Articles by Grant McCool

Court May Revive Viacom Copyright Claim Against YouTube

In a copyright infringement case at the heart of media company battles to win Internet viewers, an appeals court grappled on Tuesday over whether to revive Viacom Inc.’s landmark $1 billion lawsuit against Google Inc.’s YouTube. Media conglomerate Viacom , …

Judge Narrows $1B Madoff Case vs. N.Y. Mets Owners

A federal judge narrowed a $1 billion lawsuit against owners of the New York Mets baseball team by the trustee seeking money for Bernard Madoff’s victims, and cast skepticism on how much might ultimately be recovered. Tuesday’s ruling by U.S. …

New Jersey Suffers Widespread Damage from Irene

Hurricane Irene swept along the New Jersey shore early Sunday, knocking down trees, leaving thousands of people without electrical power and causing flooding. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie cautioned residents and visitors, hundreds of thousands of whom were ordered to …

Mortgage Crisis Author Lewis Sued for Defamation by Asset Manager

Michael Lewis, best-selling author of “The Big Short” about the mortgage meltdown, has been sued for defamation by an asset manager featured in the book. Other targets in the lawsuit are Lewis’ publisher and prominent hedge fund manager Steven Eisman …

New York Suit Accuses Ernst & Young of Hiding Lehman Troubles

Accounting firm Ernst & Young was sued by New York prosecutors over allegations it helped to hide Lehman Brothers’ financial problems, in the first major government legal action stemming from the Wall Street company’s 2008 downfall. The civil fraud case …

SEC Said to Complete Probe of AIG and Executives

U.S. market regulators have closed an investigation of American International Group and some of its executives over the giant insurer’s near collapse in 2008 that led to a $182 billion government bailout, two sources with knowledge of the matter said …

Shareholders File Suit Against Goldman CEO Over Abacus

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Chief Executive Lloyd Blankfein and other bank officials have been sued by shareholders in two lawsuits related to fraud allegations brought by the federal government. In complaints filed in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan, …

Judge: Fraud Case Against Ex-AIG CEO Greenberg ‘Devastating’

New York state prosecutors have “a devastating case” against Maurice “Hank” Greenberg, the former American International Group Inc. chief executive accused of fraud over a reinsurance transaction 10 years ago, the presiding judge said in court Tuesday. After four hours …

U.S. Judge Dismisses Claims Against Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s

In a victory for ratings agencies, a U.S. judge Tuesday dismissed claims against Moody’s Corp. and McGraw-Hill’s Standard & Poor’s in litigation over nearly $100 billion of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. mortgage-backed securities. Investors had accused the agencies of serving …

Trustee Sues Madoff Family Members for $198 Million

A court-appointed trustee sued the brother, sons and a niece of imprisoned fraudster Bernard Madoff Friday for $198 million, accusing them of milking the family-run business while they were executives of the firm. “The Family Members were completely derelict in …