Cohen acknowledges stealing from Trump, bar exam alternatives gain ABA backing, retired teacher admits threatening Florida Judge, and more ??
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?? Good morning from The Legal File! Here is the rundown of today's top legal news:
?? Cohen acknowledges stealing from Trump at hush money trial
Donald Trump's former fixer Michael Cohen testified that he stole money from Trump's company, an admission that could chip away at his credibility as a star witness at the former U.S. president's hush money trial.
Questioned by Trump's lawyer Todd Blanche, Cohen acknowledged stealing from the Trump Organization by including a reimbursement to a technology company in his bonus package and pocketing most of the money.
Cohen said he paid roughly $20,000 of the $50,000 that Trump's company owed to the tech company in cash, handing it off in a brown paper bag at his office. He said he kept the rest. He was reimbursed $100,000 total by the Trump Organization for that payment.
Cohen is the final and most important witness for New York prosecutors as they seek to convince a jury that Trump broke the law by covering up a $130,000 payment that bought the silence of porn star Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 election.
After his testimony concludes, Trump's lawyers will have a chance to present evidence and witnesses of their own.
??Bar exam alternatives gain American Bar Association backing
The American Bar Association on May 17 endorsed alternative attorney licensing pathways that don’t involve the bar exam, marking a major shift in ABA's stance on admission to practice law.
The adoption of a new policy statement by the ABA's Council of the Section of Legal Education urges states to “create diverse pathways to licensure."
For 103 years, the ABA has backed the use of bar exams for lawyer licensing.
The revision of the policy statement, from the legal education section of the ABA, comes as a growing number of states are establishing alternative ways to license new law graduates.
The new policy statement also calls on states to create licensing pathways that “mitigate the disparate exclusion from the profession of racial and ethnic minorities and individuals of low socioeconomic status.”
The ABA council on May 17 also voted to continue developing a proposal to start accrediting fully online law schools, saying it needs more time to gather data on online juris doctor programs and work out further details.
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???? Retired teacher admits to threatening Florida judge in LGBTQ education case
A retired teacher has pleaded guilty to threatening in obscenity-filled voicemails to harm a federal judge in Florida who had rejected a challenge to the state's so-called "don't say gay" law restricting classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Stephen Thorn, 66, pleaded guilty earlier this week in federal court in Tampa to a single threat charge related to five voice mails he left on Oct. 24, 2022 with the judge's chambers in Orlando after he read a news story about a ruling she issued, prosecutors said on May 16.
He faces up to five years in prison. A defense lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.
The prosecution comes amid a sharp rise in threats to federal judges nationally. Serious threats against federal judges rose to 457 in fiscal year 2023, which ended on Sept. 30, from 224 in fiscal 2021, the U.S. Marshals Service says.
A Reuters investigation has documented how many of those threats were directed at judges who have been criticized by Republican former President Donald Trump after ruling against his interests in cases they were hearing.
?? Hershey faces larger lawsuit over missing designs on Reese's candies
Hershey is facing a renewed, larger lawsuit claiming it misled consumers about the amount of artistic detail they would find on several Reese's peanut butter candies after opening the packaging.
In a proposed class action on May 17, four Reese's consumers in southern Florida said they were "very disappointed" that the candies they bought late last year looked plain, and lacked the "explicit carved out artistic designs" shown on the packaging.
All said they would not have bought anything had they known the candies would be unadorned.
The nine candies included several with Halloween and Christmas themes, as well as Reese's Peanut Butter footBalls and Reese's Medal.
The lawsuit was filed by Nathan Vidal, Debra Kennick, Abdjul Martin and Eduardo Granados in the Fort Lauderdale, Florida federal court and seeks at least $5 million.
?? That's all for today, thank you for reading?The Legal File, and have a great day!
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Technical Equipment/Automation Development at DECCO US, Postharvest
10 个月I don't know the theft admission chips away ay Cohen's credibility - he has none to begin with. It does bed the question why a DA would ignore a Class C felony to prosecute a misdemeanor. Never mind, we already know.