Each test, he said, would cost about $50. "The numbers are staggering," he told CNN in a telephone interview. "We need to act fast. The sooner these kids are identified, the better." If a significant number of children were identified as having been poisoned by the heavy metal, Killino said he would consider expanding his suit "to a mass tort action."

He acknowledged, though, that it may not be possible to determine whether the exposure was related to the Mattel products or to another potential source of exposure. The Sarge recall affected toys made between May 2007 and July 2007 that contained lead paint.

That followed the August 1 recall of 976,000 toys from Mattel's Fisher-Price division -- including Dora the Explorer and Sesame Street characters.

Mattel (Charts, Fortune 500) said it subcontracted the work to companies that failed to follow its strict guidelines.

Lead is particularly toxic to the bodies and brains of children under the age of seven. Even small amounts can cause learning disabilities and brain damage that may not be diagnosed until years after the exposure.

Vick has reportedly pocketed more than $US60 million from his dazzling six-season career in the National Football League, which began when he was the league's No. 1 pick in 2001.

He is expected to be sentenced next week and faces up to five years' jail and $US250,000 in fines. He is tipped to spend about a year behind bars.

Vick's lawyer, Billy Martin, said the player had accepted a plea deal after consulting his family. Mr Martin said Vick would accept full responsibility for the mistakes he has made.

"Michael wishes to apologise again to everyone who has been hurt by this matter," he said. Vick's decision to accept a plea deal from federal prosecutors came as a Grand Jury was hearing evidence against him.

The hearing could have decided to lay harsher charges against the player, including racketeering and gambling. Vick's career, endorsements and reputation are now in tatters. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has already banned Vick from Falcons training. He faces a lifetime ban from football under the league's personal conduct policy.

The dynamic player, who was the No. 1 NFL pick in 2001, has already suffered a backlash from sponsors, with Nike suspending the release of a new Michael Vick shoe and Reebok withdrawing his jerseys from sale.

Three co-defendants of Vick had already agreed to plea deals that required them to provide statements against Vick, who initially denied having any involvement.

Vick is accused of bankrolling the "Bad Newz Kennels" operation on Vick's Virginia property. The investigation into his alleged dog fighting activities began in April when dozens of pitbull dogs and dog-fighting equipment was found on the property.

The court documents say the search found about 54 American pitbull terriers, some of which had scars and injuries appearing to be related to dog fighting.

During a court hearing for Engman's case last week, Schlueter showed a video of a police tactics consultant shocking Engman for a few seconds, in order to demonstrate that Engman's injuries were more severe than those caused in the video. Schlueter and his brother were also shocked in the video, Schlueter said.

But, after the tape was shown, San Bernardino County Deputy District Attorney Dan Ross said that Schlueter and his consultant Roger Clark may have violated the state's human experimentation law, which requires patients to sign waivers for medical experiments, according to Schlueter and local news reports.

When questioned by Ross, Clark testified that he was not certified to use the Taser and that he had not obtained waivers from Engman, Schlueter or his brother.

"It's something we're going to look at," Ross said of filing criminal charges, according to the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. He declined to comment when contacted by ABC News.

Judge Katrina West postponed the hearing, advised Clark of his right against self-incrimination and appointed an attorney to represent him. She also advised Schlueter of his rights.

Schlueter said the move by prosecutors was an attempt to stop him from showing how police used excessive force on Engman. He said he had to shock Engman because he could not get studies on injuries caused by the weapons from Taser International. "I've never, ever heard of a single case like this," Schlueter said.

Ross told the Daily Bulletin that Clark's experiment damaged his credibility as an expert.

Neil Shouse, a former Los Angeles prosecutor, said the case was "very unusual. & This is first time I've heard of something like this," he said.

The state's human experimentation laws require that subjects of medical experiments be given an explanation of the purposes and risks of any experiment. They must give their written consent to participate. Violations can carry penalties of up to one year in jail or a $50,000 fine.

Alexander Capron, a professor of law and medicine at the University of Southern California, and an expert in medical ethics, said the law, which applies to "medical experiments," was intended to apply to medical research.

Told about Schlueter's case, Capron said, "This doesn't sound like research, as that's usually understood."

"If he's allowing himself to be stunned for the purpose of producing evidence in court, the notion that they're engaged in research seems laughable on its face," he said.

A hearing on the contempt charge, to be held before Plough, is scheduled for Friday. Jones' attorneys have asked Plough to remove himself from the case, saying he cannot be impartial.

Plough did not return calls for comment Monday.

Plough's ruling prompted an outcry from defense lawyers, both in Ohio and across the country. Carmen Hernandez, president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, said in a statement that defense lawyers have an ethical obligation not to start trial if they are not prepared.

"Asking a lawyer to go to trial without preparation is like asking a doctor to perform surgery before diagnosing the patient," she said.

The Ohio Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers has also intervened.

"The defense bar has been outraged," said Friedman. "Anyone who's heard of this matter has been outraged."

This is not the first time that Plough has come under fire. Earlier this year he reportedly had another public defender arrested for refusing to go forward with a trial, though in a May interview with the Cleveland Plain Dealer Plough denied that he had the first lawyer arrested.

In May, Portage County Judge Laurie Pittman complained about Plough to the Ohio Supreme Court's Office of Disciplinary Counsel, saying he intimidated defendants who acted as their own lawyers, according to the Plain Dealer. She said Plough was "making a mockery of justice," according to a letter cited by the Plain Dealer.

Pittman and the Office of Disciplinary Counsel declined to comment. The office has not opened an official investigation into Plough.

In 2003, he became director of the Clinical Prostate Cancer Program at Northwestern University. Washington University sued to keep the samples, and won several federal rulings.

Justice Samuel Alito refused to grant a delay in the federal appeals court decision.

Law firm Lerach Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman & Robbins LLP on Monday filed a lawsuit against mortgage lender Countrywide Financial Corp that seeks class action status.

The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on behalf of purchasers of Countrywide common stock during the period between Jan. 31, 2006 and Aug. 9, 2007, the firm said in a statement.

Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer made assurances that there would be no corporate "jujitsu." Cisco Systems' CEO John Chambers said he trusted Microsoft.

In an unusual press event to showcase their evolving business alliance, the leaders of the two tech giants Monday described how an increasing level of collaboration, as well as "respectful" competition, will drive the next wave of innovation and business success.

The alliance between Cisco and Microsoft, Chambers said, "could be a role model for our industry."

Seven initiatives, ranging from security to entertainment, were announced in a New York press conference. Questioned first by television interviewer Charlie Rose and later by business reporters, Ballmer and Chambers explained how a partnership that began 10 years ago had deepened in the past three years.

Ballmer, known for his intense manner, and Chambers, more diplomatic with a soft West Virginia drawl, offered a vision that sharply contrasted with the historic and fierce rivalry between Microsoft and some other Silicon Valley companies, such as Apple, Netscape and Sun Microsystems. Allegations of anti-competitive practices have dogged Microsoft since at least 1991, ultimately leading to a federal antitrust lawsuit and settlements that required the Redmond, Wash., company to change some of its practices.

Cisco's relationship with Microsoft has never been that adversarial. On Monday, the executives said collaboration would occur whether they participate or not because the so-called Web 2.0 era makes it easier for users to share information and work together.

Moreover, customers are demanding such cooperation because they expect technology to become more user-friendly, Ballmer and Chambers said. Rather than choosing one company's line of products, they explained, business customers are asking for "interoperability" on a range of products from the companies. Business clients, Ballmer said, are still "glad for the competition," but also saying, "tell me how you are going to work with Cisco."

Chambers, returning to a favorite theme, said he believed that collaboration between companies will deliver the next wave of innovations.

Cisco and Microsoft are teaming up on projects that previously would have been handled internally. Until now, homegrown patents and acquisitions have been the primary ways for a company to grow its technology portfolio.

Microsoft's reputation for rough business tactics was noted in the press conference. Questioned by a reporter, Ballmer said Microsoft would not try to manipulate the alliance for a competitive advantage against Cisco. It's not a scenario, Ballmer said, of Microsoft executives anticipating a meeting in which "John's (Chambers) going to tell us everything he's doing so we can jujitsu him. That's not going to happen." Chambers later said the alliance would work because he trusts Microsoft.

But collaboration will pose a management challenge, particularly in research and development, Chambers said. He noted that it already was difficult within Cisco to manage research across departmental "silos." "This requires a very sophisticated level of management," he said.

The alliance, according to a press release, will focus on several key areas of collaboration, including:

• IT architecture. "Customers are asking Microsoft and Cisco to come together on their infrastructure visions . . . as manageability, performance, security and scalability become even more critical to success in the evolving service-oriented infrastructure."

• Security. Because of the increased threats of viruses and hacks, "true security requires an architectural approach vs. a deployment of point solutions." Moreover, Cisco and Microsoft are working with storage giant EMC on the Secure Information Sharing Architecture, which allows government agencies to more effectively share confidential information across traditional boundaries.

• Wireless and mobile. The companies are working to allow Cisco's Unified Communications Manager to interact with Windows Mobile-powered devices. "This will enable customers to enjoy integrated presence, telephony, calendaring and other unified communications capabilities."

• Connected entertainment. Anticipating an Internet-driven revolution in home entertainment, the partnership will promote interoperability in areas like Internet Protocol TV.

Both executives said the companies still expect to compete in many areas. Ballmer said he respects Cisco's products but that in areas of direct competition such as Web conferencing, "I respect ours more."