Lawyers in the News.
1. Michael Jackson needs to make some cash. Fast. It’s too bad that Billboard won’t chart his re-vamped/re-release of Thriller 25, as apparently it doesn’t have enough new material on it to be considered a new album. Sony is complaining about the placement issue saying that if the album was visible on the Billboard 200 chart that it would most definitely impact sales. Why does MJ need to make money so quickly? Apparently the reclusive ‘King of Pop’ has repeatedly failed to pay mortgage on his beloved Neverland Ranch property. Jackson’s Lawyer, Peter Lopez, is hoping to get a loan of around 24.5 million so that Michael doesn’t have to beat it. Neverland Ranch and all of possessions ala MJ are currently scheduled for public auction on March 19th.
2. 22 year old starlet, Mischa Barton, was charged with DUI, possession of marijuana and driving without a license this week following her arrest in West Hollywood last December. Her lawyer, Anthony V. Salerno, is confident that he can secure a deal before the next hearing on April 10th. Barton is best known for playing bad girl Marissa Cooper (who overdoses on tequila and pills in one delightful episode) on “The OC”.
3. Superior Court Judge Katherine Madar sentenced actress Rebecca Broussard to five days in jail and three years probation after pleading no contest to a drinking and driving felony charge from last August near Los Angeles International Airport. Broussard has two children by Jack Nicholson and her filmography includes “Mars Attacks!” and “Die Hard”.
4. 29 Cent-per-hour seems like a fantastic deal for a jailhouse lawyer, as long as he’s got the credentials. Paralegal Michael Ray is under investigation for practicing without a license. Ray, who is serving time for real-estate fraud, managed to help his fellow inmate, Keith Lavon Burgess win Supreme Court review of his crack-possession case. Ray has no college or law education; however, he is a member of the American Bar Association and a certified paralegal. His lawyer, Raunch Wise says Ray earns 29 cents an hour for his work but charges no other fees for his services. Lawyer Jeff Fisher, of Seattle’s own Davis Wright Tremaine, will argue Burgess’ case before the U.S. Supreme Court on March 24. Fisher was also in court this week arguing on behalf of the Alaskans who sued in the Exxon Valdez case.
5. NBC must defend a $100 million dollar lawsuit against the sister of Texas Prosecutor, Louis Conradt, who committed suicide as a network TV show was just about to film his arrest. “To Catch a Predator” is a series of hidden camera investigations with the intention of identifying and detaining potential child sexual abusers. Conradt’s sister claims intentional infliction of emotional distress, among other things. Judge Denny Chin denied NBC’s efforts to dismiss the case, saying “reasonable jury could find that that “NBC crossed the line from responsible journalism to irresponsible and reckless intrusion into law enforcement.” Conradt’s lawyer, Bruce Baron, says that Chin’s decision “sends a strong message to law enforcement throughout this country: Never subcontract your uniform, badge and the oath you take.”
6. Here’s a fun fact for you… Thursday the Pew Center on the States released study titled “One in 100: Behind Bars in America: ”. By utilizing each state’s information, the report calculates that 2,319,258 Americans were in either jail or prison at the beginning of 2008. One out of every 99.1 adults. The report also indicates that the US spent more that 49 billion in 2007 on corrections - which is an increase of 127% over the past 20 years.
