Tort Law

Acquitted lawyer can’t sue, 7th Circuit says; Posner would allow claim over investigator statements

A Michigan lawyer who was acquitted on charges that she aided a client’s fraud can’t sue officials involved in her arrest and prosecution for alleged deprivation of her constitutional rights, a federal appeals court has ruled. The Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said most of the claims by…

Dec 14, 2016 7:45 AM CST

BigLaw firm represents one of its associates in $50M suit over subway station injury

Williams & Connolly is representing one of its associates in a suit that claims he is unable to work as a lawyer because he was injured by a falling metal pole at a subway station. The associate, Kevin LoVecchio, says he was injured in August 2015 at a subway station…

Dec 13, 2016 3:55 PM CST

Lawyer seeks to identify author of three-word ‘horrible’ Google review

A New York City lawyer is asking a judge to order disclosure of the reviewer who gave him only one star and wrote this cryptic review: “It was horrible.” The petition (PDF) by lawyer Donald Tobias says he suspects the person who wrote the post believed he was a different…

Dec 13, 2016 9:36 AM CST

Jurors award more than $1B in hip implant case

Federal jurors in Dallas on Thursday awarded $1.041 billion to six California plaintiffs who sued Johnson & Johnson for a hip implant device with alleged design defects. The awarded included more than $1 billion in punitive damages, report the National Law Journal (sub. req.), Reuters and Bloomberg. Jurors found that…

Dec 2, 2016 9:33 AM CST

Law firm is ordered to pay nearly $27K for suit over bad online reviews

A Texas judge has tossed a suit filed by a law firm over bad online reviews and ordered it to pay nearly $27,000 in attorney fees as a sanction for bringing the legal action. The firm’s former client, Lai Cai, won dismissal of the case last week, her lawyer, Michael…

Dec 1, 2016 7:00 AM CST

Former Chadbourne employee’s book announcement is short-lived

A former Chadbourne & Parke employee hasn’t had much success with his efforts to promote a new e-book about his experiences there. Chadbourne objected to the former mailroom clerk’s press release about the release of his book, entitled The Law Firm That Called Me The N-Word, the Am Law Daily…

Nov 29, 2016 7:45 AM CST

Lawyers representing pro wrestlers escape sanctions; two suits are tossed

Corrected: A federal judge in Connecticut has refused to issue sanctions against lawyers representing pro wrestlers in consolidated concussion litigation against World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. U.S. District Court Judge Vanessa Bryant declined to issue Rule 11 sanctions, though she used “harshly critical terms” to describe the lawyers’ actions, Bloomberg Big…

Nov 23, 2016 8:00 AM CST

Judge tosses suit claiming wrongful death defendant was defamed on law firm website

A judge in King County, Washington, has dismissed a lawsuit filed on behalf of a wrongful death defendant who claims the law firm that is suing her defamed her on its website. In a decision last week, Judge James Rogers tossed the defamation suit filed on behalf of Tracy McNamara,…

Nov 23, 2016 7:00 AM CST

Law firm can run ads targeting specific nursing home, Georgia Supreme Court rules

A Mississippi-based law firm seeking nursing home neglect and abuse cases didn’t violate Georgia trademark law by targeting PruittHealth Inc. in one of its ads, the Georgia Supreme Court has ruled. In a decision on Monday, the court lifted an injunction that had barred the ads by the McHugh Fuller…

Nov 22, 2016 12:10 PM CST

Lawyer who lost case because of bathroom break wins an appeal

A Florida judge should not have barred a lawyer from arguing a summary judgment motion after his bathroom break made him late for the hearing, a state appeals court has ruled. Florida’s Fourth District Court of Appeal ruled for lawyer Jeff Tomberg of Boynton Beach in a Nov. 16 opinion…

Nov 22, 2016 7:00 AM CST

These law firms get the most business from large companies in five areas of litigation

The nation’s largest companies spread their work around to a mix of law firms, according to an analysis of court filings and public documents. Corporate Counsel (sub. req.) did the review and created the list of the top go-to law firms used by Fortune 50 companies in five key areas…

Nov 21, 2016 1:39 PM CST

7th Circuit reinstates lawyer’s defamation suit over Jezebel blog comment

A Chicago lawyer who alleged he was defamed by a comment to a Jezebel blog story may pursue his claim because he alleged blog employees, rather than readers, helped create and develop at least some of the comments. The Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court reinstated lawyer Meanith Huon’s defamation claim…

Nov 16, 2016 10:07 AM CST

Lawyer’s suit claims friend’s negligent handshake caused lasting pain

A Florida jury will soon consider the case of a lawyer in Delray Beach who claims another lawyer’s negligent handshake caused him severe and lasting pain. Lawyer George Vallario Jr. is suing his onetime friend, Boca Raton lawyer Peter Lindley, the Sun Sentinel reports in a story noted by LawNewz.…

Nov 11, 2016 4:20 PM CST

Reporters could bolster First Amendment with libel cases against Trump, libel defense lawyer says

First Amendment lawyer Floyd Abrams urged other media lawyers on Wednesday to consider going on the offensive to shore up the First Amendment, possibly by bringing libel cases against Donald Trump. The Hollywood Reporter reported on Abrams’ remarks and followed up with an interview. Abrams told the publication that Trump…

Nov 11, 2016 7:00 AM CST

Jurors award $3M in defamation suit against Rolling Stone

Federal jurors on Monday awarded $3 million in damages to a former University of Virginia administrator who claimed she was defamed by a Rolling Stone article about a gang rape that was later retracted. Jurors in Charlottesville, Virginia, found that reporter Sabrina Rubin Erdely was liable for $2 million and…

Nov 8, 2016 12:24 PM CST