National Roundup

Pennsylvania
Carnegie Mellon U. wants to triple $1.17B verdict
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Attorneys for Carnegie Mellon University want a judge to rule that a California firm willfully violated the school’s patents and triple a $1.17 billion verdict by a federal court jury in Pittsburgh.
December’s verdict Wednesday against Marvell Technology Group of Santa Clara, Calif., came after the Pittsburgh-based university argued Marvell infringed on patents that came from the work of professor Jose Moura and then-student Alek Kavcic.
Marvell plans to contest the verdict in post-trial motions and appeal to a higher court, if necessary.
The jury found Marvell reaped the benefits of the university’s research by profiting on semiconductor chips that relied on the patented technology.
In addition to tripling the verdict, the school wants the judge to order Marvell to pay its attorney fees and roughly $322 million in interest.

Ohio
Mom charged with helping kid in class brawl
CINCINNATI (AP) — Cincinnati’s police chief has strong words for a mother accused of bursting into a high school classroom and helping her daughter beat up another student.
Chief James Craig said Monday that 31-year-old Precious Allen will be held accountable for the classroom brawl last week at Withrow High School.
Police said Allen, her daughter and another woman burst into a classroom, with mother and daughter assaulting a 15-year-old student with their fists and a combination lock. The student suffered cuts and bruises, and a teacher ended up with a black eye in the scuffle.
The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that Allen is charged with felonious assault and aggravated criminal trespass. Her daughter is facing similar charges. Another woman, who did not participate in the beating, is charged with criminal trespass.

Illinois
Poisoned lotto winner’s brother sought new tests
CHICAGO (AP) — The brother of a Chicago man poisoned with cyanide shortly after winning the lottery said Monday he is the family member who asked authorities to reconsider the initial finding that his sibling had died of natural causes.
Imtiaz Kahn said he had nightmares about his brother before his death and that his suspicions about the death lead him to push coroner’s officials to conduct more tests. Urooj Khan, 46, died July 20 as he was about to collect his $425,000 in Illinois State Lottery winnings.
Imtiaz Khan said Monday in a telephone interview that he began demanding more tests be conducted immediately after coroner’s officials said his brother had died of natural causes.
Further tests revealed in November that Urooj Khan had been poisoned. His body was exhumed in January for more testing.
Khan’s widow, Shabana Ansari, and other relatives have denied any role in his death and expressed a desire to learn the truth.
Urooj Khan had moved to the U.S. from his home in Hyderabad, India, in 1989, setting up several dry cleaning businesses and buying into some real estate investments.
Despite having foresworn gambling after making the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in 2010, Khan bought a lottery ticket in June. He said winning the lottery meant everything to him and that he planned to use his winnings to pay off mortgages, expand his business and donate to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.
He was just days from receiving his winnings when he died before dawn July 20.
The night before, Khan ate dinner with his wife, daughter and father-in-law at their house. Sometime that night, Khan awoke feeling ill. He died the next morning at a hospital.
Khan died without a will, opening the door to a court battle. The businessman’s widow and siblings fought for months over his estate, including the lottery check.

Pennsylvania
Suit: Woman lost thumb dancing at Pa. strip club
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Philadelphia woman has filed a lawsuit after she says her thumb was cut off while she participated in a competition at a strip club.
The Philadelphia Daily News reports 35-year-old Sarah Berry says she was rehearsing for the competition at Delilah’s when an apparatus she was using severed her thumb in July 2011.
She filed the suit in city court on Friday and is seeking more than $50,000. Her suit says Delilah’s failed to ensure the crescent-shaped metal bar suspended from the ceiling was properly designed, built, inspected and tested.
Her attorney, James D. Golkow, says his client wasn’t a professional dancer and had entered the contest at a friend’s invitation. He says her injury required surgery.
Managers at Delilah’s didn’t respond to a request for comment.

New Jersey
Godfather plans to protest over slain girl’s case
WOODBURY, N.J. (AP) — The godfather of a slain 12-year-old New Jersey girl is planning to stage a rally calling for the teen boys accused of killing her to be tried as adults.
Paul Spadafora, who is also the great uncle of Autumn Pasquale, is organizing the event in Woodbury.
Her body was found in a recycling bin and teen brothers Justin and Dante Robinson were charged with murder and other crimes. Prosecutors are asking for the case to be moved to adult court.
However, acrimony has surrounded the case.
The Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office last week announced it would transfer the case Camden County prosecutors because of a lawsuit filed over the handling of the case.

Missouri
Man accused of killing girlfriend as kids watched
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas City man is charged with killing his girlfriend as his two young children watched.
Jackson County prosecutors charged 43-year-old Ja (Jay) Ray Monday with first-degree murder in the stabbing and drowning of 21-year-old Essence Willoughby last November.
Family members say Willoughby had ended her relationship with Ray but agreed to go to church with him and their two boys last Nov. 11.
Police allege Willoughby was killed after church in a nearby wooded area as their 3- and 2-year-old sons sat nearby.
The Kansas City Star reports the 3-year-old gave police details about the attack and helped officers find her body.
Online court records do not indicate that Ray has an attorney.i