Tort Law

CPA’s Stellar Law School Career Screeches to a Halt as St. John’s Rescinds His Admission

Third in his class at St. John’s University School of Law, a certified public accountant working at PricewaterhouseCoopers was looking ahead to a bright future in the law. But David Powers’ would-be legal career came to a screeching halt after he wrote to New York’s character and fitness committee to…

Feb 2, 2011 11:57 PM CST

Depicted with Horns and Facial Hair, Redskins Owner Plans to Sue Newspaper, Seeks Reporter’s Firing

Angered by what he and his counsel describe as an unfair and defamatory cover story in an alternative Washington, D.C., newspaper, the owner of the Redskins is seeking the dismissal of the reporter who authored it and threatening to sue. Depicted in a photo with pen-scribbled horns and fake facial…

Feb 2, 2011 8:45 PM CST

6 Brothers Allegedly Left in Abusive Home for 8 Years Despite 33 Complaints Get $6.55M

Despite 33 complaints, it took eight years for child protection authorities in Washington state to remove six brothers from a family home in which their lawyer says they were starved, locked in closets and physically abused. Now the state has agreed to settle for $6.55 million the case they filed…

Feb 2, 2011 5:13 PM CST

Oregon Attorney’s Documentary ‘Hot Coffee’ Makes the Sundance Cut

Hot Coffee “meet the artist” video. Many lawyers have fantasized about putting their practice on hold and making a movie, but few actually do it. Even fewer can say their maiden effort landed them a coveted spot at an internationally renowned film festival. Ashland, Ore., lawyer Susan Saladoff is that…

Feb 1, 2011 8:59 AM CST

When Food Attacks! Disgruntled Diners Demand Dinero for Culinary Contretemps

Running a restaurant can seem like a never-ending exercise in putting out fires, both figurative and literal: Vendors don’t deliver—Cancel tomorrow’s veal scallopini special!—servers call in sick, grease fires erupt. And customers can add to the chaos by being overly demanding or suing for gastronomic distress (not to mention those…

Feb 1, 2011 6:10 AM CST

Landlord Who Rented Room Equipped with Hidden Camera is Hit with $476K Jury Verdict

When a 60-year-old Internal Revenue Service agent advertised a furnished room for rent in his Florida townhome, it turned out to come with some extras. In additional to the DVD/VCR player, the room also contained a hidden camera within the machine. It was pointed at the bed of the young…

Jan 31, 2011 9:53 PM CST

Courtney Love’s ‘Boudoir Queen’ Tweets Leave Lawyers Arguing: Is Case Settled or Not?

An eagerly awaited trial over Courtney Love’s twitter rants against a Texas fashion designer known as the “Boudoir Queen” may not be upcoming after all. Although lawyers for both sides disagree about the status of the Los Angeles Superior Court case, Love’s counsel says a settlement is essentially a done…

Jan 31, 2011 7:15 PM CST

Asbestos Law Firm Seeks Chapter 11 Shield from $4.2M, or Maybe $35M, Claim of Partner’s Widow

Faced with a $4.2 million claim by a deceased name partner’s widow, a Florida-based asbestos law firm has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy seeking respite. Kelley & Ferraro filed in Miami this week, as Lynn Kelley was pursuing a Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas case against the firm in…

Jan 28, 2011 11:20 PM CST

Tort Defense Lawyer Contends MySpace Smiley Faces Are Damning Evidence

Tort defense lawyers are increasingly seeking access to plaintiffs’ private social media pages in hopes the contents will provide evidence of fakery. Two state courts recently granted broad access to private portions of social media sites, and a federal court did the same in 2009, Reuters reports. In one of…

Jan 28, 2011 12:55 PM CST

Lawyer in Megabucks Chevron Enviro Case Must Turn Over Hard Drive Mirror Images, Judge Rules

After persuading a federal judge that a plaintiff’s lawyer waived privilege by operating as a “political operative” in conjunction with the making of a documentary film, a corporate defendant in a megabucks South American environmental case has scored a follow-up victory. Initially, based on the “political operative” finding, a federal…

Jan 27, 2011 9:18 PM CST

Could Deaths of 2 Police Officers in Armed Standoff Have Been Avoided by Calling the SWAT Team?

As police in St. Petersburg, Fla., mourn two fallen officers who were slain as they tried to arrest a violent suspect and rescue a colleague who had already been shot down this week, observers are wondering whether the tragedy might have been avoided if authorities had taken a more hands-off…

Jan 27, 2011 7:47 PM CST

Maricopa County to Sue Ogletree re Legal Services Provided to Sheriff Joe Arpaio & Others

In what could be one of the final chapters of a long-running power struggle between Sheriff Joe Arpaio and former in-house legal counsel of Maricopa County, Ariz., and its governing body and judges, the county board of supervisors voted today to sue a private law firm that represented the sheriff’s…

Jan 26, 2011 9:54 PM CST

US Rep Sues Capitol Cafeteria for $150K Over Vegan Sandwich, Alleges Injuries from Olive Pit

Known to be litigious in other contexts, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives has sued the Capitol cafeteria over a vegan sandwich. Congressman Dennis Kuchinich (D-Ohio) alleges that an olive pit was lurking in the seemingly safe food item, causing dental damage that required surgery, reports the Cleveland…

Jan 26, 2011 8:32 PM CST

Taco Bell Defends Its Beef, Says It Will Take Unspecified ‘Legal Action’

Taco Bell has a beef with the lawyers who filed a class-action suit claiming its “seasoned ground beef” isn’t as meaty as it sounds. The California class action filed by Alabama law firm Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles had claimed meat accounts for less than half of Taco…

Jan 26, 2011 4:54 PM CST

Six Justices Show Up for State of the Union, as Obama ‘Gently’ Hits Lawyers

A bipartisan group of six U.S. Supreme Court justices showed up for President Obama’s State of the Union address last night. All the Democratic appointees showed up, along with Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, the Los Angeles Times reports. Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr.…

Jan 26, 2011 12:31 PM CST