News from 2021
Manchin needs to hold line against BBB
The budget reconciliation bill being considered in the Senate is overflowing with harmful government policies. Reckless spending that quickens inflation is only the tip of the spear. Other components that tinker with the free market will have lasting consequences that are more challenging to undo.
Eyes turn to Manchin again as reports show inflation, Biden agenda costs both increasing
WASHINGTON – Two new government reports on rising inflation and the cost of the Biden administration’s legislative agenda has political observers looking squarely at U.S. Senator Joe Manchin.
Attorneys in Washington opioid trial spar over testimony of data analyst
Attorneys for the State of Washington and those defending three of the country’s biggest opioid pill distributors sparred this week over figures showing that drug ordering took a big jump around the year 2006.
Rockville court help center assists self-represented litigants amid language barriers
Members of the Maryland Judiciary, alongside representatives from Maryland Legal Aid and the Maryland Center for Legal Assistance, gathered to celebrate the grand opening of the new District Court Help Center in Rockville.
PAGA case against Alaska Airlines moves on without $25 million ruling
SANTA ANA, Calif. (Legal Newsline) - Alaska Airlines must provide detailed wage statements to flight attendants who are based in California even if they spend most of their time in the air over other states, a California appeals court ruled, citing a 2020 decision by the California Supreme Court. The court reversed $25 million in penalties against the airline, however, saying the trial court misapplied state law.
School district must pay $500K after deleting possible video evidence of abuse
SEATTLE (Legal Newsline) - A Washington school district must pay $500,000 to a child who said an elementary school classmate abused him because it failed to preserve video evidence that may or may not have proved the boy’s claims, an appeals court ruled.
Parents frustrated by loud house during COVID remote learning lose lawsuit
INDIANAPOLIS (Legal Newsline) - An Indiana couple who sued their local school district and the health department because their children were required to attend remote learning in a crowded house with an incessantly squealing guinea pig had no basis for their lawsuit, an appeals court has ruled.
Lawyers' move to hold gun-makers liable for Las Vegas mass shooting fails at Nevada Supreme Court
CARSON CITY, Nev. (Legal Newsline) – The Nevada Supreme Court has backed the firearms industry in wrongful death litigation – even when plaintiffs plausibly allege their products were illegal.
Texas AG Paxton takes fight over social media law to Fifth Circuit
AUSTIN, Texas (Legal Newsline) – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is appealing a federal court’s injunction that prevents a new law targeting the way Facebook and Twitter bans users from taking effect.
Court to class action lawyers: Beware the publicity you seek
DENVER (Legal Newsline) - Lawyers who held a news conference to announce a proposed class action against a chain of nail salons can be sued for defamation over their claims workers were shortchanged on pay and forced to clean bathrooms for free, a Colorado appeals court ruled.
Maryland Judiciary announces student winners for annual bookmark art contest
The Maryland Judiciary's Mediation and Conflict Resolution Office (MACRO) recently announced the winners of its 16th annual bookmark art contest.
Drug distributors say state MLP isn't giving them a fair shake in public nuisance cases
CHARLESTON – The nation’s three largest drug distributors has filed a petition with the state Supreme Court questioning whether the state Mass Litigation Panel exceeded its authority by grouping more than 60 public nuisances opioid claims into one statewide complaint.
Phoenix legal marketing CEO completes SBA Emerging Leaders program
Krista Duncan Black, founder and CEO of TOPDOG Legal Marketing LLC, recently completed the US Small Business Administration (SBA) Emerging Leaders Initiative training series as a member of the 2021 Phoenix Cohort. T
D.C. firm says it is owed Roundup fees from other lawyer
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – A Washington, D.C., law firm says an attorney it loaned money to is cashing in on Roundup lawsuit settlements without paying it back.
YouTube wants Trump's lawsuit thrown out
OAKLAND, Calif. (Legal Newsline) – YouTube has asked a federal judge to toss a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump, who alleges he was unfairly banned from its platform.
Mom suing over denial of coverage for son's sex reassignment surgery faces motion to dismiss
ST. LOUIS (Legal Newsline) – A St. Louis hospital is fighting back against discrimination claims filed by an employee who complains her health plan won’t cover transition-related medical services for her son.
District Court Help Center opens in Montgomery County with ribbon-cutting ceremony
The District Court Help Center in Rockville is set to open its doors with a grand opening event scheduled for Friday, December 10.
Bail calculation tool developed by left-leaning philanthropist is widely used across the country
HOUSTON (Legal Newsline) – John Arnold, creator of Milwaukee County’s bail calculation tool, takes no responsibility for the Nov. 21 Waukesha Christmas parade massacre that left six dead and more than 60 injured.
Milwaukee DA 'lets dangerous' criminals out of jail, former target says
MILWAUKEE – Democrat District Attorney John Chisholm, whose compassion for criminal suspects fatally extended to Darrell Brooks, demonstrated much less care for “John Doe” Republicans whose homes his agents ransacked.
Pa. courts drop from the top to No. 4 ranking on ATRA's annual 'Judicial Hellholes' list
WASHINGTON – According to the latest annual report of “Judicial Hellholes” released today by the American Tort Reform Association, Pennsylvania courts have garnered the No. 4 ranking for jurisdictions considered unfriendly to businesses – falling three places from the top spot on the report, where they had been listed for the preceding two years.