Jurors made to work all night so judge can go on vacation

Las Vegas - The murder trial of Victor Fakoya is the talk of the county courthouse. Jurors in the case were forced to work through the night last week to accommodate the judge’s vacation schedule. When Judge Valerie Vega ordered them to begin deliberations at nearly 3 a.m. after more than 13 hours in the jury box, they figured she had a good reason. Judge: I am packing up and leaving town and going on vacation for two weeks...More

Judge rules dog that bit off girl’s ear potentially dangerous

New Jersey - Eight months after then 3-year-old Claire McVeigh had her ear bitten off by a dog in Alloway Township, a court has ruled that the animal, Duke, is “potentially dangerous.” The ruling from Judge Nicholas Lacovara in municipal court here brought tears from Claire McVeigh’s parents because the dog wasn’t deemed “vicious” instead. “It was not at all intended, what Duke did,” Lacovara said of the dog. “It was an attack, but it was a minor attack, not a major attack.”
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Colo. judge fired over teen arrest for overdue DVD

LITTLETON, Colo. (AP) -- A longtime Colorado judge has been fired after issuing an arrest warrant for a teenager over an overdue library DVD.More

Judge orders Pomeranian to leave town

ASPEN, Colorado - A Pomeranian has been kicked out of a Colorado resort town after getting in trouble for biting and other bad behavior. Municipal Judge Brooke Peterson told the dog’s owner, Melinda Goldrich, that if the dog is seen again in Aspen, it will be rounded up by animal control officers and put to death. An Aspen fitness club employee says the Pomeranian, named Gizmo, bit her while it was tied to a fence. The dog served 10 days in an animal shelter...More--Twitter Political Roast---Domain Names

Judge: Hairspray triggered teen's alcohol monitor

DeFUNIAK SPRINGS, Fla. (AP) -- A judge ruled that constant exposure to hairspray set off a teen's alcohol monitoring device - not consumption of alcohol. Based on evidence presented Thursday, Judge Kelvin Wells said he wouldn't revoke the pre-trial release of a 17-year-old teen. The teen was wearing the anklet under a court order. The device issued an alert in July after three separate readings showed she had alcohol in her system...More...Twitter Political Roast---Domain Names

Ohio judge orders shoplifters to wear T-shirts

WAUSEON, Ohio (AP) -- A northwest Ohio judge has added neon green T-shirts to his sentencing repertoire. Western District Court Judge Jeff Robinson in Fulton County is requiring some defendants to wear shirts announcing "I'm a thief" while they perform court-ordered community service---More
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Strange News-Judge Orders Victim to Pay Back Thief

NEW HAVEN, Connecitcut - Mark Poveromo feels ripped off twice over. A judge ordered him to repay money he collected from a builder convicted of stealing from him — and told him to kick in the thief's attorney fees and court costs, too. Legal experts say the case, in which a criminal matter in Connecticut intersects a bankruptcy judgment filed in St. Louis, shows a need for Congress to revise the nation's bankruptcy laws to better treat people who are awarded money as part of a ruling in a criminal case. "This is an outrageous decision," said Anthony Sabino, a law professor at St. John's University and a bankruptcy expert. "I think it's a miscarriage of justice."
"I can't even begin to fathom it," Poveromo said. "Crime does pay."

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The case began in 2006, when Poveromo hired Mark R. Koch of Illinois for an $80,000 project to construct a building for his pet food business in Thomaston, Conn. Poveromo paid $39,500 up front, but Koch never did any work, according to court documents.

Poveromo filed a criminal complaint. Koch was convicted in Connecticut of first-degree larceny in April 2007 and ordered to pay restitution. Koch paid $25,000 and began monthly payments to Poveromo on the balance, but that's when the law turned on Poveromo.

Two months before his conviction, Koch filed for bankruptcy protection in St. Louis, halting any monetary claims against him. Poveromo says notices of the bankruptcy filing were sent to Poveromo's old business address and he didn't see them.

Koch then filed a complaint to the bankruptcy court accusing Poveromo of intentionally violating the stay on claims by having him arrested to collect on his debt.

Judge Charles Rendlen III agreed with the builder. In a ruling filed in December, and without hearing from Poveromo, Rendlen noted "the highly suspect timing" of Koch's arrest and conviction after filing for bankruptcy.

The judge said Poveromo intentionally violated the bankruptcy stay on claims by causing Koch's arrest to collect on the debt.

"Allowing a creditor to use the threat of incarceration on charges related to a prepetition debt undermines the most fundamental premise of bankruptcy law: the guarantee of equal treatment among creditors pursuant to the bankruptcy code," Rendlen wrote.

Rendlen ordered Poveromo to pay back the restitution Koch had given him as well as attorney's fees and costs.

Poveromo tried to challenge the ruling, but failed to get it overturned. The judge also rejected Poveromo's request to appear by telephone instead of traveling to St. Louis because he cares for his elderly sick parents.

"The inconvenience experienced by the defendant's parents does not outweigh the need of the court to observe the defendant in person as he gives his testimony, to allow the court to best weigh his credibility," Rendlen wrote.

Poveromo said he had to pay for airplane tickets to St. Louis for a hearing on the case and couldn't get a refund after Koch's attorney asked for a delay.

Poveromo said he reluctantly accepted a settlement reached a few weeks ago in which he was able to keep the nearly $28,000 Koch had given him but did not collect on the balance he was owed based on what the Connecticut court had ordered.

His attorney, Jeff Weisman, decried the ruling.

"I think it's an injustice to individuals who are victimized," Weisman said.

Koch's bankruptcy attorney, Robert Eggmann, declined to comment on the settlement and said the bankruptcy ruling speaks for itself.

Rendlen did not return a telephone message seeking comment. Court officials cited a policy that judges do not comment on their decisions.

Jack Williams, resident scholar at the American Bankruptcy Institute, said the case highlights an area of the law that Congress should fix by expanding the exception to the stay of bankruptcy claims in criminal cases so that criminal restitutions can go forward during bankruptcies. He said the ruling is not unusual in finding a violation of the stay, but said other judges may not have sanctioned Poveromo.

Bankruptcy attorney Stuart Hirshfield said he agreed with the ruling because a stay of claims is fundamental to bankruptcy cases and violations are dealt with severely. He also said when a party fails to appear, the judge has to rule on what is known and the judge believed there was adequate notice.

Sabino, the bankruptcy expert from St. John's, said problem lies primarily with the judge's interpretation of the law.

Poveromo said he has since hired another contractor to construct the building for his business. He said he's struggling after spending $10,000 on lawyers while business has slowed amid a weak economy, but is determined to persevere.

"It's tough times," Poveromo said. "I'm not going to let this criminal ruin my business."

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Stupid News:Judge tells woman to stop having kids

Stupid News:Judge tells woman to stop having kids

Texas - A judge in Travis County has ordered a woman to stop having children as a condition of her probation in her case of injury to a child by omission, an extraordinary measure that legal experts say could be unconstitutional. The order was for Felicia Salazar, 20, who admitted to failing to provide protection and medical care to her then-19-month-old daughter last year. The girl suffered broken bones and other injuries when she was beaten by her father, Roberto Alvarado, 25, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Alvarado and Salazar relinquished their parental rights, and the child, who has recovered, was placed in foster care....article

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Stupid News - Woman sentenced for having son dress up as Scout

Stupid News - Hey people are getting desperate! This is no Enron!
Woman sentenced for having son dress up as Scout
EASTON, Pa. - A former Bethlehem woman will serve up to 23 months in prison for having her 7-year-old son dress as a Cub Scout to collect money for a nonexistent cause.

Sally Ann Gombocz, 51, told a Northampton County judge she wanted to apologize to anyone she hurt. She previously pleaded guilty to theft by deception and corruption of a minor.

Gombocz had her son dress as a scout in 2003 and tell people he was raising money for a camping trip. A prosecutor says the family collected $69.

Gombocz was sentenced Friday to six to 23 months in the county jail. She also was fined $2,000, ordered to perform community service, take parenting classes, have psychological counseling and submit to random urine screens. She also must pay restitution.
Information from: The Morning Call, http://www.mcall.com
As Reported By THe AP