Lawyer says US blocks investigation of Afghan massacre

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
SEATTLE (Reuters) - The lawyer defending the U.S. soldier accused of murdering 17 Afghan civilians claims U.S. authorities are blocking his ability to investigate the incident.

John Henry Browne, the lawyer for Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, said U.S. forces in Afghanistan have prevented his team from interviewing injured civilians at a hospital in Kandahar, and are allowing other potential witnesses to scatter, making it difficult to track them down.

"My gut is the reason is they don't have much of a case," said Browne at a press conference at his downtown Seattle office on Friday.

Bales was formally charged last week with the murders of eight adults and nine children in a pre-dawn shooting rampage in southern Afghanistan on March 11, which further eroded U.S.-Afghan relations already strained by a decade of war.

He could face the death penalty if convicted.

No date has been set for a trial, but U.S. military prosecutors are putting together their case while Browne is preparing his defence.

Browne said he has a team of investigators in Afghanistan now, but they are receiving little cooperation from military prosecutors who filed the charges.

"We are facing an almost complete information blackout from the government, which is having a devastating effect on our ability to investigate the charges preferred against our client," he said in a statement released earlier on Friday.

A reliable account of the events of the night of the massacre has not yet emerged. A recent report indicated Afghan villagers doubt Bales acted alone. Other reports suggest Bales left his base twice during the night.

"I don't believe that's the case, but we can't say that for sure," Browne said on Friday.

Browne said his investigators had spoken to U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan but had not managed to contact any witnesses.

"When we tried to interview the injured civilians being treated at Kandahar Hospital we were denied access and told to coordinate with the prosecution team," Browne said in the earlier statement.

"The next day the prosecution team interviewed the civilians injured. We found out shortly after the prosecution interviews of the injured civilians that the civilians were all released from the hospital and there was no contact information for them." That means potential witnesses will scatter and could prove unreachable, Browne said.

Browne said it was too early to say whether his defence would rely on post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, or other psychiatric problems Bale may have suffered as a defence against the charges.

The next step in the case is for Bales - who is being held at a military detention centre at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas - to undergo a mental assessment by Army doctors independent of both the prosecution and defence, to determine if he is fit to stand trial, known as a "sanity board" in the Army. That could take several months, Browne said.

After that has occurred, the military justice system requires a preliminary hearing, known as an "Article 32" hearing, to establish whether there is a strong enough case to proceed to a court martial.

(Reporting By Bill Rigby; Editing by Todd Eastham and Paul Simao)

View the original article here

Lawyer expects Sesler to plead not guilty

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

The lawyer for a Waller man accused of killing his family said Friday he expects his client to waive arraignment and enter a not-guilty plea.

Frank Blazek,a court-appointed defense lawyer from Huntsville, said he recently visited with his client, Trey Sesler, who is being held at the Waller County Jail.

"He's very young, and you know, obviously, this is a very sorrowful tragedy, and he recognizes the degree of the tragedy," Blazek said.

Sesler, 22, is charged with capital murder in the deaths of his parents, Lawton Ray Sesler Jr., 58, and Rhonda Wyse Sesler, 57, and first-degree murder in the death of his older brother, Mark Alan Sesler, 26. The three were found shot to death March 20 at the family's ranch-style home in the 1600 block of Farr, in Waller.

A funeral service for all three was Wednesday at Canon Funeral Home in Waller. Another service for Trey Sesler's grandfather will be Saturday at the same funeral home. Lawton Ray Sesler Sr., 88, succumbed to a long illness on March 23, just days after the shootings.

Blazek said he is not prepared to go into detail about his conversation with his client, or respond to police allegations that Sesler had planned to carry out a mass public shooting.

"I would say he's got a very complex personality that I have to get to know better, and, at this point, just like in any criminal case, he's entitled to presumption of innocence," Blazek said.

He said he expected a grand jury to hear the case next week.

lindsay.wise@chron.com

View the original article here

My LA attorney is Announcing New Low discounts and Guaranteed Savings for ... - Virtual-Strategy Magazine

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

My LA attorney is a southern California legal resource for people in need of a lawyer or attorney. For any legal need, anywhere in the southern California area. Attorneys are trained in every branch of law. From accident attorneys, and personal injury lawyers, to family law, and Dui attorneys.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) March 31, 2012

Visit my LA attorney at http://www.my-la-attorney.com. My LA attorney is a southern California Legal aid service provider. For any legal needs anywhere in the Los Angeles area. Attorneys are standing by locally to help. My LA attorney has lawyers and attorneys standing by in cities located all over California, waiting to serve handle any and all legal problems, or issues that arise.

My LA attorney has been serving communities all over southern California since 2001. With a commitment to quality and service that sets my LA attorney apart from the competition. For all legal needs from Personal Injury Attorneys, to Divorce Lawyers, Attorney Lawyer is number 1 in customer satisfaction. My LA attorney onlys represents the best lawyers and attorneys in field of law from personal injury to family law. Having legal problems can be scary, and finding the right attorney can make or break a case. Let the experts at my LA attorney help

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2012/3/prweb9351220.htm

View the original article here

Lawyer: French Islamist group had no link with Toulouse gunman - CNN

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
Mohammed Merah killed seven people in a series of attacks.NEW: Lawyer: The Forsane Alizza group wants to protect the rights of Muslims in FranceThe Islamist group's leader says it had no contact with gunman Merah, his lawyer says19 suspected members of the Forsane Alizza group were arrested Friday, authorities saidPolice have been investigating whether Merah, blamed for 7 deaths, acted alone

Paris (CNN) -- The leader of an Islamist group whose members were targeted in a series of French police raids denies any contact with Toulouse gunman Mohammed Merah, lawyer Philippe Missamou said Saturday.

The leader of the Forsane Alizza group, Mohammed Achamlane, was among 19 people arrested Friday over alleged connections to radical Islam, Missamou said.

The raids came a week after Merah, who killed seven people in a series of attacks, was shot dead after a long siege in the southwestern city of Toulouse.

French media reports suggested Merah had developed connections with the pro-al Qaeda group, which has a cluster of followers in Toulouse.

Forsane Alizza was outlawed in January for encouraging French citizens to travel to Afghanistan to fight jihad.

Missamou told CNN he had last spoken to Achamlane on Monday.

At this time, Achamlane told him that the group had not had contact with Merah, and that it had nothing to do with Merah's killings in Toulouse, Missamou said.

Achamlane said the group did not support armed combat, the attorney said.

Missamou expects to be allowed to meet with members of the group, which he has represented since January, on Monday or Tuesday.

After that they will be put before a judge and either placed under further examination with charges pending, or released, he said.

Missamou disputed the Interior Ministry's claim that all 19 people arrested are members of Forsane Alizza, saying several were not.

Friday's arrests took place in Toulouse, Marseille, Nantes, Lyon and the Ile de France region, around Paris, the Interior Ministry said.

The ministry's media office said "the police had plans to carry out 19 arrests, and therefore 19 arrests were made in connection with the group Forsane Alizza."

Interior Minister Claude Gueant said that several firearms, including five rifles, four automatic weapons and three Kalashnikovs, had been found in searches of the suspects' homes, as well as a bulletproof vest.

Missamou said he had no information on the claims that firearms were found.

He also said he did not know know whether members of the group have spent time in Pakistan or Afghanistan.

The lawyer disputes the characterization of the group as dangerous, saying it works to contest perceived injustice on the part of the French state.

Its members claim that France does not recognize the multi-cultural, multi-racial and multi-religious nature of the country, and passes laws which target Muslims in France, he said.

Police have been investigating whether Merah acted alone in planning his attacks.

He is blamed for the killings of three French paratroopers, a rabbi and three Jewish children ages 4, 5 and 7. Two other people were seriously wounded in the shootings.

Merah told police he had attended an al Qaeda training camp while visiting Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to Paris prosecutor Francois Molins.

But his uncle, Jamal Azizi, denied statements by French authorities that Merah was an al Qaeda sympathizer and that he had traveled to Afghanistan or Pakistan to train to use arms.

Merah was buried Thursday at a cemetery outside Toulouse.

CNN's Anna Prichard contributed to this report.

updated 9:12 AM EDT, Fri March 23, 2012 Did French intelligence services miss vital clues as Mohammed Merah showed signs of growing radicalization? updated 12:11 PM EDT, Thu March 22, 2012 The Toulouse shootings refocus fears on trained attackers who are determined, living legally in the West and operating alone.updated 7:38 AM EDT, Thu March 22, 2012 'Lone wolves' who plot to carry out small-scale attacks on soft targets could be the future of terrorism, a security expert warns.updated 10:32 AM EDT, Fri March 23, 2012 Mohammed Merah, described as a self-styled al Qaeda jihadist, was named as the chief suspect in a series of deadly shootings.updated 12:08 PM EDT, Thu March 22, 2012 CNN examines whether the handling of the crisis will have a bearing on the presidential poll.updated 6:30 PM EDT, Tue March 20, 2012 In the pink-hued streets of Toulouse, France's "Ville Rose," flags are flying at half-mast: The city is in mourning -- and shock. updated 12:08 AM EDT, Tue March 20, 2012 The city of Toulouse is at the highest security alert level, after a teacher and three children were gunned down at a Jewish school.updated 7:51 PM EDT, Mon March 19, 2012 Agnes Poirier, a political commentator, talks about the disbelief in France after the deadly drive-by shooting at a school in Toulouse.updated 6:06 AM EDT, Thu March 22, 2012 Out of nowhere a gunman appeared in the courtyard of a Jewish school in the French city just as students were arriving for morning classes.Most popular stories right now

View the original article here

Dennis Rodman's Lawyer Says He's Not a 'Deadbeat Dad'

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
Dennis Rodman's lawyer said Wednesday that the retired NBA player is not a "deadbeat dad," following court papers filed Tuesday that claimed Rodman owes more than $800,000 in child support.

"The way that it's being painted makes it sound like he's in horrible shape," Rodman's lawyer, Linnea Willis, told ABCNews.com. "This makes him sound like he's a deadbeat dead. The bottom line here is that Dennis Rodman has always paid child support to the best of his ability and will continue to do so."

On Tuesday, a lawyer for Rodman's ex-wife, Michelle Rodman, filed papers in a Los Angeles court claiming Rodman owed more than $800,000 in back child support for the couple's 9- and 10-year-old children as of March 1st. He was previously ordered to pay his ex-wife $50,000 per month for child support. In response, Willis filed a motion to counter the $50,000 per month order.

She said that order was issued in 2010 "without consideration of Dennis' actual income, but rather was based on an exaggerated income amount made up by his ex-wife's attorneys." She also said that Rodman was not properly served legal papers.

Rodman's manager, Darren Prince, said Rodman has been paying "at least $4,000 or $5,000" to his ex-wife each month. Willis said the court "didn't have evidence about all the payments that were made."

"The only thing that was at issue was for certain months that her attorney brought up, he did pay something but it wasn't enough," Willis said.

A sentencing hearing for Rodman has been set for May 29. While his ex-wife's attorney said Rodman faces jail time for his inability to pay child and spousal support, Willis said the judge "made it very clear he's not going to give him jail time."

Michelle Rodman's lawyer, Jack Kayajanian, did not respond to ABCNews.com's requests for comment.

Willis also clarified Rodman's condition. Tuesday's court papers described the former Chicago Bulls rebound star as "extremely sick."

"The way that it's being painted makes it sound like he's in horrible shape, he's not," she said. "He plays, he plays in China, he makes appearances."

On Tuesday, Prince, Rodman's manager, told ABCNews.com that Rodman has been sidelined by his "well-documented drinking problem." Willis insisted that despite his setbacks, Rodman remains on good terms with his ex-wife and children.

"Whenever he sees the kids and whenever they're here, they talk," she said. "He loves her still. On their end, it's not contentious."

Dennis Rodman and Michelle Rodman married in 2003 after dating for four years. Michelle Rodman filed for divorce in 2004, but their marriage was not officially dissolved until earlier this year because of attempts at reconciliation.

Also Read

View the original article here

Lawyer says US blocks investigation of Afghan massacre - Reuters

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

1 of 2. Attorney John Henry Browne (R), civil legal counsel to Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM) based soldier Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, the then-deployed U.S. Army soldier accused of murdering 17 Afghan civilians earlier this month, speaks in a press conference in his Seattle, Washington office March 30, 2012.

Credit: Reuters/Anthony Bolante

By Bill Rigby

SEATTLE | Fri Mar 30, 2012 8:45pm EDT

SEATTLE (Reuters) - The lawyer defending the U.S. soldier accused of murdering 17 Afghan civilians claims U.S. authorities are blocking his ability to investigate the incident.

John Henry Browne, the lawyer for Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, said U.S. forces in Afghanistan have prevented his team from interviewing injured civilians at a hospital in Kandahar, and are allowing other potential witnesses to scatter, making it difficult to track them down.

"When prosecutors don't cooperate, it's because they are concerned about the strength of their case," said Browne at a press conference at his downtown Seattle office on Friday.

Bales was formally charged last week with the murders of eight adults and nine children in a pre-dawn shooting rampage in southern Afghanistan on March 11, which further eroded U.S.-Afghan relations already strained by a decade of war.

He could face the death penalty if convicted.

No date has been set for a trial, but U.S. military prosecutors are putting together their case while Browne is preparing his defense.

Browne said he has a team of investigators in Afghanistan now, but they are receiving little cooperation from military prosecutors who filed the charges.

"We are facing an almost complete information blackout from the government, which is having a devastating effect on our ability to investigate the charges preferred against our client," he said in a statement released earlier on Friday.

A reliable account of the events of the night of the massacre has not yet emerged. A recent report indicated Afghan villagers doubt Bales acted alone. Other reports suggest Bales left his base twice during the night.

"I don't believe that's the case, but we don't know for sure at this point," Browne said on Friday.

Browne said his investigators had spoken to U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan but had not managed to contact any witnesses.

DENIED ACCESS

"When we tried to interview the injured civilians being treated at Kandahar Hospital we were denied access and told to coordinate with the prosecution team," Browne said in the earlier statement.

"The next day the prosecution team interviewed the civilians injured. We found out shortly after the prosecution interviews of the injured civilians that the civilians were all released from the hospital and there was no contact information for them." That means potential witnesses will scatter and could prove unreachable, Browne said.

Prosecutors had not shared their investigative findings with his team, and would not share images captured by a surveillance camera on a blimp above the base which the Army says shows Bales returning to the camp after the alleged shooting, he said.

The next step in the case is for Bales - who is being held at a military detention center at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas - to undergo a mental assessment by Army doctors independent of both the prosecution and defense, to determine if he is fit to stand trial, known as a "sanity board" in the Army.

That could take several months, Browne said.

After that has occurred, the military justice system requires a preliminary hearing, known as an "Article 32" hearing, to establish whether there is a strong enough case to proceed to a court martial.

Browne said it was too early to say whether post-traumatic stress disorder would feature in his defense against the charges. "I don't know whether it will at all," said Browne.

"First thing we have to find out is whether the government has a case. Until we're convinced the government has a case, we're not going to start speculating on what our defenses are going to be."

(Reporting By Bill Rigby; Editing by Todd Eastham and Paul Simao)

View the original article here

The US military lawyer slams Afghan killings ' blackout '

Represents the United States military's mind killing 17 Afghan Villagers by condemned what he called a "blackout" which prevents him from his defence of the Convention.

Attorney John Henry Browne on Friday said he was prevented from interviewing witnesses and injured civilians, southern Afghanistan, following the alleged massacre earlier this month.

"The expected much more cooperation. The Prosecutor in this case, the promised us a lot of cooperation, of which the root is not high, "he told journalists in Seattle.

"We are facing almost the complete information blackout by the Government that a devastating effect on our ability to investigate the charges against our priorities," he added.

His client Sergeant Robert bales, 38, is known as the southern province Kandahar, he walked to the base on March 11 hours and is installed in the massacre nearby villages, many of his victims, women and children.

Browne met with his client in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas earlier this month in which Bales is charged with premeditated murder in the military area, and six counts of 17 counts and attempted murder.

But his team has made progress in only a little In the field. "When we tried to interview shall be dealt with in the Kandahar hospital, injured civilians, we were blocked and told to coordinate the prosecution," it said.

The next day, prosecutors interviewed injured civilians, but soon afterwards, Browne's Office is found to be "civilians, was released from the hospital had their contact information.

"In addition, we have blocked injured civilians for medical records to the Government, which makes even more impossible to locate and interview these crucial witnesses in their possession," it said.

"The prosecution is not the size of the file at the same time, investigations of possible witnesses, scattering the defense team Unknown and potentially available to the regions in Afghanistan."

Browne, who said his team also has not been alleged in the video, the Bales that the trial version for the military rules, it has not been "finding" the right before the 30 days prior to the start of the so-called article 32 preliminary hearing.

"In this case, they promised us if we can send people ... Afghanistan, cooperate with the available witnesses to us. And you appear to be in breach of that promise, "he said.

He also warned the defense, which has access to the "sanity" Bales over the next two months does not officially provide and prosecutors and results--may seize the cooperation.

"If they want to launch, in cooperation with the cooperation from us the better," he told reporters.

Browne said the post-traumatic stress disorder earlier this week, are almost certainly part of his defence is that the prosecutors are proving their case against the Bales.

Killings are still strained already difficult relationship between Kabul and Washington, all time low, the spate of deadly Korans Americans of anti-US protests earlier in the video, in which US Marines, on the Taliban militants corpses, urinating after saving.

US military officials declined to respond to the Browne's claims. But the army spokesman George Wright, told AFP: "the armed forces of the United States, the legal defence team to continue the Bales with in the coming months."

View the original article here

Zuccotti Park, lawyer says demonstrators broke the law

Robert Stolarik Zuccotti Park New York TimesPolice officials, 15 Nov, 2011 if they are removed from the tents and Wall Street Klimaflüchtlinge were arrested.

When the police came to the Park, hundreds of Zuccotti, November 15, they dismantled tents and other structures that had been erected will take Wall Street Klimaflüchtlinge park-hotel's owner, Brookfield Properties, set up in September, subject to the provisions of the defiance.

The police also arrested dozens of Klimaflüchtlinge, who refused to leave the responsibility for the crimes, which include trespassing and disorderly conduct, approvers as well as to set up metal barricades around the park's rim.

On Friday, defense lawyers argued that the Criminal Court of Manhattan that the charges of two of his , must be rejected.

Although it may be appropriate to lay down rules concerning the issue of the Park, a lawyer, said the company could not provide for the people in the park, Brookfield, because it is open to the public 24 hours a day, with the agreement of the city.

"Brookfield was missing the authority to exclude people," by Jethro Eisenstein, m., with an emphasis on support of the motion to dismiss claimed that it was "unseemly and improper results in a State of" clear the allow Brookfield Klimaflüchtlinge park.

But assistant district attorney told judge Matthew Sciarrino, a. Jr., the company had the rights to cancel the Klimaflüchtlinge Park, but delete the police and sanitation of employees ' rights in the prohibited materials.

"They must be able to enforce the regulations," the Prosecutor, Ryan Hayward, said. "They deemed necessary in the park to close."

The judge asked both sides of Sciarrino to clarify certain points in the dossier. He requested Mr. Eisenstein, if he thought allowed users to use for any purpose, Zuccotti Park rules. Later, he told me that the experience had taught him that the Hayward, California, in some cases, "the law is not simply what the city says."

The arguments to the kernel of the authority and the responsibility for the management of Brookfield is a half-acre Granite Zuccotti Park, the financial District, which Occupy heaven against the Klimaflüchtlinge turned to the headquarters in mid-September. The Park has been created is permitted for the developers narrow the entire Liberty Street to build a 500,000 square feet of additional office space.

In return for the developers to create a public space, which is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Mr. Eisenstein and New York Civil Liberties Union to limit the access to the papers, the Brookfield Park only through a process that is forbidden by the City Planning Commission.

The Office of the District attorney of the City Law Department, objected that "the Brookfield Properties was faced with a situation in which the telttailuun, structures, sleeping bags, pillows, clothes, trash, and other personal property was created for the security option" and only to an effective legal remedy, by removing the Park people.

One of the judges asked Mr. Hayward Sciarrino, if he agreed, was the distinction between the rules of procedure and the rules for access. Mr. Hayward responded that he did, and that, in order to ensure that the "code of conduct, rules that the temporary closure, you will need to be effectuated."

Mr. Eisenstein is countered that the closure would be temporary because the metal barricades were closely surrounded by the Park, almost two months after the November 15 and that during this period the people were entering searches, according to the private security services.

The judge did not immediately rule on the motion of Sciarrino.

View the original article here

Lawyer says Us blocks investigation of Afghan massacre

SEATTLE (Reuters)-the U.s. military in Afghanistan, civilians to defend the murdering 17-the accused lawyer claims the US authorities to prevent his ability.

John Henry Browne, staff sergeant Robert bales, a lawyer, said the US forces in Afghanistan, is prevented from attending, his team to interview any person crossing the injured civilians in a hospital, Kandahar and other potential witnesses in a scatter chart, find it difficult to keep track of them.

"When prosecutors do not cooperate, is because they are worried about the strength of their case," Browne said at a press conference, his downtown Seattle Office Friday.

Bales was formally charged with the murder last week of eight adults and nine children in the pre-dawn Shooting rampage in southern Afghanistan on March 11 which undermines further the relations of the United States in the Afghan war strained already this decade.

He may prove to be the death penalty if convicted.

No date has been set for the proceedings, but the US military prosecutors are putting together their case, even though Browne is preparing his defence.

Browne said he has a team of researchers in Afghanistan now, but they are a little cooperation in the military prosecutors received, which filed the charges.

"We are facing almost the complete information blackout by the Government that a devastating effect on our ability to investigate the charges against our priorities," he said in the statement released in the past.

A reliable account of the events of the night of The massacre is not yet born. The last report indicated the Afghan villagers doubt Bales acted alone. Other reports Suggest Bales left his base twice during the night.

"I do not think so, but we do not know for sure at this stage," Browne said Friday.

Browne said his investigators had spoken to U.s. soldiers in Afghanistan, but it was could not be any witnesses.

BLOCKED

"When we tried to interview shall be treated in the Kandahar hospital, we were blocked and told to coordinate the prosecution, a group of injured civilians," Browne said in the statement.

"Following the prosecution of the group interviewed civilians i njured. We found shortly after the injured civilians to the charge, was released from the hospital, interviews with civilians and had them contact information. " This means, if any, of witnesses in the scatter chart, and can prove to be unreachable, Browne said.

Prosecutors had not shared his with his investigations of their findings and share control of the camera, the blimp in the base, which the military says displays a return to the camp after an alleged Shooting Bales photos taken, she said.

The next event is the Bales which are organised in the military detention Center-at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, to submit to a mental health assessment of army doctors independent of the prosecution and the defence, in order to determine if he is fit to stand trial, is called "the sanity of the Board" in the armed forces.

That could take several months, Browne said.

The military judicial system requires that from occurring after the end of the preliminary hearing, which is known as the "article" at the hearing, whether or not strong enough in the case of the Court of Justice, which was able to do so.

Browne said it was too early to say whether the post-traumatic stress disorder in the property of his defense. "I do not know whether it is at all," said Browne.

"We have to find the first thing is to determine whether the Government has, in the case of. Until you have convinced the Government is, in any case, we will not start, what we in the security of the speculating. "

(Reports Of The Bill Rigby; Editing by Todd Eastham and Paul Simao)

View the original article here

Lawyer says Us blocks investigation of Afghan massacre

SEATTLE (Reuters)-the U.s. military in Afghanistan, civilians to defend the murdering 17-the accused lawyer claims the US authorities to prevent his ability.

John Henry Browne, staff sergeant Robert bales, a lawyer, said the US forces in Afghanistan, is prevented from attending, his team to interview any person crossing the injured civilians in a hospital, Kandahar and other potential witnesses in a scatter chart, find it difficult to keep track of them.

"When prosecutors do not cooperate, is because they are worried about the strength of their case," Browne said at a press conference, his downtown Seattle Office Friday.

Bales was formally charged with the murder last week of eight adults and nine children in the pre-dawn Shooting rampage in southern Afghanistan on March 11 which undermines further the relations of the United States in the Afghan war strained already this decade.

He may prove to be the death penalty if convicted.

No date has been set for the proceedings, but the US military prosecutors are putting together their case, even though Browne is preparing his defence.

Browne said he has a team of researchers in Afghanistan now, but they are a little cooperation in the military prosecutors received, which filed the charges.

"We are facing almost the complete information blackout by the Government that a devastating effect on our ability to investigate the charges against our priorities," he said in the statement released in the past.

A reliable account of the events of the night of The massacre is not yet born. The last report indicated the Afghan villagers doubt Bales acted alone. Other reports Suggest Bales left his base twice during the night.

"I do not think so, but we do not know for sure at this stage," Browne said Friday.

Browne said his investigators had spoken to U.s. soldiers in Afghanistan, but it was could not be any witnesses.

BLOCKED

"When we tried to interview shall be treated in the Kandahar hospital, we were blocked and told to coordinate the prosecution, a group of injured civilians," Browne said in the statement.

"Following the prosecution of the group interviewed civilians i njured. We found shortly after the injured civilians to the charge, was released from the hospital, interviews with civilians and had them contact information. " This means, if any, of witnesses in the scatter chart, and can prove to be unreachable, Browne said.

Prosecutors had not shared his with his investigations of their findings and share control of the camera, the blimp in the base, which the military says displays a return to the camp after an alleged Shooting Bales photos taken, she said.

The next event is the Bales which are organised in the military detention Center-at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, to submit to a mental health assessment of army doctors independent of the prosecution and the defence, in order to determine if he is fit to stand trial, is called "the sanity of the Board" in the armed forces.

That could take several months, Browne said.

The military judicial system requires that from occurring after the end of the preliminary hearing, which is known as the "article" at the hearing, whether or not strong enough in the case of the Court of Justice, which was able to do so.

Browne said it was too early to say whether the post-traumatic stress disorder in the property of his defense. "I do not know whether it is at all," said Browne.

"We have to find the first thing is to determine whether the Government has, in the case of. Until you have convinced the Government is, in any case, we will not start, what we in the security of the speculating. "

(Reports Of The Bill Rigby; Editing by Todd Eastham and Paul Simao)

View the original article here

Philip Harnett receives Distinguished Alumnus Award from Corboy, Jr. DePaul EON: Enhanced Online news ...-(press release)

CHICAGO--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--Demetrio & Corboy partner Philip Corboy Harnett, Jr. has received the Distinguished Alumnus Award of 2012 DePaul University College of Law. Philip "Flip" Corboy, Jr. is a graduate of the law school 1977. Corboy was honored for his leadership roles in the legal community, his lifelong charity work and his 35 years of performance as a trial lawyer.

"This is the highest award of the College of Law can bestow. The award is to recognize alumni who have achieved the height of their career, maintaining a level of career excellence during their lifetime "

"This is the highest award of the College of Law can bestow. The award is to recognize alumni who have achieved the height of their career, maintaining a level of excellence career about their lives, "according to Mark Gregory, Dean of DePaul University College of Law.

Valve Corboy is a former President of the Association of Illinois Trial lawyers and a former Chairman of the Board of Directors of the legal assistance Foundation of Chicago, the second-largest legal aid Bureau of the nation. In 2002, Flip was recorded in the American College of Trial Lawyers, the nation's par excellence, invitation-only organization of trial lawyers who are considered the best in their State.

Received the Distinguished Alumnus Award by 2012 is just one of many accolades that Flip has received for his performance Corboy as a trial lawyer. Flip the best lawyers in America, is named after 2012 Edition, in the field of personal injury lawsuits. This was the seventh year in a row, Corboy received such honors. Demetrio & Corboy, his Chicago law firm, was named best law firms in the Chicago metropolitan market by US News, which U.s. News World report publishes &.

Valve Corboy got the elite designation of Illinois Super lawyer for the eighth year in a row in 2012. Corboy was also named to the Top 100 lawyers in Illinois by Illinois Super Lawyers for the fourth consecutive year.

Additionally, Corboy has the prestigious designation of eminent lawyer by the leading lawyers network for nine consecutive years since the inception of the award.

Valve Corboy of record of success has been expanded. He has tried or settled more than 55 cases in which plaintiffs have recovered $ 1 million or more. Those successes include a $ 22.5 million settlement in 2011 for the family of a Rockford, Illinois, the woman who died in the derailment of a train; an $ 18 million settlement for a Mexican national killed by piece falling glass in the Centre of Chicago; a record-setting $ 17 million jury verdict for a brain-damaged victim was downed by a limousine; an 11 million dollar settlement for a dental student from Chicago fire burned in a car; a record-setting $ 7 million settlement for a 78-year-old woman who was injured when she was hit by an automatic door at Target; and a record-setting $ 4.5 million judgment for a few Central Illinois who were passengers in a car that was hit by a car pizza delivery.

Throughout his career, has demonstrated a strong commitment to the Corboy Flip public service. Before becoming a nationally recognized personal injury lawyer, spent seven years as an Assistant State's Attorney Flip in the Cook County State Attorney Office becoming a "first Chair" Prosecutor and prosecution of major crime.

Flip also maintains a close relationship with the law school that trained him. Corboy sits on Dean's Council to the DePaul University College of Law and member of the Board of the DePaul University President's Club.

Demetrio & Corboy About

Demetrio & Corboy is one of the nation's premier law firms. It represents individuals and their families in serious personal injury and wrongful death cases, and is known for her performance in the courtroom and for his contributions to the community. The rights and interests of its clients are at the core of Demetrio & Corboy practice. That commitment, dedication, compassion and relentless drive has led to exceptional service and exceptional results for its customers. The company more than $ 3 billion in settlements and judgments, has acquired and has achieved almost 600 settlements and verdicts of more than $ 1 million. Call 312-346-3191 or toll-free at 800-356-3191 Corboy contact flip or one of our Chicago personal injury lawyers. We are 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Company go to corboydemetrio.com for more information about our law.

View the original article here

Lawyer disputes the mobster is the information about the Gardner Museum Art heist

Milton j. Valencia, Globe staff,

In the interest of the Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Art heist latest investigation of the mysterious 1990 's lawyer said his client, even if today, the researchers are currently been hounded for at least two years, maintain, he does not have information about the notorious crime.

A. Ryan McGuigan, 75-year-old Robert Gentile, the lawyer said, federal prosecutors are torturing his client, he was imprisoned on drug distribution charges when you try out the Museum heist Connecticut-from him.

"He spoke with the authorities, he has worked with the best as he could, he or she has any of them," but adding that the Gentile McGuigan said, even before the grand jury for the completion of the proof.

Gentile, the Mafia from Manchester, Conn., reputed member is measures following his February arrest warrant distributing allegedly illegally obtained prescription drugs. He is faced with a lot of more serious charges of opportunities after the authors allegedly guns and other substances, including silencers and ammunition in his home during the search.

The US attorney Office spokesman said Connecticut, Gentile, research is still ongoing.

McGuigan said the charges were based on the confidential nature of the original drug, an informant who had tried to get Gentile egregious illegal activities, before the information supplied by the.

He questioned whether his client was confidential informat, whose relationship to the Gentile suspiciously began after researchers identify the Gentile Gardner art theft of the interest in the person.

"If you do not believe that by chance got a bridge to sell," said McGuigan. "In this case is they believe him, he gives the information, and honestly, he just is not the point of the incarcerated."

At the hearing, in the US on Tuesday that they believe in Gentile Hartford, Connecticut was granted by the federal prosecutors may have information about the theft, the Hartford Courant reported first in the painting. Tom Carson, Connecticut, United States attorney Office spokesman confirmed the investigation related to interest rates, but the Gentile, the Museum will not be drawn up.

Assistant US Attorney John Durham, the same Prosecutor, who led the investigation into the FBI's ties to organized crime figures in the scandalous works, Boston, Massachusetts, the Court of Justice said that the discussions so far have been studying in the Gentile times.

The art of the Heist as one of the world's still mysterious thefts and Gardner Museum offers a 5 million dollar reward for information. Federal investigators are also offered immunity to steal information.

Heist was pulled, 18. March 1990. Authorities said at least two of the men dressed in Police Museum in the early morning hours, en route to the community conned, bound to the security guards and 13 masterworks, including three Rembrandts and Degas, five to the left. Some of the stolen pieces could sell $ 50 on the open market, art experts say millio.

Researchers have long suspected in Boston's underworld, organised crime.

Gentile is said to be "produced" the Mafia ties in the Philadelphia crime family member, Durham said in court Tuesday. He was the Mafia capo Robert Luisi, who was from Belfast, and had ties to the Philadelphia, Durham, on.

Luisi was known as the Boston Mafia figure to be competing for the big murder 2000 and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in exchange for lighter sentences. He later reneged, and in 2003, was sentenced to 20 years for cocaine charges.

Durham said in court Tuesday, is the subject of his associates, including Gentile Luisi and other offences.

McGuigan, a lawyer said his client, Gentile was not about the heist, which refers to the fact that if he did, he is probably forward and collect the 5 million dollars reward.

In the meantime, he said, his client, whom he described as elderly, obese man in the detention Center to grow sick waiting for trial, as prosecutors pressing him for the information.

"The largest unsolved art theft, in the history of the world, and it has been one of the lead in the 22 years that went nowhere. This is the second "McGuigan said.

Milton j. Valencia, can be reached at mvalencia@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @ miltonvalencia.

View the original article here

Supreme Court rejects damage claim in HIV privacy case

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
The Supreme Court limits "actual damages" under the Privacy ActA California man sued when the government publicly revealed his HIV statusThe 5-3 ruling pitted the court's conservative majority against the liberal minorityJustice Elena Kagan, the former solicitor general, did not participate

Washington (CNN) -- A divided Supreme Court ruled Wednesday against a California pilot who sued after the federal government publicly revealed his HIV status.

In a 5-3 ruling, the high court decided Stanmore Cooper's claims of mental and emotional distress are not covered under the Privacy Act.

"The Privacy Act does not unequivocally authorize damages for mental or emotional distress and therefore does not waive the government's sovereign immunity for such harms," Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the conservative majority.

Three liberal justices dissented, while a fourth, former Solicitor General Elena Kagan, did not participate.

In a statement Wednesday, Cooper said it was "discouraging that a majority of the court sided with the government."

Cooper became a licensed recreational pilot in 1964, but two decades later, the San Francisco man was diagnosed with HIV. As his condition worsened, he let his private pilot's certificate and his airman medical certificate lapse.

In 1996, Cooper applied for long-term disability with the Social Security Administration.

"I was in bad shape, I didn't have long to live," he said last year. But his health improved thanks to a cocktail of anti-retroviral therapy. He went back to work and wanted to fly again.

"I found out they were issuing medicals (exemptions) and I reapplied" to the Federal Aviation Administration "without revealing my HIV status," he said. "Big mistake."

He received his new pilot's certificate but, unknown to him, a joint local-federal initiative called Operation Safe Pilot was launched in 2002. Using a spreadsheet, the agencies shared and compared the names and personal data of about 45,000 pilots in Northern California, looking for potentially medically unfit individuals who were also receiving federal benefits.

Cooper was among four dozen or so pilots tagged as a "person of interest." When confronted by government agents, he admitted to a misdemeanor charge of filing a false report.

He was sentenced to probation and fined, and his pilot's certificate was revoked. The retired business executive's name was listed in a federal press release and later, through his prosecution, Cooper's medical history suddenly was a matter of public record.

"I had been able to control those (with) whom I shared my information about my HIV status, limited to some co-workers, family, and close friends," he said "And suddenly that was out of my control."

Cooper, who was eventually allowed to fly again, sued.

"I chose not to reveal my HIV infection and that was a very bad thing," he said. "I took responsibility for it and I paid the price. I was punished. And I think now it's the government's turn to own up to breaking the law and take responsibility for what they did."

A federal judge found both the FAA and the Social Security Administration violated the Privacy Act with the information-sharing investigation, but said under the law, only "actual damages" could be collected by plaintiffs seeking redress.

Since Cooper made no claims for economic harm, such as lost wages or medical expenses, he was out of luck. The judge found "emotional injury" alone did not qualify and dismissed the lawsuit.

A federal appeals court reversed that decision, ruling for Cooper. The FAA then asked the high court to intervene.

During an hour of oral arguments last year, the justices stayed away from the specific claims of emotional harm made by Cooper, focusing instead on what the law says about qualifying for damages.

"The argument you have made -- and I certainly understand it, that this is the Privacy Act and so it's precisely these types of damages that you would be concerned about -- really cuts both ways," Chief Justice John Roberts said to Cooper's lawyer.

"What you are saying is this (law) covers a really big chunk of damages, because this is what the whole act was about," Roberts said. "And it seems to me that argument suggests that there is some weight to the government's point: That if you are going to get that, you really do need clearer" language in the law that would immunize the government to some extent, from a flood of hard-to-disprove lawsuits.

The ambiguity has divided lower courts for years, and privacy experts said the ease with which the government can collect and share information in the digital age makes the issue of personal privacy liability ripe for review.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg repeatedly hammered away at the government lawyer arguing for the FAA. She said the federal damages provision in question is similar to state tort claims that include both emotional and financial harm.

"The person who is subject to this, to this embarrassment, this humiliation, doesn't have out-of-pocket costs, but is terribly distressed, nervous, anxious, and all the rest," Ginsburg said. "The act that the Congress is reaching, the impact is of that nature. I mean, pecuniary (monetary) damages ordinarily attend conduct that embarrasses, humiliates you, causes mental distress."

Eric Feigin of the Justice Department said the Privacy Act's language may be interpreted as allowing damages for such things as "humiliation, embarrassment and mental anguish," but said because the phrase "actual" damages remains vague, the government should get the benefit of the doubt, tipping the case in its favor.

"Simply because a plaintiff may have suffered an adverse effect" from the privacy violation, argued Feigin, "doesn't mean that the plaintiff suffered actual damages."

Raymond Cardozo, Cooper's lawyer, pointed out during the hearing that his client's information was made public and his name and HIV status are still posted on a federal government database. He also made a larger argument, that his client's dilemma is one that may affect all Americans.

"Congress passed this act to restore the citizens' faith in their government, and it made a solemn promise to the American citizens that in cases of intentional and willful violation, the United States shall be liable for actual damages," Cardozo said. "Today, the government is proposing that "actual damages" be read in a way that renders this act virtually irrelevant. That makes a mockery of that solemn promise."

Cooper attended the public session at the court and expressed optimism afterward he would prevail.

"They've betrayed my trust and I can't get that back," Cooper said at the time. "There was nothing to lose here. I had to do it. It was the right thing to do."

The case is Cooper v. FAA (10-1024).

CNN's Tom Cohen and Kate Bolduan contribute to this report.

View the original article here

Reginald E. Gilliam Jr., lawyer and lobbyist - Washington Post

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
Reginald E. Gilliam Jr., lawyer and lobbyist - The Washington Post Print SubscriptionConversationsToday's PaperGoing Out GuideJobsCarsReal EstateRentalsClassifiedsShoppingHomePoliticsCampaign 2012CongressCourts &LawThe Fed PageHealth CarePollingWhite HouseBlogs & ColumnsIssues: EnergyTop Blogs

Election 2012 | Felicia SonmezThe Fix | Chris CillizzaFederal Eye | Ed O’KeefeFact Checker | Glenn KesslerOpinionsAll OpinionsPostPartisanLeft-LeaningRight-LeaningTolesCartoonsTelnaesAnimationsLocalColumnist IndexLocalDC: Politics| NewsMD: Politics| CommunitiesVA: Politics| CommunitiesCrimeEducationOn Faith/LocalObituariesTraffic & CommutingWeatherBlogs & ColumnsThe Root DCTop Blogs

Post NowThe BuzzCapital Weather GangDr. GridlockSportsRedskins/NFLCapitals/NHLWizards/NBANationals/MLBDC United/SoccerCollegesAllMetSportsOther SportsBlogs & ColumnsTop Blogs

The Insider| Mike JonesCapitals Insider| Katie CarreraWizards Insider | Michael LeeNationals Journal| Adam KilgoreNationalCorrectionsEnergy & EnvironmentHealth & ScienceHigher EducationNational SecurityOn FaithOn LeadershipInnovationsOn GivingBlogs & ColumnsTop Blogs

Ideas@InnovationsPost LeadershipUnder GodCheckpoint WashingtonWorldAfricaTheAmericasAsia &PacificEuropeMiddle EastNational SecurityWar ZonesSpecial ReportsCheckpoint WashingtonBusinessEconomyIndustriesLocal BusinessMarketsPolicy&RegulationTechnologyWorldBusinessBlogs & ColumnsInnovationsOn Small BusinessTop Blogs

Wonkblog | Ezra KleinPost Tech | Cecilia KangFaster ForwardWhere We LiveInvestigationsLifestyleAdviceCarolyn HaxFoodHome & GardenStyleTravelWeddingsWellnessMagazineKidsPostTop Blogs

The Style BlogAll We Can EatReliable Source | Roxanne Roberts & Amy ArgetsingerOn Parenting | Janice D’ArcyEntertainmentBooksCelebritiesComicsGoing Out GuideHoroscopesMoviesMuseumsPuzzlesTheater & DanceTVTop Blogs

TV Column | Lisa de MoraesCelebritology | Jen ChaneyComic Riffs | Michael CavnaClassical Beat | Anne MidgetteMultimediaInnovationsPhotosVideosThe Washington PostMake us your start pagePersonalizeThe Washington PostD.C. MarylandVirginiaCrimeEducationOn Faith/LocalObituariesTraffic & CommutingWeatherBlogs & ColumnsThe Root DCIn the NewsBatman speaks Fed pay freeze D.C. Peeps Pot growers #DMVReads ???initialComments:true! pubdate:03/30/2012 17:44 EDT! commentPeriod:14! commentEndDate:4/13/12 5:44 EDT! currentDate:3/30/12 8:0 EDT! allowComments:true! displayComments:true!Movies with poor timing

Peeps Show VI: Sweet!

The happiest countries in the world

Five things you can learn from a superhero

Reginald E. Gilliam Jr., lawyer and lobbyistText SizePrintE-mailReprints The Washington Post

Reginald E. Gilliam Jr., a lawyer and lobbyist who served as a senior executive for Sodexo, a Gaithersburg-based food and facilities management company, died March 28 at George Washington University Hospital. He was 67.

He had complications from lymphoma, said his wife, Arleen Gilliam.

Loading...

Comments

Weigh InCorrections?

Personal Post(Courtesy of Gilliam Family) - Reginald E. Gilliam Jr., right, a lawyer and lobbyist who served as a senior executive for Sodexo, a Gaithersburg food and facilities management company, died March 28 at George Washington University Hospital.

Mr. Gilliam, the son of a Pullman railroad car porter, was a Harvard-educated lawyer. He first came to the Washington region in 1975 as the legislative counsel to Sen. John Glenn (D-Ohio).

In 1980, President Jimmy Carter appointed Mr. Gilliam to the Interstate Commerce Commission, a regulatory body that oversees the railroad, long-haul trucking and passenger bus industries. In his three years at the commission, he advocated the hiring and promotion of minorities.

During the mid-1980s, he served as New York state’s director of commercial transportation under Gov. Mario Cuomo (D) before becoming chief of staff for Rep. Louis Stokes (D-Ohio) a senior member of the Congressional Black Caucus.

In 1993, Mr. Gilliam joined the lobbying firm Hill and Knowlton, where his clients included the city of Cleveland and the Republic of Botswana. He was senior managing director at Hill and Knowlton before joining Sodexo in 2002. He helped establish the firm’s government affairs office and was a senior vice president at the time of his death.

Reginald Earl Gilliam Jr. was born Dec. 29, 1944, in New York’s Harlem neighborhood. He was a 1965 graduate of Lincoln University, a historically black college in Pennsylvania. He was a 1968 graduate of Harvard Law School, where he helped found the Harvard Black Law Students Association.

He taught political science at Williams College in Massachusetts before moving to Washington.

Survivors include his wife of 42 years, Arleen Fain Gilliam, of Vienna.

— T. Rees Shapiro

EmailTumblrRedditStumbleuponDiggDeliciousDiscussion Policy | FAQ | About DiscussionsLoading...

Comments

Add your comment
Read about the changes to comment thread appearance, moderation. ?Read what others are sayingAbout Badges SuperFan Badge

SuperFan badge holders consistently post smart, timely comments about Washington area sports and teams.

More about badges | Request a badge

Culture Connoisseur Badge

Culture Connoisseurs consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on the arts, lifestyle and entertainment.

More about badges | Request a badge

Fact Checker Badge

Fact Checkers contribute questions, information and facts to The Fact Checker.

More about badges | Request a badge

Washingtologist Badge

Washingtologists consistently post thought-provoking, timely comments on events, communities, and trends in the Washington area.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Writer Badge

This commenter is a Washington Post editor, reporter or producer.

Post Forum Badge

Post Forum members consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on politics, national and international affairs.

More about badges | Request a badge

Weather Watcher Badge

Weather Watchers consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on climates and forecasts.

More about badges | Request a badge

World Watcher Badge

World Watchers consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on international affairs.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Recommended

Washington Post reporters or editors recommend this comment or reader post.

You must be logged in to report a comment.

Sign in here

You must be logged in to recommend a comment.

Sign in here

Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers.

All comments are posted in the All Comments tab.

More about badgesGet a badge

To pause and restart automatic updates, click "Live" or "Paused". If paused, you'll be notified of the number of additional comments that have come in.

Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers. + SHARE THIS DEBATE WP Social Reader Hide this

Friends' Activity Most Popular in local Most Popular in local

Your Friends’ Most Recent Activity

View More Activity

See what your friends are reading!

Powered by The Post Most: LocalMost-viewed stories, videos and galleries int he past two hours

Most PopularA clinic's landlord turns the tables on anti-abortion protestersWho is the Route 29 Batman? This guy.Former MWAA chief and wife with Alzheimer's 'deliberate' about end-of-life plans, daughter saysFormer Annandale HS student arrested for bomb threatFairfax-based Crips members charged with recruiting girls for prostitutionTop VideosBatman pulled overD.C. lotto hopefuls rush to buy tickets (0:43)Pope Benedict dons a Sombrero in Mexico (1:21)AA flight attendant's 9/11 rant (0:56)How to do a burpeeTop GalleriesBatman brightens spirits of hospitalized childrenAbortion doctor LeRoy Carhart on his clinic, protests, securityNotable deaths of 2012The Eden CenterDuke Ellington statue unveiled in Northwest D.C.Featured Advertiser Links for L U N G C A N C E R V I C T I M S>>HIP REPLACEMENT -- did you get one after '03?>>Help Barack stand up for working Americans. Join our campaign now.>>The only candidate fighting for the middle class: Pres. Obama. Join us.>>Sign up for email updates from President Obama's 2012 campaign.>>Sign up for official email updates from Barack Obama's campaign.>>Looking to buy a home? Visit TWP Real Estate section for the latest open houses.>>Make Your Vanguard Investing More Profitable - Free Research Report Reveals Best & Worst Funds>>Top local Stories People Also ReadMost Popular VideosA clinic’s landlord turns the tables on anti-abortion protestersPetula Dvorak?

Who is the Route 29 Batman? This guy.Michael S. Rosenwald?

Former MWAA chief and wife with Alzheimer’s ‘deliberate’ about end-of-life plans, daughter saysDana Hedgpeth; Lori Aratani?

Former Annandale HS student arrested for bomb threatEmma Brown?

5 Va. men, alleged Crips members, charged in teen prostitution ringJustin Jouvenal?

Five universities that really are up-and-comersDaniel De Vise?

D.C. picks six companies to grow medical marijuanaTim Craig?

Mega Millions: Do lotteries really benefit public schools?Valerie Strauss?

Months after police raid, Eden Center’s Vietnamese community worried about imageLuz Lazo?

Trendy, non-prescription eyewear latest in criminal defendant strategic attireKeith L. Alexander?

Spike Lee reaches settlement for tweeting wrong address for George ZimmermanFahima Haque?

Former D.C. area airports authority chairman kills himself and sick wifeDana Hedgpeth?

Defense Dept.’s longest-serving general and African American retiresBatman pulled over in Silver SpringKatie Rogers?

Landspout, dust-tube tornado near Monterrey, Mexico (VIDEO)Jason Samenow?

50-plus banned words on standardized testsValerie Strauss?

Annandale HS reopens after bomb threatEmma Brown?

Second graders who created an opera were transformed by itTheresa Vargas?

Budget passed in House hits pay, retirement and staffingEric Yoder?

Aging Baltimore tunnel a threat to shipping economy for the city and MarylandAshley Halsey Iii?

Ways you can get us

Mobile Apps Newsletter & alerts RSS Post Store Facebook Washington Post Live Twitter The Washington Post

Work for us Community Relations PostPoints Corrections/Suggestions Archive Contact the Ombudsman Report a problem Web site

Make us your homepage Digital Guidelines Ask The Post Newspaper

Subscribe Home delivery service e-Replica Advertise

In the newspaper On the web site Mobile Events The Washington Post Company

Post Company web sites Partners Slate Express Night Out Captial Business El Tiempo Latino The Root Foreign Policy Trove Post Tickets Capitol Deal Service Alley Post Master Class WP Live Student Advisor College Reviews ? 1996- The Washington Post Terms of Service Privacy Policy Reprints and Permissions RSS Terms of Service Help Contact Us Ad Choices Section:/local/obituaries

View the original article here

Lawyer: suspect in Afghanistan was the depression after the Iraq

OLYMPIA, Wash (AP) — the U.s. military. confusion caused by the killing of 17 civilians in Afghanistan marks his second tour in Iraq during the event, which will be "a horrible depression", his lawyer said Wednesday.

Lawyer, John Henry Browne said he could not discuss details of the case, in the absence of further classified. But he expects to be the focal point of the Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales against in the case of a problem.

"It was caused by him, a huge depression, and," Browne said.

The lawyer said that in the past, experienced a serious foot Bales, and his deployments, injury and trauma to the head, the other significant risks. In addition, exchanges of military foot had been blown in Afghanistan the day before the massacre, he said.

Bales was charged with premeditated murder and 17 counts of other offences. He is running in the Us military prison in Fort Leavenworth, Kan.

The defense team is now in the collection of evidence and other Us soldiers in Afghanistan, who knew Bales interview.

"All you've spoken to compulsory military service does not have any positive things to say about him, but amazingly," said Browne, who is not a team in Afghanistan.

To address these Browne does not believe the group, visit the villages, where the killings took place. The researchers are likely to stay in Afghanistan for a few more weeks.

Browne was questioned by the United States Government against bales, noting at the scene of the crime has not been preserved.

"It is going to be difficult to prove the prosecution," Browne said. ' Is not a ' CSI ' information. Is not in the DNA, which I know. "There is a ballistics, that I know."

Bales has indicated that he had prescription drugs, he or she may have, before the shooting is something the attorney took a larger memory recollection — problems with the indicator.

The lawyer also said, he is the night of the shootings. In a separate interview with The Washington Post Browne said Wednesday at the Bales will be remembered, the smell, the gunfire and human bodies, but not much more.

Browne added his client reported suffering from nightmares, pojastaan war scenes and headache after his multiple combat tours. Bales told of his legal team, that he has woken the night sweats with the long and often concerned with inset, memories of the scene in Iraq that he and his infantry company saw several years ago, Browne said.

The lawyer stressed the Bales does not recognise seemed surprised when his gun was taken away, the newspaper reported.

US military officials said, were drinking in the southern Afghan base Bales on March 11 before the creeping bent away from the village in the middle of the night, Shooting his victims, and then many of them on fire. The nine were children.

Bales has been in the past, alcohol and violence.

In 2002, he was arrested for drunken assault Tacoma Casino security guard. The charge was dismissed after the Bales of anger management training for 20 hours.

In 2008, the pair accused the woman's hand and grabbing his crotch thrusting towards the kicking and punching an intoxicated woman's boyfriend, the Bales before the police report. Prosecutors declined to pursue the case.

___

Associated Press writer Mike Baker can be reached at: http://twitter.com/MikeBakerAP

View the original article here

Lindsay Lohan lawyer behind the

When Lindsay Lohan showed up in court on Thursday, the public had not been as great as it has been the actor — prediction might be a resolution, show a dramatic shift that has made her a five-year legal saga as imperative as any Sort of TV to reality.

25-year-old Lohan is out of jail and rehab, and so many times, his story looked like the arc-line.

He blew the cell therapy and the use of community service, and a check mark in the economic management of the judges. Never know what you think of his courtroom — a tearful plea for Norway pout in the vulgar taunt painted fingernail.

But one thing has never seemed to change by: Holley 's, so the movie-Star Shawn for his client, but rather is Pitt's rough to smooth edges smooth presence of gravitas.

I have been dragging for Lohan. He is a talented actor, a screen image of the Tribunal are angsty-mix, innocence and Defiance. His movies "means" Girls "and" Friday "is the classic Favorites to my daughters.

But the bad role-modeling. A fan, as I found Lohan's missteps disappointment. As a mother, I found his jaunts exhausting. He became a symbol of the Trocadero self absorption, which has become routine for some young women — and I mean not just Hollywood starlets.

As I followed him to the kehiin mount — two DUIs and jewellery theft — I took an odd Sort of comfort from the presence of Holley 's. They showed me more than a client and a lawyer.

When Lohan was sentenced to jail in 2010, he sobbed Holley's shoulder, courtroom. When Lohan was handcuffed in 2011, Holley's appeared as his client led out of the Court of Justice, as if, in the opinion of the legal counsel could be a bear to watch.

On Thursday, the Holley's scribbled on his legal pad in the notes to the financial statements, such as a judge for the progress of the Lohan complimented. He gets himself in the slightest smile when the judge pronounced Lohan's probation "has been decided."

We have seen the Bush and Holley's hug. We have been consulted, Lohan's whispered "I love you."

::

A few hours after Bush had been released, I want to meet his lawyer. My 30 minute drive I heard Bush's Court three times on the radio story. He was wearing a "tight fitting blue pantsuit," one of the innostaja intoned.

He was not. It was more blue-green, and it was tailored to the Marienplatz — a conservative, if you have 25.

It seems we cannot object to the dig, even if his most triumphant in the morning. This reflects his or her bad girl persona. And that World War II Holley 's.

"Lindsay is incredibly strong, but he is also very sensitive to" Holley's said. "I can imagine what it must be like his, and to know how much people are kind of their own downfall. That has been difficult, hurtful. And he does not deserve. "

Speaking of celebrity lawyer — but it also has a 9-year-old daughter, who got his start time, from a strictly legal point of the public defender, which still remembers the woman my mom r??t?l?innist? misadventures.

"Is only that it was fun," said Holley 's, who went to the UCLA Fairfax high education in English, Washington spent the years of the Southwestern Law School Prep enrolled then, because he did not know what to do with his life.

He had spent a lot of time around the lawyers ' associations. His mother — who had one and 19, Holley's was born — was a legal Secretary who earned his MBA night at school and the management of the business of the year.

Holley's got his Start in the car thieves and the legal status of the interviewing of crack cocaine addicts. "Walk this [courtroom] holding container, concerned by the application and is hot and it stinks and is a nasty," he said. And no one to understand their legal rights. Most were ready to rely on, he said, although they were a legitimate defense.

View the original article here

Tampa Personal Injury Attorney says Florida's new PIP law presents challenges-PR Web (press release)

Holiday, FL (PRWEB) March 29, 2012

Tampa personal injury Attorney Lawrence Florida drivers today who recently warned Disparti changes passed in for the injured PIP create state law it is important to act quickly to protect their rights to insurance payments.

Florida's personal injury protection insurance law, or PIP, now put the burden on the injured person eligible for compensation to pay for medical expenses and other losses as a result of their injuries, said Disparti Disparti, founder of the Law Group.

"Some are calling the new law a boon to insurance companies, and we tend to agree," said Disparti Disparti, founder of the Law Group.

The law firm serves victims of accidents and injuries in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metropolis, including victims of automobile accidents.

"What is important now is that people injured in car accidents take the steps that they need so that they will not miss out on the financial support they receive."
House Bill 119 is a modification of the PIP law adopted in 1972 to ensure that everyone injured in a car accident Florida would get quick money for the treatment of their injuries.

The Bill, which was adopted during the recently completed legislative session, to obtain medical care requires wounded within 14 days of their damage. The care must be from a doctor, dentist, chiropractor, osteopath, Physician Assistant or advanced registered nurse practitioner, or of a hospital or in a facility entirely in the hands of a hospital.

Also, a physician, Osteopathic Physician, dentist, Physician Assistant or advanced registered nurse practitioner controlled must determine that the individual has a "medical emergency" for them to qualify for the full $ 10,000 medical benefit defined in the law PIP since its inception.

Declaration of a medical emergency, without the insurance payment capped at $ 2,500.

Lawmakers say that amendments to the law will reduce insurance fraud. Others disagree.

"Floridians for a rude awakening," Florida Consumer Action Network spokesman Bill Newton said in the insurance journal. "Instead of real measures to prevent fraud, are we left with a bill that the pockets of big insurance companies Mousepads."

The Tampa personal injury lawyers of helping clients throughout Florida Disparti of firm obtain insurance payments as part of the firms insurance coverage litigation practice.

"Now more than ever, as soon as possible after a car accident or any other type of accident that caused a serious injury, the injured party should seek the help of an experienced personal injury lawyer," said Disparti.

"Insurance companies stay in business by paying as little as possible when policyholders file claims," he said. "Florida's new PIP law doesn't make it impossible to obtain full insurance payments, but it can make it more difficult in many cases."

PIP Disparti said that many times the $ 10,000 payment not all costs and losses of the victim covers. In those cases, a personal injury lawsuit needed.

"If a person is seriously injured in an accident or lost a loved one in a car wreck or similar incident, they have a right to appropriate compensation for their losses," he said. "An experienced personal injury attorney will work hard to ensure that they get the full amount of the compensation that they deserve."

About Disparti Law Group, P.A.

Disparti Law Group, P.A., is a personal injury law firm which Tampa and disability benefits legal assistance to persons in cases involving car accidents, slip-and-fall or business premises liability, product liability, medical malpractice, wrongful death, nursing home neglect and insufficient protection. The company helps clients with social security disability (SSD), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), railroad disability (FELA and RRB claims) and veterans benefits (including TSGLI claims).

The company serves customers in the USA, including Illinois, Ohio, Georgia, Tennessee, Houston, Chicago, St. Louis, Washington, D.C. and the South Florida communities of Tampa, Miami, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, Clearwater, Fort Meyers, holiday, Bonita Springs, Naples and Port Charlotte. For more information about the Tampa personal injury and social security disability lawyers of the Law Group, P.A. Disparti, call (800) 633-4091 or use the firm's online contact form.

View the original article here

Martin family lawyer known for civil rights cases - Boston.com

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
var archivedState=0;

SANFORD, Fla.—When Benjamin Crump got his first call from Trayvon Martin's father last month, the attorney counseled patience.

It had only been two days since a neighborhood watch volunteer had fatally shot the 17-year-old, and surely an arrest was imminent, thought Crump, who has pursued several civil rights cases against law enforcement agencies.

Two more days passed. Still nothing.

"I believed in my heart of hearts they were going to arrest him," Crump said Thursday in an interview. "I said, `Oh, they are going to arrest him. You don't need me on this.'"

More than a month later, there still has been no arrest.

But thanks largely to Crump's efforts, the case has stirred marches and rallies around the nation, merited comment from President Barack Obama, led to the resignation of the Sanford police chief and brought scrutiny from the U.S. Department of Justice into this Orlando suburb of 55,000 residents.

"When you have the president commenting on the matter and you have celebrities and politicians wearing their hoodies as a symbol of the cause that you're representing, and it has taken over the world's attention, this is overwhelming in a sense," said Crump, who was in Washington for several days of meeting with members of Congress and appearing on national news shows. "We've been pushing relentlessly day and night."

Crump's strategy for making the case international news began with a series of heart-wrenching news conferences in which Martin's parents spoke about their loss. Florida media outlets began to notice. Then, he enlisted U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown to help convince authorities to release 911 tapes, recordings that brought the case to the attention of national media. He's further ratcheted pressure on authorities by organizing a series of rallies and working with national civil rights figures such as Al Sharpton.

The push began not long after Martin's death on the night of Feb. 26. Martin, wearing a hoodie, was walking home from a Sanford, Fla. convenience store when he was spotted by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, who called a police dispatcher to report Martin as suspicious. There was a confrontation, and Martin was shot. Zimmerman has told detectives he shot Martin in self-defense.

Martin's death raises questions about the role of vigilantism, racial profiling and Florida's self-defense laws. Under those laws, a person isn't obligated to retreat in a threatening situation. Zimmerman's father has said his son wasn't profiling Martin and that he isn't racist. Zimmerman's mother is Hispanic and his father is white.

Crump was first contacted by a cousin of Trayvon Martin's father. The cousin, a Miami attorney, was familiar with Crump's civil rights work in Florida. Before Martin's death, Crump was best known for representing the parents of a teenage boy who died after an encounter with guards at a Florida boot camp in 2006. The videotaped beating of Martin Lee Anderson attracted national attention and led to the closure of the state's boot camps for juvenile offenders.

Crump, 42, and his wife, Genae Angelique Crump, are raising two teenage boys who are the biological sons of Crump's cousin. The oldest is Martin's age.

"Trayvon hits home on many levels," Crump said.

Crump and his law partner, Daryl Parks, are Tallahassee-based personal injury attorneys who primarily handle wrongful death and negligence cases. But their everyday work often involves civil rights issues.

"Daryl and Ben look at things in a broader perspective," said James Messer, a Tallahassee attorney who serves on the board of the Tallahassee Bar Association with Crump. "While there may be a wrongful death issue, it involves, in their eyes, more than anything a civil rights cause ... (Crump) has a passion for issues that have something to do with civil rights violations."

Crump's advocacy on behalf of Martin's family has gotten the attention of established civil rights leaders. Both Sharpton and Jesse Jackson flew down to Sanford to participate in rallies and a meeting before the Sanford city commission.

"He has integrity, smarts and an uncanny ability," Jackson said about Crump. "He is not flashy. He is just kind of a basic, old, solid-thinking, country lawyer."

Crump gets the "country" part from growing up in Lumberton, N.C., a tiny town not far from Fort Bragg. His mother held down two jobs as a factory worker and hotel housekeeper. His biological father was a soldier at Fort Bragg. He was raised by his mother and her high school sweetheart who later became her husband. Crump regards him as his father. The oldest of nine siblings and step-siblings, Crump grew up in an extended family of cousins, uncles and aunts headed by his beloved great-grandmother, Mittie.

"She had a switch in her hand when we came home from school. She would ask what we learned in school that day, and she used that switch to enforce the importance of that question," Crump said of his great-grandmother.

Crump would spend all day every Sunday in Pentecostal church, often missing the chance to watch his Dallas Cowboys play on television. The influence of the church is visible in his public speeches when he often sounds more like a preacher than a lawyer. His interest in civil rights stems from attending segregated schools until he was in fifth grade.

"It was a situation to me, that I said, `Why do people on that side of the tracks have it so much better than people on our side of the tracks?'" he said.

When Crump was in high school, his mother sent him to Fort Lauderdale to live with the man he regarded as his father so he could have a male influence and be exposed to the culture that the bigger city offered.

He attended college and law school and Florida State University, where he met Parks, his future law partner. In his personal statement for law school, he said his hero was Thurgood Marshall, the U.S. Supreme Court's first black justice. After graduating, Parks and Crump formed their own law firm, Tallahassee-based, Parks and Crump.

Crump dodges the question of how, and if, he is being compensated by Trayvon Martin's parents.

"You do it because it's the right thing to do," he said. "As long as you make your goal to do right and do good, all of the money and financial material stuff will come."

? Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

View the original article here

Gabriel Aubry Grilled By Halle Berry's Lawyer Under Oath - TMZ.com

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota


Gabriel Aubry is being grilled today under oath by Halle Berry's lawyer -- and we're told the end game for Halle is for Gabriel to admit he has plenty of free time to travel back and forth to France to visit Nahla.

Gabriel arrived at the office of Halle's lawyer Stephen Kolodny moments ago -- after a quick lunch with his own lawyer Gary Fishbein -- and we asked him several questions on the block-and-a-half walk (above). Gabriel wasn't in a talkative mood.

But here's the deal -- as we first reported, Halle wants to move to Paris with Nahla and fiance Olivier Martinez. Sources tell us Halle's lawyer will ask Gabriel about his work commitments. We're told he works very sporadically as a model and Halle believes he can still maintain a meaningful, long-distance relationship with Nahla as a result.

Gabriel has vehemently objected to the proposed move, which must be approved by the custody judge.

We're also told Kolodny will ask Gabriel about Halle's allegations that he has neglected Nahla and even put her in danger.

And, we're told finances are a subject of the depo, because Gabriel is asking Halle to pay child support and his lawyer's fees.

View the original article here

Rodman n asianajaja: hän ei ole Deadbeat

Dennis Rodman's lawyer said Wednesday that a retired NBA player does not have a "deadbeat dad," following the court papers filed Tuesday alleged debt of more than $ 800,000 Rodman child support.

"In such a way that it makes it sound like he is painted in terrible shape," Rodman's lawyer, Linnea Willis, told ABCNews.com. "This makes him sound like he is a deadbeat, who is dead. This is Dennis Rodman has always paid child support to the best of its ability, and so on. "

On Tuesday, Rodman's ex-wife, Michelle Rodman, papers filed in a Los Angeles court, request the lawyer owes more than $ 800,000 Rodman back child support and the consequences for the couple's 9-10 children under three years of age on 1 March. He was ordered to pay his ex-wife $ 50000 per month child support. Reply to Willis filed motion of the month $ 50000 per order.

He said that the warrant has been issued for the year 2010 without Dennis ' real income, but rather was based on his ex-wife by the exaggerated number of inputs to the Bützow. " He also said that Rodman has not been duly notified of the legal documents.

Rodman's Manager, Darren Prince said Rodman is the payment of "at least 4 000 or 5 000 $," his ex-wife on a monthly basis. Willis said the Court "there is no evidence that all of the contributions that were made."

"The only thing that was a question of the month, was certain that his attorney, he paid for something, but it was not enough," Willis said.

Finally, for the hearing is set may 29 Rodman. When the attorney ex-wife said Rodman faces his insolvency or the child and spouse support time in jail, Willis said the judge, "it clearly shown he does not intend to give him jail time."

Michelle Rodman's lawyer, Jack Kayajanian did not respond to the requests for comment about the ABCNews.com: n.

Willis clarified Rodman: n option. Tuesday, the court documents described in the former Chicago Bulls star rebound as "very sick."

"In such a way that it makes the sound of the painted, such as he is, he is not a terrible shape," he said. "He plays, he plays, he makes appearances in China."

On Tuesday, Prince, Rodman's Manager, told ABCNews.com Rodman sidelined her well-documented drinking problem. " Willis claimed that his setbacks, Rodman still a good terms with his ex-wife and children.

"Every time he sees the children and each time they have to talk about," he said. "He loves her still. The end is not contentious. "

Dennis Rodman and Michelle Rodman married in 2003 after dating for four years. Michelle Rodman filed for divorce in 2004, but their marriage is not officially broke up until earlier this year to try to reconciliation.

View the original article here

Lawyer Says Zuccotti Park Demonstrators Broke No Law - New York Times (blog)

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
Robert Stolarik for The New York TimesPolice officers in Zuccotti Park, on Nov. 15, 2011 where they removed tents and arrested Occupy Wall Street protesters.

When hundreds of police officers entered Zuccotti Park early on Nov. 15, they dismantled tents and other structures that had been erected by Occupy Wall Street protesters in defiance of rules established in September by the park’s owner, Brookfield Properties.

The police also arrested dozens of protesters who refused to leave the park, charging them with offenses that included trespassing and disorderly conduct, as officers set up metal barricades around the park’s perimeter.

On Friday, a defense lawyer argued in Criminal Court in Manhattan that such charges filed against two of his clients should be dismissed.

While it might be appropriate for Brookfield to establish rules governing behavior in the park, the lawyer said, the company could not order people out of the park, because an agreement with the city required it to be open to the public 24 hours a day.

“Brookfield lacked the authority to exclude people,” the lawyer, Jethro M. Eisenstein, argued in support of a motion to dismiss the charges, contending that it was “unseemly and unjust to allow Brookfield to harness the power of the state” to clear the park of protesters.

But an assistant district attorney told Judge Matthew A. Sciarrino Jr. that the company was within its rights to revoke permission for protesters to be in the park while the police and sanitation workers removed banned structures.

“They have to have the ability to enforce rules,” the prosecutor, Ryan Hayward, said. “They did deem it necessary to close that park.”

Judge Sciarrino asked both sides to clarify certain points. He asked Mr. Eisenstein if he thought the rules allowed people to use Zuccotti Park for any purpose. Later, he told Mr. Hayward that experience had taught him that sometimes, “the law is not simply what the city says it is.”

At the heart of the arguments is the issue of what authority and responsibilities Brookfield has in managing Zuccotti Park, a half-acre granite expanse in the financial district that the Occupy protesters turned into a headquarters in mid-September. The park was created under an agreement that allowed developers of a skyscraper across Liberty Street to build 500,000 extra square feet of office space.

In return, the developers created a public space that would be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

According to papers filed by Mr. Eisenstein and the New York Civil Liberties Union, Brookfield can limit public access to the park only after going through a process that involves gaining the approval of the City Planning Commission.

The district attorney’s office, along with the city’s Law Department, disagreed, writing that “Brookfield Properties was faced with a situation where the volume of tenting, structures, sleeping bags, pillows, clothes, trash and other personal property had created a safety condition,” and that the only effective remedy involved clearing people from the park.

At one point, Judge Sciarrino asked Mr. Hayward if he agreed that there was a distinction between rules of conduct and rules of access. Mr. Hayward replied that he did and that in order “to ensure compliance with rules of conduct that temporary closure needed to be effectuated.”

Mr. Eisenstein countered that the closure could not accurately be termed temporary because metal barricades surrounded the park for nearly two months after Nov. 15, and that people entering during that time were subject to searches by private security guards.

Judge Sciarrino did not rule immediately on the motion.

View the original article here