Mississippi Business Journal » law

Foreign workers sue shipyard over work conditions, treatment

Associated Press — Wed, 22 May 2013 12:34:20 +0000

PASCAGOULA — Dozens of Indian guest workers are suing an Alabama-based marine and fabrication company, claiming it financially exploited them and forced them to live in squalid conditions after bringing them to work at Gulf Coast shipyards after Hurricane Katrina. Three federal lawsuits backed by the Southern Poverty Law Center were filed in Mississippi and [...]

The post Foreign workers sue shipyard over work conditions, treatment appeared first on Mississippi Business Journal.

Doctor’s murder-for-hire case postponed, mental evaluation pending

Associated Press — Tue, 21 May 2013 14:11:35 +0000

GREENWOOD — A trial in the murder-for-hire case against a Greenwood oncologist has been postponed indefinitely. Circuit Judge Breland Hilburn issued the order this past week because the court is waiting on Dr. Arnold Smith’s evaluation at a state mental facility. The case was to have gone to trial yesterday in Leflore County Circuit Court. [...]

The post Doctor’s murder-for-hire case postponed, mental evaluation pending appeared first on Mississippi Business Journal.

Judge denies ex-alderman’s request; runoff to proceed

Associated Press — Tue, 21 May 2013 11:40:10 +0000

WEST POINT — A federal judge has denied a request to block today’s runoff elections in West Point. Alderman Jasper Pittman and four other residents filed suit Friday to have the city’s May 7 primary thrown out and Tuesday’s runoff stopped. Pittman, who was seeking re-election, fell one vote short of getting into a runoff [...]

The post Judge denies ex-alderman’s request; runoff to proceed appeared first on Mississippi Business Journal.

DA starts collecting evidence on alleged voting irregularities

Associated Press — Tue, 21 May 2013 11:34:29 +0000

CANTON — Complaints about alleged irregularities in Canton elections have prompted the Madison County district attorney’s office to start collecting information in anticipation of an official investigation. District Attorney Michael Guest tells The Clarion-Ledger seven people have contacted his office about alleged voting irregularities in the May 7 Democratic primary. Guest says he wants to [...]

The post DA starts collecting evidence on alleged voting irregularities appeared first on Mississippi Business Journal.

Fred Banks wins Inns of Court award

Stephen McDill — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:05:11 +0000

Fred L. Banks Jr., senior partner at Phelps Dunbar and former presiding justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court, was recently honored with the American Inns of Court Professionalism Award at the 2013 Judicial Conference of the Fifth Circuit in Fort Worth, Texas. Banks has practiced in the areas of commercial litigation, alternative dispute resolution, legislative [...]

The post Fred Banks wins Inns of Court award appeared first on Mississippi Business Journal.

Alderman brings federal lawsuit after losing election

Associated Press — Mon, 20 May 2013 12:48:19 +0000

WEST POINT — A West Point alderman is suing in federal court to block his loss in a primary election. Jasper Pittman, the incumbent alderman in West Point’s Ward 5, missed forcing a Democratic primary runoff against Gary Dedeaux by one vote, according to final tallies. Pittman alleges in a lawsuit that the body that [...]

The post Alderman brings federal lawsuit after losing election appeared first on Mississippi Business Journal.

John Fletcher joins Jones Walker

Stephen McDill — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:01:11 +0000

John F. Fletcher, a tax attorney at General Electric, has joined Jones Walker LLP as a partner in the Tax and Estates Practice Group and as a member of the firm’s State and Local Tax (SALT) team. With more than 20 years’ experience in the legal, corporate, and accounting arenas, John’s practice focuses on state [...]

The post John Fletcher joins Jones Walker appeared first on Mississippi Business Journal.

Steven Blake Adams joins Phelps Dunbar

Stephen McDill — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:00:46 +0000

Mississippi attorney Steven Blake Adams has joined Phelps Dunbar’s Tupelo office as an associate within the firm’s health care practice, representing hospitals, physicians, managed care organizations and other health care providers in Mississippi and throughout the Southeast. With other health care attorneys in Phelps Dunbar’s Tupelo and Jackson offices, Adams provides counsel on corporate, tax, [...]

The post Steven Blake Adams joins Phelps Dunbar appeared first on Mississippi Business Journal.

Jessica Dupont makes Gulf Coast business leader ranking

Stephen McDill — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:00:38 +0000

Attorney Jessica Dupont has been named a Top Ten Business Leader Under 40 by The Sun Herald and The Journal of South Mississippi Business. Dupont is now listed in the Roland Weeks’ Leadership Hall of Fame and has been described by the publications as being “a strong, up-and-coming young business leader” on the Mississippi Gulf [...]

The post Jessica Dupont makes Gulf Coast business leader ranking appeared first on Mississippi Business Journal.

Brown would make history if confirmed as judge

Associated Press — Fri, 17 May 2013 11:08:02 +0000

JACKSON — President Barack Obama has nominated attorney Debra M. Brown to be a U.S. District judge for northern Mississippi. If confirmed, Brown would be the first African-American woman to serve as a federal district judge in the state, said a spokesman for U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.). “I congratulate Debra Brown on her historic [...]

The post Brown would make history if confirmed as judge appeared first on Mississippi Business Journal.