The Legal Blotter

Carlos G. Stewart, a retired Education Program Specialist from the U.S. Department of Education, has been recognized by Cambridge Who’s who for demonstrating dedication, leadership and excellence in education administration.

With years of experience as an educator, Carlos G. Stewart is known as an excellent motivational speaker with experience in education, government and marketing. in 35 years of service to the U.S. Department of Education, he specialized in technical assistance for children from low-income families whose parents received only minimal schooling. As education program specialist, he oversaw projects that included Upward Bound, managed talent search and educational opportunity centers, assisted with funding proposals for Title III strengthening, and developed institutions to improve struggling colleges’ administration and student services.

Mr. Stewart retired from education in 2008 and has since built a second career with YTB Heavenly Travel, an online travel agency. he also dabbled briefly in legal and financial services by working part-time for Pre-Paid Legal Services, inc. and Primerica Financial Services. Mr. Stewart attributes the success that he enjoyed in multiple fields to his networking skills, education, and experience.

A graduate of Howard University, Mr. Stewart received his Master of Education in 1974 and his Bachelor of Arts in Sociology in 1965. he is a member of FraserNet, the Howard University Alumni Club of Greater Washington, DC, and the American Association of Retired Persons. away from work, he volunteers his time with the prison ministry at Greater Mt. Calvary Holy Church, where he serves on the board of directors for the Family Life Center. Mr. Stewart aspires to become a consultant.

About Cambridge Who’s Who
Cambridge Who’s who is an exclusive membership organization that recognizes and empowers executives, professionals and entrepreneurs throughout the world. from healthcare to law, engineering to finance, manufacturing to education, every major industry is represented by its 400,000 active members.

Cambridge Who’s who membership provides individuals with a valuable third party endorsement of their accomplishments and gives them the tools needed to brand themselves and their businesses effectively. in addition to publishing biographies in print and electronic form, Cambridge Who’s who offers an online networking platform where members can establish new business relationships and achieve career advancement within their company, industry or profession.

For more information, please visit our site: Cambridge Who’s who.

Carlos G. Stewart, M.Ed., to Be Profiled in Exclusive Registry

Prosecutors have charged a man with attempted murder and other crimes for allegedly choking his 84-year-old mother and trying to smother her with a pillow.

Lance Martin Nolan, a 50-year-old registered sex offender, pleaded not guilty to the charges Wednesday in West Valley Superior Court.

Investigative reports attached to Nolan’s court file allege Nolan was intoxicated when he attacked his mother on Feb. 25 at the home they shared in Rancho Cucamonga.

Nolan’s mother told a sheriff’s deputy that she was at home watching TV in the 6200 block of Calloway place when her son arrived at about 10 p.m., appearing enraged and “very, very drunk,” according to the report.

“While she was seated on the couch, he immediately stood over her and with both hands grabbed her by the neck and started choking her,” the report states.

The woman told investigators she tried to fend off her son, and began screaming for her life “as loud as she could.”

“While she was screaming he grabbed a pillow and shoved it over her face,” the report states. “Nolan pushed down on her pillow with such force that the victim believed he was trying to suffocate her.”

The woman estimated that the attack continued for “a few minutes” before she was able to break free from her son. She ran to a neighbor’s house and the neighbor called 9-1-1.

Sheriff’s deputies said the woman did not appear to have any injuries, but there were a few blood drops on the front of her shirt, according to the

report.

However, “it was obvious the victim had suffered great emotional injury because she was distraught and crying hysterically,” the report states.

In 1996, Nolan was convicted of forcible sodomy in Orange County. The conviction would count as a strike under the state’s three-strikes law if Nolan is convicted in the alleged attack on his mother.

About two hours after the alleged attack, sheriff’s deputies found Nolan parked in a shopping center at Haven and Lemon avenues.

Nolan initially denied the incident with his mother occurred, but he later acknowledged the attack during an interview with investigators at the Rancho Cucamonga sheriff’s station after his arrest.

Nolan told investigators that he had been drinking throughout the day, and when he came home he and his mother argued about money.

“He stated he has been under a lot of stress lately because he has recently lost his job, lost his house, lost his vehicle, lost his girlfriend and felt that he was a disappointment to his mother and family,” the report states.

Nolan said that as the argument with his mother escalated, he grabbed her shoulders and shook her. The woman screamed, so he grabbed a pillow and put it over her face to muffle her shouts, Nolan told investigators.

“I asked him if he felt like his mother was in fear for her life … he said, ‘Hell yes,’” the report states. “He also stated that if he was in her position he would have feared for his life as well.”

Nolan’s sister told deputies she believed her bother was under mental strain. The woman said she believed her brother suffered from “severe depression,” and said he had made comments in the past that he might kill himself.

Nolan remains jailed in lieu of $1.1 million bail at West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga.

Sex offender charged with attempted murder for attack on 84-year-old mother

MINNEAPOLIS, Mar 10, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) –Faegre & Benson LLP has successfully represented Seagate in a patent appeal, resolved yesterday when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed a California jury’s verdict that Siemens’ patent asserted against Seagate’s hard disc drives was invalid.

The Federal Circuit’s opinion represents a complete victory for Seagate on Siemens’ claim for patent infringement.

Faegre & Benson attorney David J.F. Gross, who served as lead trial and appellate counsel for Seagate, says he was confident the Federal Circuit would respect the jury’s verdict. “We believed the jury’s verdict was well supported by the evidence, and we are very pleased that the court of appeals agreed with us,” says Gross.

Siemens sued Seagate in 2006 in the Central District of California, alleging that all Seagate disc drives since 2000 infringed a patent on a particular type of sensor used in read heads for hard disc drives. On December 23, 2008, the jury found Siemens’ patent invalid based on anticipation and obviousness. Siemens’ appeal was denied by the Federal Circuit on March 9.

In addition to Gross, the Seagate appellate team included Faegre & Benson IP litigation partners Cal Litsey and Aaron Van Oort and IP litigation associates Chad Drown, Tim Grimsrud, Kevin Wagner, Chris Burrell, Jeya Paul, Jackie Harlow, Ari Lukoff, and Darcy Grunwald.

Seagate is the worldwide leader in the design, manufacture, and marketing of hard disc drives and storage solutions, providing products for a wide-range of applications, including Enterprise, Desktop, Mobile Computing, and Consumer Solutions.

About Faegre & Benson

Faegre & Benson LLP offers a full complement of legal services to clients ranging from emerging enterprises to multinational companies. Its 475 lawyers handle complex transactions and litigation matters throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. Established in Minneapolis in 1886, the firm is one of the 100 largest law firms in the United States. From its offices in Minnesota, Colorado, Iowa, London and Shanghai, Faegre & Benson has served clients in nearly 100 countries.

SOURCE: Faegre & Benson LLP

Faegre & Benson LLP Media Contact: Liz Nicklos, 612-767-7628 lnicklos@labreche.com

Copyright Business Wire 2010

Faegre & Benson Successfully Defends Jury Verdict for Seagate in Patent Appeal

North Korea recently revised its law to speed up development and better attract foreign investment to the Raseon special economic zone in efforts to scrape up some cash.

“A new article that says ‘ethnic Koreans who live outside North Korea can engage in economic or trade activities in Raseon’ has been added to the new law on Raseon economic and trade zone,” a South Korean government official said yesterday.

When the law on Raseon, formerly known as Rajin-Seonbong, was initially enacted in 1992, it included an article that allowed ‘overseas Koreans’ including South Koreans to do business in the northeastern area bordering China and Russia. but the article was deleted in 1999.

The reopening of Raseon to South Korean businessmen comes as Pyongyang suffers from an acute need for foreign currency under the United Nations sanctions and with the suspension of South Korean tours. since the North’s rocket launch in April last year, the Seoul government has not approved any new inter-Korean business project aside from those in the Gaeseong industrial complex.

The revised law on Raseon guarantees free choice of investment and corporate management methods, keeps the corporate income tax rate at 14 percent of profit and reduces the rate to 10 per cent for ‘industries specially promoted by the state’.

The article under which investors were required to get Cabinet approval to establish companies, branch offices or agencies in Raseon has been removed. The city is to be divided into “special economic sectors” such as industrial, agricultural, science technology or processing trade sectors under the new law.

Investment and tourism have been added to Raseon’s legal status as a preferential area for trade, transport, export processing, finance and service.

The revised law permits transactions between businesses in Raseon and North Korean state agencies, companies or organizations, and encourages investment in high-tech development and scientific research, infrastructure construction and manufacture of products with international competitiveness.

A supervisory organ in Raseon, instead of the central government, oversees investment promotion, development and trade businesses in the area, reviews and approves major investments under the new law.

North Korean law is expected to be applied to foreigners in Raseon.

Previously, foreigners could visit or stay in Raseon without a visa, but the new law allows no-visa visits to only those directly entering the special zone without passing through other parts of the country.

To hire foreign employees, companies now have to get approval from the Raseon People’s Committee instead of simply consulting the committee.

The Rajin-Seonbong area was designated as North Korea’s first free trade zone in late 1991 but never succeeded in attracting much foreign investment.

The North recently began moves to make use of the area by upgrading its status to a special municipality in January and giving China and Russia the right to use the Rajin port.

Pyongyang also set up a state development bank on Jan. 20 and made Taepung International Investment Agency attract foreign investment.

The reclusive state appears to be aiming at China’s investment in the Rajin port which can be an attractive logistics base for China’s project to develop the Tumen River area.

It is the fifth time the law on Raseon has been revised after 1999, 2001, 2005 and 2007.

Experts note, however, that the revised law is unlikely to bring a breakthrough in foreign investment when North Korea is still under UN sanctions.

North Korea revises law to attract investment

Computerworld – Microsoft Corp. can likely use an “easy technical work-around” to sidestep a recent injunction by a Texas federal judge that bars the company from selling Word, a patent attorney said today.

“The injunction doesn’t apply to existing product that has already been sold,” said Barry Negrin, a partner with the New York firm Pryor Cashman LLP who has practiced patent and trademark law for 17 years.

“Headlines that say Microsoft can’t sell Word are not really true,” said Negrin, pointing out that the injunction granted by U.S. District Court Judge Leonard Davis on Tuesday only prohibits Microsoft from selling Word as it exists now after Oct. 10. “All Microsoft has to do is disable the custom XML feature, which should be pretty easy to do, then give that a different SKU number from what’s been sold so it’s easy to distinguish the two versions.”

Microsoft does not need to provide an update to users running already-purchased copies of Word 2003 and Word 2007, the two versions that Davis barred the company from marketing after it lost a patent infringement case brought by Toronto-based i4i Inc. in 2007. Those versions’ infringements have already been “paid for” by the $200 million in damages, and another $12 million in damages from the jury verdict in May until this week.

In May, a jury awarded i4i $200 million in damages for infringement on one of its patents; Davis tacked on additional damages and interest to bring the total to nearly $300 million.

“If I were Microsoft, I would be a lot more upset with the jury award than the injunction. [The latter] is annoying, but there should be some easy technical work-arounds,” said Negrin.

Microsoft has said it will appeal the verdict, but it has not put a timetable on that move.

An appeal could take one to two years, said Negrin. “I’d put the over-under at 18 months,” he said, noting that much more complex patent cases with more patents and more claims work their way through the appeals process in longer time frames.

But he declined to put a number on Microsoft’s chances of getting the verdict — and thus the injunction — overturned on appeal. “That really depends on the issues they plan to raise,” Negrin said. “I’d expect them to raise invalidity of the patent.”

However, a 2006 Supreme Court ruling that set aside a lower court’s injunction against eBay in a patent dispute over its “Buy It Now” auction feature may favor Microsoft. in that decision, the Supreme Court said lower courts must use a four-factor test when considering patent injunctions.

'Easy Work-Around' could Solve Microsoft Word's Legal Woes

but don’t worry, this doesn’t impact team payroll. You can trust them. By KURT HELIN Updated 12:30 PM PDT, Tue, Mar 9, 2010 Print Email Share TWITTER FACEBOOK

One would have to try hard, you’d think, to undercut oneself in the public eye as effectively as Frank and Jamie McCourt have done. Time and again. the Dodgers owners keep finding new and creative ways to make themselves look the fool. it would be an impressive effort, if it weren’t so sad.

The latest revelation from their tawdry divorce: the pair will spend between $14 million and $19 million on lawyers. one of the most expensive divorces ever in California, and one that has other divorce lawyers shaking their heads (or, more likely, drooling).

(Santa Monica attorney Lynn) Soodik said it was “very unusual” that each of the McCourts has retained multiple law firms. Seven lawyers appeared in court last month for a hearing on whether to postpone the trial date, on the same day other lawyers in the case were said to be conducting a deposition of Jamie McCourt.

Connolly Oyler, another Santa Monica attorney with experience in celebrity divorces, said a total cost of $5 million would be “consistent with most high-profile cases.”

Jamie McCourt has asked that Frank pay $8.5 million to two law firms and another $500,000 to the accountants retained to unravel the couple’s finances. In a deposition filed last month, Jeff Ingram, the chief operating officer of the McCourt Group, testified that Frank McCourt could need $5 million to $10 million to pay the lawyers and accountants working on his behalf.

Said lawyers, once they get a close look at the McCourts finances, may want to make sure they get that money up front.

What is frustrating for baseball fans in Los Angeles is that the $19 million figure is more than the starting infield of the Dodgers will make this season. everyone in the Dodger front office sticks with the party line that this does not impact the team on the field, that they can make moves and trades and the divorce will not stop them.

But with the way court records have shown the McCourts used the Dodgers as their private ATM, it’s hard to believe that. especially after a summer where the Dodgers did not make moves to bring in a free agent second baseman or name starting pitcher. they did pay to keep some of their young talent around a couple more years, but that was not just good business, letting them go would have led to a fan revolt.

And the McCourts need those fans to keep coming to Dodger Stadium. they have bills to pay.

Copyright NBC Local Media first Published: Mar 9, 2010 11:20 AM PDT Print Email Share TWITTER FACEBOOK

McCourts To Spend $19 Million on Divorce

Nearly half of about 1,200 law enforcement workers who went to Mount Sinai Medical Center’s program in New York to monitor medical effects from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack showed some impaired heart function on ultrasound tests. The study was released Saturday at an American College of Cardiology conference.

“This is the first study to suggest a potential link between exposure to Ground zero and early pre-clinical heart abnormalities,” said Lori Croft, who led the work. Inhaling dust particles that can cause lung and heart disease may be to blame, she said.

The finding has many caveats. Researchers did not verify workers’ presence at the site, and they do not know how many may have had pre-existing heart problems. Nor is there any comparison to other New Yorkers, or to police in other urban areas exposed to pollution and similar job stress.

“This could be an occupational find, or I might even have this problem because I live in New York City,” Croft said.

Sicker workers also are more likely to seek testing than others who feel fine, making the portion found to have heart problems seem bigger than it may really be. The study was funded by the Fraternal Order of Police, which has encouraged workers to get suspected health issues checked.

The exams were done from January 2008 through June 2009. The study was limited to workers 40 to 50 years old because heart problems become more common after 50, Croft said. Workers with high blood pressure or heart valve problems were not included.

Among the rest, 47% had some degree of diastolic dysfunction — meaning the main pumping chamber of the heart does not relax properly between beats, so the heart can’t fill with blood as it should. Only 7% of people in their 40s in the general population have this problem, Croft said.

“People that are 40 years old shouldn’t have diastolic dysfunction. It means something. I don’t know what it means,” she said.

Previous research tied exposure to dust at Ground zero to lung problems, asthma and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Jeffrey Hon, World Trade Center health coordinator for the New York City Health Department, said a city-appointed panel regularly reviews published research on health effects attributed to the attack. A registry kept by the city and the federal government is tracking the health of 71,000 people exposed to dust from the disaster.

“We’re interested in looking at all studies,” but each has strengths and limitations, he said.

The study follows Thursday’s announcement of a settlement that could pay up to $657.5 million to more than 10,000 Ground zero rescue and recovery workers. to collect, workers would need to prove they had been at the site or other facilities that handled debris, and give medical records backing their illness claims.

Many 9/11 responders show signs of heart problems

Some consumer psychology experts have raised an interesting point about the recent spate of uncontrolled acceleration issues reported in Toyota (TM) vehicles: When people constantly hear about such problems in the news media, anything unusual can make them think their cars are malfunctioning. It’s a type of mass delusion brought on by fear and overactive imaginations. “When people expect problems, they’re more likely to find them,” said Lars Perner, professor of clinical marketing at the University of Southern California, in an Associated Press article.

“The brakes were discolored and showed wear, but the pattern of friction suggested the driver had intermittently applied moderate pressure on the brakes,” The Wall Street Journal reports, citing three unnamed sources familiar with the investigation. The newspaper says that the final report on the investigation is likely to cast doubt on the Sikes’ account.

The car’s driver may have have had severe financial problems, Fox News reported. The network said “Sikes filed for bankruptcy in San Diego in 2008. according to documents, he was more than $700,000 in debt.”

According to USA Today, Sikes’ 2008 bankruptcy court records list the Prius as a leased vehicle: He “owes” Toyota the value of the car, but only because it has to be returned at the end of the lease period, which is only a few months away. USA Today also says that Sikes was current on his payments for the Prius.

Toyota clearly is responsible for the defects in the over 8 million cars it has recalled for accelerator problems, as well as the Prius brake problems for which it issued additional recalls. Still, federal regulators, local law enforcement officials and Toyota engineers are likely to look at some of these malfunction claims with an extra bit of skepticism. And that may bring Toyota a measure of the public sympathy that the automaker will require to repair its brand.

Runaway Prius story: Fact, Fraud or Media-Induced Delusion?

California Marriage Records are carefully maintained at the California Department of Public Health Office of Vital Records. the said office is the one responsible in keeping such documents on marriages that were filed within the State. the best method to obtain the desired marriage certificate is through your local county office where the wedding took place since it has been observed that the retrieval of the data has shorter time compared to retrieval in the state office.

With regards to its retrieval, there are a lot of ways and sources that can be done. Your local state agency provides the quickest way to obtain a certified copy of this marriage record. the said record is also available at a county office. if you have easy access to the internet, you may also visit the official State website where the database of public records such as crime and court lookup can be found. In this site, birth, death and California marriage records are posted on the health section so if you’re searching any of these records, you may directly click on that section. another helpful source is the private providers that are available online which offers services for this matter.

Public Marriage Records are literally accessible by any member of the public. the process of looking up such marriage records is very easy to follow. First of all, you have to be sure that you already have all of the required information in searching for a marriage record. this information includes the bride and grooms first and last name and the date of marriage.

Next step, when you perform your search online, you have to find the exact site that will give you the desired results for the said searching. that can be easily done with the use of Google search where you can just search for the first and last name of the bride and the groom. Your local recorders office can also help you with the task if you will just fill out the necessary forms for the research. You can then hand in the required forms and request for such marriage certificate. however, you have to take note that not all States provide free access to such marriage certificate copy; others require a certain amount of money before releasing the said copy.

These Public Marriage Records are significant in many ways. One significance is that these records are centrally updated so that anyone who wants to know the details of a marriage can just do a search on this. These records are also useful in criminal issues and verifications. It also shows the name of witnesses that can be referred to in case of conflicts in the future. those who are investigating about their family tree can also utilize these records. another significance is its use in case of divorce cases and for background check of any individual as well.

Government agencies usually keep these Free Marriage Records for a person’s study on genealogical history, and some background research by lawyers, police, media and other professionals that can take advantage of the information found in these records. however, it has to be remembered that these records are searchable only if the courts have filed them for legality purposes already.

Looking for Marriage Records Free? We can guide you on choosing the best option with our specialist information about Free Marriage Records.

Details Brought By Free Marriage Records | Family Law Attorney …

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Oklahoma’s open records and open meetings acts are meant to preserve the public’s right to know about government.

How that translates when conflicts arise is often decided by local attorneys who may not be trained in open government laws, attorneys and open government advocates said.if you want public documents from your city government, from a police report to a city council agenda, the law guiding the release of those records is the Oklahoma Open Records Act. unless there is a specific exemption for a record, you can see it for free and get a copy for no more than 25 cents for page. but there are gray areas, and when conflicts arise, cities rely on either a staff attorney or a private attorney paid to represent the city. Mark Hanebutt, professor of media ethics and media law at the University of Central Oklahoma, has worked as an investigative journalist. He also has a law degree and is a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association.”It would be rather easy for someone to go through law school and not be particularly familiar with any particular law,” he said. “It teaches you to analyze cases and think critically. the law you do go over, you go over rather quickly.”Hanebutt said most attorneys specialize in one area of law and learn as much about it as possible. For a city attorney, that might mean contracts, tort law and other statutes.He said there aren’t many classes for attorneys about open government. more often, they have to teach themselves.”If you are spending most of your days dealing with other matters and don’t come across an open government issue but once a blue moon, you may not be very familiar with it,” Hanebutt said.a recent example of a city attorney misunderstanding the law occurred last summer when Oklahoma City refused to release the birth date of one of its employees on the advice of city attorneys. Ed Martin, the director of the city’s weed and seed crime prevention program, was placed on administrative leave after allegations of misspending in his office. in a letter denying an open records request from The Oklahoman for Martin’s birth date, city attorneys cited an exemption meant to keep the state from releasing driver records.Attorney General Drew Edmondson issued an official opinion saying employee birth dates are presumed open, prompting the city to release Martin’s birth date. a background check showed Martin declared personal bankruptcy shortly before the allegationsAssistant Attorney General Gay Tudor helps teach public officials about openness laws at seminars across the state every other year. She said most city attorneys try hard to understand the law.”Occasionally we see things that make us scratch our heads,” Tudor said. “Many city attorneys in small towns practice all kinds of law. many times they are general practice attorneys. they may handle divorces and contracts or criminal defense.”The seminars offered by Attorney General Drew Edmonson are most often attended by elected officials, clerks and private citizens who want to know how to handle public records and conduct public meetings. Attorneys aren’t a large part of the audience, Tudor said.”I’m always for any kind of training and education,” Tudor said. “We’ve even talked about that for state employees. the question is how do you offer training for such a large number of people.”Hanebutt said more training would help, but the public still needs city attorneys who understand their roles. He said some consider their client to be the board or elected officials they are working for, who may want to keep information secret.”The law can be very complicated and very case-specific,” Hanebutt said. “You can look at any set of facts or story and come up with a different meaning. if they are a city attorney and they are receiving taxpayer money for their salaries, they are supposed to be working on behalf of the citizens.” Leave a CommentView the discussion thread.comments powered by DisqusNews Photo Galleriesview all Thunder vs. Jazz: Sunday, March 15, 2010

NBA game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Utah Jazz, Sunday, March 15, 2010, at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City. Photos by Sarah Phipps, the Oklahoman

St. Patrick Day Parade Saturday, March 13, 2010

St. Patrick’s Day Parade Saturday, March 13, 2010 in downtown Oklahoma City.

OU-Texas A&M women

View photos from the OU-Texas A&M big 12 Championship game Sunday, March 14, 2010

5A Girls: McAlester vs. East Central

Class 5A girls high school basketball state tournament final between McAlester and East Central at the ORU Mabee Center in Tulsa.

Oklahoma’s information law can be new venue for attorneys