Tort Law

UW Prof Gets $8K Settlement Over Arrest for Photographing Power Lines

A university art professor won an $8,000 settlement from the city of Snohomish, Wash., over her arrest in 2007 for snapping photos of power lines there. “Taking photographs of objects or people in plain view is not a crime,” Sarah Dunne, legal director of the ACLU’s Washington chapter told the…

Jun 8, 2009 9:32 PM CDT

Cards’ La Russa Announces Twitter Settlement, Site Denies It on Blog

St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa announced Friday that Twitter agreed to pay his legal fees and make a donation to his animal rescue foundation to settle his suit against the social networking site. The Associated Press Wall Street Journal Law Blog reported the settlement. La Russa filed the…

Jun 8, 2009 5:18 PM CDT

Supreme Court Holds Iraq Is Immune from Terrorism Suits

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that Iraq has immunity from lawsuits brought by Americans abused by the regime of Saddam Hussein. The court in a unanimous opinion by Justice Antonin Scalia ruled that Iraq’s immunity was restored by an order of President George W. Bush issued under a law…

Jun 8, 2009 3:51 PM CDT

Mattel Agrees to Record $2.3M Fine in Lead-Tainted Toy Recall

Agreeing today to pay $2.3 million in penalties without admitting to any law violation, Mattel Corp. and its Fisher-Price division concluded a Consumer Product Safety Act case in which the companies had been accused of knowingly importing lead-tainted toys from China. The fine was the largest ever imposed by the…

Jun 5, 2009 8:58 PM CDT

Plaintiffs Lawyers Prepare to File Dozens of Denture Cream Lawsuits

Plaintiffs lawyers contend that long-term use of denture cream can lead to zinc buildup in the body and neurological problems. A dozen cases targeting the makers of PoliGrip and Fixodent for their zinc ingredient are pending in federal courts in eight states, lawyers told the National Law Journal. And dozens…

Jun 5, 2009 4:05 PM CDT

Paraplegic Ferry Victim OK with Paying Lawyer $2.5M in Additional Fees

A former fish market worker who was paralyzed in the 2003 Staten Island Ferry crash really liked his lawyer—and doesn’t mind giving him an extra $2.5 million. Testifying Wednesday, James McMillan told a federal magistrate in Brooklyn that he doesn’t support a judge’s ruling reducing his lawyer’s cut from one-third…

Jun 5, 2009 1:49 PM CDT

Tony La Russa Sues Twitter over Imposter’s Page

St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa has sued Twitter claiming that the microblogging site refused to take down an imposter’s page that contained “derogatory and demeaning” remarks. The suit alleges trademark infringement, cybersquatting and misappropriation of likeness and name, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Bird Land blog. Two Wall…

Jun 5, 2009 11:49 AM CDT

Bingo Melee Shot for New Movie Sparks New Litigation for ‘Borat’ Actor & Studio

A new reality-based movie in which observers react to the outlandish antics of Borat actor Sacha Baron Cohen is creating work for defense lawyers even before its scheduled July 10 release date. Claiming that she was disabled during a struggle for a microphone at a California bingo tournament after Baron…

Jun 5, 2009 12:46 AM CDT

Judge Tosses Suit Claiming Crunchberry Deception by Cap’n Crunch

Cap’n Crunch is not a real person, and his cereal’s crunchberries aren’t real fruit. A consumer who claimed to have been misled, but only about the crunchberries’ nutritional message, has seen her lawsuit tossed by a federal judge in California. Plaintiff Janine Sugawara had claimed she was deceived by the…

Jun 4, 2009 4:02 PM CDT

Sonnenschein Partner Sued for Accident Caused by His Runaway Car

A Sonnenschein partner is facing a lawsuit by a 7-year-old girl and her mother alleging his Lexus ran into them after he tried to park in front of a California grocery store to buy Girl Scout cookies. The suit claims lawyer Paul Glad, a litigator who chairs the insurance group…

Jun 4, 2009 2:45 PM CDT

Dickinson Wright Sued for $33M in Alleged Patent Error for Lacrosse Stick

A $33 million suit filed against Dickinson Wright claims two of its lawyers let a patent lapse for a lacrosse stick by failing to pay an administrative fee. The suit by Warrior Sports Inc. claims the mistake forced the company into an unfavorable settlement in its infringement suit against a…

Jun 4, 2009 12:34 PM CDT

Day Pitney Sued for Alleged Malpractice in Vanilla Beans Case

A vanilla importer has sued Day Pitney, alleging legal malpractice in a dispute with the company’s insurer over coverage for a tainted shipment of vanilla beans. The suit by International Flavors & Fragrances claims Day Pitney and partner Robert Rose failed to assert IFF’s claims in a timely manner in…

Jun 4, 2009 12:07 PM CDT

Greenberg Traurig Faces Malpractice Questions in Heller Representation

Greenberg Traurig is reportedly facing malpractice questions over its representation of Heller Ehrman before that firm filed for bankrputcy. At issue is Greenberg’s apparent failure to discover that Heller’s biggest lender had mistakenly terminated its security interest in the law firm before it dissolved, the Recorder reports. Michael St. James,…

Jun 3, 2009 12:07 PM CDT

Foley & Lardner Reaches Tentative Deal to Settle Patent Malpractice Suit

Foley & Lardner has reached a tentative agreement to settle a malpractice suit that contends the law firm missed a deadline for an international patent application. The terms of the deal are confidential, the National Law Journal reports. The suit filed by biotech company Vaxiion Therapeutics Inc. had claimed Foley…

Jun 2, 2009 4:19 PM CDT

Dewey & LeBoeuf Sued for $3B on Behalf of Failed Insurer’s Policyholders

Dewey & LeBoeuf is facing a $3 billion suit that claims the law firm is liable for faulty legal advice given to General American Life Insurance when it was sold to MetLife—another insurer that soon became a law firm client. The suit (PDF posted by the Am Law Daily) targets…

Jun 2, 2009 11:47 AM CDT