News from December 2020
Court: Ohio firm wrongly pushed out of California case for representing witnesses
SAN DIEGO (Legal Newsline) – Attorneys for Big Lots can continue fighting lawsuits after a scuffle with plaintiffs lawyers over whether they could also represent witnesses in the case.
Investigation warranted into nonprofit's millions for elections in Biden counties, group says
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - A nonprofit group, the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL), that granted millions of dollars to local election officials in battleground states under the pretense of ensuring safe and secure elections may have run afoul of both state laws and IRS rules.
Ex-husband accuses former Trump adviser of intercepting his texts, sharing with her attorney
WHEELING – A former adviser to President Donald Trump is being accused of illegally intercepting text messages from her ex-husband and sharing them with her attorney.
Texas Gov. Abbott fights lawsuit over contact tracing
BEAUMONT, Texas (Legal Newsline) – Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says more than 1,000 plaintiffs have no standing to sue him over the state’s contact tracing plan.
Zoom again wants litigation over its security systems thrown out
SAN JOSE, Calif. (Legal Newsline) – Zoom is again asking a federal judge to throw out lawsuits against it that claim its security systems weren’t up to par.
Plaintiffs lawyers reach settlement in dispute over failed Louisiana partnership
NEW ORLEANS (Legal Newsline) – A disappointing alliance between personal injury lawyers is at the center of a new lawsuit in Louisiana.
Fight goes on in lawsuit over pollution at old PG&E plant in San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline) – Pacific Gas & Electric will have to fight what remains of a pollution lawsuit but can argue it doesn’t have access to the property in question.
After calling watchdog 'notorious,' class action firm says it's practically a compliment
CHICAGO (Legal Newsline) - A law firm that called Ted Frank of the Center for Class Action Fairness a “notorious professional objector” has asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit to dismiss Frank’s motion for sanctions, dismissing its description as a “mild flourish.”
Lingering COVID concerns forces Faber to push back federal opioid trial indefinitely
CHARLESTON – A federal judge again has pushed back the start of a key opioid trial, this time indefinitely, because of concerns about spreading the Coronavirus.
Lawsuit against Domino's complains about tax added to coupon
LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) – A long-running deal at Domino’s Pizza has been too good to be true all this time, a class action lawsuit alleges.
Delaware judge scolds Gilead for defense of class actions; Company may have to pay other side's costs
WILMINGTON, Del. (Legal Newsline) – Gilead’s defense of stockholder class actions is absurd and overly aggressive, a Delaware judge has ruled.
Starbucks beats lawsuit over allegedly bug-infested NYC stores
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) – A New York federal judge has dismissed a class action lawsuit against Starbucks that alleged the chain exposed customers to toxic pesticides at its Manhattan locations.
Christian school continues fight against Michigan social distancing orders
KALAMAZOO, Mich (Legal Newsline) – A Christian school is appealing a federal judge’s unwillingness to get involved in a dispute over Michigan’s face mask mandate.
Pantene shampoo isn't natural, lawsuit says
SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline) – A class action lawsuit against Procter & Gamble says Pantene Pro-V Naturefusion shampoos and conditioners aren’t as natural as the company claims.
Edelson lawsuit: Injury lawyer Girardi, Real Housewives star wife embezzled plane crash settlement money to fund 'lavish' habits
The lawsuit asserts L.A. personal injury lawyer Tom Girardi and his wife, Erika Jayne, of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, of converting settlement funds intended for the families of the victims of the Lion Air Flight 610 crash, to pay for "outrageous" personal spending practices.
Asbestos lawyers' theory rebuffed by Washington court in mesothelioma case
TACOMA, Wash. (Legal Newsline) – A Washington court has turned away arguments from asbestos lawyers that claimed a six-year statute of limitations didn’t apply to their client’s case against companies involved in the construction of Atlantic Richfield’s Cherry Point petroleum refinery.
Lawsuit wants compensation because Tecate is brewed in Holland, not Mexico
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) – A class action lawsuit says Heineken has misled beer drinkers into thinking it brews its Tecate brand in Mexico.
Not enough real vanilla in Dove ice cream bars, lawsuit complains
SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline) – Class action lawyers say Dove vanilla ice cream bars don’t contain enough real vanilla to use that word.
Higher valuation of class action helps defendant; Squabble over empty space in candy boxes
OAKLAND, Calif. (Legal Newsline) – Class action lawyers have failed to convince a federal magistrate judge that they don’t want more than $5 million out of their lawsuit over the empty space in candy boxes.
State AGs back what critics call a 'super tort' pushing opioid lawsuits
OKLAHOMA CITY (Legal Newsline) - A coalition of 30 state attorneys general – led by a Republican and a Democrat – has urged the Oklahoma Supreme Court to uphold a $465 million state-court verdict against Johnson & Johnson over its marketing of opioid medications, saying it represents a valid use of public nuisance law.