 1202600644014 Every attorney is familiar with the term pro bono for donated legal work, but several recent Quinnipiac University School of Law grads are hoping the term "low bono" is the next buzz-phrase to catch on. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202600647294&rss=rss_ct Fri, 17 May 2013 15:44:48 EDT 1202600647294 The owners of a Pennsylvania power plant have agreed to stop burning coal in two generating units and to provide $1 million towards environmental mitigation in Connecticut and New Jersey as part of a clean air settlement announced by Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen and Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Daniel C. Esty. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202600625261&rss=rss_ct Fri, 17 May 2013 15:43:13 EDT 1202600625261 Connecticut stands to receive about $1 million as part of a $500 million settlement agreement between the subsidiary of a drug manufacturer from India, the U.S. federal government, all 50 states and the District of Columbia. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202600649585&rss=rss_ct Fri, 17 May 2013 15:28:32 EDT 1202600649585 In 2005, Middletown High School student Jasmon Vereen was injured while roughhousing in a locker room at the school. He cut his arm on a locker he claimed was damaged. His family filed a lawsuit and a jury awarded a $30,000 plaintiff's verdict. Because Vereen was found 33 percent to blame, his share would be $20,100 http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202600647179&rss=rss_ct Fri, 17 May 2013 15:19:00 EDT 1202600647179 A pair of lawyers worked hard to win a malpractice lawsuit against one of their own, but it's very likely they won't see a dime for their efforts. The reason: The attorney whose actions warranted the malpractice verdict of $537,787 did not have malpractice insurance. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202600647217&rss=rss_ct Fri, 17 May 2013 15:17:30 EDT 1202600647217 Judges and litigators agree that discovery disputes stop the adjudication of cases in their tracks. The disputes arise from many sources ? overbroad and unspecific production requests, unnecessary depositions, voluminous document dumping, mixing up the order of documents, outright failure or refusal to produce relevant documents ? just to name a few. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202600623956&rss=rss_ct Fri, 17 May 2013 15:12:45 EDT 1202600623956 When a sales executive for a French power company appeared in a New Haven federal courtroom this month, he joined a growing number of businesses and their employees charged recently with making bribes overseas. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202600643974&rss=rss_ct Fri, 17 May 2013 15:00:43 EDT 1202600643974 The Connecticut Bar Examining Committee recently released the names of the applicants who passed the February 2013 Bar Examination. This year, there also will be graduates from the state's three law schools ? University of Connecticut, Quinnipiac and Yale ? seeking to join the ranks of the legal profession in Connecticut. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202600623744&rss=rss_ct Fri, 17 May 2013 14:57:36 EDT 1202600623744 When Rowayton divorcee Donna Simms petitioned to have her alimony payments increased in 2004, on the grounds that she was in dire economic straits, she and her lawyers didn't disclose to the court that she was just about to inherit $359,000 from a wealthy uncle. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202600639897&rss=rss_ct Fri, 17 May 2013 14:36:38 EDT 1202600639897 On March 20, 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Decker v. Northwest Environmental Defense Center. On its surface, the case concerned whether runoff from logging roads required a permit under the Clean Water Act. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202600623670&rss=rss_ct Fri, 17 May 2013 14:36:28 EDT 1202600623670 For the first time in Connecticut, a federal judge has ruled that attorneys with the Office of the Chief Disciplinary Council should be granted the same immunity from lawsuits as judges and state prosecutors. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202600444327&rss=rss_ct Thu, 16 May 2013 16:39:35 EDT 1202600444327 A 75-year-old lawyer who stole about $800,000 from a client in Stamford and is alleged to have taken $175,000 from a Milford client cannot practice law for 12 years, according to a New Haven judge?s ruling. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202600129061&rss=rss_ct Tue, 14 May 2013 18:06:06 EDT 1202600129061 Hartford-based Robinson & Cole is the winner of the Connecticut Law Tribune's Litigation Department of the Year Award in the Large Law Firm category. Among its latest accomplishments are several that are being reported here for the first time. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202599710205&rss=rss_ct Mon, 13 May 2013 12:56:48 EDT 1202599710205 Based on Bingham's litigation record in Connecticut and beyond in 2012, the Law Tribune is awarding it the Litigation Department of the Year Award for top Connecticut Office of an Out-of-State Firm. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202599710281&rss=rss_ct Mon, 13 May 2013 12:55:36 EDT 1202599710281 Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider is being recognized by the Law Tribune as the winner of a General Litigation Department of the Year award in the Litigation Boutique category. Axinn Veltrop was founded in 1997 by three former Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom lawyers. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202599707607&rss=rss_ct Mon, 13 May 2013 12:44:43 EDT 1202599707607 Ryan Ryan Deluca has won the Law Tribune's Litigation Department of the Year Award in the Insurance Litigation category. Ryan Ryan Deluca has been around for over 50 years, starting out as a general practice firm in the suburbs http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202599705961&rss=rss_ct Mon, 13 May 2013 12:42:39 EDT 1202599705961 Polito & Quinn were chosen as the winner in the Personal Injury category of the Law Tribune's Litigation Department of the Year Awards. Since 2002, the pair has resolved more than 800 cases on behalf of its clients through settlement, verdict or arbitration. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202599705923&rss=rss_ct Mon, 13 May 2013 12:27:49 EDT 1202599705923 Because of the ways in which McCarter & English's lawyers worked to manage their litigation cases and attract new business, the firm is being recognized by the Law Tribune as the winner of the Litigation Department of the Year in the Commercial Litigation category.In commercial litigation, as well as in other practice areas, McCarter & English managed each case it handled last year "with a scalpel," said Joseph Cherico, a partner in the Stamford office of the firm. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202599707661&rss=rss_ct Mon, 13 May 2013 11:59:21 EDT 1202599707661 For Thomas Crosby's impressive versatility and productivity, the Law Tribune has named him the winner of the Litigation Department of the Year Award in the Solo Practice category. Being a quick study, Crosby said, helps him quickly prepare for the wide variety of cases he handles. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202599710167&rss=rss_ct Mon, 13 May 2013 11:50:24 EDT 1202599710167 The five-lawyer firm of Schoonmaker, George & Blomberg has just won the Litigation Department of the Year Award for 2012 in the family law category, in large part because of the way it has raised its young. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202599710243&rss=rss_ct Mon, 13 May 2013 11:40:53 EDT 1202599710243 Wiggin and Dana has been in business for more than 80 years and prides itself on its appellate practice work. Wiggin and Dana has been selected to receive the Law Tribune's Litigation Department of the Year Award for Appellate Practice. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202599710037&rss=rss_ct Mon, 13 May 2013 11:29:06 EDT 1202599710037 Ury & Moskow has won the Law Tribune's Litigation Department of the Year Award in the Product Liability/Mass Tort category. Ury & Moskow has taken on some of the toughest names in the pharmaceutical and medical device industry ? and recovered more than $100 million over the past 12 years in verdicts and settlements for its clients. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202599722754&rss=rss_ct Mon, 13 May 2013 11:24:29 EDT 1202599722754 For its efforts handling employment lawsuits, Pullman & Comley won the Law Tribune Litigation Department of the Year award in the Labor & Employment category. With 10 lawyers assigned to the practice group, the firm of 83 attorneys in Bridgeport, Hartford and three other offices handles all types of employment matters in state and federal courts. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202599722792&rss=rss_ct Mon, 13 May 2013 11:07:48 EDT 1202599722792 Tort law was different when William Davis began practicing in the 1950s. Davis, whose small firm of RisCassi & Davis routinely wins some of the largest jury verdicts in the state, can well remember the days when a million-dollar verdict was unheard of. Trial lawyers were sometimes reviled as ambulance chasers, and their clients often faced tough odds in court. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202599735143&rss=rss_ct Fri, 10 May 2013 18:49:43 EDT 1202599735143 Ohlandt, Greeley, Ruggiero & Perle has been recognized by the Law Tribune to receive a Litigation Department of the Year Award in the IP category. The firm's staff has swelled to about 50 people, including 19 litigation attorneys. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202599705883&rss=rss_ct Fri, 10 May 2013 16:54:17 EDT 1202599705883 A man who suffered head and back injuries in a rear-end collision recovered $46,341 from the driver who struck his car, a total that was significantly less than his lawyer had asked for at trial. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202599681002&rss=rss_ct Fri, 10 May 2013 15:32:09 EDT 1202599681002 A man who was hit by a car while walking across a New Britain intersection in early evening darkness was recently awarded $150,000 by a jury, though the verdict was reduced by 25 percent for comparative negligence. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202599681055&rss=rss_ct Fri, 10 May 2013 15:14:52 EDT 1202599681055 The school failed allowed the students to walk through dense woods known to be a risk area for tick-borne encephalitis and other tick- and insect-transmitted illnesses, the plaintiff's attorneys said. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202599609691&rss=rss_ct Fri, 10 May 2013 11:00:39 EDT 1202599609691 Much has been written lately about the failure of a certain trial judge to act in accordance with Connecticut General Statutes Section 53-183 by failing to issue her decisions within the time allotted in four termination of parental rights actions filed by the Department of Children and Families. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202599606459&rss=rss_ct Fri, 10 May 2013 10:52:17 EDT 1202599606459 Kudos to Justice Sonia Sotomayor for refusing to allow a prosecutor's racist conduct to hide behind an order denying certiorari. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202599606383&rss=rss_ct Fri, 10 May 2013 10:40:24 EDT 1202599606383 Under questioning by Connecticut personal injury lawyer Michael Koskoff, a medical doctor testified in a Los Angeles courtroom that the target of the Michael Jackson family lawsuit - concert promoter AEG Live Inc. - should never have hired Dr. Conrad Murray as Jackson's doctor. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202599509364&rss=rss_ct Thu, 09 May 2013 17:36:57 EDT 1202599509364 Deirdre Daly will become acting United States attorney for Connecticut when U.S. Attorney David Fein leaves office next week, Fein said on Tuesday, May 7. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202599079606&rss=rss_ct Tue, 07 May 2013 15:05:49 EDT 1202599079606 The state Freedom of Information Commission has essentially broadened the reach of Connecticut's criminal erasure law, which seals from public view police and court records relating to criminal cases that have ended without a conviction. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202598686907&rss=rss_ct Mon, 06 May 2013 15:41:58 EDT 1202598686907 When a Twitter account used by reporters for the Associated Press was hacked and used to put out bogus information about a national emergency, people got jumpy. Investors panicked. Within seconds of the false report of explosions in the White House, the Dow Jones industrial average plummeted more than 140 points. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202598687905&rss=rss_ct Mon, 06 May 2013 15:03:34 EDT 1202598687905 The problem with the alimony "reform" movement is that its proponents distort the facts, ignore history, use specious logic and mislead the public in order to accomplish their goal of replacing the current alimony model with a formulaic one more favorable to its affluent backers. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202598687754&rss=rss_ct Mon, 06 May 2013 12:45:11 EDT 1202598687754 Statutory rape evolved as a concept to protect young people from themselves. If one is between the ages of 13 and 15, that person cannot consent to sexual activities with a person more than three years older. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202598687790&rss=rss_ct Mon, 06 May 2013 11:07:38 EDT 1202598687790 During a Law Day ceremony in the state Supreme Court chambers, the Muslim Coalition of Connecticut and its president, Aida Mansoor, were honored for helping promote "Equality for All," which was the theme of Law Day ceremonies across the country. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202598712379&rss=rss_ct Fri, 03 May 2013 17:46:48 EDT 1202598712379 A former University of Connecticut student who was rear-ended in traffic around Easter time a few years ago and suffered a low back injury was awarded more than $38,500 recently by a Litchfield jury. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202598691610&rss=rss_ct Fri, 03 May 2013 17:24:33 EDT 1202598691610 Former U.S. District Court Judge Alan H. Nevas will join two Newtown residents on a committee to decide how survivors and victims of the Dec. 14 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting will be compensated. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202598670226&rss=rss_ct Fri, 03 May 2013 16:52:01 EDT 1202598670226 A Hartford jury awarded $15.7 million to the plaintiffs on April 26 following a nearly month-long trial. The case stemmed from a 2007 crash involving a fuel tanker. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202598694303&rss=rss_ct Fri, 03 May 2013 16:26:37 EDT 1202598694303 The Connecticut Appellate Court has dismissed the last remaining claim in a class-action lawsuit against the Town of Madison for charging excessively high building fees. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202598691650&rss=rss_ct Fri, 03 May 2013 16:22:41 EDT 1202598691650 The Judicial Branch's Rules Committee has tabled a proposal that would have allowed attorneys to move into the state and immediately begin to practice while awaiting formal bar admission in Connecticut. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202598689925&rss=rss_ct Fri, 03 May 2013 16:19:11 EDT 1202598689925 Nina F. Elgo is used to having a lot of responsibility heaped on her. Before becoming a judge, she worked at the state Attorney General's Office for 14 years, representing the state in child abuse and neglect cases, and other cases involving children. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202598686835&rss=rss_ct Fri, 03 May 2013 16:04:30 EDT 1202598686835 The news that Connecticut U.S. Attorney David Fein will step down from his post on May 13, after three years on the job, drew a range of reactions. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202598671979&rss=rss_ct Fri, 03 May 2013 15:09:20 EDT 1202598671979 A former Wallingford police officer has settled a discrimination claim against the town's police department, which refused to give her a light duty assignment after she became pregnant last year. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202598671945&rss=rss_ct Fri, 03 May 2013 15:02:46 EDT 1202598671945 A little more than 50 years ago, on March 18, 1963, a unanimous decision of the U.S. Supreme Court recognized that the right to counsel is absolutely fundamental for any system of criminal justice to be fair. In Gideon v. Wainwright, the Court explained that lawyers in a criminal trial are "necessities, not luxuries." http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202598473369&rss=rss_ct Thu, 02 May 2013 13:17:39 EDT 1202598473369 Sony Music Entertainment has settled a lawsuit filed by a Connecticut lawyer who said record company executives retaliated against him for winning higher pay for gospel music artists. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202598472495&rss=rss_ct Thu, 02 May 2013 13:12:23 EDT 1202598472495 U.S. Attorney David Fein announced Tuesday he will resign after three years as Connecticut's top federal prosecutor, touting his office's success in handling a wide range of cases including those involing child sexual abuse, financial fraud and civil rights. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202598151319&rss=rss_ct Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:16:51 EDT 1202598151319 Family members of two people who died in a massive tractor-trailer crash on Interstate-95, as well as three people who were injured in the accident, were awarded a total of $15.7 million by a Hartford jury late last week. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202598125511&rss=rss_ct Tue, 30 Apr 2013 11:25:43 EDT 1202598125511 An attempt by Standard & Poor's to move a Connecticut lawsuit over its allegedly fraudulent ratings of mortgage-based securities from state to federal court has been denied by a federal judge in Bridgeport, who ordered the agency to pay the state's legal fees. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202597760489&rss=rss_ct Mon, 29 Apr 2013 13:53:00 EDT 1202597760489 Two unhappy Arizona clients have just been given a green light to sue Bridgeport-based Pullman & Comley for alleged legal malpractice, civil racketeering, fraud, conspiracy and negligent misrepresentation in a matter that allegedly cost them more than $3 million in Internal Revenue Service payments. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202597954841&rss=rss_ct Mon, 29 Apr 2013 13:09:13 EDT 1202597954841 Normally, under the "American Rule," each party in a civil case pays its attorneys fees and costs, win or lose. However, there are two exceptions: certain statutes specifically allow attorneys fees, and parties can include liability for such fees in a contract's terms. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202597751254&rss=rss_ct Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:16:37 EDT 1202597751254 A woman delivering the morning newspaper in New Britain who allegedly slipped and fell on ice in a customer's driveway was unable to convince a jury that the owners of the property or a tenant should have been held liable for her injuries. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202597741142&rss=rss_ct Mon, 29 Apr 2013 11:33:05 EDT 1202597741142 Before a packed audience at the state Supreme Court, public defender Mark Rademacher argued that executing death row inmate Eduardo Santiago would be unconstitutionally unfair, now that Connecticut has repealed the death penalty for future crimes. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202597787789&rss=rss_ct Fri, 26 Apr 2013 18:24:50 EDT 1202597787789 For several years, Quinnipiac University has been trying to disband its women's volleyball team. Each attempt has been spiked by a federal judge. Now the university has decided to settle a long-standing lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202597784085&rss=rss_ct Fri, 26 Apr 2013 18:02:02 EDT 1202597784085 A commercial bankruptcy and litigation law firm has grown out of its office and is expanding to make room for at least four new hires. Bridgeport-based Zeisler & Zeisler will move its 27-person operation in June. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202597740039&rss=rss_ct Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:14:46 EDT 1202597740039 Compensation czar Kenneth Feinberg runs his New York and Washington alternative dispute resolution shop Feinberg Rozen when he's not handling payouts to victims of natural or man-made disasters. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202597740967&rss=rss_ct Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:48:29 EDT 1202597740967 In the summer of 2007, Zachery Cohn was swimming in his family pool in Greenwich when he ventured near the pool's drain. The suction created by the drain trapped the 6-year-old boy's arm and he couldn't escape. His father jumped in to try to save him, but he couldn't pry the boy loose. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202597740929&rss=rss_ct Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:39:00 EDT 1202597740929 http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202597740897&rss=rss_ct Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:28:55 EDT 1202597740897 The mortgage lender Countrywide Financial Corp., absorbed by Bank of America Corp. in 2008, has agreed to pay $500 million to resolve class claims that it misled mortgage-backed securities investors. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202597740077&rss=rss_ct Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:12:43 EDT 1202597740077 We recently have seen front page news about one particular judge who has taken far more than the 120 days allotted to decide 10 termination of parental rights cases. We write now not to comment on these particular cases or this particular judge, but to make a broader point: the 120-day rule should be non-waivable or at least difficult to waive. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202597703760&rss=rss_ct Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:26:07 EDT 1202597703760 Homebuyers who have the income to support a loan but do not have 20 percent down are usually required to pay premiums for a policy insuring the mortgage. The Federal Housing Finance Administration (FHFA), announced proposed mortgage insurance premium surcharges for five states, including Connecticut. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202597703832&rss=rss_ct Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:16:10 EDT 1202597703832 The family of Michael Jackson is suing a promoter over a series of lucrative London concerts that never happened, because the pop star died in 2009. A Connecticut law firm is handling the medical aspects of the case. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202597681357&rss=rss_ct Fri, 26 Apr 2013 10:59:00 EDT 1202597681357 Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel launched a barrage of criticism Thursday against the attorney who represented him at his murder trial, Mickey Sherman. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202597610368&rss=rss_ct Thu, 25 Apr 2013 20:20:00 EDT 1202597610368 The state appears close to launching a pilot program that would allow Connecticut lawyers to represent clients in portions of family law cases without being obligated to see the cases through to their conclusion. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202597604293&rss=rss_ct Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:54:03 EDT 1202597604293 The Animal Law Section of the Connecticut Bar Association has teamed up with the University of Connecticut School of Law to educate a wide range of officials on cruelty issues and the link between animal cruelty and human violence. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202597575842&rss=rss_ct Thu, 25 Apr 2013 17:46:57 EDT 1202597575842 We recently have seen front page news about one particular judge who has taken far more than the 120 days allotted to decide 10 termination of parental rights cases. We write now not to comment on these particular cases or this particular judge, but to make a broader point: the 120-day rule should be non-waivable or at least difficult to waive. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202597518246&rss=rss_ct Thu, 25 Apr 2013 12:41:59 EDT 1202597518246 In his oral and written arguments to the state Supreme Court on Tuesday, public defender Mark Rademacher said that executing death row inmate Eduardo Santiago would be unconstitutional and unfair. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202597266948&rss=rss_ct Tue, 23 Apr 2013 19:03:35 EDT 1202597266948 If you have ever represented a plaintiff in a premises liability case, you are likely well aware of the importance of store surveillance recordings. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202596763645&rss=rss_ct Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:22:43 EDT 1202596763645 The state Judicial Branch has revamped its court-sponsored alternative dispute resolution program with new online tools and an expanded list of participating judges. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202596762595&rss=rss_ct Mon, 22 Apr 2013 11:39:53 EDT 1202596762595 Defense attorneys say the feds are especially going after child porn distributors who trade photos and videos via file-sharing websites, the same way the entertainment industry is pursuing people who illegally share movies or music. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202596786542&rss=rss_ct Mon, 22 Apr 2013 11:03:18 EDT 1202596786542 The owners of a day-care facility in Branford that literally closed up overnight has agreed to pay $55,000 in restitution to the customers. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202596799173&rss=rss_ct Mon, 22 Apr 2013 10:53:03 EDT 1202596799173 In a challenge to the state Supreme Court this week, death penalty opponents argue, among other things, that retroactive application of capital punishment would constitute cruel and unusual punishment. They say executing a man convicted of murder in 2005 would be a violation of the 8th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202596789063&rss=rss_ct Fri, 19 Apr 2013 16:28:14 EDT 1202596789063 An attorney's refusal to answer some questions about his handling of an estate within his own family has resulted in a suspension of his Connecticut law license for 18 months. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202596779359&rss=rss_ct Fri, 19 Apr 2013 15:58:23 EDT 1202596779359 Fevronia Fatse v. Stew Leonard's LLC: A woman who fell on a crack in the concrete at a Stew Leonard's store and injured her foot and hip was recently awarded nearly $120,000 by a Bridgeport jury. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202596799101&rss=rss_ct Fri, 19 Apr 2013 15:55:51 EDT 1202596799101 Law firms in large Connecticut cities responded to the deadly bombings in Boston last week by taking a closer look at their crisis response plans. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202596786658&rss=rss_ct Fri, 19 Apr 2013 15:17:46 EDT 1202596786658 The U.S. Supreme Court will soon decide a case that raises serious questions about the principles upon which American criminal jurisprudence has always rested. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202596753423&rss=rss_ct Fri, 19 Apr 2013 15:03:03 EDT 1202596753423 Before the December shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School, trial lawyer Joel Faxon was involved in the town's controversial efforts to regulate shooting ranges within its borders. Faxon sits down with the Law Tribune for a Q and A. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202596755429&rss=rss_ct Fri, 19 Apr 2013 13:16:46 EDT 1202596755429 At a time when municipalities face significant cuts in state aid that may require compensatory increases in property taxes, any reduction in state-mandated expenditures is welcome. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202596742762&rss=rss_ct Fri, 19 Apr 2013 12:25:47 EDT 1202596742762 Connecticut Supreme Court Chief Justice Chase T. Rogers was invited to a White House forum to describe Connecticut's efforts to keep courthouse doors open for its citizens who cannot afford lawyers. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202596741584&rss=rss_ct Fri, 19 Apr 2013 12:12:27 EDT 1202596741584 John Michael Farren has decided to represent himself in a case where he is accused of trying to kill his former wife, Mary Margaret Farren, who is also an attorney, in the couple's New Canaan home about three years ago. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202596728672&rss=rss_ct Fri, 19 Apr 2013 10:58:22 EDT 1202596728672