Tort Law

Deposition delay granted in sex-abuse case so job-hunting official can attend the Indianapolis 500

Former USA Gymnastics president Steve Penny won a deposition delay in a sex-abuse lawsuit against a former team physician after claiming he needed to attend the Indianapolis 500 to network and find a new job. Judge Susan Bryant-Deason of Los Angeles agreed to delay the deposition until June 5, despite…

May 11, 2017 11:05 AM CDT

Richard Simmons sues over tabloids’ sex change stories

Richard Simmons says he supports transgender rights, but he is entitled to truthful reporting on his personal life. The fitness guru on Monday sued the National Enquirer and Radar Online for reporting that he had undergone “shocking sex surgery” and was “now living as a gal named Fiona,” report the…

May 9, 2017 1:08 PM CDT

$110M award in talcum powder case is largest award in suits claiming link to ovarian cancer

Jurors in St. Louis have awarded $110 million to a Virginia woman who claimed talcum powder sold by Johnson & Johnson caused her ovarian cancer. The verdict is the largest so far in litigation over the cancer link, report the Wall Street Journal Law Blog, Bloomberg, Reuters and Law.com (sub.…

May 5, 2017 1:24 PM CDT

Families of San Bernardino victims sue Twitter, Google and Facebook over ISIS posts

Families of three victims of the San Bernardino, California, terrorist attack filed a lawsuit Wednesday that claims that Facebook, Twitter and Google’s YouTube allowed ISIS to use its platforms to promote terrorism. The suit (PDF) said the defendants have provided infrastructure that gives material support to ISIS, report Courthouse News…

May 5, 2017 11:47 AM CDT

United Airlines settles with doctor dragged from flight

Dr. David Dao, the man seen in a viral video being dragged off a United Airlines flight earlier this month, has reached a settlement with the airline, his attorneys announced Thursday.

Apr 27, 2017 2:25 PM CDT

Is ‘stealthing’ sexual assault? New tort should allow for damages, law review article argues

The practice of removing a condom during sex without partner consent is widespread, and it has a name—stealthing. And its victims should have legal remedies, according to a paper (PDF) published in the Columbia Journal of Gender and Law by lawyer Alexandra Brodsky. The Huffington Post, McClatchy and Buzzfeed News…

Apr 27, 2017 7:30 AM CDT

Chemerinsky: SCOTUS takes on when state courts can assert jurisdiction over out-of-state parties

Major changes in a basic area of constitutional law are unusual. It’s even less common for those changes to occur with few noticing. Yet the law of personal jurisdiction—when a court can exercise jurisdiction over an out-of-state defendant—has changed significantly in recent years. Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. v. Superior Court of California, argued April 25, may see the court continue to restrict personal jurisdiction with significant consequences for multistate litigation.

Apr 25, 2017 6:54 AM CDT

Lawyer who represents man dragged from flight now represents mom in airline stroller incident

Chicago lawyer Thomas Demetrio now represents a second unhappy airline passenger. Demetrio announced Monday that he represents a mother shown in an online video crying after an American Airlines flight attendant allegedly yanked a stroller from her, report the Washington Post, AJC.com, the Palm Beach Post and CNBC. Demetrio appeared…

Apr 24, 2017 9:07 AM CDT

BigLaw partner’s widow is awarded $3M in suit claiming antidepressant caused his suicide

The widow of a former Reed Smith partner was awarded $3 million in a lawsuit contending that the maker of the antidepressant Paxil covered up the drug’s link to an increased risk of suicide. The amount was less than the $39 million sought by Wendy Dolin, the widow of Stewart…

Apr 21, 2017 8:22 AM CDT

Lawyer for man dragged from plane sees lawsuit likelihood, wants to stop airline bullying

A lawyer for the man dragged from a United Airlines plane said at a press conference on Thursday that his client will need reconstructive surgery and will "probably" file a lawsuit.

Apr 13, 2017 10:50 AM CDT

Court allows suit claiming judge retaliated against investigator who tried to serve summons on him

A Texas appeals court has refused to dismiss a suit claiming that a judge instigated the prosecution of a licensed investigator and licensed process server for trying to serve a summons on the judge at the Beaumont courthouse. The court allowed the malicious prosecution suit against former Judge Layne Walker…

Apr 13, 2017 7:45 AM CDT

United passenger dragged off plane hires high-profile personal injury lawyer

Updated: A United Airlines passenger who was dragged from a plane has retained a well-known Chicago personal injury lawyer.

Apr 12, 2017 9:32 AM CDT

Court worker who claimed judge libeled her in irrelevant footnote loses on immunity ground

A judge who criticized his former court administrator in a footnote inserted in four court orders can’t be sued for libel, the Mississippi Supreme Court has ruled. The court said that Judge Jeff Weill of Hinds County is protected by judicial immunity, the Jackson Clarion-Ledger reports. Former court administrator Karla…

Apr 10, 2017 7:00 AM CDT

Taft Stettinius didn’t defame gaming business in its client newsletter, appeals court rules

Taft Stettinius & Hollister won’t have to face a defamation suit over statements it made about a gaming firm in an emailed client newsletter, an Illinois appeals court has ruled. The appeals court ruled that the law firm’s statements were substantially true and agreed to toss the suit, the Indiana…

Apr 7, 2017 7:00 AM CDT

Law firm and its name partner are using the courts for ‘their own self-aggrandizement,’ suit says

A Chicago law firm claims in a lawsuit that the Edelson class action boutique and its founding partner are filing nuisance lawsuits and using the courts to “further their own self-aggrandizement.” The plaintiff, Johnson & Bell, is suing Edelson for alleged defamation and abuse of process, report the National Law…

Apr 6, 2017 7:30 AM CDT