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Court dismisses part of NM whistleblower case
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2011/08/18 16:31
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Attorney General Gary King and a state agency can take charge of legal efforts to recover money for New Mexico for some investment deals allegedly influenced by political considerations, a state court ruled Wednesday.
District Judge Stephen Pfeffer also dismissed portions of a whistleblower's lawsuit involving allegations of a pay-to-play scheme in investment deals by the State Investment Council, which oversees permanent funds worth more than $15 billion. The judge's ruling allows the council and the attorney general to handle those legal claims.
The lawsuit by Frank Foy, a former chief investment officer of the state's educational pension fund, will continue on other allegations, including that the state lost money on bad investments by the Educational Retirement Board and some by the council and that politics influenced some of the pension's fund investments.
The Investment Council filed a lawsuit in May claiming that its former top manager and a financial advisory firm improperly steered New Mexico investments to political supporters of former Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson. More than a dozen other defendants were named, including third-party placement agents who earned millions of dollars in fees on investment deals.
Former State Investment Officer Gary Bland has said the allegations are "absurd" and he was not involved in any wrongdoing. |
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Calif Supreme Court says threats must be serious
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2011/08/15 16:31
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The California Supreme Court says state laws against threatening a crime victim or witness are valid only if a reasonable listener believes the threats are serious.
The San Francisco Chronicle says last week's unanimous decision means a Riverside County judge must re-examine the conviction of a man who told his jailed wife he would blow away the head of a man who accused them of stealing $250,000.
Eddie Lowery was convicted of threatening a crime victim and he was sentenced to a year in jail.
In its ruling Thursday, the court ruled a threat is not protected by freedom of speech if a reasonable listener concludes the speaker was serious and wasn't merely joking. |
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Ex-Harvard student due in court in 2009 shooting
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2011/08/15 16:30
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A former Harvard student accused of hiding the gun used in a fatal shooting inside a university dormitory is due in court.
Brittany Smith is one of four people who were charged in connection with the shooting of 21-year-old Justin Cosby of Cambridge.
Smith's former boyfriend, Jabrai (juh-BRY') Jordan Copney, of New York City, was convicted of murder in Cosby's death and is serving a life sentence.
During Copney's trial, prosecutors said Cosby, a local drug dealer, was shot during an attempted robbery by Copney and two other New York City men in May 2009.
Smith is accused of giving the men her Harvard electronic keycard to enter the building, hiding the gun used in the shooting and helping the men flee. |
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Law school graduates sue alma mater over job stats
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2011/08/12 17:39
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Four graduates of Thomas M. Cooley Law School have sued their alma mater, claiming the school misrepresented its post-graduation employment statistics to attract students.
The Lansing State Journal and the Detroit Free Press report the lawsuit was filed Wednesday. The suit in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan by New York law firm Kurzon Strauss seeks class-action status and $250 million in damages.
James Thelen, Cooley's associate dean for legal affairs and general counsel, says the school stands by its post-graduation employment and salary statistics. He says any claims that students or graduates have been misled or legally harmed are "baseless."
The Lansing-based school earlier sued the law firm, claiming it was defaming the school in online ads seeking potential plaintiffs who attended Cooley. |
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