Corporate Law

Former senator exits Bryan Cave after his testimony helped widow win $77M judgment from firm client

A former U.S. senator and state attorney general has exited Bryan Cave—after a career there that dated back to the early 1960s—following friction over his court testimony for a friend’s widow that helped her win a $77 million verdict against Wells Fargo. The $77 million judgment won by Barbara Morriss…

Jun 3, 2015 12:55 PM CDT

Insurer sued over claim it refuses to cover disabled homeowners who have pit bulls as service dogs

A major insurer is facing a federal housing discrimination case over its alleged refusal to provide homeowner coverage to individuals who have a pit bull as a service animal. Several Travelers insurance companies and two insurance agents are named in the suit brought by the Fair Housing Council of Oregon.…

Jun 2, 2015 1:50 PM CDT

Marijuana businesses need lawyers, but how do you build that practice? (podcast with transcript)

There’s a need for lawyers to represent cannabis businesses in the states where it is legal. But how can you advise these clients and develop this as a specialty while remaining on the right side of legal ethics?

Jun 1, 2015 12:10 PM CDT

June 3, 1918: Child labor law declared unconstitutional

In 1908, photographer Lewis Hine was hired by the National Child Labor Committee to bring images of working children into the public square. The 1900 census had revealed that an estimated 1.75 million children ages 10 to 15 were laboring in the shadows of American industry, and the NCLC had been chartered by Congress to explore the effect on public welfare. By 1914, the former schoolteacher had photographed thousands: glass workers in Indiana, tippers in the mines of West Virginia, spindle operators in North Carolina, oyster shuckers in Louisiana—anywhere that small, eager hands and bodies could help industry produce goods.

Jun 1, 2015 5:55 AM CDT

Jury in Delaware awards $100M to 51-year-old woman in transvaginal mesh case

Delaware is not a state known for big jury verdicts in individual personal injury cases. But on Thursday a jury there awarded a 51-year-old former bank teller $25 million in compensatory damages and $75 million in punitives against Boston Scientific Corp. Deborah Barba said she suffered constant discomfort, urinary tract…

May 29, 2015 12:25 PM CDT

Florida lawyers prepare to provide legal advice on doing business in Cuba

Corrected: Lawyers and law firms in Florida are gearing up to provide legal advice on doing business in Cuba following President Barack Obama’s agreement to restore diplomatic ties with the country. The International Law Section of the Florida Bar is coordinating a Cuba trip this week for 37 lawyers exploring…

May 27, 2015 5:45 AM CDT

Texas restaurant that was site of biker shootout faces lawsuit by neighboring eatery

The Texas restaurant where nine people were killed Sunday in a confrontation between motorcycle gangs is being sued by a neighboring restaurant for loss of business. The Don Carlos Mexican Restaurant on Thursday sued the corporate owner of the Waco Twin Peaks restaurant and its franchiser. The $1 million suit…

May 22, 2015 7:04 AM CDT

$72M payday for 2 small law firms OK’d by judge

Citing “true contingency risk,” a Delaware Court of Chancery judge on Wednesday OK’d a $72.5 million attorney’s fees payment to two small law firms that represented the plaintiffs in a shareholder suit against a videogame maker. The settlement approved by Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster also included a $275 million…

May 21, 2015 12:15 PM CDT

Air bag maker Takata’s expanded recall of nearly 34M vehicles is largest ever

After sparring with U.S. regulators over the past year, Takata Corp. has expanded its recall of defective air bags to nearly 34 million vehicles. Announced Tuesday, the recall is the largest in National HighwayTraffic Safety Administration history. At issue are air bags containing inflator mechanisms made by Takata. A defective…

May 20, 2015 11:00 AM CDT

Los Angeles gives preliminary OK to $15 minimum wage

By a 14-1 vote, the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday gave preliminary approval to a $15 minimum-wage plan. It will require employers of some 800,000 workers to start paying $15 per hour as of 2020. Those who employ fewer than 25 workers will have more time to comply. Tuesday’s…

May 19, 2015 4:10 PM CDT

Jury awards $250K plus $82M in punitives to woman sued over someone else’s credit card bill

A lawsuit over a $1,130.14 credit-card bill she didn’t owe resulted in a jury verdict of over $250,000, plus $82 million in damages, for a Kansas City, Missouri, woman this week. “The jury issued a verdict that it thought would get this company’s attention,” said attorney Gina Chiala, who represented…

May 15, 2015 2:30 PM CDT

Businesses say plaintiff who won $360K in dozens of ADA suits may not be disabled

Carl Barnum III won $360,000, plus another $135,000 for his lawyer by filing over 100 disability discrimination suits. Then a group of California businesses hired a lawyer and aggressively defended his claims. They claim that they discovered that Barnum, who filed suit under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act may…

May 15, 2015 12:00 PM CDT

Law firms will pay $3.7M to help settle suits over Ponzi scheme run by Allen Stanford

Two Louisiana law firms have agreed to pay a total of $3.7 million to help settle litigation brought by a court-appointed receiver and an investors committee related to a massive Ponzi scheme operated by onetime billionaire R. Allen Stanford. Adams and Reese will pay $1 million and Breazeale Sachse &…

May 15, 2015 10:10 AM CDT

Employer who provided bucket in van for use as toilet is sued for $4M over death of worker

Andrew Lane needed to use the toilet while on the job for an Oregon company that provided pressure-washing and gutter-cleaning services to homeowners. But his employer, Superior Home Maintenance, provided only a bucket for that purpose. And, when Lane stepped into the back of the work truck where the bucket…

May 13, 2015 3:15 PM CDT

2nd Circuit appears sympathetic to Litvak’s argument that Wall Street traders often lie

Counsel for a former Wall Street trader convicted of lying to customers about how much he paid for securities argued in federal appeals court Wednesday that he was simply following common industry practice, as was well understood by the sophisticated investors with whom he was dealing. And the New York-based…

May 13, 2015 1:55 PM CDT