News from August 2023
N.J. court finds no fault with state setting its own PFAS regs
TRENTON, N.J. (Legal Newsline) - A New Jersey appeals court has affirmed the State's regulations on chemicals known as PFAS that are found in drinking and ground water and bioaccumulate in the body, earning the nickname "forever chemicals."
Trump tries to revive defamation lawsuit against CNN
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (Legal Newsline) - Former President Donald Trump wants a federal judge reconsidering the ruling that tossed his defamation lawsuit against CNN.
Courthouse News Service claims Minnesota courts are delaying access to civil complaints
MINNEAPOLIS (Legal Newsline) — A nationwide news service covering the courts claims Minnesota courts are violating its First Amendment rights by delaying access to civil litigation complaints.
SnapChat sued in lawsuit over fatal car crash
AIKEN, S.C. (Legal Newsline) — A couple allege SnapChat's "Speed Filter" app encourages excessive speeding and caused their daughter's fatal car crash.
Blank Rome Attorneys Named to 2022 Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll
Blank Rome LLP is pleased to announce that 45 attorneys were named to the 2022 Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll, which recognizes attorneys who provided 50 or more hours of pro bono service (or 100 or more hours of service for “High Honors”) last calendar year
Yellow Trucking files for bankruptcy after lawsuit against teamsters
Yellow Trucking Company filed a petition for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the District of Delaware
Asbestos not an 'obvious' hazard for removal worker in 1979, court rules in $2.3M case
OLYMPIA, Wash. (Legal Newsline) - Jurors didn’t need to be instructed on the defense of “known and obvious” risks in the case of a worker who developed a deadly cancer decades after a three-month assignment removing asbestos from a Mobil refinery in 1979, the Washington Supreme Court ruled.
County's ban on drilling for oil, natural gas struck down by California Supreme Court
SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline) - An ordinance banning oil and gas drilling within Monterey County that passed with 56% of the vote is preempted by state law promoting the production of underground hydrocarbons, the California Supreme Court ruled, rejecting comparisons to earlier decisions allowing municipalities to prohibit drilling in certain areas or ban marijuana dispensaries entirely.
Chief justice accuses new liberal majority of Wisconsin Supreme Court of power-grab
MADISON, Wis. (Legal Newsline) - A behind-the-scenes power struggle at the Wisconsin Supreme Court has made its way public, as Chief Justice Annette Ziegler is alleging the new liberal majority is attempting to rewrite the way business is conducted.
The Children's Place faces suit over PFAS in school uniforms
CHICAGO (Legal Newsline) — A mother has filed a class action lawsuit against The Children's Place over their school uniforms allegedly containing harmful chemicals.
Librarians sue over Missouri law requiring removal of books with 'explicit sexual material'
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Legal Newsline) — Librarians are claiming a Missouri law requiring the removal of hundreds of books deemed to have "explicit sexual material" is unconstitutional.
Taxation and Wealth Planning Attorney John Hodnette Joins Fox Rothschild in Charlotte
Fox Rothschild LLP is pleased to welcome John G. Hodnette to the firm’s Charlotte office as counsel in the Taxation & Wealth Planning Department.
Ohio's Issue 1 goes down in defeat
A push to tighten the rules for state constitutional amendments in Ohio was overwhelming defeated in a rare August election.
Petition to reclaim Washington Redskins NFL name gains momentum
The Washington Redskins were renamed the Commanders in 2022
West Virginia doctrine that can boost damages awards intact after court challenge
A federal appeals court has fortified a West Virginia policy that aims to level the playing field between policyholders and insurance companies in litigated claims, but critics say such policies ultimately increase the cost of insurance.
No fees for group who sought climate litigation records from Vermont attorney general
MONTPELIER, Vt. (Legal Newsline) - A group that opposes climate-change litigation doesn’t deserve to recover any of its legal fees in a case where it convinced a trial judge to order the Vermont Attorney General’s office to turn over some documents detailing its agreements with other AGs, the state’s highest court ruled.
'Mystery meat' class action against Subway dropped, but no penalties for lawyers
OAKLAND, Calif. (Legal Newsline) - Class action lawyers won't be punished for bringing a lawsuit against Subway that alleged its tuna was a sort-of "mystery meat," but they have dropped their case.
Case over Coppertone's face sunscreen gets green light
HARTFORD, Conn. (Legal Newsline) - The maker of Coppertone sunscreen will face a class action lawsuit that claims it puts identical products in different bottles, then charges extra on one claiming to be specifically designed for use on the face.
Lawsuit says unarmed inmate in mental health crisis was shot dead
AUSTIN, Texas (Legal Newsline) — The family of an inmate who was fatally shot by a jail security guard while in the ER is claiming wrongful death.
Tennessee Education Associates claims state's 'concepts ban' unconstitutional
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Legal Newsline) — The Tennessee Education Association (TEA) is claiming the state's Prohibited Concepts Ban and regulations are unconstitutional.