News from September 2019
Octogenarian bailiffs fail to convince Michigan court they were fired because of age, disabilities
LANSING, Mich. (Legal Newsline) – An appeal filed by two former bailiffs for Michigan's 36th District Court against the court over allegations of age and disability discrimination has failed.
Federal jury awards plaintiffs $17 million in Washington Amtrak derailment case
TACOMA, Wash. (Legal Newsline) – A federal jury has awarded a multimillion dollar verdict to two families impacted by the deadly 2017 Amtrak 501 train crash outside of Dupont, Washington.
Judge Audrey J.S. Carrión appointed as new administrative judge for Baltimore City
Maryland Court of Appeals Chief Judge Mary Ellen Barbera has appointed Judge Audrey J. S. Carrión as the administrative judge of the Eighth Judicial Circuit, Baltimore City, effective January 12, 2020.
Mississippi Supreme Court says plaintiff failed to prove legal malpractice caused damages
JACKSON, Miss. (Legal Newsline) – The Supreme Court of Mississippi on Aug. 29 affirmed a lower court's decision in a legal malpractice case between a medical office and a law firm.
Vintage samples of talc bought on eBay not good enough proof in New Jersey asbestos lawsuit
TRENTON, N.J. (Legal Newsline) – The Superior Court of New Jersey ruled on Aug. 29 to affirm a lower court's verdict in the defendants' favor in a case filed over allegations talc powder products led to a woman's mesothelioma diagnosis and death.
A loss for couple who sued Westlaw for publishing digits of Social Security number
LANSING, Mich. (Legal Newsline) – A Michigan court has denied a couple's appeal of a ruling that dismissed their suit with prejudice over allegations a company allegedly published the first five numbers of their Social Security number on its public records website.
REEDSMITH LLP: Reed Smith Lawyers Make Brummell List of Inspirational Women
The list shines a spotlight on 30 “trailblazing women leading the charge and making positive changes in the City.” Real Estate partner Sarah Cunningham is featured for her work with some of the London office’s top real estate clients, as well as for leading women’s events at both the firm and industry levels.
CLARK HILL PLC: Railroad Attorney Justin Marks Joins Clark Hill’s Corporate Business Unit and Transportation Practice
Clark Hill is excited to announce that Justin Marks has joined the firm’s Corporate Business Unit as a Senior Attorney in the firm’s Washington, DC office.
PEPPER HAMILTON LLP: Pepper Hamilton Lawyers Named to New York Super Lawyers and Rising Stars Lists for 2019
Pepper Hamilton announced that eight lawyers have been named by New York-Metro Super Lawyers as top attorneys in the state for 2019.
FOLEY & LARDNER LLP: Foley Attorneys Named 2019 New York Metro Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
Foley & Lardner LLP is pleased to announce that six of its lawyers have been named to the 2019 New York Metro Super Lawyers list - a distinction limited to just 5 percent of the area’s lawyers.
Purdue Pharma, in opting for bankruptcy, says global settlement of opioid litigation is impossible
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (Legal Newsline) - Purdue Pharma filed for bankruptcy protection, as expected, setting off an expensive process the company says is the only way to “bring order to the unrelenting chaos” of “piecemeal litigation” against it.
Maryland Judiciary invites student art for conflict resolution awareness
The Maryland Judiciary is inviting students to participate in the 14th annual Conflict Resolution Day Bookmark Art Contest.
Virginia Supreme Court orders retrial in case involving nursing home assistant who allegedly raped resident
RICHMOND, Va. (Legal Newsline) — The Virginia Supreme Court has granted a nursing home's appeal and reversed a circuit court's final judgment while ordering the retrial of a case involving a nursing assistant who allegedly raped an 85-year-old resident.
Delaware court tosses doctor's fraud lawsuit against former urgent care employer
WILMINGTON, Del. (Legal Newsline) – A physician failed to prove to a Delaware court that he was a victim of fraud after he alleged an urgent care company’s merger left him at a disadvantage when it enforced a restrictive covenant.
Baltimore was OK to vaccinate child against mother's wishes, court says
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (Legal Newsline) – A Maryland appeals court has ruled that the Baltimore City Department of Social Services did not err when it requested vaccines for a child in its care despite the mother’s religious beliefs.
Trial to determine jackpot-potential of Risperdal lawsuits starts today in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA – On Monday, a new punitive damages trial will begin in a Philadelphia courtroom for a case involving anti-psychotic drug Risperdal that initially ended with a $1 million-plus plaintiff verdict in 2015, in a jurisdiction with a history of high-dollar results.
Opioid defendants want judge disqualified for pressuring them to settle, not fight
Defendants have asked the federal judge overseeing nearly 2,000 opioid lawsuits by cities and counties to recuse himself, saying he has demonstrated clear bias toward the plaintiffs and toward obtaining a multibillion-dollar settlement instead of holding trials to determine the merits of their claims.
Medical historians ask judge to order creation of $30 Million opioid document archive
Drawing a comparison to the internal documents that catalyzed litigation against the tobacco industry, a group of medical historians have asked a federal judge to establish a $30 million permanent archive for millions of files obtained in federal opioid litigation.
Is AG Shapiro ignoring the legislature as he tries to change state consumer protection law?
HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office is proposing to amend the rule standards contained in the Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law, an action it claims is necessary but which some observers say is happening without legislative input.
Maryland court upholds revocation of man's license to harvest oysters
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (Legal Newsline) – A Maryland appellate court has upheld a decision that a man is still not allowed to harvest oysters in the tidal waters of Maryland.