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Personal Injury & Medical Malpractice
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July 12, 2024
Biggest Washington Decisions Of 2024: A Midyear Report
The first half of 2024 in Washington courts was punctuated by a fizzled startup's $72 million trial win against The Boeing Co., and Monsanto Co.'s appellate reversal of a $185 million verdict in one of a series of high-profile PCB poisoning cases. Here is a closer look at some of the biggest decisions in Washington state and federal courts in the first half of 2024.
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July 12, 2024
'Willful Withholding' Of Evidence Dooms Baldwin 'Rust' Case
Alec Baldwin wept and hugged his attorneys Friday after a New Mexico state judge threw out involuntary manslaughter charges against the actor in the "Rust" shooting case, finding that prosecutors willfully withheld key ammunition evidence from the defense.
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July 12, 2024
Biggest Illinois Decisions Of 2024: A Midyear Report
State and federal courts have handed down rulings so far this year that limited the reach of a federal bribery law commonly used to prosecute Illinois corruption, laid out a framework to challenge so-called mootness fees and clarified the scope of Illinois defamation and antitrust law. Here's a look at some of the biggest Illinois decisions in the first half of 2024.
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July 11, 2024
Vanderpump's Madix Targets 'Scandoval' Revenge Porn Suit
Counsel for "Vanderpump Rules" star Ariana Madix on Thursday urged a Los Angeles judge to toss revenge porn and other claims brought by former co-star Rachel Leviss, saying Madix was protected by free speech laws when she sent Leviss sexually explicit videos of Leviss.
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July 11, 2024
8th Circ. OKs Toxic Gas Injury Win, But Cuts Award By $30M
The Eighth Circuit on Thursday affirmed a jury's finding that Dyno Nobel Inc.'s negligence in handling toxic gas emissions caused serious injuries to a man's larynx but slashed his $43.75 million award down to $13.75 million, saying the explosives company lacked the culpable mental state required for punitive damages.
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July 11, 2024
TikTok's Bid For Users' Device Data Found Overbroad
A California federal magistrate judge overseeing discovery in multidistrict litigation over claims that social media is addictive denied TikTok's request Thursday for "full" forensic images of all personal devices bellwether plaintiffs used to access its platform, telling defense counsel that he's concerned about the "overbreadth" of the request and privacy issues.
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July 11, 2024
All Grand Jury Witnesses Get Civil Immunity, Colo. Panel Says
A Colorado state appeals court held for the first time Thursday that all types of grand jury witnesses have absolute immunity for their testimony, though they don't have sweeping protection for statements made before the proceedings start.
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July 11, 2024
Dollar General Pays $12M Over DOL's Safety Violation Claims
Discount retail chain Dollar General will pay $12 million to resolve alleged workplace safety violations at its stores nationwide, including obstructed emergency exits and unsafe storage, and will implement abatement measures like expanding storage capacity and reducing overstock, the U.S. Department of Labor announced Wednesday.
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July 11, 2024
NJ Justices Back Expert Report In Mother's Suit Over Death
The New Jersey Supreme Court on Thursday reinstated a lawsuit against a Garden State hospital by the mother of a diabetic patient who died, saying the trial court erred in dismissing the case on grounds that an affidavit of merit was insufficient.
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July 11, 2024
Condo Owner Can Sue Over Icy Sidewalk, Mich. Justices Rule
A condominium owners' association can be sued by a member who slipped on ice in a common area, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled Thursday, finding an association has a duty to exercise reasonable care to protect condo owners in shared spaces.
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July 11, 2024
Celebrity Cruises Settles Suit Over Ship Morgue Failure
The family of a man who died aboard a Celebrity Cruises ship and whose body decomposed after being stored in an ill-equipped cooler told a Florida federal court Wednesday that they had settled their dispute with the cruise line, just days before the case was set to go to trial.
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July 11, 2024
Opiate MDL Judge Flags Evidence Preservation Shortfall
An Ohio federal judge has said "at least some" of the plaintiff local government entities in four chosen bellwether cases against pharmacy benefit managers for the multidistrict litigation over the opioid epidemic failed to preserve documents and evidence for trial, warning the parties he may replace those cases.
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July 11, 2024
Ex-Northwestern Coach Accuses University Of Defamation
The former offensive coordinator of Northwestern University's football team has sued the university, its president and its athletic director, claiming they portrayed him and the rest of the football staff in a false light when they fired head coach Pat Fitzgerald amid a hazing scandal and defamed him after he wore a T-shirt supporting the coach to practice.
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July 11, 2024
Navy Can't Get Out Of Ex-Marine's PTSD Discrimination Suit
A Washington federal judge won't let the U.S. Navy out of a suit from a former Marine alleging that he was discriminated against and terminated over his post-traumatic stress disorder, saying there is enough evidence that a fact-finder could determine his boss retaliated against him.
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July 11, 2024
Baldwin Wasn't Only 'Rust' Actor With Live Rounds, Jury Told
Alec Baldwin's counsel established Thursday during a contentious second day of testimony in the "Rust" trial in New Mexico that he wasn't the only actor unknowingly carrying live ammunition on the film's set before the 2021 fatal shooting of a cinematographer.
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July 11, 2024
2nd Circ. Says Unreported Violence Doesn't Doom Asylum Bid
The Second Circuit on Thursday said the Board of Immigration Appeals must reconsider an asylum bid from a Honduran woman claiming family abuse and rape by a criminal, finding that evidence of the difficulties women face in reporting violence and the government's ineffective response to such reports was ignored.
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July 11, 2024
Conn. Justices Say Law Firm's Ex Parte Sanctions Were Error
The law firm Brignole Bush & Lewis LLC cannot be sanctioned for engaging in ex parte talks with an expert witness previously disclosed by Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., the opposing party in a car accident case, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled Thursday.
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July 11, 2024
Cruise Ship Co. Sanctioned With Fees In Sexual Assault Suit
Carnival Corp. will have to pay fees related to a discovery dispute stemming from a $10.2 million sexual assault personal injury lawsuit, a Florida federal judge has ruled in a sanctions order, finding that the cruise company must pay a portion of the legal bills of a female passenger after "clear" discovery violations occurred.
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July 11, 2024
Hershey, Walgreens Sued For 'One Chip Challenge' Death
The Hershey Co. and its businesses that created and negligently marketed the "One Chip Challenge" to eat an ultra-spicy tortilla chip are responsible for the wrongful death of a Massachusetts 14-year-old, whose death coincided with the product being pulled from the shelves, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday by the boy's mother.
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July 11, 2024
Talc Law Firms Beat J&J Subpoenas Seeking Funding Info
The Beasley Allen Law Firm, another plaintiffs law firm and a litigation funder defeated subpoenas from Johnson & Johnson in talc litigation, with a special master reasoning that the broad swath of discovery permitted in federal courts still has limits.
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July 11, 2024
Insurer Can Tap Trust Fund For Old Claims, Mass. Court Says
A Massachusetts intermediate appellate court concluded Thursday that workers' compensation insurers who are no longer selling policies in the state but still paying benefits on older claims are entitled to seek partial reimbursement from an employer-funded state trust fund, reversing its own prior holding on the question.
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July 11, 2024
BP Deadline Denial Could Impact Mass Torts, 5th Circ. Told
A man suffering from a chronic health condition stemming from his work cleaning up Mississippi beaches after the Deepwater Horizon spill told the Fifth Circuit that a Louisiana judge's failure to yield to third-party discovery agreements could potentially impact a litany of mass litigation if upheld.
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July 11, 2024
Communications Co. Says Death Suit Skirted Probate Court
Frontier Communications of America Inc. told a Connecticut state court that it must dismiss a wrongful death case brought against it after an elderly woman fell in her basement and could not call 911 because her phone lines were down, arguing her estate skipped a vital step before filing suit.
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July 10, 2024
Roundup Cancer Case Revived By Oregon Appellate Panel
An Oregon appellate panel on Wednesday revived a lawsuit claiming Bayer AG subsidiary Monsanto's weedkiller Roundup caused an Oregon man's cancer, saying the judge who oversaw the trial that cleared the company wrongly excluded testimony from an expert for the plaintiff.
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July 10, 2024
Texas Panel Tosses Electrocution Suit Against Oil Well Owner
A Texas state appeals court found that an oil field station owner wasn't responsible for a contractor's electrocution at the station, ruling Tuesday that the owner didn't owe any duty to the contractor under any negligence theory because it didn't direct the contractor's work.
Expert Analysis
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Maximizing Law Firm Profitability In Uncertain Times
As threats of an economic downturn loom, firms can boost profits by embracing the power of bottom-line management and creating an ecosystem where strategic financial oversight and robust timekeeping practices meet evolved client relations, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.
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5th Circ. Ruling Reminds Attys That CBP Can Search Devices
The Fifth Circuit’s recent Malik v. Department of Homeland Security decision adds to the chorus of federal courts holding that border agents don’t need a warrant to search travelers’ electronic devices, so attorneys should consider certain special precautions to secure privileged information when reentering the U.S., says Jennifer Freel at Jackson Walker.
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The Likable Witness: 6 Personality Archetypes To Cultivate
During pretrial witness preparation sessions, a few key methods can help identify the likable personality type a witness intuitively expresses, which can then be amplified at trial to create an emotional connection with jurors, says Gillian Drake at On Trial Associates.
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Avoiding The Ethical Pitfalls Of Crowdfunded Legal Fees
The crowdfunding of legal fees has become increasingly common, providing a new way for people to afford legal services, but attorneys who accept crowdsourced funds must remember several key ethical obligations to mitigate their risks, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.
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The Likable Witness: Key Traits And Psychological Concepts
Though witnesses must appear credible to juries, they should also be likable in order to make an emotional connection, and certain gestural, behavioral and psychological aspects of their testimony can be modified to improve their perceived likability, says Gillian Drake at On Trial Associates.
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What Large Language Models Mean For Document Review
Courts often subject parties using technology assisted review to greater scrutiny than parties conducting linear, manual document review, so parties using large language models for document review should expect even more attention, along with a corresponding need for quality control and validation, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Tips For Camp Lejeune Attorneys To Mitigate TCPA Suit Risks
To retain and assist Camp Lejeune clients, it is vital to understand best practices to avoid violating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, which has been at the center of recent lawsuits against attorneys seeking to reach veterans and their families affected by the toxic water exposure at the Marine Corps base, says Libby Vish at SimplyConvert.
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Series
Participating In Living History Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My role as a baron in a living history group, and my work as volunteer corporate counsel for a book series fan association, has provided me several opportunities to practice in unexpected areas of law — opening doors to experiences that have nurtured invaluable personal and professional skills, says Matthew Parker at the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.
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How Attys Can Weather The Next Disaster Litigation Crisis
On the heels of a number of damage catastrophes and ensuing litigation this summer alone, attorneys must recognize that it’s a matter of when, not if, the next disaster — whether natural or artificial — will strike, and formulate plans to minimize risks, including consolidating significant claims and taking remedial measures, says Mark Goldberg at Cosmich Simmons.
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Opinion
Private Equity Owners Can Remedy Law Firms' Agency Issues
Nonlawyer, private-equity ownership of law firms can benefit shareholders and others vulnerable to governance issues such as disparate interests, and can in turn help resolve agency problems, says Michael Di Gennaro at The Law Practice Exchange.
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The 3 E's Of Limiting Injury Liability For Worker Misconduct
The Fifth Circuit’s recent ruling in TNT Crane & Rigging v. Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission lays out key safety practices — establish, educate and enforce — that not only can help protect workers, but also shield companies from workplace injury liability in situations when an employee ignores or intentionally breaks the rules, says Andrew Alvarado at Dickinson Wright.
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Opinion
Proving Causation Is Key To Fairness And Justice
Ongoing litigation over talc and acetaminophen highlights the important legal distinction between correlation and causation — and is a reminder that, while individuals should be compensated for injuries, blameless parties should be protected from unjust claims, say Drew Kershen at the University of Oklahoma College of Law, and Henry Miller at the American Council on Science and Health.
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Okla. Workers' Comp Case Could Mean Huge Shift In Claims
An Oklahoma appeals court's recent opinion in Prewitt v. Quiktrip Corp. may expand the scope of continuing medical maintenance orders in workers' compensation cases to unprecedented levels — with potentially major consequences for employers and insurers, says Steven Hanna at Gilson Daub.
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Opinion
Calif. Ruling Got It Wrong On Trial Courts' Gatekeeping Role
Ten years after the California Supreme Court reshaped trial judges’ role in admitting expert opinion testimony, a state appeals court's Bader v. Johnson & Johnson ruling appears to undermine this precedent and will likely create confusion about the scope of trial courts’ gatekeeping responsibility, say Robert Wright and Nicole Hood at Horvitz & Levy.
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How To Protect Atty-Client Privilege While Using Generative AI
When using generative artificial intelligence tools, attorneys should consider several safeguards to avoid breaches or complications in attorney-client privilege, say Antonious Sadek and Christopher Campbell at DLA Piper.