Court Roundup

Oklahoma Court denies appeal of convicted killer OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals has rejected the appeal of the convicted killer of a Lawton man. Rickie Ray Elvaker was convicted in 2009 and sentenced to life in prison in the beating death of 28-year-old Derrick Farr. Elvaker argued on appeal that he did not receive a fair trial. He said the jury wasn't allowed to consider the defense of voluntary intoxication, that the prosecutor referred to a previous robbery conviction and that the judge gave an "Allen charge" to encourage the jury to reach a verdict despite objections by defense attorneys. The appeals court said in its Tuesday ruling that it found no errors by the judge or prosecutors. Mississippi Lawyer's lawsuit over bribery arrest settled HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) -- Federal court records show a Hattiesburg attorney has settled his lawsuit against Pearl River County over his claims his arrest on a bribery complaint in 2009 was in retaliation for past disputes with the local sheriff. Details of the settlement were not made public. A federal judge signed an order Feb. 17 dismissing the lawsuit. Glenn L. White had sued the sheriff, three deputies and the county in 2010. White had been arrested in 2009 for allegedly bribing a county jail inmate to influence testimony related to the investigation of a Picayune bonding company. The attorney general's office later dropped the charges. Pennsylvania Makers of online fantasy game target man PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Attorneys for the owners of an online fantasy game are seeking $825,000 from a Pittsburgh-area man who they say has created a Web site that violates the game's copyright. Evony LLC and Regan Mercantile LLC want 23-year-old Philip Holland, of Mount Lebanon, to stop producing a map of the fantasy world that players navigate on the game Evony: Age II. Attorneys for the gaming firms say Holland sells the maps -- which he acknowledges -- and also creates computer "bots" that automatically play the game through the site, which Holland denies. A federal court judge in Pittsburgh did not immediately issue an injunction against Holland's Web site, but says he'll rule soon. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says the judge is resuming the allegations are true because Holland has failed to answer the lawsuit filed two months ago. Virginia Hearing set for Va. inmate trying to win freedom RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- The Virginia Court of Appeals will hear the case of a Virginia inmate who is seeking exoneration in two 1984 sexual assaults. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that Thomas Haynesworth's attorneys will make the case for his freedom during a March 30 hearing. Haynesworth already was exonerated in one assault based on DNA evidence recovered as part of Virginia's post-conviction DNA program. No DNA evidence was available for the other two assaults he was convicted of, but Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and Richmond and Henrico county prosecutors support his petition for a so-called writ of actual innocence. The 45-year-old Haynesworth has been behind bars since 1984. In 2009, Haynesworth became the first Virginia inmate granted a writ of actual innocence based on DNA evidence. New York Supermodel rejects plea deal in NYC court NEW YORK (AP) -- Supermodel Jessica White has turned down a plea deal in her assault charge case over a New York City taxi. The Sport Illustrated swimsuit model appeared in Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday where her lawyer said she would fight the misdemeanor assault charge. White is accused of repeatedly punching another woman in the face over a cab outside the Avenue Lounge in Manhattan last October. She is also charged with harassment. The Daily News says the plea deal called for White to perform two days of community service, attend two days of anger management and pay $446 in restitution. Defense lawyer Mark Heller said White would "be completely exonerated at trial." Nebraska Inmate serving life sues defense attorney again BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) -- A man serving a life sentence for killing his girlfriend is suing the attorney who represented him in his defense -- again. KWBE Radio in Beatrice reports that 46-year-old Richard Griswold filed his latest lawsuit on Monday in Gage County District Court. In the handwritten lawsuit, Griswold claims negligence, misrepresentation and malpractice by his attorney. Griswold is serving time for fatally shooting 43-year-old Connie Eacret in her home in November 2007. It is the second time Griswold has sued James Mowbray. Griswold's first lawsuit was dismissed at Griswold's request, while he awaited ruling on a claim he filed against the state of Nebraska. That claim was rejected in February. Mowbray declined Tuesday to comment on the lawsuit. Published: Thu, Mar 17, 2011