Law Times

PAGE 20 JUNE 30 - JULY 7, 2008 / LAW TIMES Bizarre Tel: 416.322.6111 Toll-free: 1.866.367.7648 doprocess com www The Confidential Inside Story FREE BIKE HELMETS An initiative of the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association recently saw 200 students receive free bike hel- mets and safety tips thanks to a lawyer's donation. Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP lawyer Michael Shannon, who specializes in assisting accident victims, provided the safety gear on June 19 to students from junior kindergarten to Grade 2 at Nelson Mandela Park Public School in Toronto's Regent Park. "Far too often I have seen the devastating effect that an unnec- essary injury can have on a child and their family," said Shannon in a release. "The helmets and safety instruction are being provided to the very youngest students at Nel- son Mandela Public School to get them off to a safe start." Shannon is vice president of the OTLA program, which is be- ing conducted across the province. The program also included safety tips from a Toronto Police Ser- vices officer and a representative of the St. Michael's Hospital head injury clinic. M&A SURVEY A new survey suggests that industry players expect an increase in overall volume over the next 12 months in terms of merger and acquisition activity in the oil and gas sector. The survey, conducted by merg- ermarket for law firm Blake Cas- sels & Graydon LLP, found that 60 per cent of those queried expect an increase over that time period. Canadian corporate executivess and U.S. financial advisers were particularly bullish, with 70 per cent and 69 per cent respectively looking forward to an upswing in action. Most also believe the total value of deals concluded will rise, and 78 per cent of Canadian cor- porate respondents agreed. "The main drivers for M&A action are expected to come al- most equally from three main fac- tors: recent changes to the Alberta Crown royalty regime; competitive pressure to grow; and the need to improve efficiencies through econ- omies of scale," said Craig Spurn, who is a Blakes partner and head of the firm's oil and gas practice. "Market uncertainty and volatil- ity are clearly reflected in the respons- es as respondents struggle to under- stand the economic environment." BLACK APPEAL DENIED A U.S. appeal court has upheld Conrad Black's convictions on fraud and obstruction of justice charges. "The evidence established a conventional fraud, that is, a theft of money or other property from Hollinger by misrepresen- tations and misleading omissions amounting to fraud," wrote the three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. The June 25 ruling upholds the decision of a U.S. District Court jury, which, on July 13, 2007, convicted Black, former CEO of Hollinger Inc., along with three of his colleagues. The charges stemmed from millions of dollars in non-com- petition payments made in the sale of newspapers and from the removal of boxes from Black's Toronto office in May 2005. Andrew Frey, a lawyer who represented Black on the ap- peal, told the National Post he may seek another hearing or take the case to the U.S. Su- preme Court. Black is currently serving a six-and-a-half-year sentence in a Florida jail. Under his leader- ship, Hollinger amassed a stable of newspapers amounting to 60 per cent of the Canadian market, along with hundreds of others worldwide. $40M PROPOSED SETTLEMENT has been announced in the Atlas Cold Storage Income Trust class action, according to lawyers in- volved in the case. The class action, which is subject to court approval, began in 2004 and includes allegations of misrep- resented financial statements. "We are very pleased to reach this tentative agreement," said Harvey Strosberg of Sutts Stros- berg LLP, which commenced the class action on behalf of unit hold- ers. "We believe that this settlement is fair, reasonable, and in the best interests of the class members." Sutts Strosberg noted that the defendants do not admit any li- ability or wrongdoing. LT For more Inside Story, please visit www.lawtimesnews.com "...And this is George, our Mismanaging Partner." NAKED JA(Y)ILBIRD SAVANNAH, Ga. — What's better: looking like a jailbird or being naked like a jaybird? It seems Bill Merit, 49, thinks the latter. According to police in Chatham County, Merit was released from the jail there and started wandering down the side of the road . . . in his birthday suit. Naturally, once he was spot- ted, citizens called police who ar- rested him. Again. The Associated Press reports that Merit had just been let out after having been booked two days earlier on charges of criminal trespass and disorderly conduct. The police report says that Merit told an officer he wasn't wearing the clothes the jail gave him because he thought they were stolen. The report adds that Merit "appeared rational, except for being naked." FALLING FOR THE GAP ALTON, Tex. — The gig is up when you're attempting a jail- break and you land in the top cop's office. Literally. Jesus Albert Suarez Chavez, 17, and Roman Orozco Marti- nez, 22, were enjoying the hos- pitality of the Hidalgo County jail when they hatched up an escape scheme. The pair were cooling their jets in neighbour- ing cells, each facing burglary of a vehicle charge when they plotted their liberation, reports the Associated Press. Police told Action 4 News Briefs By Viola James that the duo leapt off the toi- let for access to the air ducts, tore open their escape hatch and crawled into a one-foot- by-one-foot square duct.What they didn't know was that a dis- patcher caught the whole thing on video watching a video sur- veillance camera, called in back up, and they managed to pull Chavez out of the hole. Marti- nez, meanwhile, somehow got inside the ceiling. In the pitch dark, Martinez punched holes through tiles to light his way. But investiga- tor Enrique Sotelo told Action 4 News that's what led to his "downfall." He walked 20 feet, "he fell through a ceiling tile and landed in the police chief's office" onto the floor on his back where po- lice nabbed him. Sotelo, looking at the bright side, said the inmates exposed a "glitch" in their security. He also had kind words for the dispatch- er noting if "he wasn't paying at- tention to the monitors it would have been possible to get away." The ceilings have been patched, and the unlucky duo face six charges — as guests of the Hidalgo County jail. NO STICKY FINGERS AT TOM THUMB PENSACOLA, Fla. — A Flor- ida man apparently had sec- ond thoughts about his sticky fingers during a robbery at a Tom Thumb store. The Pensacola News Journal says Jereb Johnson, 21, reached over the counter and snatched cash from the register before fleeing the store. But before he left, Johnson re- turned the money to the cashier, said the paper. DON'T DISRESPECT THE WIFE, KID GREELEY, Colo. — The may- or of a Colorado town has had a temporary restraining order slapped on him after he allegedly threw a teenager to the ground when the boy wouldn't stop rid- ing a motorbike. As a result, Ed Clark, the mayor of Greeley, Colo., has to stay 100 meters away from the 15-year-old. Clark claimed to the Greeley Tribune he was trying to stop the boy for his own safety and didn't injure him. But the boy's father, Tim Stitt, had a different version and wants the order made permanent dur- ing a hearing on July 7. The father said Clark forced his son to the ground and held him until police arrived, re- ports the Associated Press. The teen was ticketed for driving without a licence. Stitt, however, thinks Clark should be charged with assault while the Greeley police spokes- person, Joe Tymkowych, said they'll investigate. There's always a backstory. In this case, Stitt said his son and Clark were at odds after a dispute with the mayor's wife. Stitt al- leges Clark confronted his boy at a basketball court and said, "Bad things are going to happen" if he didn't stop disrespecting his wife. Clark is a former cop who works as a security director at a school and works part-time as an investigator at the Weld County district attorney's office. LT Seen, heard, or been involved in a bizarre brief? Tell Viola James about it at viola.james@gmail .com. 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