Tort Law

Former judge’s family sues over his fatal fall at party hosted by securities class action lawyer

A prominent securities class action lawyer is facing a lawsuit by the estate of a former Pennsylvania judge who died after falling down the stairs during a party at the lawyer’s home. The family of former Judge Robert Daniels filed the suit on Tuesday in Philadelphia court, the Legal Intelligencer…

Mar 14, 2013 1:55 PM CDT

Judge lifts gag order regulating lawyer’s Facebook posts

After civil rights groups went to bat on his behalf, a Michigan lawyer is once again free to use his Facebook page to post about class action litigation over chicken described as halal that was served at a local fast-food restaurant outlet. Dearborn attorney Majed Moughni, who was not directly…

Mar 12, 2013 8:37 PM CDT

Google to pay $7M over Street View data scoop, critics call huge sum a pittance for Web giant

In one of the largest settlements ever reached over an Internet privacy violation involving unauthorized access into consumer accounts, Google has agreed to pay $7 million to a coalition of state attorneys general over what the search engine goliath has called an inadvertent data scoop during the compilation of photographs…

Mar 12, 2013 7:31 PM CDT

Cleared in wife-slaying attempt conspiracy, lawyer sues defense counsel for ex-mistress

Cleared after initially being accused of playing a role in a claimed conspiracy in which others unsuccessfully attempted to kill his wife, a Texas personal injury lawyer is turning the tables on those who formerly sought to prove his guilt before all charges against him were dropped. Jeffrey Stern has…

Mar 11, 2013 5:42 PM CDT

Lawyers in courthouse fistfight file dueling lawsuits

Two lawyers involved in a January fight in a West Virginia courthouse have filed dueling lawsuits. Stephen Sean Murphy sued first, naming Scott Radman as a defendant in his Monongalia Circuit Court complaint. However, Radman fired back with a counterclaim alleging that he was the victim in the Marion County…

Mar 6, 2013 10:14 PM CST

‘Shocked’ judge nixes gag order, but says he will refer Drew Peterson lawyer for ethics review

At a Tuesday hearing, a suburban Chicago judge said he has been “shocked” by some public comments the lead trial lawyer for Drew Peterson has made following his now-former client’s murder conviction. But, apparently agreeing with Peterson’s current counsel, Steven Greenberg, that attorney Joel Brodsky may have gone too far…

Mar 6, 2013 3:52 PM CST

Does pope retain legal immunity in retirement?

Will former Pope Benedict XVI lose legal protections because of his retirement in actions seeking to hold the Vatican accountable for failing to stop clergy abuse? The answer is no, according to Jeffrey Lena, a U.S. attorney for the Vatican. He maintains that Benedict would have the same legal immunity…

Mar 6, 2013 2:03 PM CST

Law firm responds to suit by ousted name partner, says he owed $373K

Sued by a name partner who contends he has been constructively expelled, a well-known Philadelphia worker’s compensation law firm argues in a responding salvo that Halmon L. “Sonny” Banks III owes his partners over $373,000. In a brief filed Monday in response to Banks’ Philadelphia Common Pleas Court suit, which…

Mar 5, 2013 7:01 PM CST

Vet claiming Navy doc operated without consent gets SCOTUS win after successful pro se cert petition

The United States has no immunity from a veteran’s lawsuit claiming a Navy doctor performed cataract surgery without consent, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled. Steven Alan Levin alleges he became concerned about the operating room equipment and withdrew consent just before the 2003 surgery at the U.S. Naval Hospital…

Mar 4, 2013 3:55 PM CST

Law prof who fell from platform at awards ceremony sues school

A George Washington University law professor claims in a lawsuit that she broke her heel after falling from a lecture platform that was “unreasonably small in width and depth.” International law professor Dinah Shelton says she fell while delivering a 2011 lecture at the University of Denver’s Sturm College of…

Feb 28, 2013 2:35 PM CST

State’s top court tosses $1B punitives award against Exxon in community gas-spill case

Maryland’s top court has nixed a $1 billion punitive damages award against ExxonMobil Corp. in an environmental case brought over a 2006 gasoline spill in Jacksonville, finding that the fraud claims on which the 2011 verdict was based were not proven. In a 129-page opinion (PDF), the Maryland Court of…

Feb 27, 2013 10:29 PM CST

Tort reform stabilizing litigation, but survey sees dramatic increase in government probes

General counsels at nine of 10 U.S. businesses say they expect litigation at their corporations to remain at the same or increase in 2013, according to Fulbright & Jaworski’s 9th Annual Litigation Trends Survey. Companies are facing more litigation over governmental regulatory investigations and proceedings, but are seeing fewer class…

Feb 26, 2013 2:45 PM CST

With billions at issue, trial begins to apportion fault for oil spill among BP, its subcontractors

A federal judge in New Orleans began hearing opening statements Monday in a trial to determine how to apportion blame between BP Plc and its subcontractors for the massive oil spill that began April 20, 2010 with a blowout of an undersea well after the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded…

Feb 25, 2013 6:16 PM CST

Town to pay $51K to settle federal suit over police shooting of dog

A small town in Washington state has agreed to pay at least $51,000 to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit over the death of a 115-pound dog shot to death by police. A neighbor, concerned about the well-being of Rosie, a Newfoundland, called Des Moines police after the friendly pet…

Feb 22, 2013 3:43 PM CST

Law firm can’t sue Better Business Bureau for ‘F’ grade under Lanham Act, federal judge rules

A law firm that says it lost clients over disparaging reviews published by the Better Business Bureau of Central Florida Inc. lacks a basis for filing suit under the Lanham Act, a federal judge in Orlando has ruled. Because the BBB is not a competitor of the plaintiff, Kaufman, Englett…

Feb 20, 2013 8:22 PM CST