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In the Spotlight Category Archives: In the Spotlight

California courts continue cuts, closures

June 17, 2013 1:05 PM
By Amanda Robert

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Legal Newsline) — When Richard Burdge describes the court funding crisis in California, he says even the state’s legislators realize they’ve pushed too far in the past few years. “They’re cutting into the bone, not just the fat,” … Read More »

California, In the Spotlight, Issues, News, States, Tort Reform

Class actions ending in ‘ridiculous results’ continue to plague California, critics say

June 5, 2013 7:54 AM
By Amanda Robert

  SACRAMENTO (Legal Newsline) – Class action lawsuits continue to incite debate in California, especially as they grow in size and scope, and affect more of the state’s consumers. Recent high-profile cases involve Hewlett-Packard and consumers who bought printers and … Read More »

Class Action, In the Spotlight

Deepwater Horizon settlement sees struggles

May 30, 2013 8:55 AM
By Amanda Robert

NEW ORLEANS (Legal Newsline) — Motley Rice founding member Joseph Rice is no stranger to complex litigation settlements. He once served as lead private counsel for 26 jurisdictions, including several state attorneys general, and helped negotiate the National Tobacco Settlement. … Read More »

Alabama, BP Oil Spill, Florida, In the Spotlight, Issues, Louisiana, Mississippi, News, States, Texas, U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, U.S. District Court

Californians call for Prop. 65 reforms

May 14, 2013 5:52 PM
By Amanda Robert

SACRAMENTO (Legal Newsline) – As California Assemblyman Mike Gatto, D-Los Angeles, learned more about Proposition 65 and its impact on small businesses, he heard several stories that struck him as clear abuses of the law. Restaurant and bar owners were … Read More »

In the Spotlight, Tort Reform

California’s litigious legal climate threatens development, observer says

May 10, 2013 6:55 AM
By Amanda Robert

SACRAMENTO (Legal Newsline) – When Kimberly Stone, president of the Civil Justice Association of California, describes her state’s deplorable legal climate, she points to private rights of action as a primary problem. Stone explains that California allows residents, whether or … Read More »

Class Action, In the Spotlight, Tort Reform

Others working to make sure insurers dole out unclaimed property properly

May 2, 2013 8:16 AM
By Bethany Krajelis

CHICAGO — State lawmakers and insurance regulators aren’t the only ones trying to resolve concerns over some insurance companies’ failure to pay out death benefits. Following investigations into these companies’ practices over the past few years, some states have entered … Read More »

California, Florida, Illinois, In the Spotlight, Issues, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, News, State AGs, States, Tort Reform

Kentucky legislator: Unclaimed death benefits becoming ‘huge’ consumer protection issue

April 22, 2013 9:33 AM
By Bethany Krajelis

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Legal Newsline) – When allegations started to surface that some insurance companies weren’t paying out death benefits on life insurance policies, Kentucky Rep. Bob Dameron was concerned from two different perspectives. Not only was he distressed as a … Read More »

In the Spotlight

JPML Chair: Multi-district judges becoming more efficient

April 16, 2013 4:22 PM
By Amanda Robert

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Legal Newsline) – As chairman of the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML), Judge John Heyburn leads six other federal judges in determining whether individual cases involving similar issues should be centralized in one federal court for … Read More »

In the Spotlight

Audit firms help states land unpaid death benefits

April 10, 2013 3:33 PM
By Bethany Krajelis

CHICAGO (Legal Newsline) — A few years ago, a group of states began to look into unpaid death benefits from their residents’ life insurance policies. And with the help of audit companies using database and investigative search tools, their efforts … Read More »

Illinois, In the Spotlight, Indiana, News, State AGs, States

Robreno: Trials at MDL court could further streamline case resolution

April 9, 2013 6:32 AM
By Amanda Robert

PHILADELPHIA (Legal Newsline) – When U.S. District Judge Eduardo C. Robreno was appointed to handle the Asbestos Products Liability Litigation in October 2008, he was startled by the magnitude of the case. He discovered that at the time, it was … Read More »

In the Spotlight