Verdicts & Settlements

Facebook Wins Dismissal of Second Winklevoss Lawsuit

A federal judge dismissed a second lawsuit against Facebook and its founder Mark Zuckerberg filed by the Winklevoss twins, Cameron and Tyler, who sought to increase a prior $65 million settlement with the social media giant. The dismissal came one month after the Winklevosses decided not to appeal an April…

Jul 22, 2011 8:52 PM CDT

Judge Frees Prisoners Due to Prosecutor’s Extended Break, Then is Himself Late for PM Court Session

A Canadian judge yesterday freed a number of prisoners, including a disbarred lawyer charged with fraud, because a prosecutor was late returning from a break. But then the judge was himself late returning to the afternoon session of Ontario Court, an unidentified source tells the Toronto Star, noting “There’s a…

Jul 22, 2011 12:59 PM CDT

Defense Seeks Reversal of $10.6M Death Award, Says Lawyer Didn’t Disclose ‘Stink Bomb’ Email

A $10.6 million award in what may be Virginia’s biggest wrongful death case is being challenged based on a prominent plaintiff lawyer’s claimed failure to disclose what the defense says he called a “stink bomb” email, among other information. On July 5, defense attorneys for Allied Concrete Co. and William…

Jul 22, 2011 12:23 PM CDT

After 45 Years, Defendant Bank Prevails in What May Be Oldest Pending Lawsuit in NY

After 45 years, a bank has prevailed in a New York lawsuit brought over a school construction project in Okinawa, Japan. Materials supplier Lance International Inc., which went bankrupt in 1965, accused a Citigroup Inc. predecessor, First National City Bank, in the 1966 suit of negligence in its role as…

Jul 22, 2011 11:15 AM CDT

Top NH Court Nixes $100 Fine; Lawyer Scheduled in 2 Courts at the Same Time Did the Best He Could

Fined $100 for failing to appear at a pretrial hearing in one county because he was attending a pretrial hearing in another county, a New Hampshire criminal defense lawyer appealed the sanction. Today, finding that Stuart Dedopoulos had made timely and diligent efforts to obtain the court’s permission to reschedule…

Jul 21, 2011 10:22 PM CDT

Benedictine Monks Win ‘Casket Cartel’ Case, Have Constitutional Right to Sell Coffins

Finding that there was no legitimate basis for a Louisiana law that makes it a crime for companies not licensed as funeral directors to sell caskets, a federal judge has struck the statute down. The Benedictine monks of St. Joseph Abbey in St. Tammany Parish make and sell simple wooden…

Jul 21, 2011 8:24 PM CDT

Federal Judge OKs $97.5K Verdict Won By Goodwin Procter in Pro Bono ‘Contempt of Cop’ Arrest Case

The chief federal criminal trial judge in Washington, D.C., yesterday rejected the city’s call for a new trial in a “contempt of cop” arrest case in which a jury awarded a woman $97,500. Represented by Goodwin Procter on a pro bono basis, Lindsay Huthnance contended she had been unconstitutionally arrested…

Jul 20, 2011 9:27 PM CDT

Judge to Confirm $4.6M Settlement for Botched Circumcision

A Los Angeles judge says he will approve a $4.6 million settlement in the botched circumcision of a week-old baby. Judge Rex Heeseman says he will approve the deal reached with Miltex Inc. and its parent company for making a defective clamp that caused the accident, City News Service reports.…

Jul 19, 2011 12:57 PM CDT

Man Wins 2-Year Pro Se Court Battle Over $25 Ticket, Says Case Was ‘Like Doing My Own Dentistry’

After a two-year court battle, a retired Massachusetts audio visual technician has emerged victorious in an epic pro se legal fight over a $25 parking ticket. But Michael Rivers was drained by the experience rather than jubilant over his state superior court win against the city of Springfield, according to…

Jul 19, 2011 12:05 AM CDT

NYT: Hacking Settlements Are ‘Chicken Feed’ Compared to Payouts for Alleged Corporate Hijinks

News Corp. paid a reported $1.6 million in 2009 to settle legal claims related to the phone hacking scandal, but the amount pales in comparison to other legal settlements paid by the company. The newspaper’s in-store and newspaper insert marketing business, News America Marketing, has paid $655 million to settle…

Jul 18, 2011 1:17 PM CDT

Divorce Lawyer Not Liable in Malpractice Case by Nobel Prize Winner

A Nobel Prize winner has lost a $1 million malpractice suit against his former divorce lawyer. Federal jurors in Washington, D.C., ruled for divorce lawyer Rita Bank on Wednesday, according to The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times. Economist Joseph Stiglitz had alleged Bank should have filed divorce papers more…

Jul 14, 2011 12:55 PM CDT

Homeowner Liable for Craigslist Post Slamming Driveway Contractor

A driveway contractor has won a $2,000 defamation judgment against a Minnesota homeowner whose daughter slammed the business owner on Craigslist. The post on the “rants & raves” section of Craigslist stems from Kyong Kessler’s legal battle against a contractor she accuses of leaving pockmarks in her driveway and damaging…

Jul 14, 2011 12:35 PM CDT

As Federal Judge Blasts His ‘Ready, Fire, Aim’ Tactics, Embattled Lawyer Counts His Blessings

A federal judge arguably added to attorney Eric Deters’ troubles today by criticizing his “ready, fire, aim” approach to litigation and requiring him to get an independent lawyer, selected by Deters and OK’d by the court, to review his law firm operations. But Deters, a flamboyant trial lawyer and radio…

Jul 13, 2011 10:48 PM CDT

Neighbor Gets 18 Years for Hacking Lawyer’s Wi-Fi Account, Using His ID to Harass Others

Attorney Matt Kostolnik wound up with a seeming MySpace page featuring teens having sex and was visited at work by the Secret Service after the Minneapolis lawyer moved next door to a computer technician who quickly developed a grudge against him and his wife. Law firm superiors also wanted an…

Jul 13, 2011 9:28 PM CDT

M&A Class Actions Jump 847% in 2 Years; ‘Fee Hungry’ Law Firms Blamed

In the last two years, there has been a huge spike in class action lawsuits claiming investors weren’t fairly compensated in corporate mergers and buyouts. Last year, there were 341 M&A suits filed, a jump of 78.5 percent from 2009 and 847 percent from 2008, Fox News reports, citing statistics…

Jul 13, 2011 1:48 PM CDT