Your trusted source for Iowa business and franchise law insights.
Your trusted source for Iowa business and franchise law insights.
Big news today. A federal grand jury has indicted four people on fraud and conspiracy charges in the CIETC scandal and the former CIETC Chief Operating Officer, John Bargman, apparently pleaded guilty to charges in exchange for testimony in the case.
The four indicted include:
…
If you are a lawyer representing an individual you better start asking your clients whether they have a MySpace, Facebook, or other social networking Web site. A lawyer I know ended up on the short end of the stick in a pre-trial hearing when opposing counsel pulled out pictures and comments from a…
The Plaintiffs have now set up a Web site to post the public records in the Iowa consumer class action against Microsoft. Just go to www.iowaconsumercase.com. The site currently has transcripts available. Exhibits and further information will be available later this week. A permanent Web site is expected to be set up during the…
The Iowa consumer class action against Microsoft resumed this week with testimony from the first live witness in the trial, Ronald Alepin. Alepin is a computer consultant and a technology advisor with MOFO in San Francisco. Groklaw has some interesting information about Alepin and his past dealings with Microsoft.
Alepin has been called to…
The opening statements have ended in the Iowa consumer class action against Microsoft. The Plaintiffs’ side of the evidence began on Friday with the Plaintiffs playing a video taped deposition of Bill Gates from 1998. The deposition was taken during the government case against Microsoft back in the 90s.
Sources have said Gates was "evasive"…
Bloggers should take note of this post I found on Kevin O’Keefe’s blog, Real Lawyers Have Blogs.
The Washington Post reports that the Federal Trade Commission ruled on December 11, 2006 that companies engaging in word-of-mouth marketing, in which people are compensated to promote products to their peers, must disclose those relationships. The Post…
The Plaintiffs, represented by Roxanne Conlin, finally ended the longest opening statement in Iowa trial history (I am joking but I believe it to be true) in the consumer class action case against Microsoft. Microsoft’s lead trial attorney, David Tulchin of Sullivan & Cromwell said he felt like he had waited a long time…
The Plaintiff continued with their sixth day of opening statements as the week ended. Roxanne Conlin is expected to turn over the opening to her co-counsel soon for a discussion regarding damages. According to reliable sources, Microsoft does not plan on taking nearly as long to lay out their side of the case.
It is…
The new federal electronic discovery rules became effective December 1, 2006. (See this earlier article for a more detailed description of the rules and the amendments.) Consulting companies appear to be hitting this hot and heavy as several of my clients have received marketing materials offering to assist with their electronic discovery needs. Many clients…
Plaintiffs’ attorney Roxanne Conlin has decided not to call Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer in her case-in-chief, contrary to her earlier strategy. Conlin reconsidered her position after Judge Rosenberg ruled that Microsoft could question Gates and Ballmer directly after Conlin rather than waiting until Microsoft presented its side of the case. Instead, Conlin will now…