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State Court
Court rules against booted USC football player in his fight against disciplinary process
LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) - It's more bad news from California courts for a University of Southern California player kicked off the team who claimed the disciplinary process to hear intimate violence charges against him was unfair.
State Court
IL Supreme Court: Hockey club that rents ice arena can be sued under IL human rights law for 'banishing' teen diagnosed with depression
The Illinois Supreme Court says the teen's mental health diagnoses mean she could be protected by the IL Human Rights Act's anti-discrimination provisions protecting access to "places of public accommodation." Objectors contended such reasoning could open broad range of private organizations to lawsuits, violating First Amendment
State Court
Another win for Netflix, Hulu as they fight attacks from private lawyers and local governments
LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) - The wildly unsuccessful litigation strategy that would have streaming providers like Netflix and Hulu pay franchise fees designed for cable TV providers has failed again.
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Scandal at Harvard: Organ-harvesting suits against school fail, wife of 'Grim Reaper' pleads guilty
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (Legal Newsline) - The wife of a former morgue manager at Harvard Medical School caught in an organ-harvesting scandal has pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges, while civil lawsuits against the school are crumbling.
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Ex-NFL player can sue NCAA in Maryland over college injuries
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (Legal Newsline) - A former Rutgers University football player who went on to a career in the NFL can sue the NCAA in Maryland for brain injuries he says he suffered in college, an appeals court ruled, rejecting the NCAA’s argument it didn’t do anything to cause the plaintiff’s injuries in Maryland.
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Mechanic's estate must pay for helicopter destroyed in fatal crash
INDIANAPOLIS (Legal Newsline) - In a decision hinging upon the ancient concept of bailment, an Indiana appeals court ruled the estate of a man killed in the crash of a helicopter he was working on must pay for the loss of the aircraft.
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Family of woman attacked, drowned by gator sues senior housing complex
The family of a resident of the Spanish Lakes Fairways retirement community in Fort Pierce is suing the development’s owner for wrongful death after their mother was attacked and drowned by an alligator last year.
State Court
Ohio worker can sue over hose that spewed sulfuric acid on him
LIMA, Ohio (Legal Newsline) - A worker can proceed with his lawsuit against Gates Corp. over an allegedly defective hose that ruptured and spewed sulfuric acid on him, an Ohio appeals court ruled, finding state product-liability law wasn’t preempted by federal law.
State Court
Court: State AG can resolve opioid and other consumer protection suits, DA's can't
HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office has the ultimate authority in resolving litigation brought under the Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law and not the district attorneys of Philadelphia and Allegheny counties, per a first impression ruling from the Commonwealth Court.
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Philadelphia jury hands down $2.2B verdict in third Roundup trial, the largest ever for that product
PHILADELPHIA – The manufacturers of weed killer Roundup have lost a third trial in Philadelphia and were hit with its largest-ever verdict at a whopping cost of $2.25 billion, not long after local juries handed down a $175 million verdict award to plaintiffs in the first case and a $3.5 million award in the second.
State Court
Hotel not liable for murdered man in roommate's bed
TRENTON, N.J. (Legal Newsline) - A man who discovered a murdered coworker in the bed next to him can’t win money from Wyndham Hotels for his emotional suffering, a New Jersey court ruled, upholding the dismissal of a lawsuit stemming from a bizarre incident involving transient utility workers.
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Company not responsible after customer crushed between its wall and a U-Haul van
LANSING, Mich. (Legal Newsline) - True Value still isn’t liable for a tragic accident where a U-Haul van crushed a customer against a wall, a Michigan appeals court ruled, despite a landmark decision by the state’s highest court making it harder for property owners to defend claims over “open and obvious” risks.
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After burying the wrong woman, funeral home may face lawsuit
TRENTON, N.J. (Legal Newsline) - A New Jersey funeral home may have to defend itself in a lawsuit after misplacing a woman’s body, an error discovered only after the grieving widower saw a video image of another woman wearing his late wife’s jewelry and clothing on the day she was supposed to be entombed.
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Doctor's failure to answer phone wins wrongful-death plaintiff a new trial
WARREN, Ohio (Legal Newsline) - An Ohio court wrongly dismissed a lawsuit over a 79-year-old woman’s death from heart failure, an appeals court ruled, giving plaintiffs another chance to convince a jury the woman’s cardiologist was to blame because he didn’t immediately answer pages and phone calls.
State Court
Beer run by frat member not the cause of 4-year-old's death, court rules
FRANKFORT, KY. (Legal Newsline) - A Kentucky court was correct to dismiss a lawsuit against a college student who participated in his fraternity’s beer run the day before another frat member struck and killed a little boy with his car, an appeals court ruled.
State Court
No study, no problem: Court allows experts to link any cancer to diesel exhaust
SAN DIEGO (Legal Newsline) - There’s no need for expert witnesses to point to a specific study showing a substance causes a disease as long as they have a reasonable basis for believing the two are connected, a California appeals court ruled, reversing a trial judge’s disqualification of experts who linked diesel exhaust to blood cancer.
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Woman blames PetSmart after slipping on dog poo inside store
CHARLESTON – A Kanawha County woman says she was injured after slipping on dog feces while shopping at PetSmart.
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Fla. Lottery fights lawsuit of man who thought he'd won $15 million
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Legal Newsline) - The Florida Lottery wants a state judge to dismiss a claim for negligent infliction of emotional distress from a lawsuit alleging a man was led to believe he'd won $15 million.
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Defendant files counterclaim in 'Rich Men North of Richmond' case
CHARLESTON – The defendants in a civil lawsuit that focuses on a soured business relationship that includes the musician behind “Rich Men North of Richmond” have filed an answer and counterclaim.
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Friend of angry ex will face lawsuit after smear campaign cost student a spot at Dartmouth
SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline) - A student who claims he fell victim to a “vengeful smear campaign” by a spurned ex-girlfriend can sue over emails to Dartmouth College officials that led the prestigious school to rescind his offer of admission.