Tort Law

Accuser’s court filing blasts Cosby’s ‘media blitz’

Lawyers for Bill Cosby’s accuser in a 2005 sex-abuse case say Cosby’s legal filings are part of a “media blitz” that should trigger the plaintiff’s right to speak about the case. In a new legal filing (PDF), lawyers for Cosby’s accuser say they are not to blame for the release…

Jul 29, 2015 5:45 AM CDT

Process server criminally charged for ‘slapped’ lawsuit gets civil rights case OK

A last-minute decision to have his wife and nephew take cellphone videos as he served a police brutality lawsuit outside a Louisiana courthouse may have saved Douglas Dendinger from a hefty prison term. Now Dendinger is hoping the videos will also play a significant role in his ongoing federal civil…

Jul 24, 2015 12:20 PM CDT

Bankruptcy firm chief sues ex-associate for $1M over alleged software conspiracy

In the latest of a series of lawsuits linked to a claimed theft of proprietary software by a competitor, Chicago bankruptcy law firm chief Peter Francis Geraci is seeking $1 million in damages from a former associate. Filed Tuesday in Cook County Circuit Court, the suit alleges that Kevin Chern,…

Jul 24, 2015 10:15 AM CDT

Backpage sues sheriff over letters to credit card companies

Efforts by a Chicago-area sheriff to persuade credit card companies not to deal with Backpage.com are “an especially pernicious form of prior restraint,” the company says in a federal lawsuit filed this week. Arguments on the First Amendment lawsuit, which seeks a restraining order against Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart,…

Jul 23, 2015 5:00 PM CDT

Mom sues Chicago over police chase after her toddler was killed by fleeing vehicle

The mother of a 13-month-old boy who died earlier this month when a red Toyota fleeing a police chase jumped a curb and struck his stroller has sued the city of Chicago and 20 unnamed police officers. Attorney Antonio Romanucci represents Shatrelle McComb and said at a Thursday news conference…

Jul 23, 2015 2:50 PM CDT

Struck by pickup, injured bicyclist sues another driver who she says gave pickup the OK to turn

Jeffrey Lovelady may have thought he was being courteous and helpful by allegedly giving a man at the wheel of a pickup a go-ahead signal to make a left turn in an industrial area of Portland, Oregon, last year. But now he is facing a big-bucks accident suit. Struck by…

Jul 23, 2015 1:55 PM CDT

Informant sues feds, says they didn’t tell him when agent for whom he worked was fired

A longtime informant has sued the federal government, contending that he was repeatedly put in danger because the Department of Homeland Security fired the agent for whom he worked but didn’t tell him. As a result, alleges “John Doe,” he for years transported cash across the Mexican border for the…

Jul 22, 2015 12:30 PM CDT

Cosby lawyers blame his accuser for release of his deposition by court reporting service

Lawyers for Bill Cosby argued in a motion (PDF) on Tuesday that his accuser in a 2005 sex-abuse suit was trying to “smear” him and should have ensured that court reporters knew his deposition transcript was still confidential. The New York Times obtained the deposition transcript from a court reporting…

Jul 22, 2015 8:43 AM CDT

Judge who fired assistant before taking oath of office isn’t immune from suit, court rules

Elected to the Tennessee bench last year, Knox County Circuit Court Judge Bill Ailor took the oath of office Sept. 1. Meanwhile, on Aug. 26, he fired his longtime predecessor’s judicial assistant, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports. But because he hadn’t yet officially taken the bench at that point, Ailor…

Jul 21, 2015 4:55 PM CDT

Feds face tough laws requiring specific intent in possible criminal case over GM ignition issues

After the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, prosecutors charged a BP unit with violating the federal Clean Water Act over the deaths of brown pelicans. Like similar consumer-safety laws involving pharmaceuticals and food, no specific intent is required to prove a violation, the New York Times (reg.…

Jul 21, 2015 12:35 PM CDT

Federal bill backed by Yelp would increase protections for online commenters

A federal bill that is backed by Yelp is designed to protect online commenters and others who speak out about matters of public concern when they face meritless defamation suits. The Speak Free Act (PDF) would require a plaintiff filing a suit against commenters or speakers in such cases to…

Jul 21, 2015 5:45 AM CDT

How the New York Times obtained Bill Cosby’s deposition transcript without a court order or leak

It turns out that Bill Cosby’s full deposition in a 2005 sex-abuse suit may have been publicly available all along. The New York Times says it obtained the deposition transcript, which was never sealed, through a court reporting service. According to the newspaper’s story on the contents, Cosby displayed “casual…

Jul 20, 2015 7:06 AM CDT

Lawyer is entitled to only $100 for ex-client’s post on Ripoff Report, appeals court says

A lawyer who sued a former client for calling him an unethical bully on ripoffreport.com can collect damages of only $100, a New York appeals court has ruled. The court reduced the original award of $125,000 to lawyer John Cahill in a brief decision that said the evidence doesn’t support…

Jul 16, 2015 11:29 AM CDT

Whoopi Goldberg learns of statute of limitations in Cosby cases, asks TV viewers to lobby lawmakers

One of Bill Cosby’s staunchest supporters, as some two dozen women recently came forward with public accusations of long-ago rape and assault, is now backtracking. Talk-show host Whoopi Goldberg had said the famed television actor and comedian should be considered innocent until proven guilty. But after ABC News legal analyst…

Jul 14, 2015 4:30 PM CDT

Cover-up claim about GM ignition-switch issues is ‘reckless and outrageous,’ law firm says

Fighting an attempt by plaintiffs in a massive federal products liability case to get hold of confidential documents in discovery, King & Spalding came out swinging. Claims that firm lawyers conspired with General Motors to conceal ignition-switch defects are not only baseless and defamatory but “reckless and outrageous,” the firm…

Jul 14, 2015 12:05 PM CDT