Author Archives: Michael Froomkin

Legal Issue in Next Year’s Big Local Trial

Local court blogger 'Rumpole' spots an interesting legal issue in setting up the issues in the upcoming trial of the alleged killers of Sean Taylor. The alleged shooter is under 18, and thus cannot be subjected to the death penalty. The two alleged accomplices are subject to a potential death penalty under the felony murder rule:

First question: under the principle of proportionality, can the prosecution seek the death penalty for defendants who were not the shooter when they are precluded from seeking the death penalty for the shooter based on the shooter's age?

Posted in Law: Criminal Law | Comments Off on Legal Issue in Next Year’s Big Local Trial

Someone Should Market These

I could see a set of these as being a popular joke Xmas gift: Defense Intelligence Agency: Terrorist Recognition Cards.

Posted in 9/11 & Aftermath | Comments Off on Someone Should Market These

Someone’s Feeling Cheerful

Maybe it's my weird sense of humor, but I really enjoyed this video from The Richter Scales, YouTube – Here Comes Another Bubble.

(Spotted via Unfogged.)

Certainly more cheerful than their Fine Line: Sub-Prime Decline

Posted in Econ & Money: Mortgage Mess | 1 Comment

SIV Rot Found in Money Funds

WSJ.com, SIV Exposure Seen at Some Money Funds

Liquidity crisis?

Posted in Econ & Money: Mortgage Mess | Comments Off on SIV Rot Found in Money Funds

Details on Florida Fund Restructing (Plus Full List of Bag-Holders)

Via the Miami Herald, Agency head quits as state fund reels, come links to very useful documents for those trying to follow what's happening in the Florida Local Government Investment Pool (LGIP) (administered by the State Board of Administration):

The Herald also highlights some local winners and losers:

Among those who got their money out before the state froze the fund:

Broward County: $227,534,594.02

Broward County School Board: $274,130,570.93

City of Fort Lauderdale: $277,366,602.43

City of Miami: $49,350,000.00

Miami-Dade School Board: $111,879,297.14

Miami-Dade County government: $514,657,752.68

Among those with money still in the fund:

Miami Dade College: $146,026,551.67

Citizens Property Insurance Corporation: $1,974,709,602.79

City of Coral Gables: $32,009,946.93

City of North Lauderdale: $24,566,106.14

Broward Community College: $39,010,779.35

So at a (maximum — could be significantly less if they don't rush to liquidate) 14% haircut, my hometown, Coral Gables, stands to lose up to $4.5 million, and Miami-Dade Community College could lose up to $20 million? Those are big numbers, but I suppose it could have been even worse. The hapless Citizens Insurance remains the biggest potential loser, at up to almost a quarter billion.

Earlier items:

Posted in Econ & Money: Mortgage Mess | Comments Off on Details on Florida Fund Restructing (Plus Full List of Bag-Holders)

I Am A Plaintiff

I've just received notice that I'm a member of the class in the In re Currency Conversion Fee Antitrust Litigation (MDL 1409) case. The defendant credit card companies are settling massive claims that they bilked card holders by manipulating fees and exchange rates on foreign-currency purchases. They of course deny everything, but are still coughing up a massive payout — one in which consumers will get actual cash instead of valueless coupons.

The proposed settlement offers me three choices:

  1. $25 cash money.
  2. Estimate how many days I was abroad in 1996-2006, and get a rebate of 1% of what they guess I spent with my credit card based on some formula they do not disclose. Key to that formula is whether I characterize my travel as sometimes/often/mostly “business,” “visiting friends or relatives,” or “vacation or leisure”. (In fact it was some of each.)
  3. Provide detailed receipts of my credit card usage abroad in that period and get 3% back.

Option 3 is out — too much work.

But I think I can figure out how much I was abroad by going over my back calendar files. It was a lot.

Posted in Law: Everything Else | 46 Comments