Legal Newsline

Friday, April 10, 2020

Attorneys & Judges News

Large kentuckycapitol

From Penn Record

Kentucky governor vetoes bill on ALI's controversial Restatement; Override possible amid coronavirus concerns

By Nicholas Malfitano | 22 hours ago

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Legislation clarifying that the American Law Institute’s controversial insurance liability Restatement does not constitute law or public policy if it conflicts with established federal, state or case law overwhelmingly passed in Kentucky but was vetoed Tuesday by Gov. Andy Beshear.

Attorneys & Judges

Study: Class action lawyers often take more money from settlements than class members

WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - A detailed examination of eight years of consumer class actions in federal court found that consumers received only a tiny fraction of the money awarded in those cases while plaintiff lawyers frequently claimed a bigger share of the settlement than their clients.

By Daniel Fisher | Apr 8, 2020

Latest News

Large americanlawinstitute

From Penn Record

Two more states pass measures targeting controversial Restatement issued by American Law Institute

By Nicholas Malfitano | 3 days ago

PHILADELPHIA – Legislation stating the American Law Institute’s Restatement of the Law of Liability Insurance does not constitute law or public policy if it conflicts with established federal, state or case law recently passed in the states of Utah and Kentucky.

Doubling the lodestar gave lawyers too much money, Ohio Supreme Court rules

By Charmaine Little | Apr 6, 2020

A nearly $4 million award in attorney’s fees against a lighting company was reversed in the Supreme Court of Ohio.

Protections for N.Y. health care providers from coronavirus lawsuits included in budget

By John O'Brien | Apr 4, 2020

ALBANY, N.Y. (Legal Newsline) – Legislation passed in New York in response to the coronavirus protects medical facilities and their staff from lawsuits as long as their behavior isn't reckless.

Even homeowners could be in danger of lawyers trying to cash in on coronavirus

By Daniel Fisher | Apr 4, 2020

They’ve already sued cruise ship operators, soap manufacturers and insurance companies, but COVID-19 will give entrepreneurial lawyers plenty more opportunities to make money by targeting nursing homes, hospitals, pharmaceutical manufacturers, retailers and possibly even homeowners over the disease.

Lawyer allegedly pocketed $235,000 after money accidentally deposited into account

By Charmaine Little | Apr 2, 2020

A legal office allegedly kept $235,000 from CardConnect, LLC (CCN) after the plaintiff accidentally deposited the funds in the defendant’s account.

Lawyer ads in 2020 are talking less about Roundup, more about coronavirus

By John O'Brien | Apr 1, 2020

WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – Personal injury lawyers cut their spending on Roundup advertising by more than half in the first two months of 2020.

Texas personal injury lawyers sued by feds to recover part of settlement

By Charmaine Little | Mar 30, 2020

In an attempt to recover a payment made for a Medicare program, the U.S. government sued Carrigan & Anderson PLLC of Corpus Christi, Texas, and Stephen P. Carrigan on behalf of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Large schwartzvictor

From Penn Record

American Law Institute 'at a crossroads' as it works on newest Restatement, member says

By Nicholas Malfitano | 15 days ago

PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia-based American Law Institute continues its work on a Restatement meant to give legal clarity to the arena of consumer contracts - a project that has been put on the back-burner and serves as a "litmus test" as to how the influential group will be perceived, a member says.

Law firm successfully defends self from lawsuit over $67M mistake, but plaintiff still pushing

By Karen Kidd | Mar 26, 2020

DOVER, Del. (Legal Newsline) - Texas-based software company ISN Software Corporation has twice in two years failed to convince Delaware courts that the toll on legal malpractice lawsuit over bad advice that cost the company $67 million should begin when it found out about the cost.

Georgia Supreme Court broadens attorney-client privilege waiver in legal malpractice cases

By David Beasley | Mar 20, 2020

Daryl Moody bought an interest in an aerospace company, Leucadia Group, LLC and wanted to oust the president, Robert Miller. Moody’s lawyers, Hill, Kertscher & Wharton, LLP, (HKW) advised him to create a new company, transfer Leucadia’s shares to it, and then fire Miller as CEO of the original company.

An Ohio county pays $500K of its opioid settlement to a pharma lobbyist not listed on court records

By Daniel Fisher | Mar 19, 2020

AKRON, Ohio (Legal Newsline) - An Ohio county that settled opioid lawsuits last year for $105 million paid more than $1 million in legal fees to two law firms that never appeared on any of the court filings, including one associated with a prominent Washington lobbyist whose firm represented multiple companies being sued by the county.

Politically generous lawyers poised to take billions from opioid settlement

By Daniel Fisher | Mar 11, 2020

CLEVELAND (Legal Newsline) - Their request for some $3 billion in fees has generated fierce resistance from state attorneys general and defendants, but don’t worry about the financial states of private lawyers who represent thousands of municipal plaintiffs in opioid litigation.

The goal of climate change litigation in Rhode Island? Finding a 'sustainable funding stream'

By John O'Brien | Mar 11, 2020

BOSTON (Legal Newsline) – Money was on the minds of Rhode Island officials who sued the energy industry when they couldn't convince state lawmakers to address climate change, according to records obtained by Energy Policy Advocates and submitted Tuesday to a federal appeals court.

Lawmakers in Oklahoma, West Virginia the latest to call for rejection of ALI's insurance Restatement

By Nicholas Malfitano | Mar 10, 2020

PHILADELPHIA – Oklahoma and West Virginia can be added to the growing list of states seeking to formally reject the American Law Institute’s controversial Restatement of the Law of Liability Insurance - a project that some see as evidence of an ideological shift at the organization that amounts to a power-trip.

Johnson & Johnson claims FDA's new asbestos testing based on 'faulty assumptions'

By Daniel Fisher | Mar 6, 2020

WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - Johnson & Johnson says a Food and Drug Administration panel charged with designing new standards for detecting asbestos in talc used “faulty assumptions” and failed to reflect scientific consensus in its draft recommendations.

Plaintiff lawyers and their experts push FDA panel to expand definition of asbestos; Pills, chewing gum among products possibly affected

By Daniel Fisher | Mar 2, 2020

WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - A fierce behind-the-scenes conflict is growing as law firms that specialize in asbestos litigation urge the Food and Drug Administration to broaden the definition of mineral particles believed to cause disease while industry representatives try to make it narrower.

AGs unite to oppose opioid lawyers' attempt to take 7% of possible multibillion-dollar settlement

By John Breslin | Feb 29, 2020

CLEVELAND (Legal Newsline) – Attorneys general from dozens of states are objecting to an attempt by attorneys litigating on behalf of various local government entities suing over the opioid crisis to secure a fee based on a global settlement that could be worth close to $50 billion.

Broad, vigorous opposition to lawyers' move to secure billions from opioid settlement

By John Breslin | Feb 29, 2020

CLEVELAND (Legal Newsline) - Drug companies, state attorneys general and some local government entities are vigorously opposing an attempt by certain lawyers to secure a significant percentage of a probable multibillion-dollar global settlement stemming from nationwide opioid litigation.