Legal News

Pierce O'Donnell asks for a rehearing

By Richard Binder

Trial attorney Pierce O'Donnell was indicted on charges that he reimbursed 13 employees of his law firm, now called O'Donnell & Associates in Los Angeles, and others who contributed $26,000 in 2003 to the presidential campaign of former U.S. Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C. Last year, a federal judge in Los Angeles dismissed most of the charges, in part because the language of the Federal Election Campaign Act applied to contributions made under false names and did not cover the "conduit" or "indirect" contributions of which O'Donnell was accused.

The government's appeal of that ruling attracted numerous amicus briefs, including one from the Federal Election Commission.  On June 14, a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit ruled that the statute at issue, Section 441f, did in fact apply to indirect campaign contributions.

O'Donnell has asked for a rehearing.

Full story at NLJ.com.

Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on July 02, 2010 (boomark / email).