Tort Law

Class Action Firm Hit for ‘Calculated Attempt at Judge Shopping’

A federal judge has criticized class action law firm Labaton Sucharow for seeking to add new and unrelated claims to a lawsuit against American International Group. U.S. District Judge John Sprizzo of Manhattan refused to allow Labaton to add claims related to AIG’s recent write-downs to its older class-action suit…

Jul 22, 2008 1:22 PM CDT

Suit Claims WilmerHale ‘Churned’ Representation of CFO to Inflate Fees

McAfee Inc. claims WilmerHale “churned the representation” of its former chief financial officer, costing $12 million in legal fees. The lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of Texas earlier this year accuses the law firm of fraud, theft, negligence and breach of fiduciary duty, the Recorder reports. WilmerHale “intentionally overworked…

Jul 22, 2008 10:46 AM CDT

New Jersey Woman Sues Surgeon Over Temporary Rose Tattoo

A New Jersey woman has sued the doctor who operated on her back for a herniated disk–not because of any issue with the surgery, but because of what she found on her front the next day: a temporary red rose tattoo. Recounts the Philadelphia Inquirer: “The patient discovered the tattoo…

Jul 18, 2008 8:12 PM CDT

Famed Trial Lawyer Gerry Spence: My New Blog Frightens Me

Ever wondered what famed Wyoming trial lawyer Gerry Spence might think about a big case or an unusual legal strategy? Reading his brand-new blog may offer an opportunity to find out. At present, it contains exactly one post, but Spence says more are forthcoming. Given his prolific writing as an…

Jul 18, 2008 7:49 PM CDT

LAPD’s False Info to Suspect Led to Murder of 16-Year-Old ‘Witness’

A young woman was murdered in 2003 apparently because of a Los Angeles Police Department ruse to extract information from a suspect that backfired. Seeking to find out more from suspect Jose Ledesma, 19, about the murder of another young man, two LAPD detectives told Ledesma that 16-year-old Martha Puebla…

Jul 18, 2008 5:23 PM CDT

Jury Rules Bratz Doll Created During Designer’s Stint at Mattel

A California jury has ruled that the popular Bratz doll was created by a designer when he was working for Mattel, a blow for the doll’s maker, Mattel rival MGA Entertainment Inc. Mattel had claimed designer Carter Bryant took the idea for the hip, multi-ethnic doll to MGA even though…

Jul 18, 2008 11:14 AM CDT

How is Detroit Mayor Paying $1M in Personal Legal Bills?

The embattled mayor of Detroit will probably rack up some $1 million in legal bills, observers predict, just defending himself in a criminal case related to his testimony in a civil police whistleblower case. A controversial $8.4 million secret settlement in the civil case has created a political firestorm that…

Jul 17, 2008 9:03 PM CDT

Fake News Article Results in Real Lawsuit

Admittedly not thinking about the consequences, a computing services manager for the University of Texas reportedly says he was the practical jokester who posted a fake Oklahoman article online under the byline of a real sportswriter. It falsely claimed that two quarterbacks at the University of Oklahoma had been arrested…

Jul 17, 2008 5:09 PM CDT

Lawyer Sues Google for Low-Quality Ads

A lawyer has sued Google for charging him for pay-for-click ads that got poor placement. Boston lawyer Hal Levitte says Google charged him $136 for ads on error pages and on parked domains—Internet addresses that are registered but have no Web pages, CNet News reports. Levitte’s suit (PDF), filed in…

Jul 17, 2008 2:09 PM CDT

Unhappy Art Buyers File Lawsuits Over Cruise Ship Art Auctions

Customers dissatisfied with their purchases in cruise ship art auctions are filing lawsuits that claim the value of the artwork was misrepresented. Class action lawsuits filed by customers who live in Florida and California name auctioneer Park West Gallery, based in Southfield, Mich., the New York Times reports. The suits…

Jul 16, 2008 5:55 PM CDT

Appeals Court Says Scientist is Public Figure, Dismisses Anthrax Libel Suit

A federal appeals court has ruled that scientist Steven Hatfill is a public figure and his libel suit against the New York Times for identifying him as an anthrax suspect must be dismissed. The Richmond, Va.-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled yesterday that Hatfill could not show actual…

Jul 15, 2008 12:28 PM CDT

Man Sues Over Mistaken Sex Offender ID

Richard Bryan Smith happens to share the same name and date of birth as a convicted sex offender. And that has led to several cases of mistaken identity, despite the fact that there is a reported three-inch height difference between the two men, their eye colors are different from each…

Jul 14, 2008 9:42 PM CDT

Lawyer’s Affair Leads to Firm Breakup, $2M Verdict

In a civil theft verdict that could hit two attorneys with some $2 million in damages, a Florida jury found late last month that two longtime associates of a well-known Tampa personal injury attorney essentially stripped the owner of their former firm of much of his practice. The verdict—which was…

Jul 14, 2008 8:26 PM CDT

Former Law Dean Obtains Internet Addresses of Anonymous Online Critics

The former dean of Pace law school has obtained the Internet provider addresses of online critics who alleged he and his wife paid off a mayor to secure permits for a home construction project. Richard Ottinger, the ex-dean and a former congressman, obtained the addresses in his defamation suit for…

Jul 14, 2008 12:27 PM CDT

Same-Sex Partner Can’t Sue in Mass. Med-Mal Case

A Massachusetts woman in a same-sex relationship who married her partner as soon as it was possible to do so in the state cannot act as a plaintiff in a medical malpractice case concerning a time before the two were legally wed, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts has decided.…

Jul 11, 2008 7:52 PM CDT