Day: November 12, 2009

Slabbed Scoops the News: Bossier gets nothing in Phase 2

We’ve confirmed Kris Carter’s comment. On behalf of Nowdy and Bam Bam we’d like to thank Mr and Mrs Bossier for sticking with this litigation to the end. While our gratitude will certainly be of little solace to them right now perhaps in time they’ll take comfort from the greater good it accomplished. We also thank Judy Guice.  The tenacity in her advocating for the Bossiers is self-evident and indicative of the fine consumer lawyer she is.

I’ll be back with some analysis a bit later on the jury.

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While today’s Bossier verdict is still a rumor, chew on this!

If you read A Private Matter, a Public Court, you’ll know how deeply troubled I am by the injustice in our system of justice.  I’m even more concerned after reading a comment reporting:

Unconfirmed, but I’m hearing it was a defense verdict today. No punitives, no extracontractuals.

Once again, I ask: Where is the law that prohibits Judge Walker from allowing State Farm to run out the clock and run up the tab on plaintiffs?  bossier-timeline3

In early August, the 10th in fact, SLABBED posted a timeline of Guice’s five-month effort to compel discovery in Expedite is a plaintiff’s turtle and an insurer’s hare.

Slabbed also reported Bossiers’ counsel was still fighting the discovery battle two week’s before trial – Bossier challenges State Farm’s round tuit approach to compliance with Court’s Order – Trial begins in 2 weeks!

Out of respect for the chair, or in this case the bench, I held my tongue typing finger over the most telling Order of all SLABBED reported: Judge Walker sorta sanctions St. Farm – issues parking ticket in Bossier v State Farm.

I repeat, there was no justice, kindness or humility in Judge Walker’s orders nor any excuse for his conduct of the pre-trial discovery in Bossier…Give juries the evidence needed to make just decisions. Open court so that open court is a reality and not a lofty ideal.

Breaking News – Wilson v Scruggs settles!

Remember Eastland dismantles RICO claim in Wilson v Scruggs? Well, he sure ‘nuf did – although Patsy Brumfield broke the story in the Daily Journal before I could get to my computer:

Roberts Wilson Jr.’s multi-million-dollar lawsuit against imprisoned ex-attorney Richard “Dickie” Scruggs has come to an end – it’s been settled, Wilson’s attorney, Charlie Merkel of Clarksdale tells the Daily Journal.

Wilson sued Scruggs and others, accusing them of not paying what he was owed years ago for his part in national asbestos litigation. He also claimed they owed him for using his fees to bankroll other national lawsuits, which yielded mega-fees for the attorneys involved.

One of those “others” was Scruggs co-defendant Steve Patterson and Eastland’s motion to dismiss the RICO case was written in his role as Counsel for Patterson. Continue reading “Breaking News – Wilson v Scruggs settles!”

Breaking: One by one the North Mississippi “railroad” house of card comes tumbling down

Not defending the attempted fee stripping of John Jones but Mr Jones won’t be taking anything extra from the innocent.

We find that the trial court had the discretionary authority to impose sanctions against SKG based upon the acts of a single partner that occurred in the ordinary course of business of SKG. However, we conclude that the trial court erred by finding that Richard Scruggs’s misconduct occurred in the ordinary course of SKG business.

The Sun Herald wasted no time putting up the news flash from the A/P. Glad to see the Mississippi Supreme Court is more energetic than certain lazy circuit court judges that let certain blogs write their legal rulings for them. Continue reading “Breaking: One by one the North Mississippi “railroad” house of card comes tumbling down”

Jim Brown Compares the Greatest Generation and the Me Generation

Thursday, November 12,, 2009
New Orleans, Louisiana

WHY AREN’T WE THE GREATEST GENERATION?

Ten years ago, Tom Brokaw wrote a book about what he called “the greatest generation.” And now, there is a new best seller out calling America today “the dumbest generation.” And since Louisiana is at the bottom of the barrel on most comparative national lists, you can imagine how folks in the Bayou State are viewed. But with all the tools of modern technology where we live in a digital culture with 24/7 information overload, and opportunities for intellectual development at an all time high, why aren’t we making a run at being ‘the greatest generation?” What conditions existed 70 years ago that set those who fought World War Two apart?

These questions were the focus of discussion last week in New Orleans at the opening of some new spectacular attractions, all part of the National World War II Museum. The world premiere took place for an immersive, 4-D cinematic journey through this war, produced and narrated by actor Tom Hanks. It’s a breathtaking experience and worth a special trip to New Orleans just to view the film.

Battle fields come alive with the viewer as a participant. The movie screen wraps around the theatre so one is immersed in the action. When planes fly over, your seat shakes. When it snows as the Germans invade Russia, snowflakes fall on you from the ceiling. New Orleans historian Dr. Stephen Ambrose, the best known chronicler of World War II who initially conceived of the museum, would have been proud.

Tom Brokaw was in New Orleans for the grand opening and talked about his definition of “the greatest generation” in his bestselling book. “They came of age during the Great Depression and the Second World War and went on to build modern America – men and women whose everyday lives of duty, honor, achievement and courage gave us the world we have today.”

Look, there is no doubt that these men and women of the 1940s were resourceful, hardworking and deeply committed to giving extraordinary service to their country. But do we instill these same values today? Or does today’s generation value lifestyle over success, who get trophies for showing up at soccer games, and who have been rewarded for little while being told they are “special” too much? Continue reading “Jim Brown Compares the Greatest Generation and the Me Generation”

Alan Lange

For Immediate Release                            
Pediment Publishing/360.687.6731                                

Kings of Tort available on December 2nd

The amazing story behind tort magnate Dickie Scruggs’s judicial bribery scandal is presented by Pediment Publishing. Kings of Tort is the authoritative work on documenting this nationally known story and the relatively unknown 25 year history behind it. The book will be made available in retail outlets throughout the country on December 2nd. More Information including advance ordering of the book is available at www.kingsoftort.com.

Kings of Tort chronicles the sordid tale of judicial bribery and political intrigue in Mississippi, birthplace of the tobacco litigation and long known as one of the most tort-friendly jurisdictions in the nation. It features the story of Dickie Scruggs, who was largely credited with bringing down Big Tobacco in the early 1990s. From his ascent to a net worth of nearly a billion dollars to his seemingly unfathomable downfall stemming from his role in attempting to corrupt two local judges by improperly influencing the outcome of cases, the book documents how those in Scruggs’s own trusted circle of tort barons turned on him and cooperated with federal authorities. It also shows the political influence he wielded with judges, attorneys general, and even his own brother-in-law, former US Senator Trent Lott.

The Dickie Scruggs judicial bribery case has been covered extensively by the Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, New York Times, LA Times, The Clarion-Ledger, Sun Herald and dozens of other Mississippi and national media outlets. Scruggs’s story during his meteoric rise through the Big Tobacco litigation was documented on PBS Frontline, ABC’s 20/20, and CBS’s 60 Minutes. Eventually, the 60 Minutes story became the subject of a movie, “The Insider,” featuring Al Pacino and Russell Crowe.

The book also chronicles the legal bribery story of Scruggs confidante and tobacco lawsuit partner Paul Minor, son of Mississippi political columnist Bill Minor. He was convicted, along with the two judges he improperly influenced, and is currently serving an 11 year prison sentence. Minor is currently fighting his conviction on appeal from prison through his attorney Abbe Lowell, who defended former President Bill Clinton during his impeachment trial.

Kings of Tort is an engaging read that examines the power of these tort barons and the unmistakable pattern of how corporate defendants were trapped in what Scruggs called “magic jurisdictions” and subject to coordinated political, criminal and civil pressure to produce enormous settlements. It’s a must read for those interested in the legal profession, politics or just a fascinating human story of greed and hubris. Continue reading “Alan Lange”