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NC regulators hire law firm to probe Duke Energy
Legal Watch |
2012/08/17 18:12
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North Carolina utilities regulators said Wednesday they have hired a former federal prosecutor with experience digging into corporate affairs to reveal whether regulators were misled ahead of a takeover that created America's largest electric company.
The North Carolina Utilities Commission said it has hired Anton Valukas and the Jenner & Block law firm, which he heads in Chicago. The ex-prosecutor and his firm are tasked with investigating what happened before regulators approved Charlotte-based Duke Energy Corp. taking over Raleigh-based Progress Energy Inc.
State law allows the costs associated with the utilities commission's investigation to be charged to Duke Energy and its shareholders rather than allowing the company to pass them along to its 3.2 million North Carolina customers.
A Duke Energy spokesman said the company was cooperating with regulators in their investigation.
The company on Wednesday separately sought to begin passing along to Carolinas energy consumers the first $89 million of $650 million in merger-related savings promised over the next five years. If that is approved, the average residential customer in North Carolina and South Carolina could save between 80 cents and 92 cents a month beginning in September. |
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Judge won't halt Pa. voter identification law
Top Legal News |
2012/08/15 18:12
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A tough new voter identification law championed by Republicans can take effect in Pennsylvania for November's presidential election, a judge ruled Wednesday, despite a torrent of criticism that it will suppress votes among President Barack Obama's supporters and make it harder for the elderly, disabled, poor and young adults to vote.
Commonwealth Court Judge Robert Simpson said he would not grant an injunction that would have halted the law, which requires each voter to show a valid photo ID. Opponents are expected to file an appeal within a day or two to the state Supreme Court as the Nov. 6 election looms.
"We're not done, it's not over," said Witold J. Walczak, an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer who helped argue the case for the plaintiffs. "It's why they make appeals courts."
The Republican-penned law — which passed over the objections of Democrats — has ignited a furious debate over voting rights as Pennsylvania is poised to play a key role in deciding the presidential contest. Plaintiffs, including a 93-year-old woman who recalled marching with Martin Luther King Jr. in 1960, had asked Simpson to block the law from taking effect in this year's election as part of a wider challenge to its constitutionality.
Republicans defend the law as necessary to protect the integrity of the election. But Democrats say the law will make it harder for people who lack ID for valid reasons to vote. |
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NJ court upholds decal law for young drivers
Top Legal News |
2012/08/10 19:50
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Young drivers in New Jersey will have to continue displaying a red decal on their license plates.
The state Supreme Court upheld "Kyleigh's Law" in a ruling Monday.
In a unanimous opinion, the high court ruled that requiring the decals doesn't violate federal privacy laws or laws against unreasonable search and seizure. An appeals court had ruled similarly last year in a challenge brought by two parents.
The law is named for a New Jersey teenager who was killed in a 2006 crash. It's meant to aid police in enforcing restricted privileges for young drivers.
Opponents say displaying the decals could leave teen drivers vulnerable to predators. But a report last year found only one reported incident in which an underage driver was stopped by someone impersonating a police officer. |
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Ga. court ruling could tighten foreclosure rules
Court Center |
2012/08/08 19:50
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A court ruling in Georgia could force those foreclosing on homes to disclose who actually owns the loan.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the July 12 ruling by the Georgia Court of Appeals applies mostly to foreclosures that happened from 2008 to 2011. It could leave banks vulnerable to lawsuits filed by those who lost their homes. It could also have consequences for ongoing foreclosures.
The ruling last month said that the name of the owner of a mortgage must appear in foreclosure filings and notices sent to delinquent borrowers. The notice must also reflect whether it was sent by the secured creditor or someone acting on the creditor's behalf.
Many lenders sell their loans to mortgage services that handle paperwork but don't own the loans. |
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Dennis Wheeler - San Francisco Bankruptcy Lawyer
Firm News/California |
2012/08/07 18:44
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Mr. Dennis R. Wheeler is a San Francisco Bankruptcy lawyer who specializes in Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 of the Bankruptcy Code. Clients facing bankruptcy may be struggling to make ends meet and is under high stress but we can help. With our experience working with these Bankruptcy Chapters, our law office can give you the debt relief option that is best fit for your situation.
Bankruptcy is the legal process of getting the chance to discharge and clear out most of your debts, giving you the opportunity for a clean, fresh financial start. Our knowledge in the field will give us the advantage over others and when we file your case, we can immediately help stop the harassing phone calls and letters, stop creditor lawsuits, stop foreclosures and repossessions, and stop wage garnishments and all other attempts at collection.
Bankruptcy is not right for everyone. Depending on your financial situation, we will advise you the best route to take. If you are dealing with financial burden, we highly encourage our clients to explore all options, including bankruptcy, although some can be hesitant.
Our free initial consultation will allow us to discuss
- Other debt relief plans aside from bankruptcy
- Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 Bankruptcy options
- What your situation is and what would provide you the most debt relief
- Costs of bankruptcy filings
- All your concerns and questions regarding your unique situation
Our San Francisco Bankruptcy Lawyer has proudly served Bay Area residents of San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Mateo Counties. Call us at 415-856-0212. |
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New DC drunken driving law to take effect
Court Center |
2012/08/05 00:03
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A new law that toughens penalties for drunken driving in the nation's capital takes effect Wednesday, but the city's police department still is not using breath tests on suspected drunken drivers more than a year after the tests were suspended.
The new law, which was approved by the D.C. Council and signed by Mayor Vincent Gray earlier this summer. It doubles mandatory minimum jail terms for people with blood-alcohol concentrations of .20 percent or higher and establishes a blood-alcohol limit of .04 percent for commercial drivers, including taxi drivers.
The law also establishes new oversight for the district's breath-testing program. But there's still no timetable to the resumption of breath tests, which D.C. police stopped using in February 2011 in the wake of revelations that their breath-testing devices had produced inaccurate results. Police have been using urine and blood tests instead.
A year earlier, District of Columbia officials had notified defense lawyers about nearly 400 drunken-driving convictions that relied, at least party, on inaccurately calibrated blood-alcohol tests.
More than two dozen people sued the district over convictions based on those flawed tests, and the district Attorney General's office said Tuesday that all the outstanding lawsuits had been settled. The district paid a total of $136,000 to 17 plaintiffs, with individuals receiving between $2,000 and $42,000, said Jeffrey Rhodes, a lawyer for the plaintiffs. |
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Ind. court upholds life sentence for teen killer
Legal Watch |
2012/08/03 00:03
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The Indiana Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a sentence of life without parole for a teenager who said he wanted to be like the fictional television serial killer Dexter a few weeks before strangling his 10-year-old brother.
Andrew Conley was 17 in November 2009 when he killed his brother, Conner, while wrestling in their home near Rising Sun and dumped the boy's body in a park. He unexpectedly pleaded guilty in September 2010, averting a murder trial.
In the 3-2 ruling, the justices said Conley acted "as if nothing was out of the ordinary" after the killing. According to testimony during the five-day sentencing hearing, Conley joked with his mother and watched football the day after he killed Conner.
Conley told police he fantasized about killing people since he was in eighth grade. A few weeks before the killing, Conley told his girlfriend that he wanted to be just like the TV serial killer as they walked on the trail where he later disposed of his brother's body.
Three different psychological experts who interviewed Conley all said he was seriously mentally ill, but his appellate lawyer, Leanna Weissmann, said the judge gave too much credence to a psychologist's testimony that the teen could be a psychopath. |
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