Verdicts & Settlements

IRS will refund $25K penalty imposed on medical marijuana business for paying taxes in cash

Allgreens operates a medical marijuana dispensary in Denver that is legal in Colorado. But federal law still classifies marijuana as an illegal drug, which has made banks unwilling to allow Allgreens to open an account, the company says. As a result, it timely paid its taxes in cash–and has been…

Mar 20, 2015 11:05 AM CDT

Once on death row, man released after 39 years behind bars gets $1M for wrongful imprisonment

An Ohio man imprisoned for 39 years based on false testimony in a murder case has been awarded more than $1 million in compensation. Ricky Jackson, now 59, cried last year when he learned he was going to be released by Cuyahoga County, according to the Associated Press and an…

Mar 20, 2015 9:10 AM CDT

Controversial arrest captured on video of UVA student follows an earlier case

A video of a bloodied and beaten University of Virginia honors student being arrested for public intoxication and obstruction sparked renewed outrage and protests of excessive force at the hands of police. The latest incident, which happened at 12:45 a.m. Wednesday during St. Patrick’s Day celebrating, follows an earlier case…

Mar 19, 2015 4:15 PM CDT

Lawyer and wife win $26M jury verdict; defendant cab company immediately files bankruptcy

A former Chicago lawyer who was left brain damaged by a 2005 taxicab accident on an Illinois highway was awarded nearly $26 million, along with his wife, in a Tuesday evening jury verdict in Cook County Circuit Court. But within hours the defendant in the case, Yellow Cab Affiliation, had…

Mar 18, 2015 4:20 PM CDT

Nude sunbather, 77, agrees to plea deal in case over his backyard practice

Thirty years of nude sunbathing in his own backyard ended Tuesday for a 77-year-old Utah man with a plea deal that requires him to don a swimsuit. Myron Lee Kipp hitherto had only a traffic ticket on his record from more than a decade ago, the Associated Press reports. His…

Mar 17, 2015 3:20 PM CDT

Two Florida judges dismiss 24,000 red-light camera tickets in one county

Two Florida judges on Monday dismissed 24,000 red-light-camera tickets from nearly every city in Broward county, finding that they were not issued as required by state statute. “We made the argument that the program was an improper delegation of police power because the videos were being sent out of state…

Mar 17, 2015 9:45 AM CDT

Documents show GM knew of ignition-switch issue, says plaintiff’s lawyer in leading case

Following a settlement last week in a high-profile ignition-switch case that sparked a massive General Motors recall, plaintiff’s lawyers involved in the case are saying that documents obtained in discovery show the company was involved in a cover-up. An internal report by Jenner & Block partner Anton Valukas found “a…

Mar 16, 2015 3:25 PM CDT

Are Lyft and Uber drivers employees? Juries will decide

Operators of the popular Lyft and Uber ride-sharing smartphone applications say drivers who use their own private vehicles to transport passengers who find them via the apps are independent contractors. But federal judges in two separate San Francisco class actions against the companies aren’t so sure, reports the Los Angeles…

Mar 16, 2015 9:07 AM CDT

Judge OKs guitar collector’s copyright suit over Toyota ad featuring B.B. King

Guitar collector Eric Dahl made a spectacular find when he purchased at a pawn shop in 2009 a prototype Gibson Lucille that he later discovered had been stolen from B.B. King. Rewarded in person by the blues legend with an autographed Gibson Lucille when he returned King’s own instrument, Dahl…

Mar 13, 2015 11:35 AM CDT

California judge boots Orange County DA’s office from murder case because of withheld evidence

A California judge has booted the Orange County district attorney’s office from a high-profile multiple murder case, citing a “chronic failure” to turn over prosecution evidence to the defense. Scott Dekraai last year pleaded guilty to eight counts of first-degree murder in the 2011 slayings of his wife and seven…

Mar 12, 2015 3:50 PM CDT

Paralegal takes plea in $600K law firm client theft; feds say he spent $550K on coin collection

A trusted paralegal accused of embezzling nearly $600,000 from 41 clients of a Georgia law firm over a period of about five years pleaded guilty Tuesday after representing himself at trial for two days in federal court. Criminally charged with 253 counts, including bank fraud, money laundering and aggravated identity…

Mar 11, 2015 2:15 PM CDT

Manslaughter case video shows actor Wyatt Russell running for life as train hurtles toward movie set

The movie was never completed. But a video clip showing actor Wyatt Russell and crew members, who had been filming Midnight Rider, running for their lives down a train trestle high above a Georgia river in real life, as a whistle-blowing train barreled down on them at 55 mph, became…

Mar 11, 2015 11:00 AM CDT

Some lawyers see blurred lines in ‘Blurred Lines’ copyright verdict

A $7.4 million verdict on behalf of singer Marvin Gaye’s family on Tuesday in the “Blurred Lines” copyright suit has clouded the line between paying homage and infringement, critics say. At issue in the suit was whether the “Blurred Lines” hit song by Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke infringed Gaye’s…

Mar 11, 2015 10:31 AM CDT

Lawyer not liable in slaying of PI killed while trying to serve divorce papers, top state court says

A Virginia lawyer had no special duty to warn a private investigator he retained to serve divorce papers. Hence, the attorney is not liable in the Pi’s slaying, even though the attorney knew the target of the divorce was armed and had been told the target was “behaving strangely,” the…

Mar 10, 2015 4:00 PM CDT

Judge says man can’t smoke in his own home due to neighbor’s 2nd-hand smoke concerns

The Washington, D.C., home in which Edwin Gray lives has been owned by his family for 50 years. But that doesn’t mean he can smoke there. Responding to a lawsuit by a new neighbor concerned about second-hand smoke, a D.C. Superior Court judge has issued a temporary order requiring Gray,…

Mar 10, 2015 1:30 PM CDT