Tears Flow as ALJ Presses ‘Pantsuit’

The administrative law judge who filed a $67 million lawsuit against a dry cleaners that lost his pants cried on the witness stand yesterday.

Roy L. Pearson Jr., a former legal aid lawyer, testified that he wanted to dress nicely for his new job as an ALJ and became annoyed when the cleaners lost his expensive pants, according to the New York Times.

He began to cry as he testified that the business tried to pass off a cheaper pair of pants as his.

The courtroom was packed with reporters from media outlets in at least five countries, along with a tort reform lobbying handing out green buttons protesting the “pantsuit,” the Washington Post reports.

Jun 13, 2007 1:47 PM CDT

PIs Help Defeat Class Actions

Los Angeles lawyer David Aronoff has found a new way to oppose class actions. Aronoff thought that too many judges were displaying a “rubber stamp mentality” and routinely certifying class-actions. So five years ago, he decided to hire a private investigator to find links between proposed class representatives and plaintiffs’…

Jun 13, 2007 1:10 PM CDT

Tobacco Maker Loses Removal Bid

A cigarette company may not transfer a class-action lawsuit to federal court based on the federal government’s regulation of light cigarettes.

The suit against Philip Morris targeted the marketing of Marlboro Lights and Cambridge Lights, the Wall Street Journal reports (sub. req.).

The tobacco maker sought to transfer the action out of the Arkansas state courts under a law allowing removal to federal court when a private person acts under a federal officer.

Philip Morris had argued the Federal Trade Commission was a federal officer because it oversaw a voluntary agreement setting standards for light cigarettes.

Jun 11, 2007 8:24 PM CDT

Lawyer vs Lawyer: Bears Tickets Mine

Four years ago, Douglas Warlick and Donald Ramsell decided to share the cost of season tickets for the Chicago Bears, splitting the $10,000 application fee for four seat licenses. But as the team prospered, the two lawyers’ friendship faltered. Warlick liked to tailgate in the parking lot. Ramsell wanted to…

Jun 11, 2007 7:03 PM CDT

Sugar Substitute Deal Turns Bitter

The makers of Equal and Splenda are squabbling over a confidential settlement in a false advertising suit. Equal maker Merisant Co. asked the trial judge to enforce the settlement or enter the verdict, according to Associated Press. It claims its opponent failed to take certain actions as required by the…

Jun 8, 2007 2:48 PM CDT

D.C. Legal Clinic Helps Homeless

With 23 cents in her bank account, Erica Bermudo couldn’t even afford to file for bankruptcy. So she showed up at a one-hour legal clinic held at a local church in Washington, D.C., last month, to see if she could get free legal help with her case. Such private efforts…

Jun 7, 2007 11:43 PM CDT

Is Robinson-Patman Act Outdated?

Since 1936, the Robinson-Patman Act has required manufacturers to sell to charge retailers the same price for same-sized containers of the same product. But some say it may be time to change the law, which has the effect of sometimes making it possible for consumers to buy large containers of…

Jun 7, 2007 7:41 PM CDT

Suit Says Energy Drink Caused Endless Erection, Seeks Damages

A New York City man claims he got a lot more than he bargained for when he purchased and drank a can of Boost Plus nutrition beverage. An erection that wouldn’t quit, in fact, Christopher Woods says in a lawsuit against the manufacturer of the energy drink. “It gave me…

Jun 6, 2007 8:21 PM CDT

Decline & Fall

As the golden age of consumer class actions ends, the question now is whether they have any future

Jun 5, 2007 8:20 AM CDT

Supreme Court Rules for Insurers

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that insurance companies can’t be held liable for violating the Fair Credit Reporting Act without a showing they had a reckless disregard of their duties to customers. The ruling found that neither Geico General Insurance Co. nor Safeco Corp. were liable under the reckless…

Jun 4, 2007 6:08 PM CDT

Best Buy Lawyer Says He Altered Documents

An outside attorney defending Best Buy in a consumer class action has admitted he altered discovery documents in the case, prompting his law firm to file a withdrawal motion. Timothy Block reported his actions to the Minnesota Board of Professional Responsibility and is on medical leave for stress and depression,…

Jun 4, 2007 1:42 PM CDT

Splenda Agrees to Settlement

How sweet is the settlement reached Friday between the makers of Splenda and Equal? Lawyers won’t say. They agreed to the deal after jurors announced they had reached a verdict, according to Bloomberg news. A juror told the Legal Intelligencer the award would have been “substantial,” although it was less…

May 14, 2007 12:33 PM CDT

Oil Co Sues Too in $89M Gas Price-Gouge Case

Yesterday Kentucky filed a milestone $89 million price-gouging lawsuit against a major oil company in state court, in what reportedly is the first such case in the nation. Today defendant Marathon Petroleum has fired back, filing suit in federal court and saying the laws on which the Kentucky case is…

May 11, 2007 10:17 PM CDT

Jury Gets Splenda Ad Case

Splenda’s slogan that it’s “made from sugar so it tastes like sugar” is the subject of a civil suit that goes to a jury today. Equal argues that consumers are confused by the slogan and it amounts to false advertising, according to the Legal Intelligencer. Splenda claims it’s true because…

May 11, 2007 12:22 PM CDT

Suit Asks: Is it Yogurt or Nogurt?

A lawsuit filed by a legal recruiter claims the frozen concoction served by a Los Angeles dessert chain is not really yogurt. An attorney for the plaintiff told the Los Angeles Times that the suit against Pinkberry does not seek punitive damages. “The goal is to just have them come…

May 10, 2007 7:41 PM CDT