Tort Law

Post-Settlement Word War Looms Between Law Firm and Taco Bell, Which Plans Ad Seeking Apology

Although a law firm and Taco Bell Corp. have reached an undisclosed settlement concerning a would-be class action filed over the fast-food chain’s description of some of the items on its menu, a war of words continues. Taco Bell is now planning a new national ad campaign in which it…

Apr 20, 2011 7:24 PM CDT

Wealthy Tort Lawyer Settles With Ex-Partner’s Widow for Reported $10M to $35M

For five years, mass torts lawyer James Ferraro battled with Lynn Arko Kelley, the widow of his former law partner. Now they have reached a confidential settlement of her claims concerning the massive sum she claimed to be due to her after Michael Kelley’s death from a heart attack. Although…

Apr 20, 2011 7:04 PM CDT

1800Car-Wreck Law Firm Seeks Facebook Fans with iPad Giveaway

A personal injury law firm in Dallas really wants to be liked. Eberstein & Witherite is so eager to win Facebook fans that it is giving away an iPad, Texas Lawyer reports. To qualify, visitors to the firm’s 1800Car-Wreck Facebook page have to click on “like” and submit a photo…

Apr 20, 2011 11:43 AM CDT

Jury Says Nordstrom Must Pay $1.6M for Failing to Protect 2 Shoppers from Female Stabber

Arguing that personnel at a Nordstrom in Bethesda, Md., didn’t do enough to protect shoppers from a deranged woman armed with knives in the eight minutes she was in the store, lawyers for two women stabbed multiple times one day in 2005 have persuaded a Montgomery County jury to award…

Apr 19, 2011 10:48 PM CDT

Threat Level: What’s Lower Than a Copyright Troll? A Sham Copyright Troll Licensed to Litigate

No fan of so-called copyright or patent trolls that litigate over purchased intellectual property rights, a law blog has discovered that it is possible, in its moral scheme of things, to sink even lower. A “copyright litigation factory,” known as Righthaven, doesn’t even own the copyrighted newspaper articles at issue…

Apr 19, 2011 10:11 PM CDT

Law Firm Accused of Revealing Reality Show Winners

A Wisconsin law firm and one of its lawyers are facing a lawsuit claiming they revealed the results of a reality show’s martial arts competition, compromising the show and its commercial value. The suit by Sean Morrison Entertainment names as defendants the La Crosse law firm O’Flaherty Heim Egan &…

Apr 19, 2011 11:17 AM CDT

Judge Orders Creditor to Stay Off Debtor’s Social Networking Pages

The lawsuit filed by Melanie Beacham over alleged harassment by MarkOne Financial is still ongoing. But in the meantime, a Florida judge has ordered the debt collector not to contact Beacham or her family and friends over Facebook or any other social networking site, reports the Orlando Sentinel. Her lawyer,…

Apr 18, 2011 5:30 PM CDT

Match.com to Start Screening for Sex Offenders

Following a lawsuit filed by a woman who maintains she was sexually assaulted by a fellow Match.com member with a history of sexual battery, the online dating service said Sunday it will begin screening for sexual predators. The president of Match.com tells the Associated Press that the company had considered…

Apr 18, 2011 10:00 AM CDT

Woman Sues Match.com, Wants Screening for Sexual Predators

A Los Angeles entertainment executive has filed suit against Match.com, asserting that the site should start screening members for sexual predators. The unidentified woman, who says she was sexually assaulted by a fellow dating site member, also plans to seek a temporary injunction barring the site from signing up more…

Apr 15, 2011 4:11 PM CDT

LeBron James’ Mother Sued by Valet Who Says She Slapped Him

LeBron James’ mother is facing legal trouble for allegedly slapping a valet in an altercation that led to her arrest last week. In a suit (PDF posted by the Miami Herald) filed against Gloria James, Rock Feller Sorel accuses James of verbal abuse and assault, saying he suffered “emotional distress,…

Apr 14, 2011 5:55 PM CDT

After Losing Libel Claim, Newspaper Editorializes About Case, Is Sued for Libel by Lawyer and Judge

It must seem like deja vu to the Southside Voice Inc., owner of the Richmond Voice. In 2009, the company was sued for libel over a letter to the editor the newspaper had published about a teacher. A $125,000 award resulted in 2010, about which the Voice published an editorial.…

Apr 14, 2011 3:29 PM CDT

Suit Seeks to Stop Fetish Film Producer from Paying Homeless Men to be Physically Abused By Women

For months, a Florida homeless advocate wondered why so many local men seemed to be walking around a St. Petersburg park with black eyes, split lips and limps. Finally someone told him: They were being beaten and whipped by attractive, sometimes scantily clad women for fetish videos, for payments of…

Apr 13, 2011 2:10 PM CDT

Talking Heads Frontman ‘Feeling Very Manly’ After Winning Song-Use Suit Settlement from Ex-Fla. Gov

A lawsuit brought by Talking Heads frontman David Byrne against former Fla. Governor Charlie Crist over use of his “Road to Nowhere” song in campaign material has been settled. Although all of the terms weren’t disclosed, they include a public apology by Crist that is posted on YouTube, reports the…

Apr 12, 2011 3:23 PM CDT

Scathing Complaint Blames Baker & McKenzie, Ex-Partner for Collapse of Corporate Client

Baker & McKenzie and a former partner have been sued in what the Am Law Daily describes as a scathing complaint (PDF) over their alleged roles in a corporate stock scheme that played a role in the collapse of Industrial Enterprises of America. The Pittsburgh-based IEAM is now in bankruptcy…

Apr 12, 2011 12:38 PM CDT

Bingham Seeks Court Ruling That Firm Met Its Obligations to Ex-Client, LA Dodgers Owner McCourt

Apparently hoping to avert a malpractice claim in a high-profile California marital matter and potentially collect some additional legal fees, Bingham McCutchen has filed suit in Massachusetts state court seeking a declaratory judgment. The firm wants a court to rule that it met its obligations to then-client Frank McCourt, owner…

Apr 12, 2011 10:00 AM CDT