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Criminal Charges Levied Against Big Tort Law Firm
The New York Sun ^ | May 19, 2006 | JOSH GERSTEIN - Staff Reporter of the Sun

Posted on 05/19/2006 9:08:39 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach

LOS ANGELES - The future of one of the country's leading class-action law firms, Milberg Weiss, is in grave doubt after a federal grand jury returned a criminal indictment yesterday accusing the firm of engaging in a secret, 25-year-long conspiracy to kick back attorneys fees to investors who served as named plaintiffs in more than 150 lawsuits brought against publicly-traded American companies.

(Excerpt) Read more at nysun.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: classactionlaw; tortlaw
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To: sono
Yes, and eventually it will, and is, morphing into a court of men and their feelings..........
21 posted on 05/19/2006 9:55:57 AM PDT by Red Badger (Liberals ignore criminal behavior, reward sloth and revere incompetence...........)
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To: FormerACLUmember

That may be your opinion,or your ACLU experience, but I have not found that to be a fact. The lawyers I know are hard working individuals, self employed and dedicated to their clients. Those I am related to would rather pay off their college loans than buy a $3,000 suit. You have been watching too much TV where lawyer shows concentrate on a fantasy life which makes for good entertainment but whose characters would be in an asylum or jail in real life.


22 posted on 05/19/2006 9:57:41 AM PDT by mountainfolk (God bless President George Bush)
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To: george wythe

Wasn't it Kissinger who said "Too bad both sides can't lose"?


23 posted on 05/19/2006 10:03:00 AM PDT by synbad600
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To: Daaave

AWESOME link to a great piece of news...

That story was dated 5/7/03... waht became of the investigation?


24 posted on 05/19/2006 10:05:22 AM PDT by snowrip (Liberal? YOU HAVE NO RATIONAL ARGUMENT. Actually, you lack even a legitimate excuse.)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

Hope someone checks out political donations from folks in that firm. A quick run through shows Dems getting some pretty big bucks.


25 posted on 05/19/2006 10:10:55 AM PDT by mewzilla (Property must be secured or liberty cannot exist. John Adams)
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To: Red Badger
"How can you indict a firm? "

You'll find that a lot of law firms are LLP's and thus why you always hear of them being a partner. You just don't hear of these guys being a corporation too often.

I'll bet that some other Freeper Lawyers could enlighten us on the advantages of being a LLP for covering their a**.

26 posted on 05/19/2006 10:22:07 AM PDT by Deaf Smith (**Tagline is need-to-know only.)
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To: Deaf Smith

LLP? Liar Liar Pants on fire?.......


27 posted on 05/19/2006 10:23:31 AM PDT by Red Badger (Liberals ignore criminal behavior, reward sloth and revere incompetence...........)
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To: Red Badger

That was a different movie.


28 posted on 05/19/2006 10:27:01 AM PDT by Deaf Smith (**Tagline is need-to-know only.)
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To: Deaf Smith

Lawyers is as lawyers does.........


29 posted on 05/19/2006 10:32:49 AM PDT by Red Badger (Liberals ignore criminal behavior, reward sloth and revere incompetence...........)
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To: Deaf Smith; Red Badger
You can indict a corporation or an LLP -- the corporate form makes no difference. There is considerable reluctance of prosecutors to do so, because inevitably a lot of innocent people will see their jobs and pensions disappear. Case in point -- Arthur Anderson, indicted over destruction of Enron audit files, convicted, but eventually cleared of charges by the Supreme Court. Anderson folded almost overnight following the indictment, and a lot of honest, talented people who had nothing at all to do with its work for Enron were unemployed.

In this case, the indictment follows refusal of Milberg Weiss to cooperate with the investigation by waiving attorney-client privilege and providing documents. The firm will say it is between a rock and a hard place -- it has to respect the privilege which is owned by its clients, not the firm. The prosecutor will say Milberg is hiding behind the privilege.

One thing you can bet on is that Milberg Weiss will be a hollow shell within a month. Its lawyers will jump ship to other firms, and it will fold up its operations.

30 posted on 05/19/2006 10:35:03 AM PDT by blau993
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

By the way, the headline writer for this thread has it wrong. Milberg Weiss represents plaintiffs, but not plaintiffs in tort (accident) cases. They represent plaintiffs in securities class actions. They have been hugely successful. i believe they represented the plaintiffs in more than half of the securities class actions settled nationwide last year.


31 posted on 05/19/2006 10:38:43 AM PDT by blau993
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To: Deaf Smith
I'll bet that some other Freeper Lawyers could enlighten us on the advantages of being a LLP for covering their a**.

A Limited Liability Partnership protects innocent partners from personal liability arising from acts of the firm, but permits the firm to be taxed as a partnership rather than a corporation. Some states' LLP statutes provide more protection than others, so the level of protection depends on the state in which the firm is registered as an LLP.

32 posted on 05/19/2006 10:52:45 AM PDT by Sarastro
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To: Daaave; Grampa Dave

Sounds like Edwards is the candidate for the trial lawyers...


33 posted on 05/19/2006 10:58:49 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach (History is soon Forgotten,)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
"This plays into the hands of political demagogues who like to rail against trial lawyers as if they were responsible for all the miseries of society."

Projection, pure and simple.

34 posted on 05/19/2006 11:09:46 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Islam Factoid:After forcing young girls to watch his men execute their fathers, Muhammad raped them.)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

Trial Lawyers of the DNC er America love their rat pack fellow lawyers, and they support these anti America liberals.


35 posted on 05/19/2006 11:24:37 AM PDT by Grampa Dave (There's a dwindling market for Marxist homosexual lunatic wet dreams posing as journalism)
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To: blau993

"One thing you can bet on is that Milberg Weiss will be a hollow shell within a month. Its lawyers will jump ship to other firms, and it will fold up its operations."


Amazing how this works.


36 posted on 05/19/2006 11:26:29 AM PDT by Grampa Dave (There's a dwindling market for Marxist homosexual lunatic wet dreams posing as journalism)
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