Legal News

Wells Fargo to Pay $94 Million to Settle Mortgage Forbearance Class-Action

Published by Nikki Palmer on Fri, 09/23/2022 - 12:00am

HousingWire is reporting that Wells Fargo agreed to pay $94 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that placed more than 200k mortgage borrowers into forbearance during the pandemic, unlawfully and without their consent. According to the report, customers who inquired about forebearance, but did not formerly request it, got it anyway, damaging their credit scores and making it more difficult for them to refinance. Wells Fargo denied any wrongdoing in the settlement that includes over 212k loans.

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Comprehensive Strategic Plan Released By Access To Justice Commission

Published by Nikki Palmer on Thu, 09/22/2022 - 3:00am

The Nebraska Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission has developed its first comprehensive strategic plan to guide the work of the Commission and standing committees for the next five years.

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Judges Engage In Candid Conversations With Students For Constitution Day And Beyond

Published by Nikki Palmer on Fri, 09/16/2022 - 4:00am

Federal judges and volunteer attorneys are engaging with local high school students in courtrooms and classrooms both virtually and in-person to heighten awareness of the importance of civil discourse and the role of the courts in daily life this Constitution Day, Sept. 17, and throughout the year.

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District Court Judge Robert Otte To Retire End Of November

Published by Nikki Palmer on Fri, 09/16/2022 - 3:00am

Hon. Robert R. Otte, District Judge for the 3rd Judicial District, is retiring November 27, 2022. Otte serves as a judge of the Lancaster County Veterans Treatment Court in addition to presiding full-time on the district court bench in Lincoln.

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Lawyers Seek Justice For Nebraska State Ward Whose Legs Were Amputated After Being Jailed

Published by Nikki Palmer on Fri, 09/16/2022 - 2:00am

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA — Kevin Pittillo was delirious, not wearing a shirt or jeans and claiming that he was a former KGB agent from Russia or a current member of the U.S. military, when he was hauled to the Pottawattamie County Jail in July 2018.

His offense: disturbing the peace.

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Reimagining The OCI Process: What We Learned From The Pandemic

Published by Nikki Palmer on Fri, 09/09/2022 - 5:00am

On-campus interviews have long been a staple of law firm recruiting. But when the pandemic hit, law firms, like everyone else, had to adapt by taking this time-honored tradition virtual—in many cases with great success.

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Omaha District Judges Sit With Nebraska Supreme Court

Published by Nikki Palmer on Fri, 09/09/2022 - 3:00am

From left: Justice Jonathan Papik, Justice Stephanie Stacy, Justice Lindsey Miller-Lerman, Judge Timothy Burns, Justice William Cassel, Justice Jeff Funke, and Judge Shelly Stratman. Arguing before the Court is attorney James D. Smith. Recording Court arguments is Allyson Stewart. (Nebraska Public Media)

Nebraska District Court Judges Shelly R. Stratman and Timothy P. Burns of Omaha, Nebraska, were invited to sit with the Nebraska Supreme Court on September 1, 2022.

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True Crime Entertainment Like The Teacher’s Pet Can Shine A Light On Cold Cases - But Does It Help Or Hinder Justice Being Served?

Published by Nikki Palmer on Fri, 09/09/2022 - 2:00am

Listeners of the true crime podcast Teacher’s Pet were vindicated last Tuesday when 74-year-old Chris Dawson was found guilty of murdering his wife Lynette in Sydney nearly 40 years ago.

Dawson was convicted based on overwhelming circumstantial evidence in a judge-only trial.

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Nebraska State Bar Association Receives 2022 ABA Harrison Tweed Award

Published by Nikki Palmer on Fri, 09/02/2022 - 5:00am

Named for an outstanding leader in the promotion of free legal services to the poor, the Harrison Tweed Award was created in 1956 to recognize the extraordinary achievements of state and local bar associations that develop or significantly expand projects or programs to increase access to civil legal services to persons living in poverty or criminal defense services to indigents. The Nebraska State Bar Association (NSBA) was nominated for its work coordinating the Tenant Assistance Project and expansion of that progr

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As Teens Wait For Work, Ag Firms Turn To Guest Workers To Tend To Midwest Cornfields

Published by Nikki Palmer on Fri, 09/02/2022 - 4:00am

Lynn Lief’s family ran a detasseling business for over 40 years in southeast Nebraska. At its height, Lief’s business employed up to 500 area teenagers and detasseled nearly 2,700 acres for Syngenta and Bayer. (Courtesy Lynn Lief)

Over time, Lynn Lief found herself with less and less work to offer to teenagers.

For more than 40 years, Lief and her family employed up to 500 middle and high schoolers to detassel corn in July and August. Based in York, Nebraska, she ran buses to pick up teens in neighboring Seward and all the way to Lincoln one hour away.