Appeals court OKs fine for lawyer who asserted SLAPP shield against tort case over demand letter

A California law that offers lawyers a shield against tort claims concerning their litigation activities has been limited by a California appeals court and might even be eliminated entirely by a federal appeals court. The state’s so-called anti-SLAPP statute is intended to offer an early exit for small parties targeted…

Apr 24, 2013 9:23 PM CDT

New York lawyer sues Brooks Brothers, claims it gave him wrong suit after alterations

A Manhattan personal injury lawyer claims in a lawsuit that Brooks Brothers gave him the wrong suit after he asked the store to do some alterations on his new purchase. Robert Ginsberg is seeking $7,646, the New York Daily News reports. According to the suit, the amount represents the price…

Apr 16, 2013 1:06 PM CDT

Elated billionaire wins $380K in federal suit over fake wine; he may have spent $10M in legal fees

William Koch presumably didn’t need the money. But, after years of litigation and what may have been a total of $10 million spent in legal fees, the Palm Beach, Fla., billionaire won a federal jury award of $380,000 on Thursday, in compensation for the 24 bottles of fake wine he…

Apr 12, 2013 4:55 PM CDT

Jury awards record $524M in Hep C case; lawyer calls verdict a wake-up call to health insurers

In what is being billed as a record-high verdict in Nevada for a single case, a jury has awarded a total of $524 million to three individuals, two of whom said they got Hepatitis C as a result of treatment by a doctor who contracted with the defendant health insurer…

Apr 10, 2013 8:26 PM CDT

2nd Circuit blasts SEC for ‘regrettable inaction’ in massive Madoff fraud, but nixes victim suit

Expressing sympathy for the victims of a record-breaking Ponzi scheme by Bernard Madoff, a federal appeals court on Wednesday blasted the Securities and Exchange Commission for “regrettable inaction” in addressing the fraud but said the SEC is nonetheless protected from suit. The plaintiffs sued the SEC in 2009 under the…

Apr 10, 2013 7:26 PM CDT

Florist who refused to provide flowers for gay wedding is sued by state AG

The attorney general of Washington state has sued a florist who refused to provide flowers for the wedding of a gay couple. Attorney General Bob Ferguson sued under provisions of the state’s Consumer Protection Act that bar discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, report the Seattle Times, the Tri-City…

Apr 10, 2013 4:57 PM CDT

Man who paid hospital workers for patient info to sell medical and legal services gets 4 years

A man who admittedly paid husband-and-wife hospital employees over $10,000 to provide confidential patient information that was used to solicit individuals for additional medical and legal services was sentenced this week to four years in federal prison. Sergei Kusyakov, 39, pleaded guilty in January to conspiracy to defraud the United…

Apr 10, 2013 4:22 PM CDT

FTC considers whether databases tracking employee thefts violate federal credit reporting law

Large databases that track employee thefts—and sometimes block accused workers from finding new jobs—are being probed by the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC is examining whether the databases comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act, a federal law intended to give consumers more control over inaccurate information, the New York…

Apr 3, 2013 11:57 AM CDT

Appeals court reverses $68K verdict against lawyer over claimed termite damage in home prior to sale

Updated: When Sarah Seitz first saw her dream home, it contained only a couch in the living room, a spare tile in one bedroom closet and some window coverings on the floor of another bedroom closet. All, it turned out, concealed termite damage in the home that attorney Anne C.…

Apr 1, 2013 4:43 PM CDT

Foreclosure attorney wins prize for uncovering ‘robosigning’

Apr 1, 2013 9:10 AM CDT

Job stats suit against New York Law School hits final roadblock

New York’s top court won’t hear an appeal by graduates of New York Law School who unsuccessfully sought to hold the school responsible for their decision to enroll. The New York Court of Appeals declined the case (PDF) on Thursday, the National Law Journal reports. An intermediate appeals court had…

Mar 29, 2013 12:14 PM CDT

Priceline doesn’t have to tell customers it pockets profits, appeals court rules

The New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of appeals ruled Wednesday that Priceline.com doesn’t have a fiduciary duty to tell its customers when it pockets profits from bookings through its “Name Your Own Price” service. Plaintiffs Lee Johnson and Joey Marie Kelly sued Priceline, alleging the online travel agency was…

Mar 27, 2013 7:00 PM CDT

Judge allows suit against Widener law school over job stats, cites ‘thread of plausibility’

A federal judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit claiming that Widener University School of Law posted misleading and incomplete job statistics. Senior U.S. District Judge William Walls of New Jersey allowed the suit to proceed in an opinion (PDF) published last week. Eight Widener law grads claimed in the…

Mar 25, 2013 11:30 AM CDT

New government-issued debit cards impose many fees, may raise privacy issues

Government entities in California and Illinois have come up with a novel way to cut costs and, potentially, even raise money. New cards being issued to individuals—to pay transit fares, in Chicago, and for identification, in Oakland—will have an optional dual feature. Those who wish to can also use them…

Mar 20, 2013 6:41 PM CDT

Suit blames furniture maker in child’s death

A lawsuit filed by a suburban Chicago woman blames a furniture manufacturer for the 2011 death of her 2-year-old son. Lisa Siefert of Barrington, Ill., says her son Shane died when a child’s dresser made by Gemme Juvenile Inc. tipped over on top of the toddler, the Chicago Tribune reports.…

Mar 18, 2013 11:15 AM CDT