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Judge decides not to commit defendant
Legal Career News |
2011/02/08 17:15
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The former Wellesley College student who was found not guilty by reason of insanity of stabbing her former boyfriend as he slept in his MIT dorm room was allowed to go free yesterday, after a judge decided not to have her committed to a psychiatric hospital, her attorney and a prosecutor said. Anna Tang, 24, of Brighton, was initially charged with armed assault with attempt to murder in 2007 after prosecutors accused her of sneaking into Wolfe Styke’s dorm room and stabbing him while he slept. Tang admitted stabbing Styke, but maintained that she was not criminally responsible by reason of mental illness. Tang waived her right to a jury trial and on Jan. 8, Judge Bruce Henry found her not guilty by reason of insanity of armed assault with attempt to murder, home invasion, and assault with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury, Tang’s lawyer Robert A. George said yesterday. After her acquittal, Tang was sent to the Solomon Carter Fuller Mental Health Center in Boston for evaluation. Yesterday, at a commitment hearing in Middlesex Superior Court, Henry decided against having her committed to a mental health facility and ordered her to be released. |
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Court filing offers rare look at Milwaukee archdiocese
Court Feed News |
2011/02/08 14:10
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A filing in bankruptcy court is providing a rare look at the finances of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. Financial statements filed Monday show the archdiocese has nearly $41 million in assets and $24 million in liabilities. The archdiocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January after failing to reach a settlement with two dozen victims of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the filing shows: • The archdiocese earned $25.9 million in income during fiscal year 2010, down from $26.7 million the previous year. Its income so far for fiscal year 2011 was $13.2 million. • It owns 25 properties with a total value of $7.7 million. About half of the holdings - all cemeteries or schools and a youth home - are listed as having no value. Others range in value from $4.5 million for an undeveloped cemetery in Franklin to $120,000 for the Newman Center at UW-Whitewater. • The archdiocese holds bank and investment accounts totaling about $19.7 million. • Liabilities include $13.7 million in the retired priests' health plan, $1.2 million in the pension plan for cemetery workers, $3.4 million for Messmer High School and $702,000 for payments to sex abuse victims who went through the archdiocese's mediation process. |
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Woman gets prison time for embezzling $135K
Criminal Law Updates |
2011/02/08 13:17
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A former bookkeeper will serve two years in prison for embezzling a little more than $135,000 from the Gulfport law firm. The Sun Herald reports that Circuit Judge Larry Bourgeois gave Heather Denise Parker the maximum penalty of 10 years on Monday and suspended eight, leaving two to serve. He also ordered restitution. Prosecutors say once Parker serves her time, she will be brought before the judge for an order on how to repay the money. She had been free on bond since Dec. 6, when she pleaded guilty in Harrison County Circuit Court. |
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License to Tweet? UK may restrict posts from court
Legal World News |
2011/02/08 11:09
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English courts may restrict the public's freedom to post Twitter updates from inside hearings to avoid the risk of prejudicing trials, the head of the judiciary in England and Wales said Monday. In a consultation report on the use of smart phones and live, text-based communications from court, Justice Igor Judge's office said in some instances only members of the press — not the public — attending court may be permitted to use Twitter. "The combination of instant reporting without the self-restraint presumed to be exercised by accredited members of the media might lead to a greater likelihood of prejudicial reporting," the report said. It added that the risks of the public sending tweets may be amplified by their informal nature, as they "usually involve less measured remarks, which are presented in a manner which invites commentary and opinion from other users, and are posted in real time with no opportunity for review." The report follows concern that members of the public don't have knowledge of media law and could post updates that fall foul of the rules. In Britain, television cameras are not permitted to broadcast criminal cases. The report said that courts could restrict Twitter use to accredited reporters, or consider applications from the public on a case by case basis. |
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Assange lawyer: Risk of 'denial of justice'
Legal Career News |
2011/02/07 16:52
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The lawyer for Julian Assange argued Monday the embattled WikiLeaks founder would face a secret trial that violates international standards of fairness if sent to Sweden to face sexual assault allegations. The leader of the secret-spilling website is fighting extradition in part because Swedish rape trials are customarily held in secret, Geoffrey Robertson said at the start of a two-day extradition hearing. Closed-door hearings would be "a flagrant denial of justice ... blatantly unfair, not only by British standards but by European standards and indeed by international standards," he said. Assange is accused of sexual misconduct by two women he met during a visit to Stockholm last year. Rape trials are often held behind closed doors in Sweden to protect the alleged victims. Assange denies wrongdoing. Defense lawyers also argue he should not be extradited because he has not been charged with a crime, because of flaws in Swedish prosecutors' case — and because a ticket to Sweden could eventually land him in Guantanamo Bay or on U.S. death row. |
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Lawyers for Jackson doctor have date in LA court
Court Feed News |
2011/02/07 15:53
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Lawyers for Michael Jackson's doctor are due in court to discuss pretrial matters, but Dr. Conrad Murray has waived his right to be present. Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor has scheduled the hearing for Monday afternoon to discuss such issues as whether the case will be televised and whether jurors will have to fill out a questionnaire before they face an inquiry in open court. Murray, who has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter, has been continuing to practice medicine at his clinics in Houston and Las Vegas. His lawyers said he would probably be busy tending to patients and would not attend the hearing. Lawyers for Murray -- who continues to practice medicine at his clinics in Houston and Las Vegas -- said he would probably be busy tending to patients and would not attend the hearing; he is not required to be there. The judge Monday will also hear arguments Monday over whether jurors will have to fill out a questionnaire before they face an inquiry in open court.
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Recent Lawyer News Updates |
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