John O'Brien News
Class action lawyer ordered to pay other side's costs for bringing frivolous case
OCALA, Fla. (Legal Newsline) - A 23-page body slam of a court order will have a controversial class action lawyer paying the fees of one of the hundreds of companies he has sued.
BASF's settlement to resolve PFAS liabilities approved
CHARLESTON, S.C. (Legal Newsline) - BASF Corporation's proposed $316.5 million settlement with public water systems over chemicals known as PFAS has gained preliminary approval.
Fla. judge won't let Zantac plaintiffs blame others, file in more receptive court
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (Legal Newsline) - Plaintiffs trying to escape a court hostile to their Zantac-related claims and flee to Delaware state court have lost their effort.
Idaho teachers' challenge to abortion-talk law tossed, as no punishments coming from AG
BOISE, Idaho (Legal Newsline) - Idaho teachers who sued over a state law prohibiting them from speaking favorably about abortion have lost their court case, though don't seem to be facing any punishment.
Pro-life law affirmed in Iowa; Chief justice: 'I cannot stand by this decision'
DES MOINES, Iowa (Legal Newsline) - An Iowa law banning abortions after a fetus' heartbeat is detected is constitutional, the state's supreme court has ruled.
Fifth Circuit again says challenge to CFPB's late fees cap should be in Texas
NEW ORLEANS (Legal Newsline) - Though he has twice sent the case out of his court, a Texas federal judge looks now to be in charge of a legal challenge to new federal rules that limit late fees on credit card payments.
Starbucks accused of stealing partner's French press design
CHICAGO (Legal Newsline) - Starbucks stole the design of a French press coffeemaker and then broke a contract with a business partner by selling them, a recent federal lawsuit alleges.
Cop in fatal Baltimore shooting tried to avoid kid with 'headshot' at mom, wins lawsuit
BALTIMORE (Legal Newsline) - A Baltimore County cop has successfully defended himself from a lawsuit over the fatal 2016 shooting of a 23-year-old woman that also injured her son.
Judge undoes changes Biden SEC made to Trump-era rule
NEW ORLEANS (Legal Newsline) - President Biden's Securities Exchange Commission was wrong to undo rules passed during Donald Trump's time in office, a federal appeals court has ruled.
Juror's criminal past, dishonesty won't stop $120 million verdict against Chevron
FRESNO, Calif. (Legal Newsline) - Chevron must pay a $120 million verdict in California, an appeals court has ruled, despite arguments one of the jurors who handed it down was ineligible to serve on a jury.
Catch COVID at work? Don't ask Workers' Comp for money, Delaware says
WILMINGTON, Del. (Legal Newsline) - A Perdue employee who contracted COVID-19 at work can't earn Workers' Compensation benefits, Delaware's highest court has said in deciding COVID is not a compensable occupational disease.
Massive bankruptcy plan to end OxyContin lawsuits rejected by U.S. Supreme Court
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - A split U.S. Supreme Court has invalidated the bankruptcy plan of OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma, which hoped to resolve crushing opioid litigation with a multibillion-dollar plan funded partly by former owners the Sackler family.
Lawsuit blaming cops for murder of San Diego woman fails
SAN DIEGO (Legal Newsline) - San Diego has defeated a wrongful death lawsuit that sought to hold it and its police officers liable for the murder of a woman allegedly carried out by a stalker.
Federal judge: Biden Admin doing 'violence to the Constitution'
LUBBOCK, Texas (Legal Newsline) - A federal judge has criticized the Biden Administration for its practice of using the rulemaking process to change the way businesses operate, saying it has stolen the policy-making power of Congress.
Dechert defeats email hacking lawsuit
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) - The global law firm Dechert LLP has defeated a lawsuit that accused it of illegally obtaining privileged emails from opposing parties in cases.
FTC wants answers from MGM about cyberattacks
LAS VEGAS (Legal Newsline) - The Federal Trade Commission has been taken to court and now is going to court in a dispute with MGM that has the agency's chair in an awkward position.
Judge stops Colorado's interest rate law
DENVER (Legal Newsline) - A Colorado federal judge has stopped a state law that restricts the interest rates banks can charge in the state.
Crypto company says SEC going way overboard on possible penalty
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) - What was once thought to be a $2 billion lawsuit that could change the cryptocurrency market forever might now end up being a $10 million hiccup for Ripple Labs, which says the federal agency desperate to regulate its product is being unreasonable.
Railroad could be liable after train strikes 14-year-old with earbuds in
LANSING, Mich. (Legal Newsline) - A railroad company is possibly headed toward trial after the Michigan Supreme Court ruled it was not entitled to judgment in the case of a boy who was struck by a train he didn't hear coming because he was listening to music through earbuds.
PFAS case over Simply Tropical tossed by federal judge
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (Legal Newsline) - A federal judge has thrown out a proposed class action lawsuit against Coca-Cola and Simply Orange Juice Company regarding the possible presence of chemicals known as PFAS.