July 14, 2008

• "We would say 'only in America' but for the fact that it's in Russia": travails of Bank of New York in Moscow courtroom show need to rethink RICO law [NY Sun editorial, earlier]
• New Hampshire is latest target for ABA-backed "Civil Gideon" push for blanket right to taxpayer-paid lawyers in noncriminal cases [Jonathan Baird, Concord Monitor via ABA Journal; earlier] Last December the Washington Supreme Court ruled against such a constitutional claim [Perkins Coie]
• Expect some hot contests in Mississippi high court races [Clarion-Ledger] "What do Dickie Scruggs' crimes have to do with you? Plenty." [Ziemba, Meridian Star via YallPolitics]
• Most dangerous kind of discrimination claim? Jury sets $10 million punitive damages in age-bias suit against telecom firm Avaya [NJLJ]
• Score one against litigation slush funds: after controversy over payout to Seton Hall Law in Bristol-Myers Squibb nonprosecution deal, DoJ adopts policy to curb deals "requiring a defendant to pay a third party unrelated to the defendant's criminal conduct" [Corporate Counsel, earlier]
• Texas Watch, a group whose views often seem to reflect those of the Lone Star State's litigation lobby, keeps firing blanks at the Supreme Court of Texas [SMS blog]