Filed under: Litigation

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Downers Grove swindler gets 16 years in Ponzi scheme

David Hernandez’s lifetime of lying has caught up to him, said a federal judge who sentenced the Downers Grove man Friday to more than 16 years in prison for swindling more than 250 people out of $6.4 million.

Hernandez, best known for starting an Internet-based sports talk show with radio personality Mike North, apologized to his fraud victims in a rambling, tearful statement to U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman. Hernandez pleaded for sympathy because he claims to suffer from mental illness brought on by childhood abuse. Get the full story »

Conrad Black to be resentenced in June for fraud

Conrad Black, the wealthy Canadian native who was chairman of a Chicago-based newspaper empire, will be resentenced in June on two counts that survived an appellate court’s review of his 2007 fraud conviction, a federal judge decided today.

Britain abolishes forced retirement at 65

British employers will no longer be allowed to force people to retire at 65 years old, unless they can justify the dismissal, the government said Thursday in a bid to lessen pension payouts as Britons live for longer.

The move was welcomed by nonprofit organizations campaigning against age discrimination. Others, however, complained that the move will make it expensive for employers to continue to provide benefits such as health or life insurance to employees older than 65. Get the full story »

WikiLeaks adds $15K to Manning defense fund

Supporters of U.S. Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, who is suspected in one of the biggest security breaches in U.S. history, said Thursday that Web site WikiLeaks has fulfilled its pledge to aid in his defense by contributing $15,100, the Associated Press reported.

The Bradley Manning Support Network announced the gift. Get the full story »

Winklevoss dispute with Facebook back in court

Cameron (left) and Tyler Winklevoss. (Kimihiro Hoshino/AFP/Getty Images)

Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss found a skeptical audience Tuesday as they tried to persuade a U.S. appeals court to let them out of a $65 million settlement over the founding of online social network Facebook.

The saga of the Winklevoss twins and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg became silver screen lore with the film “The Social Network” last year. It has long been a legal battle as well. Get the full story »

High court to review law limiting drug data mining

The U.S. Supreme Court said Friday that it would decide whether a state law restricting commercial access to information about prescription drug records violated constitutional free-speech rights. Get the full story »

Wells Fargo, US Bancorp foreclosures tossed out

In a ruling that may affect foreclosures nationwide, Massachusetts’ highest court voided the seizure of two homes by Wells Fargo & Co. and US Bancorp after the banks failed to show they held the mortgages at the time they foreclosed.

Bank shares fell, dragging down the broader U.S. stock market, after the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts on Friday issued its decision, which upheld a lower court ruling. Get the full story »

Supervalu settles Chicago bias case for $3.2M

Supervalu Inc. has agreed to pay $3.2 million to 110 workers to resolve allegations it systematically terminated disabled employees at Chicago-area supermarkets, one of the largest such settlements under the Americans With Disabilities Act. Get the full story »

Court gives Google another shot at Microsoft deal

A federal judge has sided with Google Inc. in a lawsuit alleging the U.S. Department of Interior improperly favored Microsoft Corp. in a deal that could have had ripple effects on future software contracts with other federal government agencies. Get the full story »

Toyota awarded $2.6M over whistleblower’s claims

An arbitrator has awarded Toyota $2.6 million in damages against a former in-house attorney who turned into a whistleblower and sued the automaker.

Kraft sues to protect Oreo brand

Kraft Foods Inc. has sued India’s Britannia Industries Ltd. in an Indian court over trademark and copyright violations of its Oreo cookies brand, the Economic Times reported Wednesday. Get the full story »

Court tosses out $1.2M indecency fine against ABC

A federal appeals court on Tuesday tossed a $1.2 million indecency fine the Federal Communications Commission imposed against ABC Television affiliates for airing a 2003 episode of “NYPD Blue,” which showed a woman’s naked bottom.

It was just the latest in a series of victories for broadcasters, who have spent the last few years challenging the U.S. government’s effort to police airwaves and fine stations for racy content. Get the full story »

IHOP pancake chain drops suit against church

The pancake chain that sued a church for using its nickname without permission appears to have flipped its legal strategy.

The International House of Pancakes restaurant chain, known as IHOP, has ended its trademark infringement lawsuit against the International House of Prayer, citing “on-going mediation discussions” with the church. Get the full story »

Microsoft co-founder relaunches tech patent suit

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen relaunched a wide-ranging patent lawsuit against Apple, Google, Facebook and others with specific allegations that the companies are illegally using technology owned by his company. Get the full story »

Allstate sues BofA, Countrywide over losses

Allstate Corp.  has sued Bank of America Corp.  and the Countrywide Financial mortgage unit it acquired in 2008 regarding $700 million in residential mortgage-backed securities the insurer purchased, claiming Countrywide misrepresented the investments, Bloomberg News reported Tuesday.

“Countrywide was singularly focused on increasing its market share, off-loading the risk onto Allstate and other institutional investors that purchased securities backed by pools of Countrywide’s mortgages,” Allstate said in its civil suit, filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan. Get the full story »