Charter Communications Inc. filed a $150-million lawsuit Friday against Irell & Manella, accusing the prominent Los Angeles law firm of "critical errors" in completing a 1999 cable TV acquisition.

Charter's suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana, also alleges that Irell concealed its mistakes for as many as nine months in 2002 after learning about them.

Irell has been the longtime counsel for St. Louis-based Charter and its controlling chairman, Paul G. Allen, on a variety of deals, including recent refinancings.

Charter spokeswoman Anita Lamont said Friday that the malpractice claims could not be resolved short of a lawsuit.

Irell partner David Gindler accused Allen of failing to "honor the intent" of the deal that Charter's board approved.

"If Charter suffered any loss at all, our firm was not the cause," Gindler said. "We are confident that we will prevail as the whole story emerges in court."

A man has pleaded guilty to animal cruelty charges after authorities said he told workers at a local shelter that he was getting rid of his Doberman puppy because his hands hurt from hitting it.

Isaak Gowhari, 34, of Los Angeles, was sentenced Thursday to 45 days in county jail after entering his plea to the misdemeanor counts. The judge also barred Gowhari from owning an animal for three years.

Gowhari could not immediately be reached for comment. His telephone number was unlisted.

Authorities said Gowhari came under investigation after he gave Gracie, a 7-month-old Doberman, to an animal shelter. The puppy had newly broken ribs and injuries to its legs.

"Gowhari told the animal shelter workers that he was surrendering the dog because his hands hurt from hitting the animal," said animal control Officer Ernesto Poblano.

Photos seized by investigators showed Gracie's snout taped shut and her legs bandaged.

"At times, Gowhari did get Gracie medical care for the injuries he inflicted, but he apparently did not follow up on treatments and the injuries became aggravated and did not heal," Poblano said.

Gracie recovered from her injuries and has since been adopted.

Sanchez, a Mexican citizen, on Wednesday waived his right to a federal grand jury indictment and pleaded guilty to crossing state lines with a minor for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity.

Sanchez is expected to be sentenced June 22 to at least five years and as many as 30 in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall advised Sanchez that after he completes his prison term he will be deported.

Assistant U.S. Attorney James K. Filan Jr. told the judge that the teenager admitted having a sexual relationship with Sanchez.

On June 10, Filan said the pair left Norwalk and traveled to New York City, where they boarded a bus with the intention of going to California, where they would live with Sanchez's sister.

The girl's parents contacted authorities, who quickly learned from one of her friends that she had telephoned from New York.

Filan said FBI agents were able to trace telephone calls she made to a bus station in Indiana and learned the bus was headed to St. Louis. On June 14, agents stopped the bus, boarded it and arrested Sanchez, the prosecutor said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Cardani said prosecutors would recommend lenient sentences for both men, provided they continued to cooperate. Each man could face as long as 13 years in prison if maximum penalties are imposed.

Government attorneys and Levin and Lawrence agreed in a "statement of facts" document that Monem received $532,000 from L&L Inc., which the two defendants own.

"These payments were meant to influence and reward the (Oregon Department of Corrections) employee, and corruptly ensure future sales of distressed foods by L&L Inc. to ODOC," the document says.

Between July 2004 and January 2007, the Oregon prison system purchased $4.36 million worth of food from the California firm, court papers show.

A driver arrested after the crash that killed "A Christmas Story" director Bob Clark and his son pleaded not guilty Friday to two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.

Prosecutors say Hector Velazquez-Nava, 24, steered his sport-utility vehicle into the wrong lane of Pacific Coast Highway early Wednesday. Clark, 67 and his son, Ariel Hanrath-Clark, 22, died at the scene.

Velazquez-Nava had a blood-alcohol level of 0.24 percent, three times the legal limit, authorities said.

Velazquez-Nava was being held on $200,000 bail, although a federal immigration hold prevents him from posting bail. Immigration officials have said he is in the country illegally.

If convicted, he could face at least 10 years in state prison, prosecutors said.

After its evacuation, the 20-year-old ship run by "Louis Hellenic-Cruises" anchored at Athinio coast but it finally sank at dawn on Holy Friday, when water flooded the engine room and decks No 2 and 3, resulting in increase of its list.

It is reported that Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis is being continually briefed by Merchant Marine Minister Manolis Kefalogiannis and Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos on the case.

On board the ship were 1,170 passengers, the majority being American and German tourists, and 390 crew members. Two French people were reported missing while the rest of passengers and crewmen were rescued.

The 22,412-ton Sea Diamond, which flew the Greek flag since 2006, was built in 1986 and was refurbished in 1999. It could carry 1,250 passengers in 570 cabins. The ship was on a 7-day cruise, scheduled to arrive in Piraeus on Holy Friday morning. 

Jason Russell Richardson pleaded not guilty Friday to shooting and killing Tom Egan, a night manager at the Tustin Marketplace Home Depot, while robbing the store Feb. 9.

In a court appearance that lasted just seconds, Richardson, a convicted rapist who had been out on parole for spousal abuse, stood shackled and chained as he entered his plea through his attorney, Hector M. Chaparro of the county's Associate Defender's Office.

"That's good," Richardson, 36, said when Orange County Superior Court Judge Kazuharu Makino asked Richardson if June 11 would work for a preliminary hearing – when a judge decides if prosecutors have enough evidence to take their case to trial. Richardson could get the death penalty if convicted.

Egan, a 40-year-old father of twin girls, was shot once in the abdomen when he tried to stop a man dressed in painter coveralls, dust mask and yellow construction helmet from robbing his store. Egan, who stayed on hours after his shift had ended, begged the man to leave the store and not to hurt anyone, police said.

Egan pleaded with the man to leave as he grabbed wads of cash from the register. The heavily disguised man turned and shot him once. Surveillance tape shows the shooter stepping over Egan's body as he walked out of the store. He got away with about $500.

Egan died a short time later at a hospital.

A massive manhunt was on for the shooter. Less than two weeks later, Tustin police arrested Richardson, 36, in Oceanside when he went to check in with his parole officer. Digitally enhanced surveillance video led investigators to a dirty sock dropped inside the Home Depot. Forensic scientists matched DNA from the sock to a DNA sample Richardson was forced to give after his 1992 rape conviction.

At a Feb. 23 news conference announcing Richardson's arrest, Tustin police said Richardson had been convicted of sexual assault on a child. In fact, Richardson pleaded guilty to burglary, rape and forced oral copulation and was sentenced to six years in prison. In 2002, he was sentenced to four years for spousal abuse.