News from January 2020
Napoli asbestos firm accused of 'vexatious and bad-faith conduct' by fellow lawyers during $1.5M lawsuit over fees
BALTIMORE (Legal Newsline) – A federal judge is considering a motion for attorneys' fees and costs by a Baltimore personal injury law firm following a $1.5 million jury award last month against a prominent New York firm and others in litigation over referral fees from asbestos lawsuits.
BRADLEY ARANT BOULT CUMMINGS: Bradley Partner Buddy Cox Appointed President of Birmingham Bar Foundation
Bradley attorney Buddy Cox was appointed president of the Birmingham Bar Foundation (BBF).
BRADLEY ARANT BOULT CUMMINGS: Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Ferry Joins Bradley
Bradley is pleased to announce that Jonathan H. Ferry, most recently an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina, has joined the firm’s Charlotte office as a partner in the Government Enforcement and Investigations Practice Group.
NY Dept of Health not responding to Legal Newsline freedom of information requests
ALBANY, N.Y.. (Legal Newsline) – Almost three months ago, Legal Newsline sent requests about regulation and enforcement narcotics laws to the New York Department of Health under a state freedom of information law that requires a response in less than a week.
PEPPER HAMILTON LLP: Sean P. Mcnally Named Managing Partner of Pepper Hamilton's Detroit Office
Pepper Hamilton announced that Sean P. McNally, a partner in the firm’s Trial and Dispute Resolution Practice Group and co-chair of the Automotive Industry Group, has been named managing partner of the Detroit office.
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION: Greensboro Zaxby’s Owner to Pay $30,000 To Settle EEOC Sexual Harassment and Retaliation Lawsuit
BCD Restaurants, LLC, a Greensboro, N.C.-based Zaxby's restaurant franchisee, will pay $30,000 and provide other relief to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced.
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION: Medstar Good Samaritan Hospital and EEOC Reach $195,000 Agreement to Conciliate EEOC Disability Discrimination Charge
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital (MGSH) announced the successful conciliation and settlement of a charge filed with the agency under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Dollard Evans Whalin LLP Celebrates Successful First Year
Law firm Dollard Evans Whalin LLP is celebrating a successful first year of serving the Hamilton County community. The Noblesville, Indiana law firm opened for business on January 1, 2019.
Pharmacies warn of possible massive data breach resulting from opioid judge's order
CINCINNATI (Legal Newsline) - The nation’s largest pharmacy chains have asked a federal appeals court to block an order requiring them to turn over more than a decade of nationwide prescription data, saying it could compromise the privacy rights of millions of consumers.
Michigan sues DuPont, 3M and others over PFAS presence
LANSING, Mich. (Legal Newsline) – The state of Michigan is suing DuPont, 3M and 15 other defendants for allegedly contaminating water supplies with PFAS chemicals used in applications including firefighting retardant and Teflon nonstick cookware, causing a widespread health hazard.
Judge in landmark $8 billion Risperdal case cuts punitive damages award down to $6.8 million
PHILADELPHIA – After a Philadelphia jury rendered a staggering $8 billion punitive damages verdict at the end of a recent trial surrounding anti-psychotic drug Risperdal in October, the judge who presided over the trial reduced the verdict to $6.8 million on Friday.
Utah Supreme Court declines to weigh in on public records fight between newspaper, Brigham Young
SALT LAKE CITY (Legal Newsline) – The Utah Supreme Court opted out of answering if a university's police department must hand over records requested by a newspaper before the state's Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA) went into effect last year.
Fair report privilege doesn't apply to private conversation between detective and reporter
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Legal Newsline) – The fair report privilege does not apply to a one-on-one conversation between a detective and reporter, the Supreme Court of Tennessee ruled in a case against a newspaper over allegations of defamation.
New Jersey courts don't have jurisdiction over New York physician in widower's medical malpractice suit
TRENTON, N.J. (Legal Newsline) – A New Jersey court has ruled that it doesn’t have jurisdiction in a medical malpractice suit against a New York doctor who performed a medical service in New York.
New Jersey court upholds False Claims Act settlement despite defendants' protests
TRENTON, N.J. (Legal Newsline) – A New Jersey court has upheld a $718,000 settlement in a whistleblower lawsuit.
Delaware court determines which documents should be produced to plaintiff in ongoing Oracle litigation
WILMINGTON, Del. (Legal Newsline) – The Firemen’s Retirement System of St. Louis, a stockholder in Oracle Corp., was granted in part and denied in part its motion in its lawsuit against Oracle and several of its officers amid claims that it organized an acquisition that would leave the corporation at a disadvantage.
Mormon church, facing lawsuit over teachings, says case mocks 'both the court and religion'
SALT LAKE CITY (Legal Newsline) – An arm of the Mormon church is asking a federal court in Utah to dismiss a complaint filed by a former church member who alleges she and other church members were misled by the church teachings regarding the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Mormon religion.
Most clients in the dark about benefits, nuances of expungement process, criminal litigator says
INDIANAPOLIS (Legal Newsline) – Helping clients with criminal records appreciate the importance of expungement can be as simple as sitting them down with an attorney who understands the process, according to one prominent litigator in Indiana.
Delaware judge opens new door in opioid litigation for securities class action lawyers
WILMINGTON, Del. (Legal Newsline) - A Delaware judge has ordered pharmaceutical distributor AmerisourceBergen to open its books and records to lawyers investigating a possible lawsuit over the company’s allegedly improper sales of opioids, opening a potentially expensive new front in litigation that has already cost the industry billions.
Oklahoma asks for a half-million in costs after opioid trial against Johnson & Johnson
NORMAN, Okla. (Legal Newsline) – The state of Oklahoma is asking the Cleveland County District Court to levy nearly a half-million dollars against pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson for court costs after winning a $465 million victory over the company in August for allegedly causing the state’s opioid crisis.