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A former state senator, Vincent J. Fumo, is seeking a new trial on corruption charges, claiming the jury was tainted. In March, a jury found that Mr. Fumo, a Philadelphia Democrat, defrauded the State Senate, a charity and a museum of $3.5 million. In court papers, Dennis Cogan, a lawyer for Mr. Fumo, says he discussed the case with a magazine reporter after the trial. He says the reporter, Ralph Cipriano, told him he had interviewed jurors and they knew during the trial about Mr. Fumo's previous prosecutions on corruption charges. He says one juror was getting updates from a co-worker on news coverage of the trial. Mr. Cipriano's article is to appear in Philadelphia Magazine on Aug. 1. The magazine's editor in chief, Larry Platt, declined to comment. Mr. Fumo is free on bail until his sentencing, which is scheduled for July 14. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A list of witnesses who could be called to testify against Woody Allen, below, in his lawsuit against the clothing maker American Apparel is becoming as familiar and self-referential as the director's films. Reuters reported that in court papers filed on Monday, lawyers for Mr. Allen asked a court to prevent American Apparel from calling Soon-Yi Previn, his wife, and Mia Farrow, his former companion and Ms. Previn's mother, at a trial scheduled to begin in New York on May 18. Mr. Allen is suing American Apparel, asserting that it improperly used a still image of him from ''Annie Hall'' in billboards and online advertisements. A lawyer for American Apparel has said that he would bring up elements of Mr. Allen's personal history at the trial; the filmmaker's lawyers said the tactics were ''part of a brutish attempt to smear and intimidate Mr. Allen,'' according to Reuters. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

An Iraqi-born resident of the United States who was ordered to cover a T-shirt with Arabic script before boarding a plane in New York has received $240,000 in a settlement with two officials of the Transportation Safety Administration and JetBlue Airways. The Iraqi, Raed Jarrar, was headed for a JetBlue flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Oakland, Calif., in August 2006 when, according to court papers, he was told at a security checkpoint that his T-shirt, which said ''We will not be silent'' in Arabic and English, would have to go. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The three living children of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. have feuded before. This time the squabbling is over the legacy and estate not of their father but of their mother. In the third King v. King legal dispute in four months, two of Dr. King's children are refusing to provide a biographer of their mother, Coretta Scott King, who died in 2006, with a collection of her photographs, letters and personal papers. Their brother, Dexter King, chairman of their father's estate, has asked a judge to force them to comply. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Defense lawyers for Senator Ted Stevens said Sunday night that they had discovered new evidence of what they said was prosecutorial misconduct and renewed their call for a federal judge to declare a mistrial or dismiss the case. In papers filed late Sunday night, lawyers for Mr. Stevens, Republican of Alaska, said that material they received Friday at the order of the trial judge revealed what they said was ''intentional misconduct'' on the part of the Justice Department to conceal information that would have helped show Mr. Stevens was innocent. The new assertions came after Judge Emmet G. Sullivan has already admonished prosecutors on two occasions for earlier failings, although he declined on Thursday to declare a mistrial. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Members of the rock band Great White, whose pyrotechnics sparked a nightclub fire that killed 100 people in 2003 in West Warwick, have agreed to pay $1 million to survivors and victims' relatives, according to court papers. Roughly $175 million has now been offered by dozens of defendants to settle lawsuits over the blaze, which also injured more than 200 people and is the fourth-deadliest nightclub fire in American history. The band does not admit any wrongdoing as part of the settlement, which requires the approval of the more than 300 people suing as well as the federal judge handling the case. Great White's insurer is covering the settlement. A Duke law professor has been appointed to work out a formula to determine how much settlement money each person should receive. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

-- or, perhaps, more like the parade of toasts at his famous annual birthday fund-raisers. More than 100 people wrote to Judge William J. Martini of United States District Court to plead for leniency in sentencing Mr. James, heralding his 20-year mayoralty of Newark, as well as his more personal accomplishments as a coach, mentor, father and friend. The entreaties, submitted as so many exhibits attached to the lawyerly brief, were typed on letterheads and handwritten on notebook paper, some going on for pages, other summing up in a simple sentence. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The musicians union filed a federal lawsuit against the producers of ''American Idol'' on Thursday, claiming that its members had been underpaid because the show's live music was rerecorded for reruns, The Associated Press reported. The suit by the American Federation of Musicians contends that American Idol Productions and its subsidiary violated a collective bargaining agreement. According to court papers, the producers used different musicians to record new music for the season highlights show in 2007 and did not inform the union. The damages sought were unspecified. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A federal district court judge in Los Angeles reinstated a wrongful-death lawsuit brought by the family of the rapper Notorious B.I.G., reversing an earlier decision to dismiss the case, The Associated Press reported. Judge Florence-Marie Cooper threw out the lawsuit on March 21, ruling that the family had missed a California deadline for bringing a claim against the city and two former police officers. The family appealed, and the judge ruled that federal claims in the case can proceed, according to court papers obtained Thursday. The rapper, whose real name was Christopher Wallace, was gunned down in Los Angeles in 1997, at age 24. His killing remains unsolved, and two wrongful-death suits have been filed against the city, claiming that rogue police officers conspired to commit the murder. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Alcoa Inc., the world's third-largest aluminum producer, is under criminal investigation by the Justice Department over accusations that the company bribed officials in Bahrain in an effort to obtain business. The federal government submitted papers on Thursday in federal court in Pittsburgh requesting permission to participate in a lawsuit filed there by the government of Bahrain containing similar accusations against Alcoa, which is based in New York. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article presents information on efforts undertaken by lawyers in the United States to get Mohammed Munaf, an American citizen who has been sentenced to death by an Iraqi court, come out of Iraq. Munaf was an accused of having involved in a conspiracy hatched to kidnap three Romanian journalists in Iraq. Munaf's Attorneys filed papers in a federal court in Washington in an attempt to prevent his transfer to the Iraqi government.

Reports on the revision of a lawsuit in the U. S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit demanding that all Florida voters who use touch-screen machines receive a paper receipt, in case a recount becomes necessary.

Reports on the denial of Yaser Esam Hamdi, an American captured in an Afghanistan battlefield in November 2001, of the accusations that he took up arms against the U.S. in a court paper in Virginia.

Reports that two newspapers owned by the Tribune Co. inflated circulation figures for the year ended September 2003 in the United States. Total number of copies reduced by "Newsday" a day; Reduction in "Hoy" Spanish-language daily newspaper's average weekday and Sunday circulation figures; Lawsuits filed by advertisers accusing "Newsday" of encouraging distributors to destroy unsold copies of the paper so that they would appear to have been sold.

Focuses on a lawsuit filed by Spanish-language television broadcaster Univision Communications in Los Angeles Superior Court to stop Nielsen Media Research from making changes in the way it measures television ratings in Los Angeles, California. Complaint against the switch to the local people meters from the current system of using paper diaries along with meters; Concern about the possible undercounting of black and Hispanic viewers; Urban markets where Nielsen already made the changes.

Reports on a Vermont judge ruling that Howard Dean could not use a blanket assertion of executive privilege to shield from public view more than half of the papers he assembled over 11 years a Vermont governor.

Examines the legal battle between Wal-Mart and employees or former employees in 28 U.S. states. Allegations that Wal-Mart forced or pressured employees to work hours that were not recorded or paid; Contention of workers that such practices helped Wal-Mart undersell competition, raise profits and become the world's largest retailer; Response of Wal-Mart officials; Details of legal papers and interviews with workers; Wal-Mart's alleged policy of rewards and punishments.

States that businessman David Chang, a key witness in the federal investigation into New Jersey Senator Robert G. Torricelli for accepting improper gratuities, alleges Torricelli urged him to lie to investigators. Charge of Chang that Torricelli warned him that his life would be in danger if he cooperated with prosecutors; Details of the inquiry and the court papers filed by Chang, who has pleaded guilty to making illegal contributions to Torricelli's 1996 campaign and to obstructing justice in the United States.

Reports that Charles Schwartz, in prison for the assault on Abner Louima, filed legal papers on February 4, 2002 asserting that prison authorities in Brooklyn, New York City are holding him in inhumane conditions.

Reports on the arraignment of Mokhtar Haouari, an Algerian charged with smuggling of explosives into the United States. Evidences against Haouari according to court papers; Statement issued by Haouari's lawyer.

Reports that the United States (U.S.) Department of Justice has won a court order postponing the taking of testimony in a civil suit against auction houses Christie's and Sotheby's. Reasons the U.S. government has called for the postponement; Request of the Justice Department regarding the papers it submitted with its arguments; Why Judge Lewis Kaplan granted the delay.

Focuses on Linda Bensel-Meyers, a professor at the University of Tennessee. How she alleges the university altered grades and plagiarized papers to keep varsity players eligible for competition; Impact that lawsuits and allegations have on her; Reactions from various people on the attacks against the school.

Reports on the lawsuit filed against the United States Federal Government and Mary Immaculate Hospital by William Meequaye Kanyi, a convicted drug smuggler. Details of the lawsuit; Injuries of Kanyi from the surgery stated in the court papers; Statement issued by Stephen Phelps, director of public relations for the Catholic Medical Center of Brooklyn and Queens, which operates Mary Immaculate Hospital.

Focuses on the litigation of Lawrence X. Cusack III, a former paralegal counsel accused of forging papers in John F. Kennedy's handwriting. Contentions of the United States government prosecutors in Federal District Court in Manhattan; Details of the litigation.

Focuses on the accusations against former paralegal Lawrence X. Cusack III on forging papers in the handwriting of John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon. Defense strategy of Robert F. Kazbert, Cusack's lawyer; How Cusack was caught with his fraudulent acts; Details on the testimonies of several investors.

Reports that legal scholars have questioned the constitutionality of the decision to question Monica Lewinsky in the impeachment trial of United States President Bill Clinton. Issue of separation of powers among the branches of government; Arguments of Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr in court papers; Views of professor Laurence E. Tribe of the Harvard Law School.

Presents information on issues related to the United States. Plan of Sappi Fine Paper North America to sell more than 900,000 acres in Maine to Plum Creek Timber Company; Measurement of the gap in the Earth's ozone over Antarctica in 1998; Details on the murder trial of Thomas J. Capano.

Reports that on August 26, 1998 convicted sex offender Jose Torres was arrested by police in the death of 11-year-old neighbor, Angelica Padilla, who was killed while delivering papers in Willimantic, Connecticut. Charges that were brought against Torres, who was on parole; Issues that were discussed by authorities at a news conference prior to Torres' arrest; Questions about the effectiveness of the state's `Megan's Law,' that were raised by the case.

Reports New York City is rescinding more than $800,000 in contracts with the Council of Jewish Organizations (COJO). COJO official Paul Chernick accused of stealing funds; COJO expecting similar cancellations of state and Federal contracts; Prosecution papers naming State Assemblyman Dov Hikind of Brooklyn as a recipient of stolen funds; Comments of attorney George Meissner.

Reports that the trustee for the New York State public pension fund sued 11 current and former executives and directors of the Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corp. on August 15, 1997. The suit alleging that the corporation allowed criminal fraud to flourish throughout the company; Other allegations contained in the suit; Defendants named; Significance of the suit; Much of the critical evidence in the suit involving so-called reserve cost reports and work papers.

Reports that the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charged on May 28, 1997, that the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company illegally aimed its Joe Camel advertising campaign at minors. The charge as the first time that the FTC has accused the tobacco industry of peddling to minors; The FTC expecting R.J. Reynolds' papers will prove their charge; The FTC seeking to ban the Joe Camel cartoon figure; Reaction of R.J. Reynolds. INSET: A camel's career..

Focuses on the number of Hispanic workers who filed a civil rights lawsuit against the Long Island paper products company, American Tissue Company in Hauppauge in the United States District Court in Brooklyn, New York on July 13, 1998. Who the company was formed by; Charges made against the company; Reaction of the company to the charges; Details on the issue.

Focuses on the efforts of Amy Fisher at seeking a trial after pleading guilty to the 1992 shooting death of Mary Jo Buttafuoco. Claims by Fisher, that she was promised an early parole and entry into a work-release program from Nassau County District, by Attorney Denis E. Dillion; Reference to a paper filed in the New York State Supreme Court on June 19, 1998; Details on the case in which Fisher was convicted.

Presents excepts from papers filed in the United States Supreme Court on June 1, 1998 by President Bill Clinton, in response to Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr's motion for an expedited review of claims, which will prohibit testimonies of some of President Clinton's top aides.

Discusses the United States Justice Department's antitrust case against Microsoft Corporation, where papers filed on May 18, 1998 alledged that Microsoft was planning to block the success of Sun Microsystems Incorporated's Java programming language. Why Microsoft's plans are pertinent to the department's case; Effects of Sun's Java programming language on Microsoft's Windows operating system. INSET: The microsoft case.

Reports that investigators in the inquiry of Monica S. Lewinsky, a former United States (US) White House intern, requested that the White House waive a privilege that prohibits testimonies from US Secret Service officials, according to court papers unsealed on May 19, 1998. Information on the letters exchanged between Whitewater Independent counsel Kenneth Starr and Charles F.C. Ruff, counsel to President Bill Clinton; Circumstances surrounding the inquiry.

Reports that the State of Minnesota and Blue Cross and Blue Shield, who are suing cigarette makers over the health-related costs of smoking, took possession of 39,000 of the industry's most closely guarded papers on April 6, 1998. Refusal by the United States Supreme Court to block the surrender of the documents; Details on the lawsuit by the state and the insurance company; When the documents will become public.

Presents information on the progress made in the Paula Corbin Jones sexual harassment lawsuit against United States President Bill Clinton. How Jones' lawyers filed papers on March 28, 1998 in Federal District Court in Little Rock, Arkansas, which accused President Clinton of obstruction of justice; Sexual misconduct claims made by Kathleen E. Willey against President Clinton.

Opinion. Comments on the United States Justice Department's case regarding Microsoft Corporation's Internet Explorer. What Microsoft contended about the Internet Explorer in court papers filed on December 23, 1997; Reason for the lawsuit against Microsoft; What the case prohibits Microsoft from doing; Detailed information on the case against Microsoft.

Reports that in Hartford, Connecticut, cousins Jeffrey Colon and Jose Javier Colon were charged for a 1993 drive-by shooting. Who they were accused of killing; Comments made by the police; What court papers had mentioned; Description of their sentences.

Reports that on May 19, 1997, Craig Belsole and Dan Eggars, two cadets who were disciplined by the Citadel military school in Charleston, South Carolina, said that some female students were assigned to a unit whose cadets glorified Nazi symbols. Why the two were disciplined; Allegations that Eggars and Belsole made against the Citadel; Details on the court papers that were filed by the two.

Opinion. Discusses the series of articles that were published in The San Jose Mercury News, claiming that the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was involved in the distributing of crack cocaine in Los Angeles, California. Absence of evidence to support allegations made against the CIA; Importance of the CIA to the American government; When editor of the paper made a public apology for the articles which were proven to be false.

States that Colin Ferguson of Brooklyn was arraigned on murder charges yesterday. The 35-year-old native of Jamaica is accused of opening fire on a Long Island Rail Road commuter train and killing five people. Evidence that his actions were carefully planned. (Related article on page B8: Accused gunman's past offers portrait of boiling resentment; Excerpts from papers and letter of suspect, page B8.)

Focuses on Microsoft Corporation's July 1998 filing of its first court papers in defense of the United States Government's antitrust lawsuit against the company. Allegations that were made against the company by the US Justice Department; Denials that were part of the company's formal response to the lawsuit; Details on the preparation of both sides for the trial.

The article presents news briefs from around the United States. Three environmental groups, namely Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and the Center for Biological Diversity, have filed a lawsuit against the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush due to the failure of the administration to submit a report on climate change to the U.S. Congress. The first slot-machine parlor was opened in Pennsylvania. The rare 1918 Inverted Jenny stamp used by a voter in Florida is fake.