News from May 2021
Lawyers continue to question company's knowledge of excessive opioid shipments
CHARLESTON – As the landmark opioid trial continues, lawyers brought in a former AmerisourceBergen’s sales executive to ask what he knew about more than 32 million prescription pain pills being shipped to Huntington and the rest of Cabell County over an eight-year span.
Whistleblower: Firm partly owned by lawyer paid employees to recruit, puff up sexual abuse claims against Boy Scouts
WILMINGTON, Del. (Legal Newsline) - A former employee of a firm that processed thousands of sexual-abuse claims submitted to the court overseeing the bankruptcy of the Boy Scouts says recruiters were offered bonuses to sign up claimants and sometimes changed their forms to make the claims more viable, though a lawyer and part-owner of the company calls her claims "completely unbelievable."
Highlights of the deposition of an Ohio mayor who hired contingency-fee lawyers to sue Netflix and Hulu
CLEVELAND (Legal Newsline) - The mayor of Maple Heights, Ohio, decided to sue Hulu and Netflix for cable-TV franchise fees after a bowling-alley owner connected her with outside lawyers and she held a 30-minute discussion with the city’s legal director.
Class action lawyers in Ecover case have ammo for their other lawsuits
OAKLAND, Calif. (Legal Newsline) – California class action lawyers are using a recent federal decision in their favor to attempt to boost their other cases.
Twitter takes fight over Trump ban to Ninth Circuit court
SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline) – Twitter is appealing a recent federal court decision that said it was too quick to sue the Texas attorney general over his reaction to President Donald Trump being banned from the social media platform.
Opioid data: Threshold kept increasing as Huntington/Cabell received more than 36.2M doses in 8 years
CHARLESTON – As the federal trial against three major opioid distributors continued, data showing pharmacies in Huntington and Cabell County were ordering well above the national average of controlled substances, some ordering more than five times the national average.
Texas Republican says AG Garland, colleagues like AOC should stay out of Donziger case
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - At least one Congressman is questioning the decision by six of his Democrat colleagues to get involved in the ongoing scandal of disbarred attorney Steven Donziger, who has been found by a federal judge to have used fraudulent means to score a massive verdict against Chevron in Ecuador.
Third trial ordered for girl who was struck by dad's lawnmower and sued John Deere for her injuries
SALEM, Ore. (Legal Newsline) - Deere & Co. must go to trial for a third time over claims it sold a riding lawnmower with a “visibility defect” that caused a man to back over his daughter because he didn’t realize he had to turn his head to check if she was there.
Fired photog sues New York Post for not providing PPE during pandemic reporting
The New York Post was brought to court in New York for alleged labor law and Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) violations.
Hefty sued over recycling bags that aren't allegedly recyclable
SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline) - The maker of Hefty brand trash bag products was pinned in a federal class action lawsuit as consumers allege recycling bags are not themselves recyclable.
Distributor says it did more than necessary to abate suspicious opioid orders
CHARLESTON — As the landmark federal opioid trial entered its third week, testimony focused on two AmerisourceBergen employees who oversaw regulations involving diversion control.
Big Oil gets win at SCOTUS in climate change litigation
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - Ruling on a narrow question of procedural law, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed an appeals court’s decision that sent the City of Baltimore’s climate lawsuit to Maryland state court, giving oil companies a second chance to try to keep the case out of a plaintiff-friendly venue.
DOI senior counselor's previous involvement in climate litigation could be a conflict under 'Biden ethics pledge'
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - A group that monitors conflicts of interest among government officials believes that climate activist Elizabeth Klein, now serving as senior counselor to Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland, may have some problems.
NELSON MULLINS RILEY & SCARBOROUGH: Nelson Mullins Shortlisted for Pro Bono and Attorney Honors
Euromoney Legal Media Group, a UK-based publisher of legal directories, has shortlisted Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP in several categories for its 2021 Women in Business Law Awards.
NELSON MULLINS RILEY & SCARBOROUGH: Jake Carroll Elected Vice Chair and Chair-Elect of the Atlanta Bar Association’s Construction Section
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP Atlanta associate Jake Carroll has been elected Vice Chair and Chair-Elect of the Construction Section of the Atlanta Bar Association.
TROUTMAN PEPPER HAMILTON SANDERS LLP: Troutman Pepper Attorneys Named to 2020 Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll
A group of Troutman Pepper attorneys have been named to the 2020 Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll by the D.C. Access to Justice Commission and the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center.
BRADLEY ARANT BOULT CUMMINGS LLP: Four Bradley Attorneys Named to 2020 North Carolina Pro Bono Honor Society
Bradley is pleased to announce that four attorneys in the firm’s Charlotte office have been named to the 2020 class of the North Carolina Pro Bono Honor Society.
BARACK FERRAZZANO KIRSCHBAUM & NAGELBERG LLP: Financial Institutions Group Expands FinTech Services With Addition of New Partner
Barack Ferrazzano is pleased to announce Justin C. Steffen as the newest addition to the Financial Institutions Group.
Lawsuit against FirstEnergy over alleged $60M bribe to Ohio Speaker gets green light
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Legal Newsline) – An Ohio federal judge is allowing shareholder litigation to proceed against FirstEnergy Corp., which is accused of bribing an influential lawmaker with $60 million.
Lawyers ask for $7M in fees from WWE shareholder settlement
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) – The bill is in from lawyers representing shareholders of World Wrestling Entertainment who will take part in a $39 million settlement over the company’s failed relationship with Saudi Arabia.