(Rule 11 threat against Yale team in Haitian Centers Council Inc. v. McNary.)

Article Abstract:

Two law professors have been hit with Rule 11 sanctions for a suit they filed on behalf of Haitian refugees interned and held incommunicado at Guantanamo Naval Base. The first thing professors Harold Koh and Michael Ratner want for the Haitians is the right to see lawyers. The government contends that this is a frivolous suit because the issues have already been rejected in an earlier case - Haitian Refugee Center Inc v Baker. The professors' lawyer, George Cochran, a Rule 11 specialist, says the government is using the rule for a vindictive purpose.

Political aspects, Frivolous suits (Civil procedure), Refugees, Political, Political refugees

---

At issue is whether the mayor discriminated against Jews during the riots

Article Abstract:

It is difficult to balance the questions of municipal immunity and just retribution when police stand by and let one group of people be injured at the hands of another. One case in point was the 1991 clash between Hasidic Jews and blacks in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Mayor David Dinkins was accused of discriminating against the Jewish community by allowing the altercations to happen. There have been accusations of politicization of the case since Dinkins is up for reelection. A federal judge has denied municipal immunity and granted discovery.

Social aspects, Equality before the law, Equal protection, Race relations, Tort liability, Brooklyn, New York, New York, Municipal corporations, Tort liability of municipal corporations

---

Awards ranged from 15 percent to 30 percent, depending upon the case

Article Abstract:

Commercial fraud suits on behalf of whistleblowers are a new type of litigation for some law firms. John Phillips of Los Angeles' Hall and Phillips is one specialist who takes these cases on contingency. He screens potential cases carefully, investigating fact-intensiveness, the ease with which the defendant might make evidence difficult to obtain or even destroy it, and what part of the case depends on individual workers' testimony. Awards in the cases must be shared with Phillips' public interest group Taxpayers Against Fraud.

Attorneys, Fraud, Legal specialization, Whistle blowing, Whistleblowing

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: Bucket bargaining: best process in interest based bargaining. Open reference policies: minimizing the risk of litigation
• Abstracts: Recent attorneys general have made it hard for independent counsels to function. Prosecutors have used criminal statutes to deter others from spreading AIDS
• Abstracts: Cult experts sue lawyers, others. Plaintiffs' activists celebrate; Trial Lawyers for Public Justice is 10. Transit ads rile trial lawyers; constitutional challenge?
• Abstracts: Judges foresee federal courts caseload crush; but judicial panel's study doesn't call for radical changes - not yet, anyway

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.