Charmaine Little News
911 surcharge fees are taxes, Minnesota Supreme Court rules in False Claims Act case
ST. PAUL, Minn. (Legal Newsline) – The idea that fees associated with certain telecommunications calls, such as 911 services, are indeed taxes, is what caused Minnesota’s Supreme Court to dismiss a case over allegations companies were purposefully not paying fees and surcharges owed to the state.
Michigan Court of Appeals says lower court erred regarding testimony in case over MRI back injury
LANSING, Mich. (Legal Newsline) – On Oct. 30, Michigan’s Court of Appeals determined a lower court erred when it granted a summary disposition and reversed and remanded the ruling in a suit filed by man who was allegedly injured during an MRI.
New Jersey court affirms dismissal of sexual harassment suit, citing arbitration agreement
TRENTON, N.J. (Legal Newsline) – The Superior Court of New Jersey’s Appellate Division dismissed a woman’s sexual harassment claims against a former employer, backing a lower court’s ruling that an arbitration agreement is enforceable on Aug. 23.
Cab company not liable for driver's death; He was shot by a passenger after threatening phone calls
RICHMOND, Va. (Legal Newsline) – On Sept. 27, the Supreme Court of Virginia ruled a cab company wasn't responsible for the death of a driver after he was shot by a passenger.
Ohio Supreme Court sends asbestos case back to trial court to determine if plaintiff is a smoker
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Legal Newsline) – On Sept. 27, the Supreme Court of Ohio reversed an appeals court judgment that denied Union Carbide Corp.’s motion for administrative dismissal amid a case that challenges whether a man’s alleged smoking status contributed to his lung cancer diagnosis.
GOP AGs group sues Las Vegas police department after being denied body camera footage involving Dem AG candidate
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – The Republication Attorneys General Association (RAGA) has called out the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department over allegations that a Democratic Attorney General candidate, Aaron Ford, was favored during a police-involved incident because of his status and position, according to RAGA.
Parents win appeal against Hackensack University Medical Center in wrongful death suit
TRENTON, N.J. (Legal Newsline) – Judge Francis J. Vernoia of the Superior Court of New Jersey's Appellate Division reversed a lower court’s decision Sept. 24 to dismiss a medical malpractice lawsuit against Hackensack University Medical Center following a 4-year-old’s death.
Mich. farm denied new trial after being found liable for falling cardboard boxes
LANSING, Mich. (Legal Newsline) – On Sept. 27, the Michigan Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court’s ruling in which a jury found a company liable for two negligence theories in an incident where a man was injured on the property.
Maryland court upholds $7.2 million award to couple over husband's mesothelioma diagnosis
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (Legal Newsline) – A Maryland appellate court has upheld a $7.2 million award to a couple in an asbestos injury case.
Discovery still stayed in defamation case against the Presbyterian Church by fired reverend
FRANKFORT, Ky. (Legal Newsline) – The Supreme Court of Kentucky affirmed the Court of Appeals’ decision to grant in part and deny in part the Presbyterian Church’s request for an order to block a trial court from removing its stay of discovery amid a former worker’s defamation lawsuit against it.
Indiana Supreme Court rules in favor of Norfolk Southern Railway over state's blocked crossing regulations
INDIANAPOLIS (Legal Newsline) – The Indiana Supreme Court affirmed a summary judgement for Norfolk Southern Railway Co. on Sept. 24 after the state of Indiana handed the transportation entity nearly more than 20 blocked-crossing citations.
Supreme Court of Florida rules loaders are 'dangerous instrumentalities' in case over man's severed finger
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Legal Newsline) – On Sept. 27, the Supreme Court of Florida stated a company’s 8,000-pound piece of equipment really is dangerous, voiding the ruling of a lower court as the ruling infringed on decisions the Court and other district courts have made in the past.
Connecticut Supreme Court rules family in wrongful death suit was improperly denied discovery
HARTFORD, Conn. (Legal Newsline) – The Connecticut Supreme Court reversed a lower court’s judgment and determined the family of a woman who died after allegedly not being notified about her medical condition should get more discovery options in their lawsuit against Radiologic Associates of Middletown PC on Sept. 25.
Connecticut Supreme Court sides with widow in Workers' Comp case over husband's alleged asbestos-related death
HARTFORD, Conn. (Legal Newsline) – On Sept. 18, the Connecticut Supreme Court affirmed a Compensation Review Board’s decision that would award a widow with workers’ compensation benefits after it was determined her husband’s passing from lung cancer was work-related.
D.C. suspends lawyer Steven Donziger after fraud ruling in multibillion-dollar fight against Chevron
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – On Sept. 14, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals suspended attorney Steven R. Donziger from practicing law in Washington, D.C., effective immediately.
Alternate juror joining in on deliberations is 'harmless' in personal injury case, Colorado Supreme Court rules
DENVER (Legal Newsline) – On Sept.17, the Colorado Supreme Court reversed an appeals court ruling that a trial court erred when it permitted an alternate juror to take part in jury deliberations despite objections.
Florida Supreme Court says appeals court erred when it reversed $4.5 million award over smoking-related death
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Legal Newsline) – The Supreme Court of Florida rejected the state's 4th District Court of Appeal’s decision to reverse a multimillion-dollar award for a woman whose mother died of lung cancer.
New trial ordered in case over man's skull fracture allegedly caused by bartender's push
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Legal Newsline) – On Sept. 21, the Supreme Court of the State of Alaska vacated a judgment that prevented a woman from bringing an officer in as a witness in a lawsuit over a man's injuries after he was allegedly pushed by a bartender, ordering a new trial.
California court backs anti-SLAPP motion amid worker's claims about former employer
SAN DIEGO (Legal Newsline) – The Court of Appeal of the State of California, 4th Appellate District, Division Two sided with a lower court that granted a company’s former employee's anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) motion, or special motion to strike the company’s first amended complaint (FAC) against the worker.
Alaska court upholds dismissal of woman's allegation that BioLife falsified her cancer recovery in brochure
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Legal Newsline) – On Sept. 14, it was a lack of jurisdiction that caused the Supreme Court of the state of Alaska to affirm the Alaska Superior Court, Third Judicial District’s ruling dismiss a suit in favor of a company that was sued for allegedly falsifying a woman’s cancer recovery in a brochure.