News from December 2020
Billboard companies say Colorado law is too complex, takes too much time
DENVER (Legal Newsline) – Two companies are suing the Colorado Department of Transportation, arguing its regulation of billboards is unconstitutional.
Obstetrician-turned-lawyer a good enough expert to sue over premature baby, Texas court rules
BEAUMONT, Texas (Legal Newsline) - A Texas appeals court rejected a hospital’s claim a plaintiff expert was unqualified to support a lawsuit over a woman who gave birth to a preterm infant in the toilet, saying the obstetrician-turned-lawyer was still licensed to practice medicine and had the experience and training to offer opinions on the standard of care.
Nuisance class action against Kentucky coal plant tossed by appeals court
FRANKFORT, Ky. (Legal Newsline) - A Kentucky appeals court upheld the dismissal of a proposed class action by property owners against a nearby coal-fired power plant, saying they tailored the suit to avoid problems over personal-injury claims only to run afoul of other procedural rules governing class actions.
Group of AGs sues Google, target unlawful search monopoly, related advertising
CHARLESTON — West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey has joined a bipartisan coalition of 38 AGs suing Google, claiming the tech giant illegally has a monopoly on general search engines and related advertising markets.
Study: Private money undermined the administration of the elections steering race Biden’s way
ARLINGTON, Va. (Legal Newsline) - Hundreds of millions of private dollars injected into the administration of elections, a job normally reserved for government officials, corrupted the presidential elections with disguised get out the vote drives for Joe Biden, a new investigative report shows.
Feds say sink company failed to pay $490K settlement
NEWARK, N.J. (Legal Newsline) – The U.S. Customs and Border Patrol says a stainless steel sink manufacturer is in violation of a previous False Claims Act settlement.
3M's effort to collect info from plaintiffs' side referred to ear plug MDL judge
PHOENIX (Legal Newsline) – The judge overseeing more than 200,000 cases over 3M’s military ear plugs will decide whether a client-gathering website will need to turn over its records.
NYC lawsuit alleges cigarettes trafficked in from Virginia
BROOKLYN, N.Y. (Legal Newsline) – New York City has sued a tobacco distributor, claiming it is trafficking untaxed cigarettes into the city.
Washington Supreme Court: Seattle mayor didn't break law during BLM protests
OLYMPIA, Wash. (Legal Newsline) - Washington’s highest court issued a full explanation of why it rejected an effort to recall Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan over the city’s response to the summer’s protests, saying petitioners failed to make a case the mayor had acted illegally or even unreasonably.
If you don’t see vote fraud, you must be blind
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey's office staff has received death threats following his decision to join an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a lawsuit challenging election results in four swing states.
Companies rail against proposed class of 330 million so-far-uninjured Americans
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Legal Newsline) – In the case of Every American vs. 11 companies, defendants are hoping to stop class action lawyers from establishing “the most ambitious class imaginable.”
Housing groups move for victory in case against CFPB
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – Affordable housing groups are asking a federal judge to grant them victory over a federal agency over a rule published in May that changes certain business practices.
Lawyers move across country to sue over space in movie theater candy boxes again
TRENTON, N.J. (Legal Newsline) – Class action lawyers mad at the empty space in candy boxes have filed a lawsuit in New Jersey similar to another being contested in California.
Lawsuit filed over 'smoked' provolone
BROOKLYN, N.Y. (Legal Newsline) – Smoked Provolone cheese hasn’t been smoked at all, a class action alleges.
ORRICK HERRINGTON & SUTCLIFFE: Orrick Partners Named BTI Client Service All-Stars
Clients have selected Orrick partners Howard Goldwasser and Carl Lyon as Client Service All-Stars.
DINSMORE & SHOHL: Jeffrey Hinebaugh Named 2020 BTI Client Service All-Star
Jeffrey P. Hinebaugh, a partner in Dinsmore & Shohl’s litigation department, has been designated by corporate counsel and named to the 2020 “BTI Client Service All-Stars” list.
Trouble escalates for lawyer, husband of a Real Housewife, accused of misusing clients' money
CHICAGO (Legal Newsline) – A Chicago federal judge has held a plaintiffs lawyer whose wife is a reality TV personality misused $2 million awarded to families over one of the Boeing 737 Max crashes.
Makeup is oily, new group of class actions says
CHICAGO (Legal Newsline) – Maybelline and L’Oreal Paris makeup products contain oils even though advertisements say otherwise, a class action lawsuit says.
Stem cell company wants to fight Georgia attorney general's lawsuit in federal court
ATLANTA (Legal Newsline) – A stem cell company accused of misleading elderly and disabled customers has removed the lawsuit against it to federal court.
Nazi, '1984' comparisons by plaintiffs lawyer 'way over the line' but somehow not enough to strike $5.1M verdict
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (Legal Newsline) - A plaintiff lawyer who compared cigarette manufacturers to Nazis and his client to a torture victim in George Orwell’s novel “1984” “went way over the line” but not far enough to require a new trial, a Florida appeals court said in a decision urging judges to keep a tighter lid on inflammatory closing arguments.