A magistrate recommended in favor of Mr. Sobol last Friday.

The magistrate can also recommend action by a Federal district judge.

A federal magistrate in Brooklyn, presiding over a fierce battle for $3 million in legal fees for work on Abner Louima's civil lawsuit against the city, recommended yesterday that Brian Figeroux, one of the first lawyers in Mr. Louima's police brutality case, be denied any compensation.

So this is significant today because just recently a magistrate in Maine recommended that the court make Patco the loser in this suit by denying Patco's motion for summary judgment and granting the bank's motion that the case be dismissed.

Gletkin turned to the stenographer: "Write: the examining magistrate recommends that this charge be dropped for lack of evidence."

In Cincinnati, a federal magistrate on Thursday recommended that a district judge issue an injunction barring Robert Welti, a certified public accountant in Ripley, Ohio, from preparing tax returns citing the 861 position or using abusive trust schemes.

Nearly two years ago, a magistrate in Federal District Court in Nevada recommended summary judgment in favor of Ford.

On January 15, the magistrate in charge of the complaint recommended that it be dismissed and on January 20, the Federal district Judge affirmed the dismissal.

Six of the bankers, including the current chairman, Francesco Cingano, and the honorary chairman, Enrico Cuccia, are among nine people that the magistrates have recommended should stand trial on charges of operating a secret fund.

In 2008, a federal magistrate recommended that the death penalty be overturned because Wardrip received ineffective defense in his trial.