Ms. Janice Brenman is a former prosecutor who was in private practice in Los Angeles from 2001 to 2012 representing nearly 8,000 individuals in over 42 states. She also did 9th Circuit Federal Appeals from 2007 to 2012. She has commented in major legal publications on the subject of legal reform and celebrity influence on the legal system...
Read moreIt has been many months since the name Conrad Murray splashed across headlines. As you may recall, last year he was charged with the involuntary manslaughter of his patient, Michael Jackson, who died over 2 years ago. Prosecutors allege Murray killed the late pop star without malice. Defendant entered a not guilty plea, attempting to exonerate himself from any malfeasance. According to court papers filed Monday, Murray’s defense team claims that Jackson had an addictive personality, particularly for Propofol. Murray admits to giving Jackson the drug, yet his defense attorneys claim Jackson injected himself with the final lethal dose. The defense cringed when their legal strategy was struck down: Judge Michael Pastor blocked more than a dozen potential witnesses as well any testimony regarding Jackson’s 2005 trial on child molestation charges. Pastor justly labeled these tactics “sufficiently convoluted, distracting and detracting as to substantially outweigh any probative value whatsoever.” Deputy District Attorney David Walgren is rightly concerned that the trial – slated to begin September 8 – may deteriorate into a character attack on Michael Jackson. Lady Justice is waiting with bated breath for the opening gavel to strike.
My previous post regarding Stern v. Marshall closed with the phrase: May justice prevail. Today, sixteen years after this circus began for the Marshall family, it finally did. After nearly two decades, mounting legal fees and two trips to the land’s highest court, a long-awaited decision in Stern v. Marshall finally arrived. In a 5-4 decision the Supreme Court ruled against the estate of the late Anna Nicole Smith and delivered a clear victory for the Marshall estate. The high court ruled that a California bankruptcy court’s decision that awarded the now-deceased Playmate centerfold $475 million (later reduced to $88 million) from the estate of businessman J. Howard Marshall II was decided incorrectly. The 26-year old Smith and the 89-year old Marshall were wed in 1994. Marshall died the next year. Marshall left his estate to his now deceased son, E. Pierce Marshall, specifically and intentionally electing not to include Smith. A California bankruptcy court then awarded Smith part of the estate. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, however, ruled that a bankruptcy court could not enter a final decision on an issue outside of bankruptcy law. Today, the high court agreed. The Supreme Court’s decision should put an end to other pending Read More …