Legal Newsline

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Legal Newsline) – The fair report privilege does not apply to a one-on-one conversation between a detective and reporter, the Supreme Court of Tennessee ruled in a case against a newspaper over allegations of defamation.

New Jersey courts don't have jurisdiction over New York physician in widower's medical malpractice suit

TRENTON, N.J. (Legal Newsline) – A New Jersey court has ruled that it doesn’t have jurisdiction in a medical malpractice suit against a New York doctor who performed a medical service in New York.

New Jersey court upholds False Claims Act settlement despite defendants' protests

TRENTON, N.J. (Legal Newsline) – A New Jersey court has upheld a $718,000 settlement in a whistleblower lawsuit.

Delaware court determines which documents should be produced to plaintiff in ongoing Oracle litigation

WILMINGTON, Del. (Legal Newsline) – The Firemen’s Retirement System of St. Louis, a stockholder in Oracle Corp., was granted in part and denied in part its motion in its lawsuit against Oracle and several of its officers amid claims that it organized an acquisition that would leave the corporation at a disadvantage.

Delaware judge opens new door in opioid litigation for securities class action lawyers

By Daniel Fisher | Jan 15, 2020

WILMINGTON, Del. (Legal Newsline) - A Delaware judge has ordered pharmaceutical distributor AmerisourceBergen to open its books and records to lawyers investigating a possible lawsuit over the company’s allegedly improper sales of opioids, opening a potentially expensive new front in litigation that has already cost the industry billions.

Oklahoma asks for a half-million in costs after opioid trial against Johnson & Johnson

By John Sammon | Jan 15, 2020

NORMAN, Okla. (Legal Newsline) – The state of Oklahoma is asking the Cleveland County District Court to levy nearly a half-million dollars against pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson for court costs after winning a $465 million victory over the company in August for allegedly causing the state’s opioid crisis.

Ohio Supreme Court rules 21-year statute of limitations applies in dispute over oil and gas lease

By John Sammon | Jan 15, 2020

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Legal Newsline) – The Ohio Supreme Court has sent a dispute over an oil and gas lease back to the trial court after determining which statute of limitations applied to the case.

Corrections officer to get disability after prisoner fell on her

By John Sammon | Jan 15, 2020

ALBANY, N.Y. (Legal Newsline) – The New York Court of Appeals on Nov. 25 reversed a lower court's decision and concluded that an injury to a corrections officer while transporting a prisoner did qualify for performance-of-duty disability benefits because it was an accident and not deliberate.

Michigan Court of Appeals affirms dismissal of woman's untimely filed malpractice suit

By John Sammon | Jan 15, 2020

DETROIT (Legal Newsline) – The Michigan Court of Appeals on Nov. 26 affirmed a lower court decision in favor of a doctor sued by a woman over allegations of malpractice, citing that the statute of limitations had expired.

Michigan court rules Menards did not have notice of dangerous condition in suit over foot injury

By John Sammon | Jan 14, 2020

DETROIT (Legal Newsline) – The Michigan Court of Appeals on Nov. 26 reversed a lower court ruling saying a store was not to blame for an accident when shelved tiles fell on a woman’s foot because prior knowledge of a dangerous situation was unknown to store employees.

Juice Plus+ failed to make automatic renewal terms clear to customers, lawsuit says

By Marian Johns | Jan 14, 2020

LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) – A California woman alleges automatic renewal offer terms were not properly disclosed to her when she purchased Juice Plus+ supplements.

Delaware court grants some summary judgment motions in dispute over fraud claims concerning demolition company

WILMINGTON, Del. (Legal Newsline) – Two businesses that once united to form demolition company NorthStar ended up suing one another over allegations of fraud, but neither got a full win in court.

Judge dismisses stockholder's claims against Fresh Market directors over sale; Allegations against others survive

WILMINGTON, Del. (Legal Newsline) – A Delaware judge has dismissed a former Fresh Market Inc. stockholder's suit against the grocery store chain's directors over the sale of the company.

Court rules FELA claims don't preempt FRSA claims in engineer's lawsuit against Norfolk Southern Railway

ATLANTA (Legal Newsline) – On Dec. 23, the Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that Federal Railroad Safety Act claims don’t cancel out the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA) in a lawsuit against Norfolk Southern Railway.

Georgia Supreme Court rules data breach victims pleaded legally cognizable injury

ATLANTA (Legal Newsline) – Patients from an orthopedic center who were victims of a security hack plausibly pleaded their claims, the Supreme Court of Georgia determined on Dec. 23.

Student newspaper protected from libel suit after publishing police log

BOSTON, Mass. (Legal Newsline) – On Dec. 31, the Massachusetts Supreme Court determined that a student publication cannot be liable for republishing a police log and photo that asked for the public’s help in identifying a man who was suspected to have taken part in suspicious activity.

Lawsuit against 3M, others over chemical discharges in Alabama will proceed

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (Legal Newsline) – The Supreme Court of Alabama has denied a petition for writ mandamus from several out-of-state companies that allegedly discharged toxic chemicals from their Georgia plants into industrial wastewater.

Class action against FanDuel fails; Man said company stiffed him out of $200

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Legal Newsline) – A lawsuit against a fantasy sports site was dismissed after a plaintiff failed to actually state an injury he received by being persuaded by the company’s alleged advertisement.

Delaware high court rejects appeal in indemnity dispute over wrongful death case

WILMINGTON, Del. (Legal Newsline) – An indemnity dispute between a contractor and its subcontractor was dismissed amid both of their settlement agreements with plaintiffs who first named them as co-defendants.

Boston Scientific must move forward with buying company - even after exec found to have misled FDA