Tort Law

Does a country have a legal duty to reduce its carbon footprint? Dutch court to decide landmark case

Concerned that the Netherlands isn’t doing enough to reduce its carbon footprint, a group of nearly 900 citizens filed a highly unusual lawsuit against the Dutch government in 2013. Asserting violations of human rights and tort law, the class action (PDF) seeks a court ruling requiring the government to cut…

May 4, 2015 10:50 AM CDT

Tenants win $2M midtrial settlement with landlord over condition of apartment building

Nearly 100 tenants at trial against their former landlord reached a $2.18 million settlement on Thursday, four days into a trial that was expected to last about 12 days. Their Los Angeles Superior Court suit alleged that in Franco Haiem’s apartment building between 2008 and 2012 there was breach of…

May 4, 2015 8:55 AM CDT

Lawyer sues diner after being arrested for allegedly mooning its customers

A Michigan lawyer arrested for allegedly mooning customers at an Ann Arbor diner tells another version of the incident in a lawsuit filed last week against the restaurant. Police said 40-year-old Ann Arbor immigration attorney David Terrence Madden was intoxicated when he was arrested at the Fleetwood Diner on April…

May 1, 2015 8:02 AM CDT

Suit claimed Freddie Gray suffered from lead paint exposure as a child

Freddie Gray, the 25-year-old Baltimore man who died from a spinal injury after being arrested by police, had health problems as a child due to lead-paint exposure, according to a 2008 lawsuit. The suit alleged that Gray and his two sisters had high levels of lead in their blood, obtained…

Apr 30, 2015 12:15 PM CDT

Rapped for photo taken with Snoop Dogg, state trooper files whistleblower suit against department

While working an off-duty security job last year at an Austin music festival, a Texas state trooper allowed rapper Snoop Dogg to be photographed standing next to him with his forearm resting on the lawman’s shoulder. The rapper, whose real name is Calvin Broaddus, posted the photo online over the…

Apr 30, 2015 9:30 AM CDT

Airline crash occurred in Europe, but attorneys are pondering possible US lawsuit

A co-pilot’s intentional crash of a Germanwings flight last month, killing all 150 aboard, occurred in the French Alps. However, attorneys are considering bring a lawsuit seeking damages in the United States, because American law, unlike German law, provides for compensation for loss of future earnings and the emotional impact…

Apr 28, 2015 3:30 PM CDT

Man arrested and jailed for using golf club as a cane files civil rights suit

A retired Washington state bus driver who also served in the U.S. military and Air Force Reserve spent nearly 70 years on the planet without being arrested. But that changed last year when William Wingate was stopped by a Seattle police officer for walking down the street with a golf…

Apr 28, 2015 9:30 AM CDT

80-year-old lawyer won biggest case of his career last year

If you think success has eluded you, take heart: There’s still time to succeed. That’s the lesson in this Desert Sun story about an 80-year old California lawyer who last year won a $10.4 million judgment in a medical malpractice case, the biggest award of his career. The Palm Springs…

Apr 27, 2015 11:44 AM CDT

Permanently injured Cirque performers make do with workers’ comp

Athletes who perform with Cirque du Soleil risk their physical health for their performances, but they are usually treated like ordinary workers when they are injured. An analysis by the Wall Street Journal found that Cirque’s Ka show in Las Vegas ranked 79th in a list of 52,000 most dangerous…

Apr 24, 2015 10:57 AM CDT

Smartwatch makers should fund $1B education campaign about driving dangers, lawyer’s suit says

A California lawyer has filed a nuisance suit to require the makers of smartwatches to fund a $1 billion public education campaign about the dangers of distracted driving while wearing the devices. “The temptation to check the tiny screen immediately after receiving a notification is virtually irresistible,” says the suit…

Apr 21, 2015 1:35 PM CDT

Masked gunman in surprise ‘active shooter’ school drill traumatized teacher, federal lawsuit says

A surprise “active shooter” drill at a charter school in a rural Oregon community in 2013 was intended to help staff make better preparations to deflect real bullets, if such a situation ever occurs. No students were present on the in-service day when two masked, hooded, armed men appeared in…

Apr 21, 2015 11:35 AM CDT

Sperm donor didn’t have touted degrees and ‘impressive health history,’ suit says

A Canadian couple who learned the identity of sperm Donor 9623 in a batch of emails from an Atlanta sperm bank did some sleuthing and found he was not as described, a lawsuit alleges. Angela Collins and Margaret Elizabeth Hanson, who have a 7-year-old son conceived with the donor’s sperm,…

Apr 21, 2015 5:45 AM CDT

Playboy suit says law firm tried $6M case instead of seeking settlement within insurance limits

Playboy has filed a malpractice suit against its former counsel in an employee whistleblower suit. The lawsuit contends that Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton exposed the magazine company to additional liability by taking the case to trial. Filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday, the suit says the California-based…

Apr 20, 2015 9:35 AM CDT

GM bankruptcy filing in 2009 blocks economic loss claims in ignition-switch cases, judge rules

General Motors Co. is protected by its 2009 bankruptcy filing from being held liable for claims that arose prior to that date, a Manhattan bankruptcy judge ruled on Wednesday. The decision in the Chapter 11 case is expected to affect primarily vehicle owners claiming economic loss due to the diminished…

Apr 16, 2015 9:00 AM CDT

Window washer who survived 11-story fall is sued by driver whose car he struck

A news story about the miraculous survival of a window washer who fell from the roof of an 11-story building in San Francisco’s financial district last year credits a passing motorist with saving his life. Instead of hitting the pavement on California Street after he fell from a scaffold, Pedro…

Apr 14, 2015 9:05 AM CDT