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☆ Trump cannot exclude 'Access Hollywood' tape from rape accuser's trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | Industry Insight | What A Law Firm Client Development Manager Says About Client Listening Programs | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Carroll sought to introduce an excerpt from the tape, which was recorded in 2005 and where Trump boasted about forcing himself on women, as evidence that Trump had a propensity for sexual assaults comparable to hers. In the "Access Hollywood" excerpt, Trump graphically described his unsuccessful attempt to have a sexual encounter with a married woman, and described himself as being attracted to beautiful women. The tape was released in October 2016 and threatened to upend Trump's White House run. Kaplan also rejected Trump's bid to exclude testimony from two other women who claimed he sexually assaulted them, and evidence that Carroll suffered emotional harm. The cases are Carroll v. Trump, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, Nos.

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON, March 9 (Reuters) - Manhattan prosecutors have signaled to Donald Trump that he could face criminal charges relating to the former president's alleged role in hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels, the New York Times reported on Thursday, citing four unnamed sources. The former president was told he could appear before a Manhattan grand jury next week if he wished to testify, the newspaper said. A spokeswoman for the Manhattan district attorney declined to comment. Lawyers who have represented Trump did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington and Karen Freifeld in New York; Editing by Dan Whitcomb and Tim AhmannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ South Carolina attorney Murdaugh appeals conviction of murdering wife, son
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Industry Insight | What A Law Firm Client Development Manager Says About Client Listening Programs | Sarah Thompson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 9 (Reuters) - Richard "Alex" Murdaugh, the South Carolina lawyer convicted last week of murdering his wife and son, appealed his conviction and life sentence on Thursday, according to court records. Murdaugh, 54, a member of a powerful South Carolina family, was found guilty on March 2 on two counts of shooting his wife Maggie, 52, and youngest son, Paul, 22, on their family estate on June 7, 2021. For decades until 2006, Murdaugh family members served as the leading prosecutor in the area, and Murdaugh was a prominent personal injury attorney in the state. Murdaugh's lawyers tried to paint their client as a loving family man who, while facing financial difficulties and a drug addiction, would never harm his wife and child. Reporting by Brad Brooks in Lubbock, Texas; Editing by David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan said the bank must turn over requested documents from 2015 to 2019, a period after JPMorgan had dropped Epstein as a client. The U.S. Virgin Islands has called Dimon "a likely source of relevant and unique information" about why JPMorgan kept Epstein on, and discussions on Epstein's referrals of prominent and wealthy potential clients. Lawyers for the U.S. Virgin Islands did not immediately respond to requests for comment. JPMorgan wants Staley to reimburse it for damages it might incur in the other lawsuits, and return eight years of compensation. The case is Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands v JPMorgan Chase Bank NA, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No.

The Wall Street bank also wants Staley to repay all compensation from 2006 to 2013. Staley has acknowledged having been friendly with Epstein, but expressed regret for their relationship and denied knowing about the financier's alleged crimes. Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Staley resigned as Barclays' chief executive in November 2021 amid a dispute with British financial regulators examining his ties to Epstein. The cases are JPMorgan Chase Bank NA v Staley, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No.

NEW YORK, March 8 (Reuters) - Sam Bankman-Fried's lawyers said on Wednesday it may be necessary to delay the FTX cryptocurrency exchange founder's scheduled Oct. 2 criminal trial, arguing it may take more time than expected to review the evidence and prepare a defense. Both have since pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. "While we are not making such an application at this time, we wanted to note this issue for the Court now," Christian Everdell, one of Bankman-Fried's lawyers, wrote in the letter. Bankman-Fried was released on $250 million bond and has been under house arrest at his parents' Palo Alto, California home. The trial schedule and Bankman-Fried's bail conditions are expected to be discussed at a court hearing on Friday.

LONDON, March 8 (Reuters) - The founder of collapsed private equity company Abraaj Group on Wednesday lost a bid to challenge his extradition from London to the United States to face fraud charges. Judge Jonathan Swift on Wednesday refused Naqvi permission to bring a judicial review against the 2021 approval of his extradition to the United States. Naqvi also suffers from severe depression and there is a “real risk” of suicide if he is extradited, Fitzgerald argued. The judge also said that Naqvi’s suicide risk could be adequately managed if he was held in prison. Naqvi’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Companies Us Justice Department FollowWASHINGTON, March 8 (Reuters) - The Louisville, Kentucky, police force routinely discriminates against Black residents, uses excessive force and conducts illegal searches, the U.S. Justice Department said on Wednesday, following a probe prompted by Breonna Taylor's death in 2020. Some Louisville police officers even filmed themselves insulting people with disabilities and describing Black people as "monkeys," the Justice Department said. Louisville Mayor Craig Greenburg told reporters the Justice Department's report brought back "painful memories" and vowed to implement reforms. Under Garland's leadership, the Justice Department has sought to reinvigorate its civil rights enforcement program, an area civil rights advocates say was left in tatters by the former administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump. The Justice department has since restored their use, and launched multiple civil rights investigations into police departments, local jails and prisons across the country.

Companies Us Justice Department FollowWASHINGTON, March 8 (Reuters) - The Louisville, Kentucky police department whose officers fatally shot Breonna Taylor in 2020 routinely discriminates against Black residents, uses excessive force and conducts illegal searches, the U.S. Justice Department said on Wednesday. At a news conference, Garland said the department had reached a "consent decree" with the Louisville police, which will require the use of an independent monitor to oversee policing reforms. Garland said some Louisville police officers had demonstrated disrespect to the people they are sworn to protect, with some insulting people with disabilities and describing Black people as "monkeys." Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency medical technician, was asleep in bed with her boyfriend on March 13, 2020, when Louisville police executing a no-knock warrant burst into her apartment. In 2022, former Louisville detective Kelly Goodlett pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges that she helped falsify the search warrant that led to Taylor's death.

☆ Analysis: Bankman-Fried's bid to shift blame complicated by new charges
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Former FTX technology chief Gary Wang and Caroline Ellison, formerly the CEO of Bankman-Fried's Alameda Research hedge fund, had each previously pleaded guilty and are cooperating. Bankman-Fried previously pleaded not guilty to stealing billions of dollars in FTX customer funds to plug losses at Alameda. The 31-year-old former billionaire and his lawyers have suggested they will attempt to shift blame onto Ellison and dispute her expected testimony at his Oct. 2 trial. In unveiling the new charges in a superseding indictment, prosecutors dismissed the idea that Bankman-Fried was in the dark about his former colleagues' crimes. Despite the hurdles, experts said Bankman-Fried will still likely dispute that he knew former members of his inner circle were breaking the law, Kasten said.

Bitcoin futures ETFs track bitcoin futures contracts, or agreements to purchase or sell bitcoin at a certain price on a specified date. A spot bitcoin ETF would track bitcoin's underlying market price. Proponents say a spot bitcoin ETF would give investors exposure to bitcoin without directly buying it. He told Reuters in January that Grayscale would appeal the case if the court backed the SEC's decision to reject its bitcoin ETF proposal. Grayscale Bitcoin Trust, launched in 2013, has $14 billion in assets under management, according to Grayscale’s website.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Michael Wiles approved Voyager's restructuring plan, which is built around the Binance.US acquisition, at a hearing in New York. Binance has agreed to pay $20 million in cash to Voyager, and to take on crypto assets deposited by Voyager customers. The customers' crypto assets, valued at $1.3 billion in February, account for the bulk of the deal's valuation, according to Voyager. Wiles approval of Voyager's plan allows it to begin transferring customer accounts to Binance, but Voyager could still walk away from the deal. Palo Alto-based Binance.US has said it is "fully independent" of its international parent company Binance, which is owned by Chinese-born and Singapore-based Changpeng Zhao.

Bitcoin futures ETFs track bitcoin futures contracts, or agreements to purchase or sell bitcoin at a certain price on a specified date. A spot bitcoin ETF would track bitcoin's underlying market price. Proponents say a spot bitcoin ETF would enable investors to gain exposure to bitcoin without directly buying it. The agency has denied more than a dozen spot bitcoin ETF applications, all of which it said lacked surveillance-sharing agreements to detect potential manipulation. Grayscale Bitcoin Trust, launched in 2013, has $14 billion in assets under management, according to Grayscale’s website.

March 7 (Reuters) - Rio Tinto (RIO.AX) said on Tuesday it had agreed to pay a $15 million civil penalty to settle an investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, relating to an alleged bribery scheme involving a consultant in Guinea. The company, one of the world's top iron ore producers, has been fined for violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by the U.S. SEC. Rio Tinto said it would pay the charges without admitting to or denying the SEC's findings that it violated books and records. Reporting by Riya Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini GanguliOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Companies TikTok FollowWASHINGTON, March 6 (Reuters) - A group of 45 state attorneys general in the United States on Monday demanded Chinese-owned social media app TikTok produce subpoenaed materials sought in an ongoing nationwide consumer protection investigation. On Monday the states urged a Tennessee state court to compel TikTok answer requests for information. TikTok, owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance, is facing renewed scrutiny worldwide over its proximity to the Chinese government and protection of user data. Like other social media apps, TikTok has also faced criticism for not doing enough to shield teens from inappropriate content. Parents will now also be able to set custom time limits for their teens' TikTok usage depending on the day of the week, the company said.

Companies Grayscale Investments LLC FollowMarch 6 (Reuters) - FTX said on Monday its affiliate Alameda Research had sued asset manager Grayscale Investments for imposing a "redemption ban" that "could realize over a quarter billion dollars" of asset value for the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange's customers. If Grayscale had reduced its fees and did not implement redemption prevention measures, which the cryptocurrency exchange alleges are improper, FTX's shares would be worth nearly 90% more than the current value of those locked up with the asset manager, FTX said. FTX also accused Grayscale owner Digital Currency Group of breaching trust agreements and fiduciary duties. Reporting by Niket Nishant in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra EluriOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

WASHINGTON, March 6 (Reuters) - U.S. auto safety regulators said Monday they are opening a probe into Amazon (AMZN.O) unit Zoox self-certification in 2022 of a robotaxi without traditional driving controls. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in September directed Zoox to answer questions about its basis for certifying the vehicle and that review is ongoing. NHTSA said Monday it is opening an audit query to determine whether the Zoox "certification basis depended upon unilaterally developed test procedures or determinations that certain standards were inapplicable due to the unique configuration of the vehicle." Reporting by David ShepardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The plaintiffs accused Ocala of violating the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment "establishment clause," which restricts governmental involvement in religion. Ocala city officials helped organize and conduct the one-hour prayer vigil held in response to a series of shootings in which three children were struck by stray bullets. The city then appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. A federal district court will now weigh the plaintiffs' establishment clause claims in light of the football coach ruling. The conservative-majority Supreme Court in recent years has chipped away at the wall separating church and state, eroding American legal traditions aimed at barring government officials from promoting any particular faith.

Companies TikTok FollowWASHINGTON, March 6 (Reuters) - A group of 45 state attorneys general on Monday demanded Chinese-owned social media app TikTok produce subpoenaed materials sought in an ongoing nationwide consumer protection investigation. The states are seeking to review internal TikTok communications to determine whether the company engaged in deceptive conduct that harmed mental health of TikTok users, particularly children and teens, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said. On Monday the states urged a Tennessee state court to compel TikTok's requests for information. Reporting by David Shepardson,Editing by Franklin PaulOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The case stems from a sweeping probe of corruption in international soccer and its world governing body, FIFA. The government’s case hinges largely on the testimony of Argentine businessman Alejandro Burzaco, who has pleaded guilty to bribing soccer officials but has yet to be sentenced. Burzaco told jurors that Martinez and Lopez were aware of and approved the scheme, which he said they discussed during multiple meetings. Lawyers for Martinez and Lopez told jurors during closing arguments on Friday that their clients were unaware of Burzaco’s scheme. Prosecutors said Burzaco’s testimony was “devastating” and alleged that emails showed him discussing the bribes with Martinez and Lopez in coded terms.

NEW YORK, March 4 (Reuters) - Sam Bankman-Fried should be allowed while on bail to have a flip phone with no internet capability and a basic laptop with limited functions, but be forbidden from using other electronic communication devices, the U.S. Department of Justice said. The judge said he did not want to set Bankman-Fried "loose in this garden of electronic devices," following accusations that Bankman-Fried tried to contact possible government witnesses and used a virtual private network to watch football. The proposed flip phone or other non-smartphone for Bankman-Fried would be limited to voice calls and SMS text messages. Laptop internet use would be restricted to specified virtual private networks, 23 websites for personal use including news, sports and food delivery, and websites to help Bankman-Fried prepare for his scheduled Oct. 2 trial. The parents agreed to submit sworn affidavits that they would not bring other electronic devices into their home or let their son use theirs.

☆ Ex-Goldman banker Ng deserves 15 years in prison, US prosecutors say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In his own sentencing request on Feb. 25, Ng asked that he be given no prison time and be allowed to return to Malaysia. He had spent six months in a Malaysian prison before waiving his right to contest extradition to the United States in 2018. Prosecutors said $4.5 billion of that sum was embezzled by officials, bankers and their associates, in one of the biggest scandals in Wall Street history. In October 2020, Goldman agreed to pay $2.9 billion and its Malaysian unit pleaded guilty to a corruption charge. Leissner pleaded guilty and testified against Ng as part of a cooperation agreement.

March 3 (Reuters) - A Michigan judge on Friday dismissed a school district and its employees as defendants in two wrongful death lawsuits stemming from a deadly 2021 mass shooting by a 15-year-old student armed with a gun his parents had bought him for Christmas. Remaining as defendants in the civil lawsuits are the gunman, Ethan Crumbley, who has since pleaded guilty to murder charges, and his parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, who have been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the shooting. Instead, he was returned to class, and emerged from a bathroom a short time later to go on his rampage. School districts cannot be sued over "the exercise or discharge of a governmental function," and none of the exceptions recognized under statutes or case law apply, the judge wrote. Ultimately, however, "Ethan Crumbley's act of firing the gun, rather than the alleged conduct of the individual Oxford defendants" was the proximate cause of injuries, the judge held.

March 3 (Reuters) - Lawyers for two former 21st Century Fox executives accused of bribing South American soccer officials assailed the credibility of the government’s star witness on Friday, as their seven-week trial draws to a close. Cooperating witness Alejandro Burzaco testified that his former business partners knew about and approved the bribes. The case is part of a sweeping corruption probe of global soccer and its governing body, FIFA. Full Play Group SA, a co-defendant in the case, is also accused of bribing soccer officials. The Argentina-based sports marketing company’s lawyers have argued bribery is an entrenched part of doing business in South America and therefore not fraudulent activity.

REUTERS/Mike Blake/File PhotoMarch 3 (Reuters) - Urban scooter company Lime sued Hertz Corp on Thursday alleging unfair competition and accusing the rental car giant of improperly hiring the startup's senior engineers. The loss of engineers has "significantly harmed" Lime, which provides short-term e-bike and scooter rentals in about 30 countries. Hertz Corp, which operates the Hertz, Dollar and Thrifty vehicle rental brands, is a subsidiary of Hertz Global Holdings Inc (HTZ.O). Cong, now at Hertz, did not immediately respond on Friday to a message seeking comment. A representative from Lime did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

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