News from February 2023
Coca-Cola wins class action over pina colada Fanta
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (Legal Newsline) - The attorney suing over pina colada-flavored Fanta soda has failed to allege a reasonable consumer would be misled by the product's packaging, a federal judge has ruled.
Rust-Oleum faces claim over "paint & primer" in one product
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (Legal Newsline) — Rust-Oleum is facing a claim its paint and primer products do not contain both paint and primer.
Lawsuit: Some of Southern Comfort's mini bottles aren't actually whiskey
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (Legal Newsline) — A class action lawsuit alleges Southern Comfort's mini liqueur's label sold at convenience stores deceptively has led consumers believe it contains distilled spirits.
Brittney Mollman selected for FOCUS St. Louis Emerging Leaders program
St. Louis Business Litigation Associate Brittney Mollman has been accepted into the Spring 2023 cohort of the FOCUS St. Louis Emerging Leaders program.
Woman sues Meta, claims company discriminated against her for being female, pregnant, fired her when she complained
The woman's lawsuit claims the company ignored her complaints about her hiring manager, who allegedly worked to deny her advancement within the company's product management team
Woman's bankruptcy doesn't erase sex-abuse claims against Catholic church
TUCSON, Ariz. (Legal Newsline) - A woman who claims she was sexually abused by two Catholic priests when she was less than 15 can sue the church despite arguments she surrendered any such claims after filing for bankruptcy in the 1990s, an Arizona appeals court ruled.
Judge blocks New York's 'hateful conduct' law, citing impact on free speech
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) - A federal judge blocked enforcement of a New York law requiring social media platforms to create a mechanism for receiving complaints about “hateful conduct” online, saying it could have a “profound chilling effect” on speech that wasn’t justified by a compelling government interest.
D.C. appeals court won't halt district's climate case to wait for SCOTUS review
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - A Washington, D.C., federal appeals court won't put a hold on climate change litigation filed by the district's attorney general through private lawyers working on contingency fees.
Patient claims surgeon punctured aorta wall during abdominal procedure
MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. (Legal Newsline) — An Arkansas woman claims a surgeon punctured her aorta wall during an abdominal procedure.
Lawsuit: Aerosol cans overheated, injured woman at Arkansas youth fair
MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. (Legal Newsline) — A woman who was injured in an explosion at the Arkansas Washington County Fairgrounds is claiming negligence.
Varadachari is President of St. Louis County Bar Association
On Feb. 4, Bharat Varadachari was sworn in as President of the St. Louis County Bar Association.
W.Va., Ky. AGs pen letter to DoD, NASA about 'woke' federal contracting climate rules
CHARLESTON — West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron are co-leading a multistate effort over concerns with a proposed regulation that would require “certain Federal contractors disclose their greenhouse gas emissions and climate-related financial risk and set science-based targets to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.”
Schools in the Court adds mental health awareness for high schoolers
Administrative Judge Shaem C.P. Spencer of the District Court in Anne Arundel County will preside over an educational program aimed at high school students.
Woman sues bar, intoxicated driver after husband's fatal crash
Woman sues bar, intoxicated driver after husband's fatal crash
Lawsuit against Arkansas nursing home alleges residents were left in soiled clothes
BENTONVILLE, Ark. (Legal Newsline) — A woman alleges her mother and other residents suffered neglect at an Arkansas nursing home.
Lawyer loses case over 'Avenatti-style' extortion, bad Google review
LINCOLN, Neb. (Legal Newsline) - A lawyer who accused a former client of engaging in “Michael Avennati style” extortion and posting a review on his Google business page describing him as a “disheveled, unorganized, unreliable attorney” can’t revive his lawsuits even though it took more than a year to discover the true author of the review, the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled.
Delaware court rejects plea for looser standard in suicide cases
WILMINGTON, Del. (Legal Newsline) - Plaintiffs claiming medical negligence caused a loved one to commit suicide must prove their injuries created an “uncontrollable impulse” to kill themselves, not a looser “but for” standard, a Delaware court ruled in the case of a farmer who died after suffering a severe infection.
Johnson & Johnson urges Third Circuit to reconsider talc bankruptcy ruling
TRENTON, N.J. (Legal Newsline) - Saying it is trying to avoid a “value-destructive, complex, expensive bankruptcy” of its $61 billion consumer-products division, Johnson & Johnson urged the Third Circuit Court of Appeals to reconsider a panel decision rejecting the reorganization of a smaller unit the company established to handle tens of thousands of lawsuits claiming its Johnson’s Baby Powder contains deadly asbestos.
Reed Smith partners Jodi Schwimmer and Randy Eckers named top rainmakers in commercial real estate finance
Jodi Schwimmer, co-chair of Reed Smith’s Financial Industry Group (FIG) and Randy Eckers, a finance partner in FIG were both named Rainmakers in CRE Debt, Equity, and Finance by Globe St. Real Estate Forum.
Governor, lawmakers launch bid to curb excessive lawsuits, 'predatory' attorneys
A reform drive to reduce excessive litigation and prevent “predatory trial lawyers” from targeting individuals, truckers and small businesses was launched Tuesday by Gov. Ron DeSantis.