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Afternoon Briefs: NRA bankruptcy petition tossed; prosecutors say man imprisoned for over 40 years is innocent

By Debra Cassens Weiss

May 11, 2021, 4:32 pm CDT

Judge tosses NRA bankruptcy petition

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Harlin D. “Cooter” Hale of Dallas has dismissed a Chapter 11 petition filed by the National Rifle Association in its bid to leave New York and reincorporate in Texas. New York Attorney General Letitia James is seeking to dissolve the NRA for alleged misspending. Hale said Tuesday the bankruptcy petition was not filed in good faith and was instead filed to gain an unfair litigation advantage in New York’s enforcement action. (The Washington Post, Reuters, Bloomberg, the New York Times)

Man behind bars for 40 years is innocent, prosecutors say

Prosecutors in Jackson County, Missouri, have said a Kansas City, Missouri, man should be released after spending more than 40 years in prison for a triple murder that he didn’t commit. Prosecutors said in an amicus brief 61-year-old Kevin Strickland is actually innocent. The sole surviving witness to the crime had identified Strickland as the perpetrator, but she later said she was mistaken and asked the Midwest Innocence Project for help. Three known culprits in the crime have also consistently stated that Strickland was not present, the brief said. The innocence group, along with lawyers from Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, have filed a petition with the Missouri Supreme Court seeking Strickland’s release. (The Kansas City Star via the Marshall Project, the prosecution amicus brief)

Law firm office costs drop by 37%

The legal market appears to be moving back to pre-pandemic levels, according to first quarter data collected in the Thomson Reuters Peer Monitor Economic Index. Demand for legal work was down slightly when compared to the first quarter of 2020, but rate growth remained high. And law firms continued cost cutting, as office-related costs dropped by 37%, according to the report, which is based on information gathered from major law firms. (Thomson Reuters press release, Law.com)