Tort Law

Davis Wright Settles Malpractice Suit for $30M Despite ‘Strong’ Position

A major Pacific Northwest-based law firm has agreed to settle for $30 million securities fraud and legal malpractice claims brought by investors in a failed company that oversaw dozens of senior housing complexes. Their Oregon state-court case contends Davis Wright & Tremaine and two other law firms prepared documents for…

Oct 22, 2009 9:46 PM CDT

Nokia Sues Apple Over iPhone Technology, Seeks Unspecified Royalties

Nokia Oyj has sued Apple Inc.over the technology used in the company’s iPhone, contending that it infringes on 10 patents held by the world’s largest phone manufacturer. The suit, which was filed in federal court in Delaware, seeks royalties from Apple dating back to the iPhone’s introduction in 2007 but…

Oct 22, 2009 4:51 PM CDT

Toyota Whistle-Blower Lawyer Is Dogged and ‘Heavily Medicated’

Dimitrios Biller describes himself as an emotional guy. He says he sometimes cried for the plaintiffs who lost lawsuits he defended as an in-house lawyer for Toyota. But plaintiffs lawyers who opposed him in court had another description for him. “People thought on the plaintiff side that he was a…

Oct 22, 2009 3:34 PM CDT

Two Yale Law Grads Settle Suit Against Once-Anonymous Online Critics

Two graduates of Yale Law School have settled their defamation lawsuit against several online critics who wrote nasty comments about them on the law school discussion board AutoAdmit. Lawyer Ashok Ramani of Keker & Van Nest in San Francisco represented the women pro bono. He told the Hartford Courant that…

Oct 22, 2009 12:23 PM CDT

Judge Tosses Sheriff’s Suit Against Craigslist Over Prostitution Ads

A federal judge in Chicago has tossed a sheriff’s lawsuit against Craigslist that claimed ads for prostitution posted on the website created a public nuisance. U.S. District Judge John Grady said Craigslist wasn’t legally responsible for the content, Bloomberg reports. Grady found that the company is protected by the Communications…

Oct 22, 2009 11:52 AM CDT

King of Torts Joe Jamail Featured on Slate’s ‘80 Over 80’ List

Billionaire attorney Joe Jamail is featured in a Slate list of the 80 most powerful octagenarians in America. Relying on a profile of Jamail in an ABA Journal article about seven 70-plus lions of the trial bar, Slate notes that the 84-year-old is still pursuing bet-the-farm litigation. To date, the…

Oct 21, 2009 8:31 PM CDT

Carlton Fields Sues Ludacris for $61K

The law firm Carlton Fields has sued the rapper Ludacris and his foundation for more than $61,000, claiming the money is owed for legal fees. The suit was filed on Friday in Fulton County Court in Georgia, according to the Courthouse News Service. Carlton Fields represented the rapper and his…

Oct 21, 2009 5:40 PM CDT

Suit Alleges Madoff Culture of Drugs and ‘Sexual Deviance’

Cocaine was so prevalent in Bernard Madoff’s office that it was once called the North Pole, according to an expanded lawsuit that alleges a culture of “sexual deviance” and drug use. The suit filed by plaintiffs lawyer Joseph Cotchett paints a stark contrast between Madoff’s former life and his new…

Oct 21, 2009 11:46 AM CDT

Airline’s Sham Divorce Case Over Pilot Pension Payments Doesn’t Fly

Nine Continental Airlines pilots apparently thought they had found a wily way to get around benefits rules when they divorced their wives, which allowed the women to collect pension money in a lump sum, and then remarried their ex-spouses. And they were right, according to a federal judge’s ruling yesterday.…

Oct 20, 2009 6:22 PM CDT

Dad’s Dumpster Dive Led to $1.8M Win in Phone Records ‘Pretexting’ Case

Saleswoman Kathy Lawlor got into a dispute with her employer four years ago over a big incoming commission, and she said the company fired her when she wouldn’t agree to sign a document changing her compensation schedule. The pay dispute soon wound up in court, and her ex-employer, North American…

Oct 20, 2009 12:26 AM CDT

Law Firm to Pay $1.5M to Settle Claims That Ex-Associate Dropped Cases

A Connecticut plaintiffs firm has agreed to pay $1.5 million to settle claims by two former clients that an ex-associate dropped the ball on their cases. Ex-associate James Sullivan, who left the law firm of Kevin Maher and Scott Williams in 2007 to operate a ski resort in Vermont, allegedly…

Oct 19, 2009 10:22 PM CDT

Neighbor in Ritzy Co-op Sues Over Madonna’s ‘Blaring Music’ & Dancing

A neighbor in Madonna’s ritzy New York City apartment building has sued the co-op board over the famous pop singer’s alleged “blaring music, stomping and shaking walls.” Karen George contends that the board of the Central Park West building hasn’t done enough to keep a lid on the excessive noise…

Oct 19, 2009 7:12 PM CDT

Jury Says Exxon Owes $105M in NYC Well Case, But Judge Nixes Punitives

A federal jury in New York today found Exxon Mobil Corp. liable for polluting well water in the New York City’s borough of Queens with a gasoline additive and ordered the company to pay almost $105 million in cleanup costs. However, the verdict was also something of a win for…

Oct 19, 2009 5:50 PM CDT

No Recession in Real Estate Litigation, South Florida Lawyers Find

In the midst of a dismal real estate market, a 46-year-old Florida lawyer has found a full-time occupation. He focuses his practice entirely on real estate matters, often helping formerly hot-to-trot buyers recover at least part of the hefty deposits they made on condominium units under construction. A federal law…

Oct 16, 2009 5:25 PM CDT

Judge Slaps Railroad With $4M Penalty for ‘Staggering’ Pattern of Misconduct

A Minnesota judge has added a $4 million fine to an already hefty jury verdict against Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. involving a fatal train-car crash related to a crossing gate failure. The railroad is alleged to have begun destroying evidence within minutes of the 2003 crash in Anoka, Minn.…

Oct 16, 2009 11:49 AM CDT