Pierce O Donnell

The Los Angeles County district attorney's office filed an appeal Monday to have charges of political money laundering reinstated against five associates of attorney Pierce O'Donnell. Prosecutors said 17 people testified to city Ethics Commission staff that O'Donnell assistant Delores Valdez had requested that they make contributions to James K. Hahn's 2001 mayoral campaign, and they allegedly "received O'Donnell's reimbursement checks from Valdez."

Los Angeles attorney Pierce O'Donnell pleaded not guilty Tuesday to 26 misdemeanor counts of laundering political contributions to the 2001 mayoral campaign of James K. Hahn. The plea was entered in Los Angeles Superior Court by an attorney for O'Donnell, who was not in the courtroom. O'Donnell could stand trial on the charges as early as November.

The state Court of Appeal has denied a request by prominent Los Angeles attorney Pierce O'Donnell to toss out charges that he laundered political contributions to Mayor James K. Hahn's 2001 campaign committee. Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley praised the ruling, which upheld a February decision by a Superior Court judge against dismissal of the charges. "We now wish to move ahead expeditiously to put this case before a jury and the public at large," Cooley said in a statement.

A prominent Los Angeles attorney charged with making illegal contributions to the 2001 mayoral campaign of then-City Atty. James K. Hahn was discussing potential legal business with the city at the time, according to documents obtained by The Times. In February 2001, Pierce O'Donnell wrote Hahn, urging the city to join in a legal effort to recoup billions of dollars from natural-gas suppliers who had allegedly overcharged Los Angeles and others during the energy crisis. Within weeks of that Feb.

Three Los Angeles attorneys, including prominent lawyer Pierce O'Donnell, have been charged with making illegal contributions to Mayor James K. Hahn in his 2001 political campaign. O'Donnell faces 26 misdemeanor charges of making contributions in other people's names, which could result in a maximum sentence of 13 years in prison.

"Buchwald v. Paramount" wasn't about plagiarism. Or about Art Buchwald versus Eddie Murphy. Or about whether the film "Coming to America" made or lost money on a cost of $36 million and worldwide box office gross of $350 million. The case finally wasn't even about the "breach of contract" the judge said it was about. It was about corporate arrogance, studio accounting, and contract unconscionability.

It was, perhaps, the only way that this lawsuit could have ended. After a 6 1/2-year legal free-for-all, the Marciano brothers, creators of Guess jeans, won back full control Wednesday of that garment industry gold mine from their archenemies, the Nakash brothers, founders of Jordache.