News from September 2022
Attorney panel scrutinizes proposed legislation that would ban divisional merger bankruptcies
While legislation is pending in Congress that would require the dismissal of Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases in which the debtor has created a divisional merger, federal appeals court judges in Philadelphia heard arguments this week about whether Johnson & Johnson’s bankruptcy case was filed in good faith.
'Complete lack of any connection': Lawyers' pick for class action plaintiff has case in trouble
CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (Legal Newsline) - It's possible, a federal magistrate judge says, that a class action lawyer told a longtime friend to purchase a teeth-whitening product so he could have a plaintiff for a lawsuit he had already drawn up months earlier.
Defamation case ruling goes against Mike Lindell, MyPillow
MINNEAPOLIS (Legal Newsline) - Pillow magnate Mike Lindell has lost his attempt to dismiss a lawsuit brought by a company claiming he defamed it by claiming voting machines were rigged to ensure Joe Biden was elected president in 2020.
Background check process at Lowe's faces class action lawsuit
PHOENIX (Legal Newsline) - An unhappy job applicant has filed a class action lawsuit against Lowe's over alleged violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Lawsuit: Samsung batteries for vaping device exploded, burned man from waist down
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Legal Newsline) - A lawsuit blames the sellers of vaping accessories for a battery allegedly exploding in a man's pocket.
Duane Morris LLP and Curley, Hurtgen & Johnsrud LLP to Combine Labor and Employment Practices
Duane Morris LLP and Curley, Hurtgen & Johnsrud LLP to Combine Labor and Employment Practices.
Second DOI official accused of violating federal ethics law, 'Biden Ethics Pledge'
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - Another Department of the Interior (DOI) official is being accused of violating federal ethics laws and the Biden Ethics Pledge.
Whose $280M is it anyway? AGs say their national group should return it to states
A dozen state attorneys general have called upon their national organization to return some $280 million obtained in corporate settlements back to the states, saying it is a “key part of any NAAG reform.”
Farmers blaming herbicide for ruined raspberry crops get chance to sue
OLYMPIA, Wash. (Legal Newsline) - Washington raspberry farmers will get a second chance to sue Syngenta over an herbicide they said ruined their plants after a Washington appeals court said a U.S. Supreme Court decision forced the reversal of a lower court’s dismissal of their claims.
'Fatal shortcoming' dooms lawyers' hopes to open new frontier of Baby Powder litigation
PHILADELPHIA (Legal Newsline) - A federal appeals court upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit on behalf of participants in a Johnson & Johnson retirement, saying plan fiduciaries had no duty as corporate insiders to disclose disputed claims that its iconic Johnson’s Baby Powder contained asbestos or to stop investing in J&J stock.
Postal Service goes for win in white man's hostile work environment case
ST. LOUIS (Legal Newsline) - The U.S. Postal Service is hoping to defeat a lawsuit brought by a white employee who sued over his Black co-workers' use of the "N" word.
Lawsuit seeks info on fatal accident at Pep Boys
ORLANDO, Fla. (Legal Newsline) - A lawsuit over a fatal accident involving a vehicle lift that killed an automotive service technician seeks information from Pep Boys.
Lawsuit: Pyrex measuring cups fade when run through dishwasher
CHICAGO (Legal Newsline) - A New York lawyer has filed a class action lawsuit because the markings on measuring cups tend to wear off when the cups go through the dishwasher.
Study: Verdicts of more than $10 million are on the rise
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) - Exceptionally large jury awards exceeding $10 million are on the rise.
Five Ballard Spahr Attorneys Named Phoenix Magazine Top Lawyers
Five Ballard Spahr Attorneys Named Phoenix Magazine Top Lawyers.
Obermayer Proudly Supports the 16th Annual Employment Practices Liability Insurance ExecuSummit
Obermayer Proudly Supports the 16th Annual Employment Practices Liability Insurance ExecuSummit.
Adnan Syed motion hearing scheduled at Baltimore City Circuit Court
The Circuit Court for Baltimore City is set to hold a hearing on the Motion to Vacate Judgment in the case of State of Maryland v. Adnan Syed, with case numbers 199103042, 43, 44, 45, and 46.
W.Va. officials want credit card companies to reconsider plan to categorize gun shop sales
CHARLESTON — West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is urging Visa, Mastercard and American Express to reconsider their decision to apply a new merchant code to distinguish firearms purchases from other general merchandise sales. West Virginia Treasurer Riley Moore also has been critical of the plan.
Murder at apartment complex leads to wrongful death lawsuit against owner
ORLANDO, Fla. (Legal Newsline) - A wrongful death lawsuit alleges the owner and property manager of an Orlando apartment complex is liable for the shooting of Frantz Gustave.
Judge dismisses AstraZeneca fraud case over Covid vaccine disclosures
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) - A federal judge threw out securities fraud claims against AstraZeneca over statements it made during clinical trials of its Covid-19 vaccine, saying the plaintiffs failed to identify any false information or fraudulent intent to support their case.