Contracts

Judge orders transfer of gorilla from sanctuary to zoo; bacterial infection could aggravate trip

A federal judge in San Francisco has ordered that Ndume the gorilla be transferred from a California sanctuary to the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden this week amid a dispute over the advisability of travel. U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg ordered the transfer of Ndume in two orders. In his…

Jun 11, 2019 7:00 AM CDT

Federal contract filings are on a decadelong decline, new report finds

Federal contracts case filings have been in decline since the Great Recession, according to a new report from Lex Machina, a legal analytics company. Released Tuesday, the Contracts Litigation Report analyzed 146,000 federal district court contracts cases between 2009 and 2018.

May 7, 2019 7:01 AM CDT

ACLU suit says bail bond industry is a RICO enterprise, bounty hunters traumatized family

The American Civil Liberties Union is taking on the bail bond industry in a suit filed after bounty hunters stormed a Montana home at gunpoint to apprehend a man who missed a court date. The federal suit was filed April 17 on behalf of Eugene Deshane Mitchell, his wife and…

Apr 22, 2019 7:00 AM CDT

Ernst & Young entity acquires Thomson Reuters’ business; should law firms worry?

EY, the corporate entity that includes the Big Four accounting firm Ernst & Young, has announced an agreement to buy the legal managed services business Pangea3 from Thomson Reuters. The Artificial Lawyer and LawSites view the announcement as a major development. “Those who should be paying closest attention to this…

Apr 5, 2019 6:30 AM CDT

Lawyer accused of groping two employees can’t force suits into arbitration, appeals court rules

A Michigan personal injury lawyer accused of groping a receptionist and a paralegal can’t compel arbitration of their harassment lawsuits, a Michigan appeals court has ruled. The mandatory arbitration agreement signed by the employees doesn’t apply to sexual assault allegations because it covered claims “related to employment,” the Michigan Court…

Mar 19, 2019 9:30 AM CDT

Traumatized crime and courts reporter entitled to damages, Australian court says

An Australian court has awarded about $127,000 in U.S. currency ($180,000 in Australian currency) to a former journalist for a Melbourne newspaper for the psychological injury she suffered while covering crime and courts for a decade. The County Court of Victoria ruled on Feb. 22 in a case by a…

Mar 11, 2019 11:16 AM CDT

In dueling suits, Kanye West alleges contract ‘servitude,’ while music publisher claims deal breach

Music publisher EMI has sued Kanye West for alleged breach of contract after the rapper filed his own suit referring to the expansive deal as “servitude” and asserting that it could bar his retirement.

Mar 11, 2019 7:30 AM CDT

Michael Cohen sues Trump Organization for nearly $2M in unpaid legal fees

President Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen filed a lawsuit against the Trump Organization on Thursday that alleges that the company violated an agreement to pay his legal fees and related costs. Cohen filed the suit in New York state court, report the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal,…

Mar 7, 2019 3:19 PM CST

Law firm sues associate for alleged breach of employment contract

Recruiters are questioning the wisdom of a Louisiana law firm’s decision to sue an associate for allegedly breaching an employment contract that requires three years of employment. The associate, Jane “Megan” Daily, left the Preis law firm Nov. 26 after spending a little more than a year there, according to…

Mar 6, 2019 7:00 AM CST

At least 8 theaters drop ‘Mockingbird’ productions after producer of newer play threatens suit

Updated: At least eight theater companies throughout the United States have canceled productions of To Kill a Mockingbird because of litigation threats from the producer of a newer version of the play on Broadway. The New York Times report includes an interview with 11-year-old Olivia Mongelli, who was cast as…

Feb 28, 2019 2:35 PM CST

99% of website sign-up contracts are unreadable, study finds

Sign-up terms and conditions on the most popular U.S. websites have an average readability level on par with articles in academic journals, according to a study by two law professors. The professors used two readability tests to review “sign-in-wrap contracts” that consumers are required to accept before they sign up…

Feb 21, 2019 9:24 AM CST

Lawyer’s viral video rant amounted to malpractice, ex-client alleges in lawsuit

A former client of New York lawyer Aaron Schlossberg has filed a lawsuit claiming his viral video rant harmed its reputation. The suit by Niche Music Group says Schlossberg had a duty to refrain from conduct detrimental to clients, and his recorded rant amounted to breach of the engagement contract…

Jan 9, 2019 7:15 AM CST

Kavanaugh’s first Supreme Court opinion says courts have to respect parties’ decision on arbitration

Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh issued his first opinion for the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday. The unanimous opinion held that federal judges don’t have the authority to decide whether a dispute can be arbitrated when the contract gives the decision to the arbitrator.

Jan 8, 2019 10:27 AM CST

Fake network voids choice-of-law deal, Roy Moore says in defamation suit against Sacha Baron Cohen

Former Alabama Chief Justice and failed Senate candidate Roy Moore claims his $95 million defamation suit against Sacha Baron Cohen doesn’t have to be tried in New York because of misrepresentations made when he signed a contract before his appearance on the comedian’s show. The contract said Moore agrees not…

Dec 13, 2018 9:25 AM CST

Contract ‘busts’: Trying to decipher provisions that literally make no sense

Some contractual provisions, perpetuated in deal after deal, make no literal sense. The problems are threefold: (1) whenever such a document is retyped, clerical errors are likely to occur; (2) the sameness of the party designations leads to cognitive difficulties for all readers—including the drafters themselves—because the only visual difference is the two-character suffix at the end; and (3) clients tend to resent such documents not just for their unreadability, but also for their appearing to be forms that the lawyer took little care in adapting.

Dec 1, 2018 1:55 AM CST