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Mass. casino foes ask court to allow repeal effort
Latest Law Firm Issues |
2014/04/14 16:43
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Attorney General Martha Coakley erred in excluding from the November state ballot a question that calls for the repeal of the 2011 gambling law, and voters should have the right to decide the issue, casino opponents contended in a court filing Friday.
The group Repeal the Casino Deal submitted a 53-page brief with the Supreme Judicial Court, which is expected to hear arguments in early May.
Former Attorney General Scott Harshbarger, a leader of the anti-casino movement, said that while he greatly respected Coakley, she was "simply wrong" in her analysis of the repeal petition. He said it was inevitable the question would ultimately appear on the ballot.
The casino law allows for up to three resort casinos and one slots parlor and created the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to award licenses and regulate future gambling.
All proposed ballot questions must first go through the attorney general's office to determine whether they pass constitutional muster. In last fall's ruling, Coakley said the repeal question would violate the contracts clause of the state constitution by permitting voters to interfere with implied contracts between the commission and applicants for casino licenses.
"The proposed law is therefore inconsistent with the right to receive compensation for private property appropriated to public use and cannot be certified," the attorney general wrote.
Repeal the Casino Deal argued in its filing that in passing the law, the Legislature did not intend to create any contracts between the commission and casino applicants that would ever prevent the state from exercising its policing or regulatory powers over gambling. |
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Michigan won't recognize same-sex marriages
Court and Trial |
2014/04/14 16:43
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Michigan won't recognize more than 300 same-sex marriages performed last weekend before a court halted a decision that opened the door to gay nuptials, Gov. Rick Snyder said Wednesday.
The announcement came a day after an appeals court indefinitely stopped any additional same-sex marriages. It will likely take months for the court to make its own judgment about whether a Michigan constitutional amendment that says marriage only is between a man and a woman violates the U.S. Constitution.
U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman struck down the gay marriage ban Friday.
Four counties took the extraordinary step of granting licenses Saturday before the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered a temporary halt. The stay was extended indefinitely on Tuesday.
Snyder acknowledged same-sex couples "had a legal marriage." But because of the court's stay, he added, the gay marriage ban has been restored.
The governor's move closes the door, at least for now, to certain benefits reserved solely for married couples. The American Civil Liberties Union said more than 1,000 Michigan laws are tied to marriage.
"We did our own homework and I believe this is a reasonable legal position to take based on the available literature and law," Snyder told reporters.
Other elected officials have urged the Obama administration to recognize the marriages for federal benefits. The U.S. Justice Department, which previously said it was monitoring the situation, did not immediately comment after Snyder's announcement.
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Levin & Curlett LLC
Law Firm Legal News |
2014/04/14 16:43
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New York - Baltimore - Washington, D.C. White Collar Criminal Defense
Levin & Curlett LLC was formed by former prosecutors who created a small, high quality litigation boutique. Levin & Curlett LLC has extensive experience in all facets of criminal and civil litigation. Whether clients are involved in contractual disputes, business litigation, or qui tam whistleblower cases, our trial experience allows the firm to work effectively with clients to achieve their goals. Similarly, extensive prosecutorial backgrounds allow the firm to represent clients who are involved in criminal proceedings as targets, subjects, witnesses, recipients of grand jury subpoenas, or defendants.The firm puts its skills to work representing:
- clients who are targets, subjects, or witnesses in criminal investigations,
- clients who are facing criminal charges
- clients who are involved in complex civil litigation at the trial and appellate levels
- whistleblowers in qui tam and False Claims Act litigation.
The attorneys at Levin & Curlett concentrate their practice representing individuals and businesses in criminal matters and civil litigation, and representing whistleblowers in False Claims Act and Qui Tam litigation. Our attorneys have decades of combined experience serving as prosecutors in the Department of Justice and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, and leading practices in complex civil and criminal litigation at a national law firm.We are uniquely positioned to represent the interests of those confronting the nation’s largest corporations, insurance companies, or the power of the federal government. |
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Woman found guilty in 1996 killing of ex-husband
Top Attorney News |
2014/04/14 16:42
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A once-prominent socialite was found guilty Tuesday in the 1996 Tucson car bomb killing of her ex-husband after spending years abroad living a lavish lifestyle across Europe.
Pamela Phillips, 56, was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder after less than three days of deliberations that began last week. She faces life in prison at her May 22 sentencing hearing.
Phillips can't receive the death penalty because of her extradition from Austria, which has a treaty with the U.S. that won't allow anyone to be extradited for prosecution if they face capital punishment.
Phillips shook her head seconds after the verdict was read in Pima County Superior Court. Her attorneys said they will file an appeal. |
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Salvatore Scanio – Ludwig & Robinson PLLC.
Lawyer World News |
2014/04/12 16:03
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Salvatore Scanio, Attorney T: 202-289-7605
O: 202-289-1800
F: 202-289-1804 Mr. Scanio has extensive experience in complex domestic and international litigation and regulatory matters, involving federal and state banking, financial transactions, insurance coverage, and contract and other commercial disputes. Mr. Scanio represents banks, insurers and other companies in cases involving negotiable instruments under the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), electronic bank payments, fraud, fiduciary duty, accounting, lender liability, loan losses, lost profits, statutory and regulatory violations, professional liability, class actions, and claims against the federal government. He advises clients as to liability, defenses and loss recovery on a wide range of bank fraud and corporate fraud schemes, including check fraud, credit and debit card fraud, unauthorized electronic funds transfers (EFT) including fraudulent wire transfers and ACH transactions, identity theft, check kiting, deposit account fraud, malware attacks, cybercrime, account takeovers, loan and mortgage fraud, embezzlement, and bank insider fraud. Selected Professional Awards and Associations- American Bar Association: Business Law Section, Committees on Banking Law, Business and Corporate Litigation, Consumer Financial Services, Uniform Commercial Code; Tort, Trial and Insurance Practice Section, Committees on Business Litigation, Fidelity and Surety Law, Insurance Coverage Litigation
- Defense Research Institute: Committees on Commercial Litigation, Electronic Discovery, Fidelity and Surety, Insurance Law
- National Institute for Trial Advocacy, Trial Skills
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