American Association for Justice
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Congress can pass protections for reopened businesses scared of COVID-19 lawsuits, lawyers say
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – Congress has the authority to pass protections for businesses that are worried reopening during the coronavirus pandemic will lead to costly litigation initiated by personal injury lawyers, says a memorandum written by attorneys at Jones Day. -
Democrat governors and voters favor coronavirus lawsuit protections, but what about Dems in Congress?
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – Democratic leaders in states like North Carolina and New York have embraced the idea that giving companies a measure of protection from coronavirus lawsuits is in the best idea of their constituents, but it remains to be seen if the U.S. House of Representatives feels the same. -
'Easy grandstanding': Congress backs trial lawyers' effort to condemn chemicals, win lawsuits while science debated
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – As Congress vilifies chemicals known as PFAS, some question whether the research upon which lawmakers – and trial lawyers – are relying shows that anyone has actually been harmed by them. -
Trial lawyers find unusual allies in fight against arbitration: Conservative state treasurers
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - Class action lawyers who see arbitration as a mortal threat to their business have found unlikely allies among some of the nation’s most conservative state officials. -
California reclaims top spot on 'Judicial Hellhole' list; ATRA bemoans state's adoption of 'innovator liability'
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - California tops the list of jurisdictions regarded as "Judicial Hellholes" by a national civil justice reform group. -
Groups, including AAJ and AFL-CIO, argue splitting Ninth Circuit would be a mistake
Last week, more than 150 groups and organizations sent a letter to members of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, urging them to oppose any “ill-considered efforts” that would split the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. So far, three such bills have been introduced in Congress this year. -
Commercial spaceflight industry faces uncertain legal, regulatory environment
MIDLAND, Texas (Legal Newsline) - The idea of buying a ticket to space seems like something that would play out in a summer blockbuster movie. -
Asbestos firm's political donations draw attention as trial lawyers eye Democratic Senate
BOSTON (Legal Newsline) - As trial lawyers seek a Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate, as well as a Democratic president, a major asbestos firm in Massachusetts is catching flak for doling out bonuses to its attorneys that match their contributions to various political campaigns -- mostly Democratic. -
Hillary-supporting trial lawyer says she's up for 'dream job' at Clinton White House
LAS VEGAS (Legal Newsline) - Last week, at the largest gathering of mass torts plaintiffs attorneys in the nation, prominent Dallas attorney Lisa Blue Baron announced she is interviewing for her “dream job” at the White House as a member of a panel that would help vet federal judges. -
Attorney: Arbitration proposal fight likely not over after comments period
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has proposed a set of rules prohibiting arbitration clauses that prevent class action lawsuits on behalf of consumers -- a contentious proposal that has parties on both sides speaking out. -
U.S. House committee to hold hearing on CFPB’s proposed arbitration rules ‘soon’
The House Financial Services Committee has launched an investigation into the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s proposed regulation of pre-dispute arbitration agreements, requesting various information from the bureau. -
CFPB proposes prohibiting mandatory arbitration clauses
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s release of its set of proposed rules coincided with a field hearing held in New Mexico Thursday. Under the bureau’s proposal, companies would still be able to include arbitration clauses in their contracts. However, for contracts subject to the proposal, the clauses would have to say explicitly that they cannot be used to stop consumers from being part of a class action in court. -
U.S. House passes resolution to block DOL’s fiduciary rule
The rule, sometimes referred to as the conflicts of interest rule, mandates financial professionals who service individual retirement accounts, including IRAs and 401(k) plans, to serve the “best interest” of the savers and disclose conflicts of interest. -
Class actions will test DOL's new fiduciary rule, attorney says
Last month, the U.S. Department of Labor announced its final fiduciary rule, sometimes referred to as the conflicts of interest rule. The rule mandates financial professionals who service individual retirement accounts, including IRAs and 401(k) plans, to serve the “best interest” of the savers and disclose conflicts of interest. -
U.S. SC’s decision in Gomez leaves class action questions on the table
In January, the nation’s highest court ruled that an unaccepted offer of complete relief to a named plaintiff in a putative class action lawsuit does not moot the plaintiff’s claim. But it would not decide whether the result would be different if a defendant deposits the full amount of the plaintiff’s individual claim in an account payable to the plaintiff, and the court then enters judgment for the plaintiff in that amount. -
AAJ panned companies' method of fighting class actions as unfair, though member accused it of using the same strategy
MIAMI (Legal Newsline) – Weeks before the head of a national trial lawyers group condemned a legal maneuver used by businesses in attempts to fight class action lawsuits, the group was accused of using the same move – by one of its own members. -
U.S. SC rules against business in bid to stop class actions
The nation’s highest court ruled 6-3 that a defendant can’t end a case by offering full payment to the lead plaintiff. -
U.S. House to take up combined bill targeting class actions and asbestos litigation abuse this week
The House Committee on Rules is set to take up H.R. 1927 -- now the Fairness in Class Action Litigation and Furthering Asbestos Claim Transparency Act of 2015 -- Wednesday afternoon and then send it to the House floor for a vote. -
CFPB explains proposal to prohibit anti-class action language in arbitration clauses
The bureau says it continues to seek feedback from stakeholders -- including consumer groups, industry groups and those representing class action lawyers -- before formally announcing a rule. -
Newspaper calls out binding arbitration, but forces clause on its own consumers
The New York Times investigation, the first part of which was published Saturday, found that in 2014, alone, judges upheld class action bans in 134 of 162 cases.