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RAIN 03/02 Weekly Update: Litigation, Audits (12)



The Observer 02/24/02
Mickey Mouse threatens to block all ideas in future
John Naughton
The US Supreme Court announced last week that it would hear
Eldred v. Ashcroft - an obscure case of which I guess most people
are blissfully unaware. Yet the outcome of the court's deliberations
will determine how our cultural and intellectual life evolves over the
rest of this century. What's at stake is nothing less than the future of
ideas.
http://www.observer.co.uk/business/story/0,6903,655907,00.html


AP 02/24/02
Trust Fund Suit Alleges Problems
Sun Feb 24, 1:43 PM ET
By ROBERT GEHRKE, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - Elouise Cobell fields about five calls a day from fellow American Indians who are frustrated, angry and afraid.
They last were paid three months ago for oil and gas drilling on their land. Many rely on that money and blame Cobell for the hang-up — the computer shutdown that stopped the payments is a byproduct of her lawsuit against the federal government.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20020224/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/indian_money_15


New York Times 02/25/02
CD-Protection Complaint Is Settled
By AMY HARMON
The makers of the first known copy-protected CD released in the United States, a recording by the country singer Charley Pride, have agreed to warn consumers that the CD is not designed to work in computer CD-ROM drives or DVD players.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/25/technology/25PROT.html


Las Vegas Review-Journal 02/25/02
Reid to pursue energy panel records
By STEVE TETREAULT
STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON - Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., is preparing to get involved in the legal fight between the White House and the congressional agency trying to gain access to records of the Bush administration's energy task force.
http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2002/Feb-25-Mon-2002/news/18175283.html



Houston Chronicle 02/26/02
DA says Enron may owe back tax
Inquiry targets property listing
By STEVE BREWER
Harris County prosecutors are investigating whether state law was broken when one of Enron Corp.'s failed business ventures failed to properly account for at least $15 million in telecommunications equipment. District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal said his office served Enron officials with subpoenas for records on Monday and investigators were awaiting a response from the company later in the day.
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/printstory.hts/topstory2/1271341


New YOrk Times 02/26/02
U.S. Agency's Computers Didn't Protect Indian Fund
By JOHN MARKOFF
Instructed by a federal district judge to determine whether the computer network at
the Bureau of Indian Affairs was secure from malicious intruders, Alan Balaran decided to infiltrate it.
He did this not once, but three times, and determined among other things that skilled
hackers would be able to bilk Indian funds in trust at the bureau by having checks sent to themselves.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/26/technology/26INDI.html



Houston Business Journal 02/22/02
Shredding: Spoliation in Electronic Age presents new challenges
Janis H. Detloff Special To Houston Business Journal
In these days following the high-profile collapse of Enron, litigation involving the
company is a hot topic. Allegations of document shredding against Enron and its
accountants have made the destruction of evidence a central issue.
Although the Texas Supreme Court has not defined "spoliation," it broadly refers to
the intentional or reckless destruction, loss, material alteration or obstruction of
evidence that is relevant to litigation.
http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2002/02/25/focus6.html



Business 2.0 2/28/02
THE DEFOGGER
Your Data Is Gone, but It's Not Forgotten
By: Dylan Tweney
Deleted e-mail and computer files have a nasty habit of coming back at the
most awkward times -- like in the middle of a lawsuit. What can you do
about it?
http://www.business2.com/articles/web/print/0,1650,38330,FF.html



Washington Post 02/28/02
Energy Dept. Ordered To Release Documents
7,500 Pages Involve Work of Cheney Panel
By Dana Milbank and Ellen Nakashima
Washington Post Staff Writers
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13092-2002Feb27.html



Mountain Democrat 2/28/02
Quarry owner's wife arrested during search
By MEGAN MARSHACK Staff writer
El Dorado County sheriff's deputies arrested 76-year-old Thelma Brunius Tuesday morning at the main office of the Sierra Rock mining operation on suspicion of resisting arrest and violation of a court order.
http://www.mtdemocrat.com/display/inn_news/I0228_N2.txt



PRNewswire 03/01/02
SPJ Joins Legal Action Against Executive Order to Withhold Presidential Records
INDIANAPOLIS, March 1 /PRNewswire/ -- The Society of Professional Journalists is urging a U.S. District Court to quash President George W. Bush's unprecedented, self-imposed veto power over the use of presidential records.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020301/clf006_1.html



Wall Street Journal 03/01/02
'Dawn Raids' Spark Controversy
For Europe's Antitrust Regulators
By PHILIP SHISHKIN
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
BRUSSELS -- European Union antitrust investigators showed up unannounced at Coca-Cola Co.'s London offices early one morning in 1999.
They were looking for evidence that Coke and its bottlers had shut out rival soft-drink makers by offering questionable discounts to retailers. Even though they didn't have a search warrant, the investigators scoured desktop computers and searched e-mail servers. They sifted through hundreds of messages and left with copies of those that contained such key words as "confidential," "competition" and "discount." They also took copies of confidential legal documents prepared by Coke's in-house lawyers.
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,4286,SB1014932433687516200,00.html?mod=Page%20One


Peter A. Kurilecz CRM, CA
pakurilecz@aol.com
Richmond, Va