Tort Law

Couple Makes Federal Case Out of Death of Pet Chased and Killed by Police

News that a large dog who had escaped from its family’s yard but reportedly wasn’t acting aggressively had been chased down and shot to death by police in a small city in Washington state elicited community outrage. Not only sympathetic neighbors and pet owners but the mayor and police chief…

Nov 28, 2012 7:34 PM CST

Federal Judge Gives Civ Pro Lesson, Sanctions Ex-Client for Mistaken Claim Dickstein Missed Deadline

Warning a former client of Dickstein Shapiro that future sanctions could be forthcoming if continues to disregard local discovery rules in Washington, D.C., before making dubious motions, a federal judge on Monday quickly disposed of the company’s motion for partial summary judgment against the law firm in a $250 million…

Nov 27, 2012 9:28 PM CST

Phone Book Company Settles Suit over Restaurant’s Listing Under ‘Animal Carcass Removal’

A phone book company has settled a defamation lawsuit that claimed a restaurant listing under “animal carcass removal” caused a drop-off in business. The suit by the parent company of Bar 3 Bar-B-Q had claimed the placement was intentional, the Associated Press reports. Bar 3 Bar-B-Q owner Hunter Lacey had…

Nov 26, 2012 2:54 PM CST

After City of Detroit Ignores Civil Rights Suit, Federal Judge Declares Default, Awards $1.1M

The City of Detroit is facing a $1.1 million judgment in a civil rights suit, after failing to respond to the litigation and being held in default by a federal judge. Caleb Sosa, who is now 19, says he was coerced at age 14 into initialing a confession he couldn’t…

Nov 21, 2012 8:35 PM CST

Alters and Morelli Ratner Will Combine; Name Partner Predicts It Will Be a Class Action Powerhouse

A Florida personal injury lawyer known for scoring massive class action wins while dealing with disputes with his partners and co-counsel, has announced a plan to combine with a New York law firm to form Morelli Alters Ratner. The approximately 24-attorney firm will have co-equal offices in Miami and the…

Nov 20, 2012 10:09 PM CST

Plaintiffs in EEOC Suit Must Turn Over Cellphones and Facebook Account Passwords, Judge Rules

Saying that the plaintiffs in an employment discrimination case have not produced all material relevant to the defendant employer’s somewhat unclear discovery requests, a federal magistrate judge has ordered them to provide their cellphones and passwords to Facebook and other social media accounts. A special master will compile their text…

Nov 20, 2012 9:27 PM CST

Will Litigation over Playground Injuries Create a Generation of Neurotics?

The argument goes this way: Litigation and strict safety standards are making playground equipment so safe that kids never learn to take healthy risks, making them more susceptible to anxiety, phobias and neuroticism. The Wall Street Journal makes the connection in an article chronicling research on outdoor play and featuring…

Nov 20, 2012 2:56 PM CST

Lawyer Who Says He Was Scammed Is Sued by Bank Re Fake $299K Cashier’s Check

A Minnesota attorney says he was scammed into depositing what he thought was a real cashier’s check for nearly $300,000 from a legitimate collection matter into the trust account for his solo law practice. Now Lawrence Marofsky is being sued by TCF Bank in federal court in Minneapolis, the Minneapolis/St.…

Nov 19, 2012 6:03 PM CST

Stanford Receiver Sues Greenberg and Hunton Firms, Says Lawyer’s Work Helped $7B Ponzi Scheme

A court-appointed receiver representing victims of a $7 billion Ponzi scheme for which former billionaire R. Allen Stanford is now serving a 110-year prison term has sued two well-known law firms. In a federal suit filed Thursday in Dallas that seeks class action status, receiver Ralph Janvey and several individual…

Nov 16, 2012 5:37 PM CST

Federal Judge: Goodyear, Lawyers Must Pay Plaintiff’s Legal Fees, Provide Sanctions Order to Others

Finding that a major corporation and two lawyers representing the company blatantly ignored or evaded their discovery obligations and comparing a hard-fought products liability action to the endless Jarndyce and Jarndyce case described in Charles Dickens’ Bleak House, a federal judge in Arizona has ordered Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co.…

Nov 16, 2012 3:45 PM CST

Another PI Lawyer Wants Cases of Disbarred Lawyer Who Was Jailed After Alleged Law Office Vandalism

There’s new development concerning a disbarred Texas attorney whose bail was revoked in an otherwise unrelated criminal case after he allegedly vandalized the law office from which he was being evicted. Another Dallas personal injury lawyer, Brad Thomas, has filed a petition in Dallas County court seeking to become the…

Nov 14, 2012 6:15 PM CST

Unit of Bank of New York Mellon to Pay $210M Settlement for Madoff Investor Advice

A Bank of New York Mellon subsidiary that advised clients who invested with Bernard Madoff has agreed to pay $210 million to settle suits by the U.S. Department of Labor, the New York Attorney General’s office and private investors. Ivy Asset Management is paying the money to resolve allegations that…

Nov 13, 2012 3:41 PM CST

Anonymous Blog Comments Snag Another US Prosecutor; Suit Cited ‘Superfluous Spacing’ as Clue

A New Orleans federal prosecutor who was second in command to U.S. Attorney Jim Letten has been demoted after admitting she posted anonymous comments on a newspaper website. Letten announced the demotion of First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jan Mann on Thursday, the New Orleans Times-Picayune and the Associated Press reported.…

Nov 12, 2012 11:30 AM CST

Around the Blawgosphere: Ideas on Fixing Long Lines at Polling Places; America’s Funniest Lawyer

How Should Obama ‘Fix That’? University of Califorina, Irvine, law professor Richard Hasen wrote at Election Law Blog about how he thinks President Barack Obama could make good on his promise to ‘“fix” the problem of outrageously long lines at polling places. “I am thinking that a bipartisan commission should…

Nov 9, 2012 2:30 PM CST

BigLaw Partner Sues Feds for $4M, Alleges Malicious Prosecution In Retaliation for His IG Complaint

A BigLaw partner has sued the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency seeking $4 million in damages. Carlos Loumiet claims he was maliciously prosecuted on civil regulatory charges in retaliation for a complaint he made to the federal agency’s inspector general about the manner in which an investigation of…

Nov 7, 2012 10:52 PM CST