Contracts

Chicago Lawyer Settles with Southwest Airlines in Class Action over Rescinded Free-Drink Coupons

Updated: A Chicago lawyer who sued Southwest Airlines over a change to its free-drink coupon policy has agreed to a settlement valued at up to $58 million. The class action suit by Adam Levitt had claimed Southwest breached a contract with passengers when it decided in 2010 that it would…

Dec 12, 2012 5:23 PM CST

Suit by David Hester of ‘Storage Wars’ Claims Some Locker Finds Are Rigged

A suit filed by one-time Storage Wars star David Hester claims some of the valuable items found in lockers are placed there by the producers. Hester claims he was fired for complaining about the practice, report the Associated Press, E! Online and TMZ. He alleges wrongful termination in violation of…

Dec 12, 2012 12:53 PM CST

Around the Blawgosphere: Actor’s Morality Play; What ‘Lincoln’ Left Out; Profs re ‘Fiscal Cliff’

To Be or Not to Be Immoral Many people have watched Two and a Half Men actor Angus T. Jones’ video testimonial for religious group the Forerunner Chronicles in which he calls Two and a Half Men “filth” that no one should watch. E! Online reported this week that the…

Nov 30, 2012 2:30 PM CST

16 Lawyers Do Battle, 6 Interlocutory Appeals re Unpaid $357K Art Bill for ‘Taj Mahal’ Courthouse

The Florida Supreme Court has assigned the 5th District Court of Appeal in Daytona Beach to oversee a litigation battle royale concerning an unpaid $357,000 bill for 369 framed historic photographs that were supposed to hang in a sister appellate court’s expensive new home. Known as the “Taj Mahal” courthouse,…

Nov 28, 2012 9:53 PM CST

US Supreme Court Scolds Oklahoma Supremes for Discounting Arbitration Precedent

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that a dispute over a noncompete clause must be heard by an arbitrator, as called for in an employment agreement, in an opinion that takes the Oklahoma Supreme Court to task for discounting federal precedent. The Oklahoma Supreme Court “disregards this court’s precedents” interpreting…

Nov 26, 2012 6:12 PM CST

Celebrity Contracts Recognize Importance of Social Media

Movie studios and marketers are recognizing the power of social media with new contract clauses for stars with Twitter and Facebook requirements. Some studios contracts now require actors to make best efforts to use social media to support their work, an unidentified lawyer tells the New York Times. And companies…

Nov 14, 2012 12:00 PM CST

Supreme Court to Hear Another Case Involving an Arbitration Clause Barring Class Actions

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal by American Express contending a federal appeals court has created a “sweeping, unwritten loophole” in federal arbitration law. The ruling by the New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals allowed retailers to pursue a class action lawsuit alleging antitrust…

Nov 12, 2012 3:12 PM CST

Think Deal Lawyers Are Adding Value to Mergers? Think Again, Law Profs Say

The markets react to the complex legal provisions of merger agreements with a big yawn, according to a study by two law professors. The scholarly literature has long promoted the view that M&A lawyering adds value to transactions, but the markets don’t agree, according to a study by law professors…

Nov 8, 2012 6:16 PM CST

Hay from a Hated Task: 2 Big-Firm Refugees Offer Online Help for Contract Signings

What was once the bane of their existence as junior associates is now the cornerstone of a new startup for two major law firm refugees-turned-entrepreneurs. Edwin Hermawan, 27, and Andrew Knepley, 31, got together earlier this year to form Signature Pages, a Web-based software offering that creates, sends out, collects…

Nov 1, 2012 6:50 AM CDT

Judge Says Obese Dachshund (77 Pounds!) Stays with Vet Tech, Nixes Dachshund Rescue Custody Bid

After a two-hour hearing, a judge in Portland, Ore., has nixed a dog rescue organization’s bid to take custody of a grossly overweight dachshund known as Obie, who once tipped the scales at 77 pounds, roughly double his ideal weight. Obie reportedly lost 15 pounds under the care of a…

Oct 30, 2012 6:41 PM CDT

Former Confidante’s Suit Against Britney Spears and Parents Focuses on Her Alleged Drug Issues

Opening statements Thursday in a Los Angeles breach of contract trial included a photograph of Britney Spears with her head shaved, smashing an umbrella into a sports utility vehicle. Attorney Joseph Schleimer represents the plaintiff, a former confidante of the famous singer. The lawyer contended during his preview of Sam…

Oct 22, 2012 3:10 PM CDT

Law Firm Seeks 12.5 Percent Share of Ex-Banker Birkenfeld’s $104M IRS Whistleblower Award

A Washington, D.C., law firm retained by Bradley Birkenfeld to help him tell U.S. authorities how a Swiss bank was aiding Americans in evading taxes is now seeking a 12.5 percent of his $104 million whistleblower award from the Internal Revenue Service. The former employee of UBS AG, the biggest…

Oct 17, 2012 4:30 PM CDT

Two DC Lawyers Helped Negotiate Presidential Debate Agreement; Was It Followed?

Two Washington, D.C., lawyers helped negotiate a “memorandum of understanding” governing the presidential and vice-presidential debates that specify everything from staging (director’s chairs for the town hall debate) to make-up (each candidate can use his own personnel to do the job). Patton Boggs partner Benjamin Ginsberg represented Mitt Romney’s campaign…

Oct 17, 2012 11:53 AM CDT

Paralegal Sues over $100 Cake-Baking Prize, Claims Flier Promised Twice the Amount

A Pennsylvania paralegal and her daughter have sued a state representative claiming he failed to pay the full $200 promised in a flier to the winner of a cake-baking contest. Denise Robinson and her 21-year-old daughter, LaShae Robinson, say they were paid only $100 for LaShae’s winning pineapple upside down…

Oct 15, 2012 12:09 PM CDT

New Facebook Program Matching Users, Brick-and-Mortar Retail Data Sparks Complaint to FTC

Facebook users, knowing that they might be targeted by advertisers based on what they posted online, have been willing to trade some privacy for the convenience of easy online access to other individuals throughout the country and globally. But the social networking site has now embarked on a new marketing…

Oct 3, 2012 7:53 PM CDT