Whose Church?: A schism over doctrine in the Episcopal Church has triggered some ugly legal battles over assets, The Wall Street Journal reports. In civil courts nationwide, breakaway parishes are fighting local dioceses and the national church for property, including financial accounts and endowments.
Health-care and Bankruptcy: The New York Times reports that the share of personal bankruptcies caused by illness is growing, according to bankruptcy lawyers and court officials. "This has really become the insurance system for the country," one trustee said.
Lawyer Charged with Hiring Hitman: A New Jersey defense lawyer, who is a former federal prosecutor, has pleaded not guilty to a 39-count indictment for charges including murder and drug trafficking, the New Jersey Law Journal reports via Law.com. According to investigators, the lawyer traveled to Chicago to hire a hitman to murder a cooperating witness who was set to testify against his client.
Merger Pressure: Reuters reports that 59 senators, including John Kerry and Orrin Hatch, have urged European antitrust regulators to conclude an investigation of the Oracle and Sun Microsystems merger and justify any further delay in making a decision on the deal. The U.S. Justice Department gave its OK in August.
No Defense Wounds: Kentucky investigators said Tuesday that the death of a U.S. Census worker was a suicide arranged to look like a murder so his family would get a big insurance payout, The Associated Press reports.
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