Tort Law

Lawyer files $1M claim over ‘commando-style’ raid on his home to seize case files

A lawyer charged last week in an alleged fraudulent adverse-possession scheme has filed a $1 million claim against the state of California over a raid on his home. Sheldon Feigel says armed officers entered his home at 6:30 a.m. on Jan. 15, the Fresno Bee reports. He alleges that he…

Jan 23, 2014 1:35 PM CST

Is emoji death threat a criminal offense? Possibly, law prof says

Freelance journalist Fletcher Babb says he was targeted with some unsettling emojis after investigating a rapper apparently selling a cough-syrup cocktail on Instagram. Babb had texted the rapper and posed as a potential customer, though he never agreed to buy any drugs and never sent any money, Mashable reports. The…

Jan 21, 2014 3:54 PM CST

Courtney Love testifies at first US ‘Twibel’ trial, sued by her ex-lawyer over critical tweet

Three years ago, Courtney Love paid $430,000 to settle a fashion designer’s lawsuit over a series of insulting tweets made by the singer and actress in the heat of a dispute over a $4,000 bill. Now the rock singer and actress is at trial in a California defamation suit brought…

Jan 16, 2014 8:25 PM CST

Two courts reject appeals in Michael Jackson death cases; insurance suit over $17M policy is settled

Litigation related to the death of pop singer Michael Jackson appears to be nearing a conclusion after the settlement of an insurance coverage case over a $17.5 million policy and a unanimous California appellate court ruling upholding the involuntary manslaughter conviction of his personal physician. Both were announced in court…

Jan 16, 2014 12:20 AM CST

Now-vindicated woman charged with making a false rape report wins $150K settlement

A woman who says she was pressured by police and social workers to recant her truthful report that she was bound, gagged, raped and photographed by a stranger in her transitional housing apartment when she was 18 years old has won a $150,000 settlement from a city in Washington state.…

Jan 15, 2014 10:25 PM CST

Man to get $1.6M for humiliating 3-enema ordeal after traffic stop

A city and county in New Mexico have agreed to settle for $1.6 million their portion of litigation brought by an arrestee who said he was subjected to a humiliating hospital anal exam involving three enemas, a colonoscopy and more after a traffic stop last year. The city of Deming…

Jan 15, 2014 6:15 PM CST

County settles suit over prosecution of police officer whose dog died in patrol vehicle

Arrested by a well-known Arizona sheriff, charged with animal abuse and acquitted in a bench trial after leaving his canine partner unattended in his patrol vehicle for several hours in 2008, a Chandler police officer has now settled his malicious prosecution case against Maricopa County. Without admitting liability, the county…

Jan 15, 2014 5:10 PM CST

Furniture company founder files federal chair-collapse suit against rival manufacturer

Add another case to the annals of chair-collapse litigation: The founder of a Michigan furniture manufacturer has filed suit against a California chair maker contending that its defective product collapsed at a staff meeting in 2012 when he bent over to pick up a pencil. A leg collapsed, tumbling David…

Jan 15, 2014 4:45 PM CST

Pimp convicted of stomping customer sues Nike over lack of warning label on shoes

Disruptive in court when he was convicted and sentenced last year for robbery and violent crimes against a prostitute and a customer who tried to avoid paying her, a 26-year-old former pimp has now found a way to maintain a high profile as he serves a 100-year prison sentence in…

Jan 14, 2014 6:30 PM CST

BP oil-spill settlement is upheld by 5th Circuit

A federal appeals court has upheld the settlement in the 2010 Gulf oil spill over BP’s objections that a claims administrator’s interpretation of the deal was resulting in payments to businesses that suffered no injuries. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Friday, report the Wall…

Jan 13, 2014 5:48 PM CST

Yelp ordered to turn over identities of seven authors who wrote alleged fake reviews

A Virginia appeals court has ruled Yelp must turn over the identities of seven anonymous reviewers of a carpet cleaning business who did not appear to be actual customers. The Virginia Court of Appeals found no First Amendment violation when the business, Hadeed Carpet Cleaning, could not find customer records…

Jan 10, 2014 11:45 AM CST

Law prof barred from campus for alleged angry comments claims an ADA violation

A professor at John Marshall Law School in Chicago claims the law school failed to accommodate his depression and Asperger’s syndrome when he was barred from campus in October after allegedly losing his temper. Law professor Joel Cornwell claims a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act in his suit…

Jan 9, 2014 2:19 PM CST

As laser hair removal increases in popularity, more suits target nonphysician operators

Laser hair removal is not without risks, and adverse outcomes sometimes result in lawsuits. In one case, a Brooklyn woman sued after a third hair-removal session ended with burning pain and long red marks on the back of her legs that eventually turned brown. She sued the laser operator, who…

Jan 9, 2014 12:25 PM CST

Federal judge OKs fired ex-associate’s breach-of-contract suit against law firm

A fired associate attorney has no grounds for a wrongful termination suit, her former law firm argued, because she was an employee at will. However, a federal judge did not agree, dismissing only one of Taffie Jones’ claims against Flaster Greenberg, reports the Pennsylvania Record. While U.S. District Judge John…

Jan 8, 2014 11:10 PM CST

Plaintiff ‘titan’ files civil racketeering class action against rival PI lawyer in BP oil spill case

Both Danny Becnel and Mikal Watts are personal injury titans representing plaintiff fishermen in litigation against BP over the 2009 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. But now the two top personal injury lawyers are squaring off against each other: Becnel, a Louisiana lawyer, filed a class action suit against Watts in…

Jan 8, 2014 10:30 PM CST