News from October 2020
Movie theater-owner sues New York, asks why it hasn't been allowed to reopen
BUFFALO, N.Y. (Legal Newsline) – New York officials are the target of a new lawsuit that challenges how and why it is decided that certain public places are allowed to reopen during the coronavirus pandemic.
Decaffeinated Maxwell House coffee not pure, lawsuit alleges
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – An advocate called the Clean Label Project Foundation is suing Kraft Heinz over allegations some of its coffee contains methylene chloride.
CVS's hand-sanitizer doesn't deliver on claims, lawsuit says
LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) – CVS is accused of selling hand-sanitizer that fails to live up to the claim that it kills 99.99% of germs.
Lawsuit: Thyroid medicine unpredictable
OCALA, Fla. (Legal Newsline) – Thyroid medicine sold by Acella Pharmaceuticals is either too strong or too weak, a class action lawsuit says.
Fen-phen lawyer gets key ruling from Texas SC to explain $20M he kept from clients
AUSTIN, Texas (Legal Newsline) – The Texas Supreme Court has armed a plaintiffs lawyer fighting with his clients with a defense that could doom their attempt to recover some $20 million he withheld from a mass settlement.
Woman who tripped during Mardi Gras gets another chance at personal injury lawsuit against bar
NEW ORLEANS (Legal Newsline) - A Louisiana appeals court ruled in favor of a woman who tripped outside a bar during Mardi Gras, saying a jury must decide whether the yellow-painted curb she failed to negotiate was an “open and obvious” hazard
Netflix says Ohio streaming-tax lawsuit violates federal law, First Amendment
Netflix and Hulu have filed lengthy motions to dismiss a lawsuit by an Ohio city and its hired guns that seeks to impose a 5% franchise fee on streaming video, saying federal law prohibits local taxes on internet services and the fee would violate the First Amendment by discriminating against only certain providers of video content.
Deadlocked U.S. Supreme Court upholds mail-in ballot deadline extension ruling from Pa. Supreme Court
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld a ruling which will permit Pennsylvania to count mail-in ballots submitted up to three days after Election Day on Nov. 3, in a deadlocked decision of 4-4.
GOP operative hired by Kanye West sues CNN for defamation
ORLANDO, Fla. (Legal Newsline) – CNN is accused of defamation for reporting that a GOP operative hired to further the Presidential campaign of rapper Kanye West had pleaded guilty to voter registration fraud.
Lawsuit says timeshare company is scamming customers
ST. LOUIS (Legal Newsline) – A Missouri class action lawsuit alleges a timeshare company hides certain information from prospective customers.
Teva fights feds over payments to Chronic Disease Fund
BOSTON (Legal Newsline) – Teva Pharmaceuticals says it is being punished by the federal government for trying to help those suffering from Multiple Sclerosis.
Calif. privacy law covers one-way recordings, court rules
SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline) - Yelp can be sued under a California privacy law for making “one-way” recordings of sales calls where only the voices of its own employees were saved, an appeals court has ruled.
Lawsuit of man spit on during face-mask fight should be tossed, Lowe's says
LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) – Lowe’s is asking a federal judge to throw out the lawsuit of a man who caused a stink in one of its California stores because a fellow shopper wasn’t wearing a face mask, only to have that shopper spit in his face.
Big Oil takes on D.C. AG's climate change argument
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – As the U.S. Supreme Court decides where Baltimore’s climate change lawsuit against the energy industry should be heard, defendants are asking a D.C. federal judge to keep the district’s case in his court.
Law of the sea bars daughter from seeking damages for father's diving accident in French Polynesia
SANTA ANA, Calif. (Legal Newsline) - A California appeals court has deep-sixed a Hawaii woman’s attempt to sue a movie production company over injuries her father suffered while diving in French Polynesia, saying maritime law doesn’t allow her to collect money for loss of consortium or punitive damages.
Chubb doesn't want to pay Rite-Aid's opioid litigation costs but will have to wait to appeal
WILMINGTON, Del. (Legal Newsline) - A Delaware judge has rejected an insurance company’s plea to appeal a ruling that requires it to cover Rite Aid’s costs in defending against more than 1,000 opioid lawsuits, saying that while the dollar amount was potentially large, the contract issues involved were relatively pedestrian.
Freedom Foundation fights against alleged union misbehavior
Three appeals filed on behalf of government workers who tried to opt-out of their unions
HOLLAND & KNIGHT: How Do We Create a Comprehensive and Lasting Privacy Law?
Public Policy & Regulation Attorney Marissa Serafino will moderate a Boston Bar Association webinar discussion on creating and enforcing privacy laws.
REED SMITH LLP: Reed Smith celebrates Dumville's entry into Virginia Lawyers hall of fame
Reed Smith announced S. Miles Dumville has been selected as a member of the Class of 2020 of the Virginia Lawyers Hall of Fame, sponsored by Virginia Lawyers Weekly.
FOLEY & LARDNER LLP: Foley Attorneys Named Massachusetts Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
Foley & Lardner LLP is pleased to announce that 10 of its Boston lawyers have been named to the 2020 Massachusetts Super Lawyers list – a distinction limited to just 5 percent of the state’s lawyers.