Overlawyered » Kentucky fen-phen settlement fraud http://overlawyered.com Chronicling the high cost of our legal system Fri, 24 May 2013 04:15:51 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4 Kentucky disbars Stan Chesley http://overlawyered.com/2013/03/kentucky-disbars-stan-chesley/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=kentucky-disbars-stan-chesley http://overlawyered.com/2013/03/kentucky-disbars-stan-chesley/#comments Fri, 22 Mar 2013 12:19:19 +0000 Walter Olson http://overlawyered.com/?p=37070 We told you the Kentucky fen-phen scandal — which we’ve been covering since 2005 — was serious. Now it’s resulted in the permanent revocation of the Kentucky license to practice of famed “Master of Disaster” tort specialist Stanley Chesley, whose office is across the river in Cincinnati, Ohio. Two lawyers who directly represented fen-phen clients [...]

Kentucky disbars Stan Chesley is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

]]> We told you the Kentucky fen-phen scandal — which we’ve been covering since 2005 — was serious. Now it’s resulted in the permanent revocation of the Kentucky license to practice of famed “Master of Disaster” tort specialist Stanley Chesley, whose office is across the river in Cincinnati, Ohio. Two lawyers who directly represented fen-phen clients in Kentucky, “Shirley Cunningham Jr. and William Gallion, are serving prison sentences for bilking clients out of $94 million in settlement money.” While Chesley did not represent Cunningham’s or Gallion’s clients, and denied holding any legal responsibility toward them, he accepted a $20 million fee, far in excess of negotiated sums, for representing the lawyers themselves in the settlement that brought in the cash, a sum that “was unreasonable, especially in light of his professed ignorance and lack of responsibility for any aspect of the litigation except showing up at the mediation and going through the motions of announcing the agreement,” the Kentucky Supreme Court concluded. Chesley participated in the diversion of the pilfered funds into a trust (pleasantly named “Kentucky Fund for Healthy Living“) intended to conceal the skimming, and helped orchestrate the lawyers’ cover-up. Wrote the court: “The vast amount of evidence compiled and presented in this matter demonstrates convincingly that respondent knowingly participated in a scheme to skim millions of dollars in excess attorney’s fees from unknowing clients.” [ABA Journal; court order, PDF; Louisville Courier-Journal; Daniel Fisher, Forbes; David Lat, Above the Law]

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Kentucky disbars Stan Chesley is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

]]> http://overlawyered.com/2013/03/kentucky-disbars-stan-chesley/feed/ 2 Three lawyers depart embattled Chesley’s firm http://overlawyered.com/2012/12/three-lawyers-depart-embattled-chesleys-firm/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=three-lawyers-depart-embattled-chesleys-firm http://overlawyered.com/2012/12/three-lawyers-depart-embattled-chesleys-firm/#comments Sat, 22 Dec 2012 16:35:28 +0000 Walter Olson http://overlawyered.com/?p=34910 Among the departing lawyers are those representing the state of Ohio in a public employee retirement fund-led class action; the state may not appreciate the fallout from Chesley’s efforts to fight disbarment in Kentucky over the fen-phen scandal. [Cincinnati Enquirer] Many of the one-time “Master of Disaster’s” bipartisan political ties, however, remain cozy: Chesley noted [...]

Three lawyers depart embattled Chesley’s firm is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

]]> Among the departing lawyers are those representing the state of Ohio in a public employee retirement fund-led class action; the state may not appreciate the fallout from Chesley’s efforts to fight disbarment in Kentucky over the fen-phen scandal. [Cincinnati Enquirer] Many of the one-time “Master of Disaster’s” bipartisan political ties, however, remain cozy:

Chesley noted that Hamilton County [= Cincinnati] Prosecutor Joe Deters, who has worked for Chesley as a private attorney for four years, continues to work at the firm.

Deters also works as a private attorney for the new firm created by Chesley’s former lawyers. Deters, a leader in Hamilton County’s Republican Party, praises Chesley, who has helped raise millions for Democrats…

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Three lawyers depart embattled Chesley’s firm is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

]]> http://overlawyered.com/2012/12/three-lawyers-depart-embattled-chesleys-firm/feed/ 0 Further update roundup http://overlawyered.com/2011/12/further-update-roundup/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=further-update-roundup http://overlawyered.com/2011/12/further-update-roundup/#comments Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:10:08 +0000 Walter Olson http://overlawyered.com/?p=25626 More on prosecution of “jury nullification” activist Julian Heicklen [Brian Doherty, Tim Lynch/Cato, earlier] Age-bias litigant who complained about 88 year old judge is reassigned same judge [NYDN via Ellie K., earlier] Court certifies Nutella class action [Russell Jackson, earlier here and here] D.C. agency dismisses Banzhaf’s complaint about single-sex dorms at Catholic U. [Caron, [...]

Further update roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

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  • More on prosecution of “jury nullification” activist Julian Heicklen [Brian Doherty, Tim Lynch/Cato, earlier]
  • Age-bias litigant who complained about 88 year old judge is reassigned same judge [NYDN via Ellie K., earlier]
  • Court certifies Nutella class action [Russell Jackson, earlier here and here]
  • D.C. agency dismisses Banzhaf’s complaint about single-sex dorms at Catholic U. [Caron, earlier]
  • After SCOTUS decision in Brown v. Plata, L.A. faces possible release of thousands of inmates [PoL, earlier here, here and here, Federalist Society panel]
  • Cautionary tale of star attorney Stanley Chesley [Corporate Counsel] Ken Feinberg, Harvey Pitt back off expert avowals in Chesley cases [Robert Ambrogi] Judge Bamberger disbarred in Kentucky fen-phen scandal [ABA Journal]
  • Texas doctor will surrender license in case where nurses faced false criminal charges [PoL, earlier]
  • Mistrial in case of New Jersey lawyer Paul Bergrin [Star-Ledger, earlier]
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    Further update roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

    ]]>     http://overlawyered.com/2011/12/further-update-roundup/feed/ 2     Chesley’s cautionary tale http://overlawyered.com/2011/11/chesleys-cautionary-tale/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=chesleys-cautionary-tale http://overlawyered.com/2011/11/chesleys-cautionary-tale/#comments Thu, 17 Nov 2011 15:11:48 +0000 Walter Olson http://overlawyered.com/?p=25718 What went wrong with one of the biggest names in the plaintiff’s bar. [Corporate Counsel] Tweet Tags: Kentucky fen-phen settlement fraud, Stan Chesley

    Chesley’s cautionary tale is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

    ]]>     What went wrong with one of the biggest names in the plaintiff’s bar. [Corporate Counsel]

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    Chesley’s cautionary tale is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

    ]]>     http://overlawyered.com/2011/11/chesleys-cautionary-tale/feed/ 1     June 14 roundup http://overlawyered.com/2011/06/june-14-roundup-3/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=june-14-roundup-3 http://overlawyered.com/2011/06/june-14-roundup-3/#comments Tue, 14 Jun 2011 15:29:29 +0000 Walter Olson http://overlawyered.com/?p=23394 Bizarrely overbroad: “Tennessee law bans posting images that ’cause emotional distress’” [Tim Lee, Ars Technica] “Superlawyer Stanley Chesley Faces Reckoning Tuesday” [Dan Fisher, Forbes, Cincinnati Enquirer, reporter Jim Hannah, earlier] More on record run-up in used car prices [Perry; my Cato take] Winkler County, Texas nurses case illuminates evils of prosecution-as-weapon [Texas Observer via PoL; [...]

    June 14 roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

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  • Bizarrely overbroad: “Tennessee law bans posting images that ’cause emotional distress’” [Tim Lee, Ars Technica]
  • “Superlawyer Stanley Chesley Faces Reckoning Tuesday” [Dan Fisher, Forbes, Cincinnati Enquirer, reporter Jim Hannah, earlier]
  • More on record run-up in used car prices [Perry; my Cato take]
  • Winkler County, Texas nurses case illuminates evils of prosecution-as-weapon [Texas Observer via PoL; earlier here, here, and here]
  • Not a parody: claim that litigious celebs should be doing more to support Litigation Lobby [CJD]
  • “Feminism by Treaty: Why CEDAW is Still a Bad Idea” [Christina Sommers, Policy Review]
  • Why do agents of so many miscellaneous government agencies pack guns? [Quin Hillyer last year]
  • New idea for who to sue over sex scandals [Conan show lawyer ad parody, adult content]
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    June 14 roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

    ]]>     http://overlawyered.com/2011/06/june-14-roundup-3/feed/ 1     February 25 roundup http://overlawyered.com/2011/02/february-25-roundup-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=february-25-roundup-2 http://overlawyered.com/2011/02/february-25-roundup-2/#comments Fri, 25 Feb 2011 15:56:56 +0000 Walter Olson http://overlawyered.com/?p=21690 “Lawyer held in contempt for advising clients to retake foreclosed home” [Ventura County Star, earlier] Some perspective on Wisconsin Gov. Walker’s plans: about half the states curtail some or all public-sector unionism [Barro] Guy who sued over Jimmy Carter book offers his side of story [Turley, earlier] “Disbarment recommended for litigator Chesley over fen-phen fees” [...]

    February 25 roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

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  • “Lawyer held in contempt for advising clients to retake foreclosed home” [Ventura County Star, earlier]
  • Some perspective on Wisconsin Gov. Walker’s plans: about half the states curtail some or all public-sector unionism [Barro]
  • Guy who sued over Jimmy Carter book offers his side of story [Turley, earlier]
  • “Disbarment recommended for litigator Chesley over fen-phen fees” [NLJ, PoL, previously on scandal] Kenneth Feinberg affidavit in case draws scrutiny [Steele/LEF, Frank/PoL]
  • Mississippi: “Minor, 2 ex-judges disbarred by state Supreme Court” [Sun-Herald, related on scheduled resentencing, earlier]
  • “AIG Ended Up Having To Pay Millions For the Duke Lacrosse Stripper Lawsuit” [Business Insider, earlier]
  • Labor Department hotline to put workers in touch with private lawyers [Fox Biz, Wood/PoL]
  • Underage man on hook for child support to older woman [seven years ago on Overlawyered]
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    February 25 roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

    ]]>     http://overlawyered.com/2011/02/february-25-roundup-2/feed/ 3     February 17 roundup http://overlawyered.com/2011/02/february-17-roundup/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=february-17-roundup http://overlawyered.com/2011/02/february-17-roundup/#comments Thu, 17 Feb 2011 12:12:00 +0000 Walter Olson http://overlawyered.com/?p=21492 Gender imbalance in Wikipedia and geographic bees? Find something else to worry about [Heather Mac Donald, Slate, via Secular Right; Perry] “On Equality: The Anti-Interference Principle” [Donald Kochan, Chapman, SSRN] High-profile NY attorney suspended after “avalanche” of complaints [Turkewitz, more] Credit unions vs. class action lawyers [Funnell] Obligation to use club cards to facilitate recalls? [...]

    February 17 roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

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  • Gender imbalance in Wikipedia and geographic bees? Find something else to worry about [Heather Mac Donald, Slate, via Secular Right; Perry] “On Equality: The Anti-Interference Principle” [Donald Kochan, Chapman, SSRN]
  • High-profile NY attorney suspended after “avalanche” of complaints [Turkewitz, more]
  • Credit unions vs. class action lawyers [Funnell]
  • Obligation to use club cards to facilitate recalls? CSPI’s strange lawsuit against Safeway [Goldfarb, Food Liability Law]
  • “Arkansas Justice Has a Generous Lawyer Friend, Disclosure Forms Reveal” [Weiss, ABA Journal]
  • NYC pols plan regulatory squeeze on popular inter-city “Chinatown bus” operators [DNAInfo, Reason]
  • “Kentucky appeals court reverses $42 million fen-phen fraud judgment” [Courier-Journal, PoL]
  • $1,500 per lead brought in: why you see so many mesothelioma ads on the web [three years ago on Overlawyered]
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    February 17 roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

    ]]>     http://overlawyered.com/2011/02/february-17-roundup/feed/ 0     August 30 roundup http://overlawyered.com/2010/08/august-30-roundup/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=august-30-roundup http://overlawyered.com/2010/08/august-30-roundup/#comments Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:51:14 +0000 Walter Olson http://overlawyered.com/?p=19051 Ghastly CPSIA law reaches two-year anniversary [AmendTheCPSIA; related, CPSC Commissioner Northup] Longtime Overlawyered mentionee Andrew Thomas in GOP primary cliffhanger for Arizona AG [Coyote, background] Biased bar-b-q? “Suit challenges air pollution from restaurant as civil rights violation” [Alexandria, Va. Gazette-Packet via Mystal/AtL] Canada: “Lawyer Awarded $6M for Fall on Dance Floor After Firm-Sponsored Dinner” [ABA [...]

    August 30 roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

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  • Ghastly CPSIA law reaches two-year anniversary [AmendTheCPSIA; related, CPSC Commissioner Northup]
  • Longtime Overlawyered mentionee Andrew Thomas in GOP primary cliffhanger for Arizona AG [Coyote, background]
  • Biased bar-b-q? “Suit challenges air pollution from restaurant as civil rights violation” [Alexandria, Va. Gazette-Packet via Mystal/AtL]
  • Canada: “Lawyer Awarded $6M for Fall on Dance Floor After Firm-Sponsored Dinner” [ABA Journal]
  • San Diego taxpayers rub their eyes and ask what went wrong with municipal-employee pensions [Union-Tribune via Alkon; more from Steven Greenhut and Megan McArdle]
  • FM radio phone mandate? “Dying industry tries to regulate its way back into your life” [Freddoso/Examiner]
  • “Judge assailed for fraud in Kentucky fen-phen case” [Andrew Wolfson, Louisville Courier-Journal]
  • Taco Bell not liable for cost of Ganges purification pilgrimage after devout vegetarians inadvertently consume meat [eleven years ago on Overlawyered]
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    August 30 roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

    ]]>     http://overlawyered.com/2010/08/august-30-roundup/feed/ 4     August 19 roundup http://overlawyered.com/2010/08/august-19-roundup-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=august-19-roundup-2 http://overlawyered.com/2010/08/august-19-roundup-2/#comments Thu, 19 Aug 2010 11:27:15 +0000 Walter Olson http://overlawyered.com/?p=18939 Judge bans $1.35 billion sugar beet crop for lack of environmental impact statement [NY Times] Brennan Center, Justice at Stake attracting attention with new report on money in state court judicial races [report in PDF, Kang/ConcurOp] Obama signs “libel tourism” bill into law [Levy, CL&P] “Zach Scruggs claims new evidence clears him” [Patsy Brumfield, NE [...]

    August 19 roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

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  • Judge bans $1.35 billion sugar beet crop for lack of environmental impact statement [NY Times]
  • Brennan Center, Justice at Stake attracting attention with new report on money in state court judicial races [report in PDF, Kang/ConcurOp]
  • Obama signs “libel tourism” bill into law [Levy, CL&P]
  • “Zach Scruggs claims new evidence clears him” [Patsy Brumfield, NE Mississippi Daily Journal via YallPolitics]
  • Second Circuit panel blasts 1980s abuse-accusation panic in ruling on Friedman case [opinion via NYT and Bernstein/Volokh]
  • Famed Cincinnati lawyer Stanley Chesley may face disciplinary action before Kentucky bar over role in fen-phen scandal [Courier-Journal via Dan Fisher and PoL]
  • Sexual harassment verdict against California casino “amounts to 2/3 of the company’s net worth” [Fox, Jottings]
  • Every White House needs to hire some partisan brawlers. But with “ethics czar” duties? [Matt Welch, Reason]
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    August 19 roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

    ]]>     http://overlawyered.com/2010/08/august-19-roundup-2/feed/ 7     October 2 roundup http://overlawyered.com/2009/10/october-2-roundup-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=october-2-roundup-2 http://overlawyered.com/2009/10/october-2-roundup-2/#comments Fri, 02 Oct 2009 12:52:30 +0000 Walter Olson http://overlawyered.com/?p=13981 Update: “Cash4Gold Drops Consumerist From Lawsuit” [its report; earlier] Unrelatedly, the same Consumers Union publication was taken in by a fake memo in which Australian McDonald’s supposedly plotted to defraud its customers [its revised post] “You just killed the homeowner. The bad guy is in there.” [Courthouse News and Scott Greenfield, Phoenix] “Reporter Who Survived [...]

    October 2 roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

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  • Update: “Cash4Gold Drops Consumerist From Lawsuit” [its report; earlier] Unrelatedly, the same Consumers Union publication was taken in by a fake memo in which Australian McDonald’s supposedly plotted to defraud its customers [its revised post]
  • “You just killed the homeowner. The bad guy is in there.” [Courthouse News and Scott Greenfield, Phoenix]
  • “Reporter Who Survived Midair Crash Now on Risky ‘Libel Tourism’ Journey” [ABA Journal, Krauss/Point of Law, earlier; Joe Sharkey, Brazil]
  • Permanent disbarment sought for “too drunk to join fen-phen conspiracy” Kentucky lawyer Mills [Courier-Journal]
  • “Woman Blames Study Abroad Program for Rape in Mali” [OnPoint News]
  • Ninth Circuit reinstates prosecution of Nevada lawyer, surgeon and consultant in injury-case furor spotlighted by Fortune mag [Legally Unbound, which by coincidence has just hosted Blawg Review #231; Las Vegas Review Journal; earlier]
  • Punch line ad lib.: “Former terrorist wants to be lawyer” [Toronto Star] More: Lowering the Bar.
  • “Is It So Crazy For A Patent Attorney To Think Patents Harm Innovation?” [Michael Masnick, Techdirt, Against Monopoly (Stephen Kinsella)]
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    October 2 roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

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