Legal Newsline

Friday, December 6, 2019

Latest News

New Jersey court rules janitorial company's appeal over bidding dispute with Newark is moot

By Charmaine Little | Oct 24, 2019

TRENTON, N.J. (Legal Newsline) – A janitorial company’s appeal against the city of Newark, New Jersey in a case concerning a bidding process was considered moot by the Superior Court of New Jersey’s Appellate Division on Oct. 9.

Exxon calls New York's lawsuit 'ridiculous' in first day of trial

By John Sammon | Oct 23, 2019

NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) – A historic civil trial in New York Supreme Court opened Tuesday to decide if oil conglomerate Exxon allegedly deceived its own stockholders – understating the future risks of stricter government regulation and increasing costs to develop fossil fuels – in order to prop up market shares and maintain economic viability.

Court determines post-judgment interest on $49.5 million award in dispute between IBM, Indiana

By Charmaine Little | Oct 23, 2019

INDIANAPOLIS (Legal Newsline) – Post-judgment interest on a $49.5 million judgment in IBM’s case with the state of Indiana runs from the judgment on remand, not from the date of the original 2012 judgment, Indiana's Supreme Court ruled.

Kansas city isn't immune from lawsuit following bondsmen's forceful entry into home

By Charmaine Little | Oct 23, 2019

TOPEKA, Kan. (Legal Newsline) – The Kansas Supreme Court reversed a ruling in favor of the city of Overland Park, Kansas amid a family’s lawsuit against the city over allegations of negligence after agents with a bonds company forced themselves into the residents’ home.

Notion that cherries on the floor were obvious danger helps Kroger escape lawsuit

By Charmaine Little | Oct 23, 2019

LANSING, Mich. (Legal Newline) – Ruling that the danger of cherries on a grocery store's floor was open and obvious, the State of Michigan Court of Appeals affirmed summary disposition for Kroger in a customer’s lawsuit over a slip in a store on Oct. 10.

Michigan Court of Appeals upholds $100,000 in attorneys fees in payroll arrangement suit

By Charmaine Little | Oct 23, 2019

LANSING, Mich. (Legal Newsline) – A six-figure judgment for attorneys fees was upheld for Innovative Payroll Processing Inc. and Ahmad Chebbani in a lawsuit filed against them by health care company and related parties.

Opioid settlement hints at massive windfall for private lawyers who snagged government clients

By Daniel Fisher | Oct 22, 2019

CLEVELAND (Legal Newsline) - It was a stroke of good luck for Cuyahoga and Summit counties in Ohio that U.S. District Judge Dan Polster selected them for the first bellwether trial out of thousands of other cities and counties that are blaming the opioid industry for the nation's addiction crisis.

New trial in Georgia medical malpractice case, thanks to Supreme Court ruling

By Charmaine Little | Oct 21, 2019

ATLANTA (Legal Newsline) – The Supreme Court of Georgia has vacated a judgment and remanded a case filed by a couple who sued Rockdale Hospital LLC over allegations of medical malpractice.

Delaware court dismisses most of plaintiffs' claims in suit over $40 million Pro Performance Sports asset sale

By Charmaine Little | Oct 21, 2019

WILMINGTON, Del. (Legal Newsline) – A Delaware court has denied in part and granted in part a motion to dismiss a case concerning a $40 million transaction that was claimed to be unfair.

Botanical garden in Atlanta wants to ban firearms; Courts are asked if it can

By Charmaine Little | Oct 21, 2019

ATLANTA (Legal Newsline) – The Supreme Court of Georgia has sent a case regarding whether the Atlanta Botanical Garden can prohibit firearms on its property back to a lower court.

There's second major trial starting this week - New York v. Exxon

By Daniel Fisher | Oct 21, 2019

NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) - It's not only opioid week, as a high-stakes trial scheduled to begin Tuesday afternoon in New York pits ExxonMobil against New York Attorney General Letitia James over claims the international oil giant downplayed the expected costs of global warming, not to investors, but to itself.

Ohio AG to colleagues: Let's limit fees to private lawyers in opioid settlement

By Daniel Fisher | Oct 18, 2019

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Legal Newsline) - Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has warned his fellow AGs that a reported $50 billion settlement of opioid claims will fall apart unless the states demand tight controls on fees to private lawyers and make sure the rest of the money is directed toward programs designed to address the opioid crisis, instead of state general funds.

Full Delaware Supreme Court to hear $66M legal malpractice claim against prominent law firm

By John Breslin | Oct 17, 2019

WILMINGTON (Legal Newsline) – Oral arguments in a case involving arguments that a law firm issued bad advice that cost a company nearly $66 million will be heard by a full Delaware Supreme Court in early December.

DOJ watchdog isn't impressed with the opioid 'Whistleblower'; What will jurors in historic trial think?

By John O'Brien | Oct 17, 2019

CLEVELAND (Legal Newsline) – Is he blowing the whistle or passing the buck? A badge-flashing, gun-toting bulldog, or an ineffective bureaucrat? Is he defined by an appearance on "60 Minutes," or the fact that trial lawyers pay him $500 for 60 minutes of his time?

Oklahoma judge admits to $100M mistake in landmark opioid verdict against J&J

By John Sammon | Oct 15, 2019

NORMAN, Okla. (Legal Newsline) – In a hearing Tuesday to clarify disagreements over a $572 million judgment against Johnson & Johnson for allegedly helping create an opioid epidemic in Oklahoma, attorneys for the state argued more money was needed to fully abate the problem, while lawyers for J&J requested joint liability credits to ease its burden.

After fiery hearing, Purdue Pharma gets two-week break from opioid lawsuits

By Daniel Fisher | Oct 14, 2019

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (Legal Newsline) - The federal bankruptcy judge overseeing Purdue Pharma’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization granted the OxyContin manufacturer and its controlling Sackler family a two-week respite from opioid litigation to work on a settlement that appeases warring state attorneys general and a growing list of municipal and private plaintiffs.

Court dismisses Navy Seal's defamation case against Washington Examiner over use of photo

By Charmaine Little | Oct 14, 2019

WILMINGTON, Del. (Legal Newsline) – A Delaware court has dismissed a Navy Seal's defamation case against a newspaper.

In Kentucky, police officers can now be sued for third-party injuries and deaths from vehicle chases

By Charmaine Little | Oct 14, 2019

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Legal Newsline) – The Supreme Court of Kentucky ruled earlier this year that police can be sued in the commonwealth for damages if car chases lead to the injury or death of third parties. The decision overturned a previous Supreme Court decision dating to 1952.

Here are the names of lawyers whose TV ads are scaring and lying to viewers, according to the FTC

By John O'Brien | Oct 11, 2019

WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – The Federal Trade Commission says lawyers and legal advertisers looking for plaintiffs to sue drug companies are making false claims in their TV ads, as well as possibly scaring viewers into stopping taking their medications.

Oklahoma Supreme Court affirms dismissal of boy's lawsuit against school over bus collision

By Charmaine Little | Oct 11, 2019

OKLAHOMA CITY (Legal Newsline) – On Sept. 24, the Supreme Court of Oklahoma ruled on a case concerning a then-6-year-old who was hit by a Mounds Public Schools bus in 2012.