News from October 2019
Georgia court rules clause in rental agreement doesn't bar tenant's slip-and-fall lawsuit against landlord
ATLANTA (Legal Newsline) – The Supreme Court of Georgia determined a provision in a tenant/landlord lease doesn’t apply to a resident’s premises liability lawsuit after she suffered an injury on the property.
Idaho Supreme Court denies class certification in parent's lawsuit against school district over fees
BOISE, Idaho (Legal Newsline) – A Pocatello/Chubbock School District No. 25 parent was denied class certification in his lawsuit against the school district over allegations the district charged students illegal fees.
Daughter allowed to sue over allegations Idaho police destroyed evidence after causing fatal crash with her father
BOISE, Idaho (Legal Newsline) – The Supreme Court of Idaho on Oct. 18 reversed a ruling that dismissed a woman's suit over allegations that the Idaho State Police and Payette County destroyed evidence before she could file a lawsuit against them over her father's death.
Detroit Transportation immune from lawsuit over train-related death
LANSING, Mich. (Legal Newsline) – A summary disposition ruling against Detroit Transportation Corp. was reversed in a negligence case that involved a man’s fatal fall between two trains at the Detroit People Mover’s Times Square Station in Detroit.
While New York goes to trial, Massachusetts AG finally sues ExxonMobil over climate change statements
BOSTON (Legal Newsline) - Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey has launched her long-threatened lawsuit against ExxonMobil, accusing the oil giant of “deceiving the world about climate change” and defrauding investors by failing to fully disclose the risks embedded in its portfolio of hydrocarbon reserves.
LAW OFFICES OF KELLY R. REED: Millions Affected by Capital One Data Breach
More than 100 million are affected by the Capital One data breach, and West Virginians are among those at risk.
Indefinite suspension for Ohio judge charged with campaign violations and sexual misconduct
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Legal Newsline) – A former Ohio judge accused of wrongdoing, including allegations of sexual misconduct, lost his appeal of a suspension and other consequences against him in the Ohio Supreme Court on Oct. 10.
Washington Supreme Court rules county complied with records request law
OLYMPIA, Wash. (Legal Newsline) – The Washington Supreme Court ruled that a county did not improperly handle a public records request when it produced the requested documents in several installments.
Opioid settlement that derailed first federal trial could be a harbinger to a national deal
CLEVELAND (Legal Newsline) – Monday’s $260 million settlement between two Ohio counties and several of the nation’s largest drug companies over allegations of complicity in the ongoing opioid crisis just might have provided a road map for reaching a larger settlement of similar claims across the country.
Michigan Bell Telephone Co. worker failed to prove he was a victim of racial discrimination in suit, court rules
LANSING, Mich. (Legal Newsline) – Michigan Bell Telephone Co. prevailed once again in a worker’s racial discrimination lawsuit against it.
Murder doc on Oxygen the subject of defamation case; Woman says it was suggested she killed her husband
JACKSON, Miss. (Legal Newsline) – The Mississippi Supreme Court reversed a change of venue in a defamation case where an investigative team took to a docuseries to suggest a woman murdered her husband after the death was ruled an accident 40 years prior.
New Jersey court rules janitorial company's appeal over bidding dispute with Newark is moot
TRENTON, N.J. (Legal Newsline) – A janitorial company’s appeal against the city of Newark, New Jersey in a case concerning a bidding process was considered moot by the Superior Court of New Jersey’s Appellate Division on Oct. 9.
Michigan hires private lawyers also pushing opioid cases for PFAS lawsuit
LANSING, Mich. (Legal Newsline) – Michigan’s Dana Nessel has become the latest state attorney general to hire private lawyers to file a lawsuit over chemicals known as PFAS, setting up a tiered system to pay their contingency fee.
Exxon calls New York's lawsuit 'ridiculous' in first day of trial
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) – A historic civil trial in New York Supreme Court opened Tuesday to decide if oil conglomerate Exxon allegedly deceived its own stockholders – understating the future risks of stricter government regulation and increasing costs to develop fossil fuels – in order to prop up market shares and maintain economic viability.
Court determines post-judgment interest on $49.5 million award in dispute between IBM, Indiana
INDIANAPOLIS (Legal Newsline) – Post-judgment interest on a $49.5 million judgment in IBM’s case with the state of Indiana runs from the judgment on remand, not from the date of the original 2012 judgment, Indiana's Supreme Court ruled.
Kansas city isn't immune from lawsuit following bondsmen's forceful entry into home
TOPEKA, Kan. (Legal Newsline) – The Kansas Supreme Court reversed a ruling in favor of the city of Overland Park, Kansas amid a family’s lawsuit against the city over allegations of negligence after agents with a bonds company forced themselves into the residents’ home.
Notion that cherries on the floor were obvious danger helps Kroger escape lawsuit
LANSING, Mich. (Legal Newline) – Ruling that the danger of cherries on a grocery store's floor was open and obvious, the State of Michigan Court of Appeals affirmed summary disposition for Kroger in a customer’s lawsuit over a slip in a store on Oct. 10.
Michigan Court of Appeals upholds $100,000 in attorneys fees in payroll arrangement suit
LANSING, Mich. (Legal Newsline) – A six-figure judgment for attorneys fees was upheld for Innovative Payroll Processing Inc. and Ahmad Chebbani in a lawsuit filed against them by health care company and related parties.
Attorney launches WV investigation into credit card data breach, urges potential victims to make contact
MORGANTOWN – A West Virginia attorney has launched an investigation to find out just how many in the state were affected by a giant credit card data breach and what legal moves can be taken, collectively or individually.
Opioid settlement hints at massive windfall for private lawyers who snagged government clients
CLEVELAND (Legal Newsline) - It was a stroke of good luck for Cuyahoga and Summit counties in Ohio that U.S. District Judge Dan Polster selected them for the first bellwether trial out of thousands of other cities and counties that are blaming the opioid industry for the nation's addiction crisis.