Tort Law

Federal Judge in Florida OKs Red-Light Ticket Info Release, Says Legal Proceeding Record Is Public

A federal judge in Florida says a contractor hired by the city of Tallahassee must disclose red-light-camera traffic ticket information to a newspaper that requested it, despite an arguable conflict between state public records law and a federal statute that protects the privacy of drivers. Fearing potential penalties for violating…

Aug 14, 2012 5:00 PM CDT

Parent Volunteer Sues Mom-and-Dad Law Grads Charged with Framing Her in Fake Drug-Possession Case

There’s new trouble for two married California law graduates facing criminal conspiracy charges concerning a parent volunteer at their son’s elementary school. Kent Wycliff Easter, 38, and Jill Bjorkholm Easter, 39, had already been accused by Irvine authorities of trying to frame Kelli Peters—who, the couple felt, had not properly…

Aug 13, 2012 10:09 PM CDT

A Long Line at Nick Haney’s Law Office After Chevron Refinery Fire in Richmond, Calif.

Over 1,000 people lined up outside Nick Haney’s law office in Richmond, Calif., on Wednesday, two days after smoke from a Chevron refinery fire enveloped the city. Apparently drawn by two signs stating “Chevron Claims Filed Here,” they likely will get perhaps a few thousand dollars from the oil company…

Aug 10, 2012 7:41 PM CDT

Federal Judge OKs Mom’s Suit Against Maker of Breastfeeding How-To Film Used in 3rd Party’s Porn

A New Jersey mother who agreed to be featured, without compensation, in a televised breastfeeding instructional film says she was horrified to discover the video had been altered and posted online as part of a pornography film, using her full name. Now a federal judge in New Jersey has given…

Aug 10, 2012 5:56 PM CDT

Fired as Asst. Mich. AG, Andrew Shirvell Now Faces Privacy Suit Trial re Former U of Michigan Leader

Jury selection has begun in the Detroit federal civil trial of a former assistant Michigan attorney general who lost his job because of his treatment of a gay man who was then a student government president at the University of Michigan. If Andrew Shirvell would apologize, says a lawyer for…

Aug 8, 2012 3:55 PM CDT

Tennessee Appellate Court Dismisses Judge’s Defamation Claims; Allows False Light Issue to Proceed

Corrected: A Tennessee judge, the subject of television news broadcasts that the judge said suggested he may have lied to the Justice Department in regards to a Mental Health Court grant and suggested he could be facing an ethics investigation, was not defamed by the pieces, the state appellate court…

Aug 7, 2012 6:55 PM CDT

Sued for Malpractice, Law Firm Fires Back with Fraud Claim, Seeks Freeze on Former Client Assets

As a Chicago law firm tells the story, it got stuck with a client from hell. Kenneth and Wendy Brown were difficult to reach and rejected legal advice when James Koch of Gardiner Koch Weisberg & Wrona represented them in a Securities and Exchange Commission matter, Koch says in a…

Aug 7, 2012 4:52 PM CDT

Lawyers in Jaycee Dugard Abduction Tort Case Say DOJ Tampered with Key Witness, Seek Severe Sanction

Lawyers representing a young woman who was kidnapped in 1991 at age 11 and held nearly two decades by a paroled California rapist are accusing a U.S. Department of Justice attorney of tampering with a key witness in Jaycee Dugard’s civil suit seeking damages from the federal government. In a…

Aug 7, 2012 3:40 PM CDT

Texas Lawyer Pleads Guilty to Misusing $600K of Children’s Personal Injury Awards

A Texas lawyer appointed to represent children in personal injury cases pleaded guilty Friday to using their legal awards for personal use, rather than directly placing the funds in court registries. The registries are meant to hold the children’s money until they reach the age of 18, the Austin American-Statesman…

Aug 7, 2012 3:26 PM CDT

Sued by Lawyer He Is Charged with Conspiring to Murder, Doctor Counterclaims for Emotional Distress

Sued by a Mississippi lawyer he is criminally charged with conspiring to do away with, a local doctor has counterclaimed in the civil action for emotional distress. Dr. Arnold Smith, 70, contends that attorney Lee Abraham, with others, schemed in secret to make him suffer “severe mental and emotional distress,”…

Aug 7, 2012 11:06 AM CDT

Woman Hurt in Pet Chimp Attack Seeks OK to Sue State for $150M, Says Officials Ignored Danger Signs

Blinded and requiring a face transplant after a 2009 attack by a neighbor’s pet chimpanzee that also cost her the use of her hands, a Connecticut woman is trying to hold the state accountable for her injuries. Charla Nash says officials ignored warning signs that Connecticut needed to step in…

Aug 6, 2012 1:56 PM CDT

Former US Attorney to Review U of Colo Actions re Ex-Grad Student Charged in Movie Theater Shootings

A former United States attorney for the District of Colorado has been retained by the University of Colorado to conduct an internal review concerning its handling of a former graduate student who is accused of killing 12 people in a movie theater shooting spree last month. Robert N. Miller, who…

Aug 6, 2012 10:39 AM CDT

Lawyer Says News Article Defamed Her by Grossly Overstating Her Ad Litem Fee in Divorce Case

A Missouri lawyer filed a defamation suit (PDF posted by Courthouse News) on Thursday in state court contending that she has suffered professional harm because of a legal news article that grossly overstated the fee she charged to serve as guardian ad litem in a divorce case. Missouri Lawyer’s Weekly…

Aug 3, 2012 5:49 PM CDT

Will U of Colorado Face Duty-to-Warn Suits re Off-Campus Movie Theater Shooting Spree?

There are unconfirmed reports that a University of Colorado psychiatrist warned in June she was concerned graduate student James Holmes potentially posed a threat. Now observers are wondering whether enough was done to pursue the issue before he allegedly shot dozens of people at a Colorado movie theater last month.…

Aug 3, 2012 4:17 PM CDT

8th Circuit Revives Suit Over Elvis Memorabilia

A federal appeals court has ruled that the heirs to a longtime friend of Elvis Presley can proceed with a lawsuit over a clump of the King’s hair and other memorabilia they claim were stolen and sold at auction. At stake is $250,000 in proceeds from the sale of a…

Aug 2, 2012 8:39 PM CDT