Financial Crisis: Andrews Publications Top Stories

Downloading Instructions

Clicking on the link below will launch your computer’s default mp3 player. To download for play on a portable player or other device, please save the file to your hard drive.

For Media Player:
9.0: File > Add to Media Library > Add File
10.0: Right click on Library > File > Add to Library > Add File

For I-Tunes:
File > Add File to Library

For RealPlayer:
File > Add Files to My Library

August 28, 2009

• An investor in auction-rate securities who accepted a refund from the stock brokerage that sold them is barred from pursuing additional compensation in a securities fraud lawsuit, a federal judge in Manhattan has ruled
• A California federal judge soon will decide whether a pension fund has fixed the flaws in its securities fraud suit against former executives of bankrupt subprime mortgage lender Fremont General Corp
• Several subsidiaries of General Growth Properties, one of the nation's largest mall owners, may remain under Chapter 11 protection, a federal bankruptcy judge has ruled in a much-anticipated decision
• Investment bank Merrill Lynch defrauded Teva Pharmaceutical to the tune of $263 million in the auction-rate securities market, the drug maker has alleged in Manhattan federal court
  
  Download MP3 (run time: 10:13)

August 21, 2009

• A federal judge in Massachusetts has thrown out a shareholder fraud suit accusing lender First Marblehead Corp. of hiding the default rates on student loans it packaged and sold as securities
• Two months after the 2nd Circuit issued an order clearing the way for Chrysler to sell most of its assets to Italian automaker Fiat, the federal appeals court has issued an opinion explaining the basis for its decision
• New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is urging a state court to reject J. Ezra Merkin’s bid to dismiss fraud allegations stemming from the hedge fund manager’s ties to Bernard Madoff’s infamous Ponzi scheme
  
  Download MP3 (run time: 8:37)

August 14, 2009

• A federal judge in Manhattan has some pointed questions about a proposed $33 million settlement of charges that Bank of America’s $50 billion federal-bailout-backed rescue of Merrill Lynch hid $3.8 billion in executive bonuses
• An Ohio federal judge will decide soon whether to throw out a multibillion-dollar shareholder suit accusing mortgage backer Freddie Mac of subprime-loan fraud
• Former American International Group CEO Maurice Greenberg and former CFO Howard Smith will pay $16.5 million to settle Securities and Exchange Commission charges that they used fraudulent accounting to inflate the insurance giant's bottom line
• Investors who say they bought $63 billion worth of “junk” mortgage-backed securities based on bad information handed out by Merrill Lynch are urging a federal judge to deny the investment bank’s motion to dismiss their fraud suit
• Shareholders have filed an amended securities fraud complaint against mortgage insurer PMI Group, aiming to plug a pleading gap that led a California federal judge to throw out the suit in July
  
  Download MP3 (run time: 12:02)

August 7, 2009

• Bernard Madoff's wife is facing a $44.8 million lawsuit filed by the liquidating trustee for her imprisoned husband's former firm, who accuses her of living a "life of splendor" using bilked investors' money
• A Texas hedge fund company, saying it “makes no sense” for Swiss bank UBS to demand $700 million after a real estate securitization deal fell through, is asking a New York state court to throw out the bank’s breach-of-contract suit
• The California Public Employees’ Retirement System has sued three credit rating agencies for allegedly gaving “wildly inaccurate” grades to subprime-mortgage-backed securities, costing the nation’s largest state public pension fund more than $1 billion
  
  Download MP3 (run time: 7:26)

July 31, 2009

• American International Group has urged a Delaware judge to stay a shareholder suit over the insurance giant's disastrous gamble on subprime securities in favor of a related omnibus action in federal court in Manhattan
• The number of class-action securities fraud lawsuits filed from January through June fell by more than 20 percent compared with the same period last year, according to a Stanford Law School report
• A California federal judge is set to hear yet another motion to dismiss a shareholders’ suit accusing former IndyMac Bancorp CEO Michael Perry of fraudulently hiding the now-bankrupt firm’s subprime lending practices
• Former Washington Mutual executives and others accused of deceiving shareholders by hiding the now-bankrupt firm’s subprime lending practices are asking a federal judge to throw out an amended fraud complaint
  
  Download MP3 (run time: 9:38)

July 24, 2009

• A hedge fund’s demand for $10 million in cash from Goldman Sachs in a complex securities deal is groundless, the investment firm has told a New York state court judge
• In a sweeping crackdown on mortgage fraud in Illinois, federal prosecutors have indicted 37 people and four businesses for fraudulently obtaining $48 million in mortgages on homes in the Chicago area
• The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, or CIBC, deliberately hid its exposure to the U.S. mortgage market during the subprime meltdown, shareholders say in court papers opposing the bank’s bid to dismiss their securities fraud suit
• The Commodity Futures Trading Commission will hold a series of hearings this summer on the issue of whether the agency should restrict energy-trade speculation just as it restricts speculation on agricultural commodities
  
  Download MP3 (run time: 9:23)

July 17, 2009

• Bankrupt Washington Mutual Inc. has won court approval to conduct a broad investigation into JPMorgan Chase's conduct before the investment bank purchased the failed company's banking operation
• Oppenheimer & Co. is urging a federal judge to dismiss a suit filed by Ashland Inc., the Kentucky-based maker of Valvoline motor oil, accusing the stock brokerage of fraudulently pushing it to buy $194 million worth of auction-rate securities
• Shareholders of MGIC Investment Corp. have filed a consolidated complaint alleging the mortgage insurer cost them $500 million by concealing the risk associated with its investment in subprime-mortgage-backed securities
• Citing the current economic climate, an arbitrator has determined that a lender cannot go through with a planned foreclosure sale on a California condominium complex
  
  Download MP3 (run time: 10:43)

July 10, 2009

• Lehman Bros. Holdings has won court approval to investigate whether British bank Barclays got too much of a bargain when it bought the bankrupt investment firm's brokerage unit last September
• The 2nd Circuit has upheld a jury verdict favoring Bear Stearns Securities Corp. in a protracted suit filed in 2001 by a hedge-fund bankruptcy trustee seeking $140 million for the benefit of fund investors
• A federal judge in Delaware has reversed confirmation of bankrupt New Century Financial Corp.’s liquidation plan, finding that it improperly provided for "substantive consolidation" of the subprime lender's various entities
• A Florida-based mortgage lender has agreed to modify loans for struggling homeowners and pay $9 million under a settlement reached with regulators from 14 states
  
  Download MP3 (run time: 12:55)

July 3, 2009

• A New York securities brokerage operated as a front for Bernard Madoff, recruiting affluent but unsophisticated investors to pump new money into the fraudster’s Ponzi scheme, the Securities and Exchange Commission has alleged in Manhattan federal court
• Oppenheimer & Co. is urging a federal judge to dismiss a suit filed by Ashland Inc., the Kentucky-based maker of Valvoline motor oil, accusing the stock brokerage of fraudulently pushing it to buy $194 million worth of auction-rate securities
• A lawsuit accusing Merrill Lynch, credit rating agencies and others of selling $60 billion worth of “junk” mortgage-backed securities in 2006 and 2007 should be dismissed because it was filed too late, the investment bank says in federal court papers
  
  Download MP3 (run time: 10:16)

June 26, 2009

• Troubled insurance titan American International Group cannot sue brokers and reinsurers who allegedly helped it defraud investors of $5 billion with bid-rigging, phantom deals and fake reinsurance schemes, a Delaware state court judge has ruled
• Florida-based Raymond James Financial defrauded shareholders to the tune of $2 billion by touting conservative lending practices while secretly amassing risky subprime residential mortgages, according to an investor’s lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court
• Former top executives of failed Illinois-based Meridian Bank illegally made loans to themselves to buy and sell overvalued real estate, forcing regulators to close the bank and causing losses to shareholders, according to an investor’s state court lawsuit
  
  Download MP3 (run time: 8:30)

June 12, 2009

• Ten securities brokers defrauded retirees and other risk-averse investors by selling them millions of dollars in exotic mortgage-backed securities between 2004 and 2007, the Securities and Exchange Commission alleges in a Florida federal court suit
• An Ohio state pension fund suing Freddie Mac for billions of investor dollars allegedly lost in the subprime mortgage meltdown is urging a federal judge to deny the loan backer’s bid to dismiss the case
• Regions Financial Corp. officials recklessly overpaid to acquire the subprime-troubled AmSouth bank chain, duped investors and wasted federal bailout funds on perks for top officers of the super-regional, an Alabama state court shareholder suit charges
  
  Download MP3 (run time: 8:14)

June 5, 2009

• The Federal Trade Commission has obtained a court order freezing the assets of a defunct company accused of defrauding homeowners by falsely promising to stop foreclosures for a fee
• A federal judge in Minnesota has ruled that an “occasionally abstruse” subprime-related lawsuit against MoneyGram International meets federal pleading standards for securities fraud
• Securities rating firms Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s are urging a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit seeking compensation for an investor who bought mortgage-backed securities that the firms allegedly overrated
• Most of a 400-page complaint alleging executives of Washington Mutual hid the now-bankrupt firm’s subprime lending practices does not meet federal pleading standards for securities fraud, a federal judge in Seattle has ruled
  
  Download MP3 (run time: 10:26)

May 29, 2009

• Alliance Data Systems Corp. wants to force Blackstone Partners to pay a $170 million termination fee for a failed $7.8 billion merger even though a Delaware judge rightly found no breach of contract, according to Blackstone’s answer brief in the state Supreme Court
• The Federal Trade Commission has obtained a court order freezing the assets of a defunct company accused of defrauding homeowners by falsely promising to stop foreclosures for a fee
• Investment bank Goldman Sachs has agreed to a settlement worth $60 million to resolve the Massachusetts attorney general’s inquiry into its subprime mortgage securitization practices
• Online job recruiter Monster has sued to force the Royal Bank of Canada to buy back $66 million in student-loan-backed auction-rate securities the bank allegedly sold under false pretenses
• A West Virginia investment oversight agency has sued investment bank Morgan Stanley and three securities rating firms, alleging they illegally sold billions of dollars in mortgage securities backed by bad subprime loans
  
  Download MP3 (run time: 11:54)

May 22, 2009

• First American Corp. provided more than 260,000 inflated appraisals to Washington Mutual Bank over the last two years, inflating its own share price through "false and misleading" statements, according to a lawsuit filed in California federal court
• A California federal judge has approved an $8 million settlement, ending a securities fraud suit against former executives of now-bankrupt Luminent Mortgage Capital
• A woman who made more than $5.8 million with her husband in a complex mortgage fraud scheme is heading to prison for nearly four years
• Accounting firm KPMG has responded to claims that it breached its "watchdog" duty to New Century Mortgage Corp. to the tune of $1 billion by asking the court to refer the lawsuit to mediation or arbitration
  
  Download MP3 (run time: 10:23)

May 15, 2009

• SunTrust Banks illegally sold $690 million worth of preferred securities last year without telling buyers the extent of its exposure to soured subprime mortgage assets, according to an investor’s lawsuit
• A federal judge in Manhattan has upheld her prior decision in favor of shareholders who are accusing ratings firm Moody’s Corp. of fraudulently giving high marks to risky mortgage-backed securities
• A subprime-related securities fraud suit filed against Citigroup in a California federal court has prompted the giant bank to ask for centralized litigation in New York, where nine “substantially similar” suits are pending
• More than 94 percent of the world’s largest companies continue to use derivatives to help manage and hedge their business and financial risks, according to a trade group’s survey
• In a novel fraud suit involving credit-default swaps, the Securities and Exchange Commission has accused a pair of traders of illegally using confidential inside information to make profit for a hedge fund that one of them managed
  
  Download MP3 (run time: 12:02)

May 8 , 2009

• Five people have been charged in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland with participating in a mortgage fraud scheme that caused homeowners to lose $70 million
• A Merrill Lynch investor is urging a New York federal judge to deny the investment bank’s bid to throw out a fraud suit alleging it kept quiet about its massive mortgage-backed debt while selling $24 billion worth of securities
• Federal law enforcement officials in Oregon have announced an expansion of efforts to identify and prosecute mortgage fraud in the state
• Despite seriously sagging sales of furniture brands such as Lane, Broyhill and Thomasville, parent Furniture Brands International’s board wasted $10 million on overstuffed compensation packages for top officers, an investor claims in a state court lawsuit filed in St. Louis
• An investor claiming Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s gave undeserved high grades to $603 million worth of risky “Alt-A” mortgage-backed securities has amended his securities fraud suit against the ratings firms
  
  Download MP3 (run time: 12:18)

May 1, 2009

• The trustee liquidating Bernard Madoff's investment firm has sued two British Virgin Islands-based hedge funds, seeking to recover $255 million transferred to them in the months before the Wall Street swindler's arrest
• Countrywide Home Loans Inc. says two mortgage borrowers cannot proceed with a lawsuit intended to stop foreclosure on eight Las Vegas-based homes
• The former CEO of American Home Mortgage Investment Corp. will pay more than $2.4 million to settle charges that he and other executives fraudulently hid the now-bankrupt company’s risky lending practices, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission
  
  Download MP3 (run time: 8:40)

April 24, 2009

• A federal judge in Seattle has dismissed part of a subprime-related securities fraud suit against Washington Mutual Bank, ruling that the plaintiff investor must first take its claims to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp
• Florida authorities have charged five people with running a mortgage fraud ring that caused $4.5 million in losses to financial institutions
• Shareholders suing a Massachusetts company for allegedly hiding the default rates on student loans that it packaged and sold to investors are opposing the firm’s bid to dismiss the fraud case
• A federal judge in Pennsylvania has dismissed a securities fraud suit accusing financial services firm Radian Group of hiding its exposure to the subprime mortgage market
  
  Download MP3 (run time: 10:31)

April 17, 2009

• Freddie Mac is urging an Ohio federal judge to dismiss a shareholders’ suit accusing the federally chartered mortgage backer of fraudulently hiding its exposure to risky subprime loans
• Bank of America is urging a federal judge to reject Bear Stearns’ bid to dismiss a suit accusing it of defrauding the bank of $4 billion in a subprime-related deal
• The co-founder of a foreclosure consulting firm has pleaded guilty in Maryland federal court to taking part in a mortgage fraud scheme that took advantage of distressed homeowners and cheated lenders out of $13 million
• The $165 million in bonuses that American International Group officers got after receiving a $190 billion federal bailout is just the latest outrage in eight years of mismanagement that cost the company's investors $215 billion, according to a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles federal court
• Accounting firm KPMG LLP failed in its duty to act as a “watchdog” of New Century Mortgage Corp. by certifying inaccurate financial statements and issuing an audit report before it had even completed the audit, according to a California state court lawsuit
  
  Download MP3 (run time: 14:43)

April 10, 2009

• In another ripple of outrage at the bonuses for American International Group’s executives, a state court suit filed in Los Angeles claims the insurance company’s board approved up to $1 billion in bonus payments days after AIG began getting a $190 billion federal bailout
• A Delaware judge on April 1 refused to approve a global settlement of shareholder suits over subprime-mortgage lender Countrywide Corp.’s $2.5 billion rescue takeover by Bank of America because the pact would wrongly wipe out some viable investor claims
• Florida’s attorney general has obtained a court order barring a company from charging consumers up-front fees for mortgage foreclosure services
• Merrill Lynch is urging a federal judge to dismiss a fraud suit alleging the investment bank sold $24 billion worth of securities over a 16-month period without telling buyers about its massive liabilities linked to subprime mortgages
• A former executive of UBS Securities claims in a Delaware state court suit that the global financial services firm reneged on its promise to pay his legal bills when federal regulators investigated his “unsafe and unsound” banking and trading practices
  
  Download MP3 (run time: 13:51)

April 3, 2009

• A federal judge in Los Angeles soon will decide whether shareholders of Countrywide Financial Corp. have fixed the defects of an earlier subprime-related fraud complaint against the mortgage lender
• A California federal judge has ruled in favor of three former executives of bank holding company Downey Financial Corp. and dismissed a securities fraud suit that claimed they hid the extent of the business's exposure to risky subprime loans
• A Morgan Stanley investor wants a Delaware Chancery Court judge to force the financial firm to let him see all the materials it turned over in a government investigation into the company’s role in the $350 billion collapse of the auction-rate securities market last year
• Investors who elected to sell auction-rate securities back to Swiss bank UBS under a regulatory settlement agreement are barred from pursuing additional compensation in a securities fraud lawsuit, a federal judge in Manhattan has ruled
• JPMorgan Chase Bank has sued bankrupt Washington Mutual Inc. and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. in an attempt to protect its September purchase of the failed company's banking operations
  
  Download MP3 (run time: 16:57)

March 27, 2009

• Insurance giant Prudential Financial illegally sold $920 million worth of securities last June without telling buyers the extent of its exposure to soured subprime mortgage assets, according to a lawsuit filed in New Jersey federal court
• A bank and a subprime credit card marketing company have told a California federal court that the lawsuit filed by three customers seeking to challenge the fees charged to their accounts must be resolved in arbitration
• A New York federal judge should stick to her decision not to dismiss a securities fraud suit against ratings agency Moody’s Corp., plaintiff shareholders are urging in court papers
• The New Jersey government has sued ex-directors and officers of Lehman Bros. for allegedly hiding massive subprime investment losses that cost state pension funds $118 million when the firm went bankrupt
• Two subprime borrowers are suing a lender to rescind a refinancing mortgage, claiming the company gave them confusing and contradictory loan documents in violation of the Truth in Lending Act
  
  Download MP3 (run time: 13:06)

March 13, 2009

• Maurice Greenberg, the former CEO accused of looting American International Group, has filed a securities fraud suit in Manhattan federal court, charging that his AIG stock lost 97 percent of its value because of the subprime-related investment blunders of his successors
• A federal judge in California soon will decide whether Impac Mortgage Holdings’ shareholders have patched the holes in their subprime-related fraud suit well enough to withstand the lender’s second bid to throw it out
• Swiss Reinsurance Co. is urging a New York federal judge to dismiss a securities fraud suit accusing the bond insurer of lying to investors in 2007 about its exposure to the American subprime mortgage market
• A federal judge in Manhattan has set a March 23 deadline for motions to consolidate nearly two dozen shareholder suits that seek to hold the officers and directors of Bank of America and Merrill Lynch liable for hiding the truth about what the plaintiffs call a disastrous merger
  
  Download MP3 (run time: 15:07)

March 6, 2009

• Jilted merger mate Alliance Data Systems has appealed a decision that let leveraged-buyout giant Blackstone Partners off the hook for a $170 million termination fee after the credit market collapse caused its subsidiary to break a $7.8 billion merger promise
• Since investment banking giant Lehman Bros. is being liquidated in federal bankruptcy court, its investment fund affiliate has no reason to live in the post-subprime economy and should be dissolved, an investor has told a Delaware state court judge
• Citigroup shareholders hoping to hold their officers and directors liable for subprime blunders suffered a setback when a Delaware state court judge dismissed most of the charges against the board and former CEO, saying the defendants had no duty to “predict the future.”
• Investment bank Merrill Lynch fraudulently sold more than $55 billion worth of purported investment-grade mortgage securities in 2006 and 2007 that in fact were “junk bonds,” according to an investor lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court
• A lawsuit alleging that ratings agency Moody’s Corp. fraudulently sold overpriced shares while hiding its practice of giving undeserved high grades to subprime-mortgage-backed securities may go forward, a federal judge in Manhattan has ruled
  
  Download MP3 (run time: 15:17)

February 27, 2009

• In a ruling that turned on a novel issue of corporate law, a Delaware judge has thrown out a suit filed by Affiliated Computer Services shareholders over one of the first going-private buyouts to go sour because of the credit market crash
• A lawsuit seeking to force mortgage lender Countrywide Financial Corp. to repurchase modified loans belongs in state court, a pair of hedge funds say in a federal court filing
• A pension fund suing MoneyGram International for alleged subprime investment fraud is opposing the Minneapolis-based firm’s bid to dismiss the case
• A federal judge in Chicago has approved a settlement deal requiring Wachovia Securities to pay more than $7 billion to compensate investors the firm allegedly misled about the liquidity of auction-rate securities
• A Texas billionaire and his companies violated federal securities laws in an $8 billion scheme involving the sale of certificates of deposit that paid investors “improbable returns,” the Securities and Exchange Commission alleges in a lawsuit in Dallas federal court
  
  Download MP3 (run time: 15:34)

February 20, 2009

• The devil surely will be in the details of any plan to put the financial services industry and the credit markets back together again after their great subprime fall, prominent legal scholar John Coffee predicted at a seminar in New York Feb. 11
• American International Group investors have gotten a green light to go to trial with claims that ex-CEO Maurice Greenberg and his top officers got rich from fraud and phantom deals that cost the troubled insurer more than $5 billion
• Investment bank Goldman Sachs, helped by securities ratings firms, fraudulently sold purported investment-grade mortgage securities in 2006 that in fact were “junk bonds,” according to an investor lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court
  
  Download MP3 (run time: 11:05)

February 13, 2009

• Wells Fargo Bank sold more than $36 billion in mortgage-backed securities in 2006 without telling buyers that the underlying loans carried a high risk of default, according to a securities fraud lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court
• Bear Stearns Asset Management is urging a New York federal judge to throw out a lawsuit alleging it fraudulently lured Bank of America into a complex financial deal that ended up costing the bank $4 billion
• Countrywide Financial Corp. is urging a New York federal judge to keep jurisdiction over an investors’ suit seeking to force the mortgage lender to repurchase loans that it modifies under an $8.4 billion predatory-lending settlement
• Allegations that MoneyGram International hid from investors subprime-related losses of nearly $1 billion do not make a securities fraud case, the payment services firm says in a motion to dismiss a shareholder lawsuit
• Mortgage insurer Triad Guaranty fraudulently sold overpriced stock for two years while downplaying its exposure to deteriorating real estate and credit markets, a shareholder has alleged in a North Carolina federal court
  
  Download MP3 (run time: 14:27)

February 6, 2009

• The Office of Thrift Supervision has directed First Federal Bank of California to preserve its capital and reduce the number of risky mortgages in its portfolio
• A Delaware state court judge said Jan. 28 that he will quickly decide whether to force Dow Chemical Co. to complete a $15.2 billion merger with rival chemical maker Rohm & Haas Co. — even if the combined company might not survive in the recession economy
• Wachovia Corp. sold $35 billion worth of securities without alerting buyers that the bank’s 2006 acquisition of subprime mortgage lender Golden West Financial was a high-risk deal, according to a securities fraud lawsuit filed in California state court
• A disgruntled Bank of America shareholder has asked a Delaware judge to combine several suits seeking to force CEO Ken Lewis and 15 directors to reimburse the company for billions of dollars it allegedly overpaid for the failing Merrill Lynch & Co.
• Countrywide Bank says an investor cannot maintain a suit over allegedly improper disclosures of mortgage terms because the action was filed too late
  
  Download MP3 (run time: 15:15)

January 30, 2009

• Washington Mutual Bank sold $20 billion worth of mortgage-backed securities in 2006 without telling investors that the underlying loans were risky because the lender routinely disregarded its underwriting guidelines, a union investment fund alleges in a Seattle federal court lawsuit
• A federal judge in New York has dismissed a securities fraud lawsuit alleging that a real estate finance firm deceived shareholders by hiding a plan to sell its housing bond portfolio to Freddie Mac
• American International Group sold $500 million worth of bonds without warning buyers that the insurer was on the verge of collapse because of its exposure to the subprime financial crisis, an investor has alleged in Manhattan federal court
• In a securities fraud suit filed in Manhattan federal court, a Bank of America investor says the company tricked its shareholders into voting for a disastrous merger with Merrill Lynch & Co. because top executives of both firms hid Merrill's rapidly mounting subprime losses
• A state court judge in Philadelphia has preliminarily approved the settlement of suits by investors who claimed that a Spanish super-bank is using the financial services industry meltdown as a smokescreen to acquire Sovereign Bancorp for less than it is worth
  
  Download MP3 (run time: 14:16)

January 23, 2009

• A Pennsylvania federal judge says a woman must file an amended complaint detailing her claims that Countrywide Home Loans fraudulently foreclosed on her house and then bought it for $1 after failing to credit mortgage payments to her account
• In a settlement with New York state officials, two mortgage brokerages have agreed to pay restitution to black and Latino home buyers who allegedly were charged higher fees than white loan customers
• A subprime credit card marketing company says three plaintiffs who are suing to challenge the fees charged to their accounts must arbitrate their claims
• Merrill Lynch has agreed to pay $475 million to settle a class-action securities fraud suit accusing the investment bank of deceiving shareholders by overvaluing its portfolio of subprime-mortgage-backed securities
• The Small Business Administration is taking several steps to increase small business lending and boost investor confidence during the financial crisis
  
  Download MP3 (run time: 13:43)

January 16, 2009

• Mortgage trader Credit-Based Asset Servicing & Securitization sold more than $475 million in securities in 2007 while misleading investors about the quality of the underlying subprime loans, according to a fraud lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court.
• American International Group sold more than $20 billion in bonds in 2007 and 2008 without telling buyers that the subprime financial crisis might topple the insurance giant, according to a securities fraud lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court
• Banking giant Citigroup has agreed to drop its opposition to legislation that would allow federal bankruptcy judges to alter the terms of mortgages so that debtors may remain in their homes
• A mortgage borrower has filed a class-action lawsuit in California’s Orange County Superior Court alleging Wachovia Mortgage Corp. does not give its customers required disclosures of interest rates and transaction fees
• Ohio residents with Countrywide Financial subprime mortgages will receive a share of the lender’s multibillion-dollar settlement with several states over its allegedly deceptive loan practices
  
  Download MP3 (run time: 15:38)

January 9, 2009

• Mortgage trader Credit-Based Asset Servicing and Securitization sold more than $475 million in securities in 2007 while misleading investors about the quality of the underlying subprime loans, according to a securities fraud lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court.
• Impac Mortgage Holdings is urging a California federal judge to dismiss an amended securities fraud suit alleging the lender inflated its stock price by hiding the low quality of its mortgage loans.
• Ohio’s attorney general has filed suit to stop a man from taking advantage of at-risk homeowners through an allegedly fraudulent foreclosure rescue scheme
• Securities rating firm Standard & Poor’s has removed to Manhattan federal court a lawsuit accusing it of giving fraudulent high grades to risky “Alt-A” mortgage-backed securities
  
  Download MP3 (run time: 11:47)

December 19, 2008

• Bank of America's bailout acquisition of subprime-troubled Countrywide Financial Corp. means that investors lost their Countrywide stock and their standing to sue its officials on behalf of the mortgage lender, a federal judge in Los Angeles has ruled
• Wachovia Corp.'s directors saved a sinking ship by agreeing to a $10 billion "fire sale" of the subprime-troubled bank to Wells Fargo and are shielded from liability under the business judgment rule, a North Carolina state court judge has ruled
• The rural cousin of government-sponsored mortgage backers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac defrauded investors by selling overpriced shares while downplaying the risk of loss from its subprime investments, according to a shareholder lawsuit
• A subsidiary of Royal Bank of Canada has paid $11 million to the U.S. government to end allegations that the company submitted ineligible mortgages for federal insurance
  
  Download MP3 (run time: 12:45)

December 12, 2008

• In a seminal ruling that bodes ill for investors who hope to hold officers and directors liable for subprime disasters, a New York state court judge has dismissed investor challenges to JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s "fire sale" buyout of Bear Stearns Co.
• At a recent shareholder activism conference in New York, institutional investors learned how to adapt their plans and tactics to respond to the challenges of the financial crisis and the opportunities presented by changes in Washington
• A federal judge in California has ruled that securities fraud allegations against former executives of bankrupt mortgage lender New Century Financial Corp. are sufficient to meet federal pleading standards
  
  Download MP3 (run time: 11:43)

December 5, 2008

• Countrywide Home Loans has asked a California federal court to dismiss a couple’s lawsuit seeking rescission of a refinancing mortgage, arguing that the suit cannot proceed because one of the parties is not a borrower on the loan
• A Minnesota high-tech firm has sued UBS, alleging the Swiss bank fraudulently sold it nearly $70 million in auction-rate securities knowing they would become unmarketable
• Countrywide Home Loans has denied a Pennsylvania borrower’s claims that it made misrepresentations about a transaction involving a home equity line of credit
• A Florida federal judge has found a mortgage lender liable to borrowers who say they were fraudulently put into unaffordable subprime mortgages
  
  Download MP3 (run time: 11:43)

November 28, 2008

• Merrill Lynch, saying the investment bank and top executives “honestly believed” its mortgage-backed securities were low-risk investments, is urging a New York federal judge to dismiss a shareholder’s securities fraud lawsuit
• Financial services firm Oppenheimer & Co. fraudulently stranded clients with unmarketable auction-rate securities while executives unloaded their personal holdings in violation of Massachusetts law, the state securities regulator has alleged
• A Justice Department official has filed court papers supporting the appointment of an examiner to investigate Lehman Bros. Holdings’ dealings with its subsidiaries in the days leading up to the investment bank's collapse
  
  Download MP3 (run time: 9:25)

November 21, 2008

• A Pennsylvania court says a company that handles mortgage loan closings is in default for failing to answer allegations raised by a lender in litigation brought by a subprime borrower to rescind her loan
• A Wachovia Corp. shareholder has convinced a North Carolina business court judge to fast-track his bid to stop the subprime-troubled regional bank's $10 billion "fire sale" merger with Wells Fargo
• A Delaware state court judge not only refused to halt a challenge to the acquisition of subprime-troubled investment banker Merrill Lynch & Co. by Bank of America Corp. in favor of similar suits in New York, he routed the Delaware action to the fast lane
• New Jersey’s attorney general alleges in a pair of related lawsuits that two companies falsely promised at-risk homeowners that their houses could be saved from foreclosure
  
  Download MP3 (run time: 13:44)

November 14, 2008

• Freddie Mac’s federal conservator has asked an Ohio federal judge to put a temporary stay on a subprime-related securities fraud suit against the troubled mortgage backer
• Allegations that an Illinois stock brokerage defrauded auction-rate-security investors were lifted verbatim from other, irrelevant complaints, the brokerage says in a bid to dismiss a Manhattan federal court lawsuit
• The chairman of an organization that certifies mortgage bankers and brokers has outlined a number of safeguards he believes the U.S. Department of Treasury should take into consideration as it develops a guaranty program for troubled assets
• A Channel Islands hedge fund should have paid closer attention to the details of a subprime credit guaranty that made it liable to Citibank for $10 million, according to a federal judge in Manhattan
  
  Download MP3 (run time: 12:15)

November 7, 2008

• Top officers of National City Corp. got $41 million in golden-parachute bonuses at the expense of the banking company's shareholders in a $5.6 billion rescue buyout by PNC Financial Services, angry investors have told a Delaware state court judge
• PNC Financial Services' bargain-basement banking business buy of National City Corp. blindsided investors who were led to believe the Cleveland-based bank could weather the subprime storm on its own, a shareholder charges in a suit filed in federal court in Pittsburgh
• A New York state official is seeking the appointment of an independent trustee to take control of bankrupt Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and investigate the investment bank's historic collapse
• American International Group directors violated Delaware law by denying shareholders a vote on part of an $85 billion bailout that gave the federal government control of the troubled subprime insurer, according to a state court lawsuit
  
  Download MP3 (run time: 10:02)

October 31, 2008

• Netherlands-based bank Fortis violated U.S. laws by selling shares at inflated prices while hiding its exposure to toxic subprime mortgage loans, according to a securities fraud lawsuit in Manhattan federal court.
• Shareholders suing Impac Mortgage Holdings for hiding the low quality of its mortgage loans have amended their complaint for a third time after a federal court dismissed their previous try to plead a case of securities fraud
• Walt Disney Co. has asked a federal judge to appoint an examiner to investigate the flow of money between bankrupt Lehman Bros. Holdings Inc. and the investment bank’s subsidiaries in the days leading up to its collapse
• NovaStar Financial is urging the 8th Circuit to affirm a lower court’s dismissal of a shareholders’ securities fraud lawsuit accusing the mortgage lender and its executives of hiding shady subprime lending practices
  
  Download MP3 (run time: 12:33)

October 24, 2008
A federal multidistrict litigation panel has denied the plaintiffs’ bid to move 29 separate fraud suits on auction-rate securities to Manhattan federal court for a coordinated proceeding, Insurance giant American International Group sold $1 billion in bonds last year without telling buyers the firm could collapse under the weight of its subprime mortgage exposure, according to a suit in Manhattan federal court, An employee investment fund is urging an Ohio federal judge to deny Freddie Mac’s request for dismissal of the fund’s subprime securities fraud suit,and New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has notified AIG that he will sue if the company does not stop spending on executive salaries and vacations now that the federal government has bailed it out.    Download MP3 (run time: 9:48)

October 17, 2008
Includes a 7th Circuit ruling that the Truth in Lending Act does not allow multiple borrowers to rescind their adjustable-rate mortgages on a class-wide basis, an argument that a group of pension funds cannot intervene in the settlement of investor suits against Countrywide … a charge that Lehman Bros. violated federal securities laws by selling preferred stock, and a prediction that the complexity of subprime-mortgage-based securities will force judges to reinterpret Delaware corporate law.    Download MP3 (run time: 11:07)

October 10, 2008
Includes a federal judge’s decision to rule on whether Bank of America's bailout acquisition of Countrywide means the mortgage lender’s shareholders lost their standing to sue its officers and directors, charges by two institutional investors alleging that Goldman Sachs convinced them to buy collapsing securities, and a suit on whether JPMorgan Chase & Co. is partially responsible for forcing Lehman Brothers into bankruptcy.    Download MP3 (run time: 12:32)

October 3, 2008
Includes a claim that American International Group hid subprime securities losses until its stock value crashed, an appeal of an order approving bankrupt Lehman Bros. Holdings' sale of its core North American operations to Barclays PLC, Washington Mutual Inc.’s Chapter 11 filing after federal regulators seized its banking unit and sold it to JPMorgan Chase, and a claim that Merrill Lynch & Co. breached a duty by wrecking the trader with subprime securities and selling it to Bank of America.    Download MP3 (run time: 11:35)

September 26, 2008
Includes a groundbreaking decision by that the Librarian of Congress violated federal discrimination law when he refused to hire a male-to-female transsexual for a job after she announced a sex-change operation, and a ruling that a man injured during workplace horseplay cannot sue for negligence.    Download MP3 (run time: 11:30)

September 19, 2008
Includes a suit by the NFL players union accusing a company of illegally using their names and likenesses in its fantasy-football leagues, California’s charge that artificial-turf manufacturers have failed to warn about the dangers of lead exposure, and a ruling that airline passengers on the government's “no-fly list” can pursue claims on their civil or constitutional rights.    Download MP3 (run time: 11:00)

September 12, 2008
Includes Citibank’s payment of $3.5 million to California on allegations that the company used a computer program to systematically steal funds from cardholders … and the conviction of a retired University of Tennessee professor for illegally exporting secret military information to China.    Download MP3 (run time: 7:52)

August 29, 2008
Includes a class action against RV makers for allegedly using formaldehyde-laden materials, a complaint that Facebook Inc. violated users’ privacy, and claims that a doctor put a hidden camera in his office’s only working bathroom.    Download MP3 (run time: 9:37)

August 22, 2008
Includes a complaint that a Verizon employee who divulged private cell phone information caused a Florida woman's divorce, an agreement by food companies to reduce levels of a cancer-causing chemical in their potato chips, a ruling that a police dog sniffing around the outside of a car in a public place is not a “search” as defined by the Wisconsin Constitution.    Download MP3 (run time: 8:38)

August 15, 2008
Includes a California appeals court ruling that admission of sexual-conduct evidence caused a miscarriage of justice in a tire-defect case,reduction of a $5.9 million punitive damages award in a state law religious discrimination case to $647,174, and claims by a civilian Army technician that her boss said she was too fat and should exercise to improve her health.    Download MP3 (run time: 10:05)

August 8, 2008
Includes a federal appeals court ruling that sleeping is a “major life activity”, the conviction of a pastor and his business partner for defrauding coal mine investors of more than $32 million, the FTC’s charge that a supplement marketer hoodwinked customers with promises of “free” products, and a ruling that the term "bottled at the source" is too generic to warrant trademark protection.    Download MP3 (run time: 10:53)

August 1, 2008
Includes a bellwether trial in Minneapolis on charges that the Parkinson’s drug Mirapex may prompt compulsive gambling and aggressive behavior, a federal appeals court ruling that “early warning reporting” data on tire defects is subject to release under the Freedom of Information Act, and a suit claiming that boxing legend Joe Louis’ sister froze to death because a suburban Detroit nursing home negligently allowed her to wander outside at night.    Download MP3 (run time: 8:32)

July 25, 2008
Includes a federal court suit challenging the constitutionality of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, dismissal of warranty claims against Comair stemming from a plane crash in Kentucky, and doctors’ claims that an orthopedic surgeon destroyed their practice because they refused to refer patients to him.    Download MP3 (run time: 9:33)

July 18, 2008
Includes claims that Rite Aid sells outdated over-the-counter drugs, baby formula and other products, the 6th Circuit’s reversal of judgment for American Honda in an air bag defect case, and a ruling that while the California Department of Veterans Affairs might not be meeting all needs, there is no system-wide violation of rights.    Download MP3 (run time: 9:13)

July 11, 2008
Includes Aetna’s agreement to provide insurance coverage for some policyholders with eating disorders, an Oregon ruling that employers must make reasonable accommodations for off-duty use of medical marijuana, and the D.C. Circuit’s denial of a request to force the EPA to regulate greenhouse gases from motor vehicles.    Download MP3 (run time: 9:28)

July 3, 2008
Includes dismissal of a sexual-harassment claim by a receptionist fired for refusing to serve coffee to the men in her office, charges that LifeLock, an identity-theft protection service, exaggerates its effectiveness, and a complaint that Google encouraged a small software company to develop a critical conversion tool, then stole the invention.    Download MP3 (run time: 10:55)

June 27, 2008
Includes federal charges that prostitutes, spiked drinks and stock-option-backdating were business as usual at a California high-tech firm, a complaint that an optometrist’s failure to provide an elderly patient with sunglasses after an eye exam led to her death, and the dismissal of claims against the U.S. on an air crash in Kentucky    Download MP3 (run time: 8:57)

June 20, 2008
Includes dismissal of a shareholder suit alleging NovaStar Financial hid shady subprime lending practices, a ruling that EBay may violate its own terms of service by delaying the search engine availability of new listings for several hours after sellers submit them, and a Wisconsin Supreme Court decision that bank records the police obtained without probable cause cannot be used in court.    Download MP3 (run time: 8:46)

June 13, 2008
Includes the reversal of a $26 million award in a Vioxx case, California’s attorney general shutting down a company that allegedly conned homeowners facing foreclosure, and a ruling that the producers of a pro-intelligent-design movie did not infringe John Lennon’s copyright on the song "Imagine."   Download MP3 (run time: 9:36)

June 6, 2008
Includes a $10 million fine against a Los Angeles company for selling lead-tainted lunch boxes to the state Health Department, an animator’s claim that the film “Madagascar” infringes a work he created in 1999, and a suit charging that the packaging on Jell-O pudding mix is misleading on the amount of calcium in the product.   Download MP3 (run time: 7:26)

May 30, 2008
Includes a businessman’s guilty plea on obtaining classified military information passing it to the Chinese, the $24 million settlement of more than 100 pet food cases, and a suit by motivational speaker Anthony Robbins against a lesser-known practitioner for allegedly misappropriating his name and celebrity status.   Download MP3 (run time: 7:57)

May 23, 2008
Includes a 6th Circuit ruling in a case against Toyota involving carbon monoxide poisoning, the FTC’s charge that bank customers were induced to disclose account data and then charged for services and fees, and a complaint by security workers who say they were fired for complaining their company could not properly guard the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan.   Download MP3 (run time: 9:28)

May 16, 2008
Includes an agreement under which major oil companies will pay $422 million to settle claims over contaminated drinking water, an indictment accusing a former Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. executive of lying to government regulators, and a suit charging that baby bottles and training cups contain a harmful chemical.   Download MP3 (run time: 9:09)

May 9, 2008
Includes a class-action over alleged health risks from Nalgene sports bottles, a claim that Lance Armstrong’s charitable foundation is infringing a patent for an inspirational dog collar, and a suit that says Illinois drivers using I-Pass cannot resolve tickets because the system is overwhelmed.   Download MP3 (run time: 8:33)

May 2, 2008
Includes the FDA’s warning to a Chinese drugmaker over quality-control problems with the blood thinner heparin, the dismissal of claims that two banks were liable for a mortgage broker who stole loan payments, and a complaint that FEMA trailers in New Orleans had dangerous levels of formaldehyde.   Download MP3 (run time: 9:47)

April 25, 2008
Includes the settlement of a long-running wrongful-death suit involving an allegedly defective Firestone tire, a class action charging that toy science kits based on the popular television series "CSI" contain asbestos, and a nursing home resident’s claim that an aide broke both her legs when she "threw" her into bed from a wheelchair.   Download MP3 (run time: 9:59)

April 18, 2008
Includes a 3rd Circuit ruling on that the makers of two antidepressants cannot be sued for the lack of enhanced suicide-risk warnings on the labels, a class action alleging that Bally Total Fitness charged excessive startup fees, and a claim that the National Geographic Society is infringing trademarks held by the creator of the "Zone" diet and lifestyle program.   Download MP3 (run time: 10:06)

April 11, 2008
Includes a $750,000 in a rollover accident case, Walgreens paying $24 million to 14 black management employees to settle race discrimination claims, and an Indiana Supreme Court ruling that student complaints filed under a university’s anti-harassment policy cannot be the basis for a slander lawsuit by the alleged harasser.   Download MP3 (run time: 10:05)

April 4, 2008
Includes a lawsuit challenging Aetna’s failure to provide coverage for eating disorders, a $27.5 million settlement for Pennsylvania residents exposed to radiation from uranium processing plants, and a $40 million verdict for a man whose heart was burned during surgery due to a malfunctioning monitor.   Download MP3 (run time: 8:53)

March 28, 2008
Includes AT&T's motion to dismiss charges that its refusal to monitor a cell phone led to a missing woman’s death, a suit to stop the release of bootleg recordings of Beatles performances from 1962, and an Alabama Supreme Court ruling that a girl who says she was raped by a teacher may sue the local school board.   Download MP3 (run time: 12:11)

March 21, 2008
Includes rulings on an employee who “outed” a lesbian co-worker and was fired, a white television news anchor who failed to show he was let go based on his race, and a woman who died because she was given the wrong anesthetic in preparation for a liposuction.    Download MP3 (run time: 10:05)

March 14, 2008
Includes a federal appeals court ruling that Tennessee school officials violated students' constitutional right to privacy, the FCC's order that consumers be given clear and accurate information about the looming transition to digital television, and an Illinois judge’s refusal to block a proposed class-action settlement on toys containing lead paint.    Download MP3 (run time: 9:15)

March 7, 2008
Includes an order that an airline produce voluntary safety reports in a Kentucky crash case, a suit against 24 energy companies by Inupiat Eskimos who say global warming is melting the sea ice, and affirmance of a $64 million verdict in a health care billing fraud case.    Download MP3 (run time: 10:59)

February 29, 2008
Includes an $11 million award in a Florida seat belt defect case, the indictment of hedge fund operators for defrauding investors of $200 million, and claims that the University of Washington was indifferent to a student’s claims that a football player raped her.   Download MP3 (run time: 10:08)

February 22, 2008
Includes a media group's request to set aside the September 11 defendants' confidentiality designations, Blackwater's motion to dismiss a wrongful-death suit involving a Baghdad crowd shooting, and a woman who says she was fired for taking time off to care for her incapacitated adult daughter.   Download MP3 (run time: 11:24)

February 15, 2008
Includes a $6.5 million verdict in a Ford Explorer rollover case, a man seeking FOIA data on why he was detained in airports 17 times in 4 years, and a California Supreme Court ruling that employers may fire workers who test positive for marijuana.   Download MP3 (run time: 12:07)

February 8, 2008
Includes rulings that punitive damages in a racial discrimination case did not violate due process, that unsolicited faxed "commentaries" were thinly disguised advertisements, and claims that "gross mismanagement" of the Tropicana Casino caused the loss of its New Jersey gaming license.   Download MP3 (run time: 14:16)

February 1, 2008
Includes Clint Eastwood’s suit against a company producing a home-theater chair called “The Eastwood”, a CEO’s denial that his habit of conducting business in his underwear created a sexually hostile environment, and a man who says he developed “popcorn lung” from eating two or three bags of microwave popcorn a day.   Download MP3 (run time: 9:18)

January 25, 2008
Includes a Japanese movie studio's suit involving alleged infringement of the 'Godzilla' character; a complaint that exposure to Kingsford charcoal briquettes caused a chef’s fatal cancer, and a class-action claiming that the makers of "Head-On" cannot back claims of safety and effectiveness.   Download MP3 (run time: 10:03)

January 18, 2008
Includes California's complaint that a home health care business hired employees with criminal records and drug problems, a judgment against a credit agency that failed to quickly correct the record of an identity-theft victim, and monastery that says a former monk took its copyrights.   Download MP3 (run time: 11:31)

January 11, 2008
Includes a Florida appeals court order on alleged child pornography taken without a warrant from a pastor’s computer, the Sierra Club suit against Shell for allegedly releasing air pollutants, and a suit claiming Sanofi-Aventis failed to disclose its anti-obesity drug Zimulti can cause depression.   Download MP3 (run time: 11:49)

January 4, 2008
Includes the California Supreme Court case on whether the ex-wife of Herbalife founder Mark Hughes can sue a former executive for sexual harassment, a claim that New Orleans officials altered Hurricane Katrina damage reports to speed up demolitions, and the end of a legal battle over a collection of Elvis Presley memorabilia   Download MP3 (run time: 11:08)

December 14, 2007
Includes a trademark suit by eBay that forced a coin dealer to shut down his Web site and change his company’s name, State Farm's appeal of a $1.2 million award in a Hurricane Katrina case, and a class action charging that Verizon Wireless deceived BlackBerry purchasers by disabling the global positioning system    Download MP3 (run time: 8:18)

December 7, 2007
Includes the withdrawal from Katrina cases of attorney Richard Scruggs, who faces criminal charges, the firing of a nursing supervisor who failed to investigate sexual harassment of a co-worker, and a union lawsuit charging that Aetna officials hid fiscal problems to keep share prices high while they sold nearly $84 million of their own stock.    Download MP3 (run time: 10:10)

November 30, 2007
Includes the federal government’s list of the 54 poorest-performing nursing homes in the nation, a $2.5 million award to Nicaraguan field workers who say pesticide used on Dole banana plantations left them sterile, and a federal appeals court ruling that a school guidance counselor was fired not because of her fundamentalist Christian beliefs but because she insisted on making religious conduct a part of her job.    Download MP3 (run time: 10:23)

November 16, 2007
Includes Mattel’s default judgment against a company that used “Barbie” trademarks in association with a pornographic Web site, a complaint that O.J. Simpson's hypothetical murder account plagiarized a book written several years earlier, and SEC claims that a former CEO looted millions of dollars from a military body armor company.    Download MP3 (run time: 8:31)

November 9, 2007
Includes a Florida appeals court’s reversal of a $60 million rollover verdict against Ford, the FCC’s ban on exclusive agreements between cable television operators and apartment buildings for video services, and Madison Square Garden’s appeal of punitive damages in a sexual harassment suit against Knicks coach Isiah Thomas.    Download MP3 (run time: 10:12)

November 2, 2007
Include a suit alleging that toxic emissions from a wood treatment plant have caused a cancer cluster , an order that DuPont pay $196 million for creating a polluted waste site in West Virginia, and a woman’s complaint that former ‘The Price Is Right’ host Bob Barker forced her to quit her job after she testified against him in a prior lawsuit.    Download MP3 (run time: 14:46)

October 26, 2007
Includes a suit alleging that a woman died from an overdose of pain medication at a nursing home, a class action claiming that T-Mobile USA charges excessive termination fees, and claims by a California environmental group that Apple should redesign its iPhones to eliminate the use of toxic chemicals.    Download MP3 (run time: 8:09)

October 19, 2007
Includes a federal appeals court ruling that a drunken driver’s death was not covered by insurance as an "accident" because getting behind the wheel was an obvious risk, a $2 million trademark-infringement suit filed by the famed House of Blues, and a $7 million settlement on a North Dakota train accident that released a toxic cloud of ammonia    Download MP3 (run time: 14:28)

October 12, 2007
Includes a $482 million suit against Bloomberg LP for allegedly discriminating against employees who become pregnant, an $11.4 million fine against a Kentucky power plant for pollution violations, and a Florida ruling that the Carnival cruise line is not liable for a shipboard doctor’s allegedly negligent treatment of a ruptured appendix.    Download MP3 (run time: 12:05)

October 5, 2007
Covers a ruling that gives Wal-Mart employees an additional $62 million for working off-the-clock, the dismissal of a class-action claiming that oil companies exploiting Hurricane Katrina by price gouging, and a suit by a ex-city worker who said her bosses favored those who belonged to a "sex swingers" clique.    Download MP3 (run time: 13:25)

September 28, 2007
Features stories on an EEOC suit alleging that AutoZone allowed a temporary worker to sexually harass a fellow employee, a Florida judge’s freezing of the assets of a man who allegedly took more than $4 million from investors, and the Tenth Circuit’s ruling on the University of Colorado’s policy of showing high school football recruits a “good time.    Download MP3 (run time: 11:32)

September 21, 2007
Features stories on tennis star’s Andre Agassi’s suit against Target for allegedly selling footwear that infringes on his trademarks, a ruling that found reasonable doubt on whether a company’s investigation of sexual harassment was “vigorous”, and the Mississippi Supreme Court’s reversal of a $6.5 million verdict for the family of a deceased nursing home resident, for the trial judge’s failed to investigate alleged juror misconduct.    Download MP3 (run time: 11:29)

September 14, 2007
Features stories on Supreme Court filings involving the preemption of state law medical device design-defect claims, an elderly Minnesota woman who alleges that an over-the-counter laxative caused kidney failure, a halt to certain Medicare reimbursement of hospitals … and unsolicited e-mails promoting weight-loss pills and anti-aging products that allegedly do not work.    Download MP3 (run time: 13:38)

September 7, 2007
Features stories on the only survivor of the runway crash of a Comair jet last year, who has sued the U.S. government, the local airport board and the companies that made airport charts and lighting; a split decision of the California Supreme Court that plaintiffs in hundreds of sexual abuse cases against the Catholic Church cannot access data on the church’s reinsurance coverage; and a Minnesota landlord who will pay $400,000 to settle claims that he demanded sexual favors from female tenants.    Download MP3 (run time: 12:58)

August 31, 2007
Features stories on a leak of drug test results to the press, Katrina property owners challenging a new city law on demolition, and a verdict for a seat belt manufacturer in the death of a 16-year-old girl in a rollover accident.    Download MP3 (run time: 14:01)

August 24, 2007
Stories from courts around the country, including Tom Hanks’ suit over profits from ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding,’ a man who sued 1-800-Flowers for letting his wife know about a gift to his girlfriend, and complaint on zinc content in Polygrip denture adhesive.    Download MP3 (run time: 11:27)

August 17, 2007
Stories from courts around the country, including a multi-million-dollar verdict in a Florida auto accident case against Ford; a privacy case on the release of a rape victim videotape; and an overtime-pay ruling involving Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins.    Download MP3 (run time: 12:28)

August 10, 2007
Stories from courts around the country, including a sexual harassment case involving a special-needs student, a Hurricane Katrina complaint and decision, and the first stock-option-backdating case to go to trial.    Download MP3 (run time: 15:35)

August 3, 2007
Features stories from courts around the country, including the case of a dentist who played a prank on a patient but still won $750,000 from his insurance company; a New York ruling to speed up litigation filed by Sept. 11th victims and their families; and a lawsuit brought by a former Nevada naval base worker who says she developed a brain tumor from her exposure to jet fuel.    Download MP3 (run time: 14:29)

July 27, 2007
Seven stories from courts around the country … including cases on the terrorist murder of journalist Daniel Pearl, the Texas Rangers law enforcement agency's refusal to hire a female applicant, and allegedly defective drugs to treat Parkinson's Disease and Restless-Legs Syndrome.   Download MP3 (run time: 13:46)