News from June 2020
Pharmacies ask appeals court to remove judge from opioid MDL
CINCINNATI (Legal Newsline) - Pharmacies have asked the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals to remove the judge overseeing federal multidistrict opioid litigation, saying he has injected himself too far into the process by dictating which claims plaintiffs should file and appointing himself to decide the key issue of public nuisance in an upcoming bellwether trial.
Senate Democrats push link between coronavirus and favored political cause
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – Democrats in the U.S. Senate are attempting to link one of their pet projects to the COVID-19 pandemic in the days leading to a vote on a liability-expanding measure they tried to force through last year and failed.
SCHIFF HARDIN LLP: Schiff Hardin Expands Finance and Energy Groups with Addition of Philip Corsello in New York
Schiff Hardin LLP today announced that veteran energy finance and infrastructure attorney Philip Corsello has joined the firm’s Finance Group as counsel in New York.
Litigation funder gave $100K to plaintiff, expects $2 million back; Client allegedly not paying up
BROOKLYN, N.Y. (Legal Newsline) – A new lawsuit in New York shows what happens when a litigation funder’s client hits a jackpot – and also what happens when he decides not to pay.
Benefiber not natural, class action claims
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) – Prebiotic powders sold by GSK Consumer Health aren’t so natural, a class action lawsuit says.
No reason to put charcoal in our mouths, class action against Pro Teeth Whitening says
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Legal Newsline) – The maker of dental care products with charcoal in them can’t prove they help customers, a June 22 class action says.
Straight Up Tea way too sugary, lawsuit says
SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline) – “Sorta sweet” tea made by Keurig Dr Pepper has too much sugar, class action lawyers are alleging.
Coca-Cola hit with class action over treatment of cows at Fair Oaks
CHICAGO (Legal Newsline) – Coca-Cola’s fairlife milk products wrongfully claim that the milk in them comes from cows that were treated humanely, a new class action lawsuit says.
Companies want Angelos firm to clear clutter quicker from Baltimore asbestos docket
BALTIMORE (Legal Newsline) - The judge overseeing Baltimore’s asbestos docket will hear from plaintiff lawyers and defendants Wednesday on his order suspending status conferences that were eliminating hundreds of cases a month, as the Angelos law firm promises to dismiss at least 350 cases a month on its own.
President given power to fire head of federal agency thanks to SCOTUS ruling
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – Confirming years of complaints, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday decided the structure of a federal consumer protection agency created during the Obama Administration is unconstitutional.
Roundup settlement would net plaintiffs average of $60K; Lawyers could take $3 billion in fees
ST. LOUIS - An average of more than $60,000 will be paid out to plaintiffs claiming they were harmed by the weedkiller Roundup, but it is unclear how the money will be divided up. Lawyers for plaintiffs, on the other hand, will receive between 25 and 33 percent in fees, or close to $3 billion, plus costs.
Schools can face discrimination lawsuits, Wash. SC says in closely watched case
OLYMPIA, Wash. (Legal Newsline) – The Washington Law Against Discrimination can be applied to the lawsuit of students who were subjected to abuse and sexual misconduct by their bus driver.
Rooming house not to blame for renting to violent criminal who murdered fellow tenant
TRENTON, N.J. (Legal Newsline) – A New Jersey rooming house won’t be held liable for a murder committed by one of its residents who had just been released from prison.
HUSCH BLACKWELL LLP: Co-presenter, "Bostock: The State of LGBTQ+ Legal Rights and How We Got Here," webinar
Sonia Anderson will co-present the webinar, "Bostock: The State of LGBTQ + Legal Rights and How We Got Here," on June 29, 2020.
HUSCH BLACKWELL LLP: Implicit Bias 101: Life & the Legal Profession
This hour workshop is designed to raise consciousness about what implicit biases are and how harmful implicit biases in society can negatively impact individual decision making and behavior.
DYKEMA GOSSETT PLCC: Dykema’s Heidi Naasko Wins State Bar of Michigan’s Cummiskey Award for Pro Bono Service
Dykema, a leading national law firm, announced today that its Pro Bono Counsel, Heidi Naasko, was selected to receive the State Bar of Michigan’s John W. Cummiskey Pro Bono Award for 2020.
POLSINELLI PC: Polsinelli Labor & Employment Department Chair Denise Drake Selected by the Kansas City Business Journal in the 2020 Class of “Women Who Mean Business”
Polsinelli Labor & Employment Department Chair Denise Drake has been recognized among the top businesswomen in the greater Kansas City region by the Kansas City Business Journal through induction into its 2020 class of “Women Who Mean Business.”
Their lawyer ignored them for three years and their $2.8M legal malpractice verdict keeps shrinking
JACKSON, Miss. (Legal Newsline) – Judges and juries are feeling too sorry for a Mississippi couple who were lied to by their lawyer for three years, the state Supreme Court has ruled.
A third disagreement with lower court says Ocala's fire service fee is unconstitutional
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Legal Newsline) – For a third and what appears to be a conclusive time, a Florida appeals court has ruled for businesses and citizens of Ocala who have been forced to pay an extra fee for fire services.
Cozen O'Connor wins case alleging it violated mediation confidentiality law
MIAMI (Legal Newsline) – Plaintiffs attorneys won’t be able to move forward with a lawsuit against a law firm that defended an insurance company by disclosing what was alleged to be confidential information.