Jacoby to Merge with Bankruptcy Firm in Combo Dubbed Most Significant in Consumer Law History

Jacoby & Meyers is merging with Macey Bankruptcy Law as part of a plan to expand into new practice areas. The merger will create a 300-plus lawyer firm with more than 135 offices. A press release calls the combination “the most significant merger for consumer law in U.S. history.” Macey…

Jul 11, 2012 11:59 AM CDT

AT&T Drops Federal Suit Over $1M Hack-Attack Phone Bill, But Says It Had a Legal Right to Collect

A hard-fought legal battle over a Massachusetts company’s $1 million phone bill quickly racked up, at a rate of $22 per minute, by hackers calling Somalia, came to an abrupt end after news of the dispute captured public attention. Although still maintaining that it has a legal right to collect,…

Jul 9, 2012 5:17 PM CDT

Legal Spirits: Attorney Distills His Legal Acumen to Steer Career Shift

Jul 1, 2012 9:20 AM CDT

Milking It: Raw Milk Advocates Lose the Battle But Win the War

Jul 1, 2012 8:40 AM CDT

Supreme Court Dismisses Case that Could Have Affected Consumer Class Actions

The U.S. Supreme Court has dismissed a case involving the right to sue for statutory injuries that had been billed as “the big sleeper of the term.” At issue was whether consumers who suffer no financial injuries have standing to sue for statutory violations under Article III of the Constitution.…

Jun 28, 2012 2:50 PM CDT

Collection Law Firm Sends $26,573 Check to Client City; Taxpayer’s Money Was Taken by Ex-Employee

A law firm that collects taxes for a Tennessee city has sent its client a check for $26,573. The money will be applied to pay taxes of an elderly resident who wrote checks directly to a former employee of Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, reports the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “The…

Jun 26, 2012 10:58 PM CDT

Supreme Court to Decide Class Certification Issue; Expert Says Case Could Be ‘the Big One’

The U.S. Supreme Court has granted cert in a suit alleging antitrust violations by Comcast Corp. that could make it more difficult for plaintiffs to bring class actions in federal courts. At issue in Comcast v. Behrend is whether a district can certify a class action without resolving whether the…

Jun 26, 2012 4:02 PM CDT

Litigation Fears Could Lead to Increased Artistic Fakery

Fear of litigation is spurring some art experts to get out of the business of evaluating art work to determine whether it is genuine. The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation and the Noguchi Museum are no longer authenticating artwork, the New York Times reports.…

Jun 21, 2012 11:00 AM CDT

Facebook OKs $10M Settlement in Class Action re User ‘Likes’ in Site’s ‘Sponsored Stories’

Facebook has agreed to pay $10 million to charity to settle a class action suit over the social media site’s inclusion of a user’s “likes” of certain advertisers on “Sponsored Stories” that appeared on other members’ Facebook pages. The plaintiffs contended that Facebook’s use of their names and profile pages…

Jun 18, 2012 5:12 PM CDT

YouTube Video Shares Booze-Fueled Party Plan, Ends Fla. Park Event Early with Trespass Citations

A group of visitors to Fort De Soto Park in Pinellas County, Fla., found out the hard way about the loss of privacy inherent in overuse of social media. Via a smartphone application, they sent video of a picnic table loaded with booze to YouTube. The video’s title, Fort De…

Jun 6, 2012 7:08 PM CDT

Chamber of Commerce Takes Aim at Charitable Awards of Unclaimed Class-Action Funds

Cy pres awards in class actions—in which unclaimed settlement funds are awarded to charities—help pump up fees for the plaintiffs’ lawyers, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Legal Reform. Testifying in a congressional hearing last week, John Beisner of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom explained the…

Jun 6, 2012 11:26 AM CDT

Wife Sues Neiman’s, Says Husband Charged $1.4M to Her Account During Affair with Personal Shopper

A Dallas woman has sued a storied Texas-based department store, alleging that Neiman Marcus turned a blind eye as her husband charged $1.4 million to her account— nearly $850,000 in 2009 alone— while having an affair with her personal shopper. Patricia Walker used to spend about $100,000 annually at Neiman’s.…

May 31, 2012 10:13 PM CDT

Lack of Online Privacy Rights Is Very Troubling, Says Author

ABA Journal web producer Lee Rawles talks with Lori Andrews, author of "I Know Who You Are and I Saw What You Did: Social Networks and the Death of Privacy" about the lack of online privacy rights and the need for a social media constitution. They discuss the changes that social networks have brought to all areas of the law, including evidence gathering; what evidence is admissible in courts; how social media can affect the right to a fair trial; and the right to control one's image.

May 29, 2012 5:19 PM CDT

New Pom Wonderful Ads Use Selective Quotes from Judge’s Adverse Ruling

Beleaguered juice maker Pom Wonderful has responded to an adverse ruling by an administrative law judge by plucking positive quotes from his opinion and putting them in new ads. On Monday, Judge D. Michael Chappell issued a cease-and-desist order barring the company from claiming that its juice reduces the risks…

May 29, 2012 11:30 AM CDT

Appeals Court Overturns $10K Small Claims Verdict Against Honda for Hybrid Mileage Claims

A judge has overturned a nearly $10,000 small-claims award to a lawyer dissatisfied with the mileage on her 2006 Honda Civic hybrid. Heather Peters, who decided to go to small claims court rather than join a class action settlement, made news when she was awarded $9,867 earlier this year. But…

May 10, 2012 12:09 PM CDT