News from April 2023
Schumer warns of Congress intervention if federal judge in Texas doesn’t reform case assignments
DALLAS - Sen. Charles Schumer is “urging” the chief judge for Texas’ Northern District to “reform the method” of how cases are assigned to judges in the federal district.
Appeals court rips federal judge hearing Disney case for ruling against DeSantis voting laws
TALLAHASSEE – A federal appeals court overruled the federal judge assigned to the Disney World case who had ruled several voting laws signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2021 intentionally discriminated against minority voters.
Lead-paint plaintiff who spent settlement money can't sue for more
ALBANY, N.Y. (Legal Newsline) - A man who traded a lifetime annuity of $3,000 a month for up-front payments worth a fraction of that amount can’t sue an insurance company for allowing him to sign such a bad deal, New York’s highest court ruled.
Drunken advances at bar association conference win judge censure, $20K penalty
DENVER (Legal Newsline) - A Colorado judge who made drunken overtures to a younger lawyer at a bar association meeting and later followed him to his hotel room was hit with $20,000 in sanctions by a special tribunal of the Colorado Supreme Court, after the judge agreed to step down and accept public censure.
Lawyer says brain damage should minimize sentence for man who sexually abused 4-year-olds
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Legal Newsline) - A former teacher's aide who pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of young children at an Arkansas school should be sentenced to only 15 years in prison, his lawyer says, fighting the federal government's intention to seek the maximum sentence of 90 years.
Florida charter school teacher alleges sexual harassment from students
TAMPA, Fla. (Legal Newsline) — A Florida charter school teacher alleges she suffered sexual harassment from her students.
Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP announces Charlotte Business Journal Selects Two Troutman Pepper Partners for 2023 40 Under 40 Awards
Troutman Pepper Partners Adrian Boddie and Brett Hubler have been named among the Charlotte Business Journal’s2023 40 Under 40 Award winners.
Monsanto douses Roundup opening arguments with news of plaintiffs' cure
Sharlean Gordon sued Monsanto after she developed a sub-type of Non Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2006
Florida prison worker says fecal matter rubbed on walls of her bathroom as retaliation
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Legal Newsline) — A Florida Department of Corrections employee and protected whistleblower alleges she faced retaliation for reporting employee misconduct.
No recovery for man who drove into open manhole, court rules
HARTFORD, Conn. (Legal Newsline) - The Connecticut Supreme Court affirmed the reversal of a jury verdict in favor of a man who drove into an open manhole after the snowplow in front of him dislodged the cover, ruling sovereign immunity protected the City of New Haven against his claim.
Muddled science and plaintiff experts created the $10 billion talc tort
Talc litigation has its roots in what some scientists described as a basic misunderstanding, one that highly paid plaintiff experts transformed into a mass tort that will cost Johnson & Johnson and many other companies more than $10 billion to resolve.
Morgan Lewis announces The Legal Intelligencer Recognizes Morgan Lewis in 2023 Professional Excellence Awards
Morgan Lewis and three of the firm’s partners have been named among winners of The Legal Intelligencer’s 2023 Professional Excellent Awards.
Fired over George Floyd Facebook post, lawyer can sue rival firm for sharing
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Legal Newsline) - A lawyer who said a rival firm got him fired by sharing a controversial Facebook post about the George Floyd killing with his supervisors gets a second chance at suing for tortious interference, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled.
Woman who can't remember how she fell can't sue, Nebraska court rules
LINCOLN, Neb. (Legal Newsline) - A department store was entitled to summary judgment against a woman who came up with multiple explanations for why she fell in a doorway but ultimately said she couldn’t recall what happened, the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled.
Lawsuit: Cigarette causes fire fiasco at burial of man who committed suicide
FORT SMITH, Ark. (Legal Newsline) — A man is suing an Arkansas funeral home after an employee allegedly nearly caused his brother's casket and remains to catch on fire during the burial.
Poultry plant worker sues maker of heater over explosion, severe burns
NASHVILLE, Ark. (Legal Newsline) — A Tyson Poultry worker is claiming negligence against the manufacturers of a fluid heater used at an Arkansas plant after he suffered burns in an explosion.
Opioid judge slams 'insulting' suggestion he's pressuring defendants to settle
CLEVELAND (Legal Newsline) - The federal judge who has presided over more than $26 billion in opioid settlements and once threatened companies with bankruptcy if they tried to fight the claims against them in court attacked lawyers for a pharmacy benefit manager for suggesting he is trying to coerce a new class of defendants into settling.
Watchdog sues to access Interior Department records about Secretary Haaland's daughter
Protect Public's Trust sued the Bureau of Land Management, Department of Interior
Vick's moves for dismissal of class action over children's products being the same as adults'
LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) - The maker of Vick's is defending its marketing of Vapo products for children, even though they contain the same ingredients as others that do not specify an age group.
Lawsuit: Worker's face sprayed with sodium hydroxide, skin came off on towel as he wiped it off
CONWAY, Ark. (Legal Newsline) — A chemical transport company worker who suffered first- and second-degree burns due to improper hose connections is claiming negligence in an Arkansas lawsuit.