The Catholic Diocese of Orange County, CA, has reached a settlement with 87 victims over alleged clergy abuse that is larger than the $85 million settlement agreed to by the Boston Archdiocese last year. The terms of the agreement reached Thursday were not released under an order by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Owen Lee [...]

A divided California Supreme Court has ruled that lawyers participating in cases that benefit the public, including those representing advocacy groups, should have their legal fees paid by defendants. In two 4-3 decisions, the court ruled Thursday that lawyers needed some incentive to bring cases that will likely result in little or no money from [...]

Four executives of German computer chipmaker Infineon Technologies have agreed to plead guilty to charges of participating in a price-fixing scheme, the Department of Justice reported Thursday. Under the terms of the deal, the four men, who include three Germans and one American, will serve up to six months in jail and pay $250,000 in [...]

Former rebel leader Ramush Haradinaj is expected to be named Kosovo's prime minister as a new parliamentary session begins Friday, but a recent interview by UN war crimes investigators has prompted some question as to whether Haradinaj would be indicted for his role in the war with the former Yugoslavia. Haradinaj's nomination was achieved by [...]

A former Serb military officer indicted for his role in the shelling of civilians in Sarajevo during the Bosnian war has surrendered and is being transported Friday to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, chief prosecutor Carla Del Ponte said. Dragomir Milosevic was indicted in 1998, but has remained in hiding since. It [...]

German police arrested three Iraqi men Friday for a suspected plot to assassinate Iraqi interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi while he was visiting Germany. Chief Federal Prosecutor Kay Nehm said the three were under surveillance, and police noticed an increase in suspicious activity that suggested the men were plotting an attack. The three were reported [...]

US military panels reviewing the detention of 550 prisoners at Guantanamo Bay may use evidence obtained by torture in deciding whether the detainees are enemy combatants, the US government has said. Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Brian Boyle said the practice was allowed during a Thursday hearing at a district court reviewing the detention of [...]

Still wracked by an electoral crisis, the Ukrainian parliament Friday passed a resolution calling on outgoing President Leonid Kuchma to withdraw Ukraine's 1600-strong contingent of troops from Iraq. The resolution was supported by both pro-government and pro-opposition deputies. Under domestic political pressure other East European states have recently indicated a similar intent to withdraw forces [...]

Here's a run-down of law-related events, expected developments and live webcasts on JURIST's docket for Friday, December 3. The US House and Senate are in recess. The US House will reconvene on Monday, December 6 at 2 PM. The US Senate will reconvene on Tuesday, December 7 at 9:30 AM. The trial of Fatmir Limaj [...]

United States v. Moussaoui, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Judge Leonie M. Brinkema, December 2, 2004 . Read the full text of the ruling here . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.