Tort Law

Lawyer not liable in slaying of PI killed while trying to serve divorce papers, top state court says

A Virginia lawyer had no special duty to warn a private investigator he retained to serve divorce papers. Hence, the attorney is not liable in the Pi’s slaying, even though the attorney knew the target of the divorce was armed and had been told the target was “behaving strangely,” the…

Mar 10, 2015 4:00 PM CDT

Judge says man can’t smoke in his own home due to neighbor’s 2nd-hand smoke concerns

The Washington, D.C., home in which Edwin Gray lives has been owned by his family for 50 years. But that doesn’t mean he can smoke there. Responding to a lawsuit by a new neighbor concerned about second-hand smoke, a D.C. Superior Court judge has issued a temporary order requiring Gray,…

Mar 10, 2015 1:30 PM CDT

Former football team owner sues Buchanan Ingersoll, says law firm dropped ball on due diligence

A Florida orthopedic surgeon who formerly was majority owner of the Tampa Bay Storm has sued Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney Dr. Robert Nucci says in the Hillsborough County Circuit Court suit he lost some $15 million and had to file for personal bankruptcy because the law firm didn’t discover Arena…

Mar 10, 2015 12:40 PM CDT

Suit says law student died due to faulty equipment for diabetics

A University of Chicago law student found dead in her Hyde Park apartment in 2013 died because she relied on faulty equipment for diabetics, a lawsuit by her estate says. Filed in Cook County Circuit Court, the Illinois suit alleges that Abbie Harper died at age 23 due to erroneously…

Mar 9, 2015 10:40 AM CDT

Colorado lawyer wins $150K libel award against UK Internet troll who criticized his law firm

Angry and upset by an online attack that seemed to be coming from a disgruntled client, Colorado lawyer Timothy Bussey retained counsel to find out who was behind the criticism of his law firm on a Google page. The answer, a U.K. High Court judge ruled, was Jason “Jay” Page,…

Mar 6, 2015 1:55 PM CST

After criminal case was dropped, ex-cop can sue to recoup his $1M defense costs, judge rules

A former New Jersey police officer charged with shaking down drug dealers prevailed at trial, twice, when juries could not agree to convict him. Then the government decided to drop the case against Lawrence Furlow. Now he is litigating against the city of Newark, his ex-employer, in an effort to…

Mar 5, 2015 4:15 PM CST

‘Sizzling skillet’ at Applebee’s was ‘open and obvious’ danger to praying diner, court says

A man who says his face, neck and arms were burned after he bent over a “sizzling skillet” at an Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill and Bar in New Jersey to pray had hoped to collect damages. But a trial judge nixed the superior court lawsuit filed by Hiram Jimenez and the…

Mar 5, 2015 4:00 PM CST

‘Capturing the Friedmans’ defendant loses defamation suit against prosecutor

The surviving defendant in a controversial child sex-abuse case portrayed in the documentatry Capturing the Friedmans has been out of prison for nearly 15 years. However, Jesse Friedman is still seeking vindication. It remained elusive Monday, as a New York judge dismissed his defamation suit against a former Nassau County…

Mar 3, 2015 2:00 PM CST

Nurse who got Ebola from first US patient sues hospital, says privacy was violated

A Texas nurse who got Ebola after caring for the first U.S. patient with the deadly disease, has sued her employer. In a complaint filed Monday in Dallas County court, nurse Nina Pham contends that Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas not only failed to take appropriate precautions to protect…

Mar 3, 2015 10:15 AM CST

Tobacco companies agree to pay $100M to settle federal suits in Florida

Three tobacco companies have agreed to pay $100 million to resolve more than 400 federal lawsuits in Florida seeking compensation for illnesses and deaths caused by smoking. Altria Group’s Philip Morris USA and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. will each pay $42.5 million, while Lorillard will pay $15 million, report Reuters,…

Feb 26, 2015 1:38 PM CST

Lawyer gets 1-day suspended sentence in taxicab incident; civil rights suit by driver is ongoing

A Louisiana lawyer and former radio show host was given a one-day suspended sentence and a day of inactive probation on Wednesday when she was sentenced in a misdemeanor case that began as a felony prosecution. Although glad to have been convicted of criminal mischief rather than the felony false…

Feb 26, 2015 10:30 AM CST

Woman sues over barbecue brush, seeks unspecified damages for surgery costs

A free barbecue brush that came with a new grill was no bargain, a Maine woman contends. In a January lawsuit filed in Maine state court that has since been removed to federal court there, Deborah Lamont says the high-carbon steel brush was unreasonably dangerous. Her Aroostook County Superior Court…

Feb 24, 2015 4:30 PM CST

Midwest law firm wins record $62M settlement from Lockheed in suit over 401(k) fees

Lockheed Martin Corp. has agreed to pay $62 million to settle a federal lawsuit by a St. Louis law firm contending that it charged excessive fees and in its 401(k) plans. The amount is a record high settlement for a case of this kind, reports the Wall Street Journal (sub.…

Feb 23, 2015 5:45 PM CST

Heir can sue herself for causing accident that killed her husband, Utah appeals court says

A woman who allegedly caused a car accident that killed her husband can sue herself in her capacity as heir and representative of the estate, a Utah appeals court has ruled. The plain language of the state’s wrongful death and survival action statutes allows Barbara Bagley to sue, the Utah…

Feb 23, 2015 5:45 AM CST

Ex-clerk sues judge, says his own mental health was questioned when he refused to be bullied

A former clerk has filed a pro se federal lawsuit against the New Jersey judge he worked for, alleging a number of dubious practices by the jurist. Plaintiff Joseph Dearie Jr. also says in the Section 1983 civil rights suit that his own mental health was questioned when he walked…

Feb 20, 2015 11:05 AM CST