legal news

In today's legal news, the Supreme Court has expressed interest in a case involving a teenager's illegal music file-sharing, the legal battle over stem cell research has already pushed some scientists to other fields, and a third woman has alleged that a Wisconsin DA harassed her with sexual text messages.

Can shareholder's of a company sue its auditor for failing to catch or report fraud? We'll know Tuesday after the New York Court of Appeals rules on the legal doctrine of "in pari delicto" -- in equal fault.

In Monday's legal news, Prudential is being investigated for the way it handles death benefits to soldiers' families and a U.S. district judge continues his efforts on behalf of 9/11 workers by rejecting their lawyers' requests for additional fees.

In today's legal news, Judge Vaughn Walker, who had earlier stayed his ruling invalidating California's Proposition 8 ban on gay marriage, has lifted his stay as of 5:00 pm (PT), Aug. 18.

Trustee Irving Picard, charged with recovering money for the victims of Bernard Madoff, is preparing a series of lawsuits to win back money from investors who gained financially from their association with Madoff.

In Monday's legal news U.S. states -- Gulf Coast as well as East Coast -- are now joining the queue to sue BP for damages from the oil spill, the N.Y. board of elections is being sued for not trying to fix its potentially faulty new voting machines, and Oregon's Supreme Court throws out a punitive damages award against Philip Morris, but shames the company for leading a massive misinformation campaign.

Among today's legal news, the BP criminal probe is underway, Judge Rakoff issues his opinion explaining his dismissal of claims against the ratings agencies, and a study finds that Southern juries are still overwhelmingly white.

In Thursday's legal news, the bankruptcy estate of Lehman Brothers has sued JP Morgan Chase for excessive collateral demands and the Financial Standards Accounting Board proposes more accurate bank financial statements, over vigorous objections from banks.

Should Newspapers identify commenters accused of defamation? New Orleans' Times-Picayune says no, but faced with lawsuits, other news sites could eventually rethink the limits of anonymity. Meanwhile, the lawsuits are multiplying against BP and its business partners over the Gulf oil spill.

News has leaked out of unsavory legal tactics by Transocean, a company involved in the Gulf oil disaster. It reportedly pressured traumatized rig evacuees to sign statements protecting the company. Now, Transocean is maneuvering in court to limit its liaibility.