Lawyer claims Donald Sterling threatened to take him out; judge denies injunction

Corrected: A Los Angeles probate judge has refused to issue an injunction that would bar Donald Sterling from harassing or threatening potential witnesses in a case that seeks to remove him from the trust that owns the Los Angeles Clippers. Judge Michael Levanas turned down the request by lawyers for…

Jun 19, 2014 7:35 PM CDT

Washington Redskins team loses trademark registration

Six trademarks associated with the Washington Redskins must be canceled because the name is disparaging to Native Americans, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board has ruled. The team is likely to appeal the ruling, the Washington Post reports. Politico and USA Today also have coverage. Even if the team loses…

Jun 18, 2014 2:54 PM CDT

Extreme sports are more popular than ever, prompting questions about legal liability

Jun 1, 2014 10:30 AM CDT

Blogger: Law firm homepages are losing significance | Will SCOTUS ruling affect Spider-Man rights?

Kevin O’Keefe at Real Lawyers Have Blogs notes an Atlantic article about sharply declining traffic to the New York Times’ homepage (based on the recently leaked internal review of Times digital strategy). Readers are increasingly reaching news sites by way of links from social media sites to individual stories rather…

May 23, 2014 1:30 PM CDT

NBA reportedly accuses Sterling of trying to persuade Stiviano to lie about the infamous recording

The National Basketball Association claims in its formal allegations against Donald Sterling that the Los Angeles Clippers owner and his associates gave false and misleading information to the league’s investigator, according to a published report. The Los Angeles Times says it obtained the 30-page formal allegation against Sterling. According to…

May 21, 2014 2:31 PM CDT

Former NFL players sue over alleged ‘culture of drug misuse’ that masked pain of injuries

Eight retired pro football players are seeking compensation for chronic injuries in a suit that accuses the National Football League of supplying them with painkillers. The would-be class-action suit (PDF), filed on Tuesday in San Francisco federal court, says team doctors and trainers administered the drugs without prescriptions. “In contravention…

May 21, 2014 1:44 PM CDT

Becker-Posner Blog shutters after Gary Becker’s death | Ready for chip-and-pin credit cards?

Nobel Prize-winning economist and University of Chicago professor Gary Becker died last week at the age of 83, and over the weekend, The Becker-Posner Blog said “farewell” with no other commentary. Other law bloggers paid their respects. “Becker pioneered the application of economic analysis to questions that were previously considered…

May 16, 2014 1:30 PM CDT

Consulting the NBA’s constitution | Big lawsuit over gift cards | Experience and lawyer discipline

Donald Sterling, the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, was suspended for life from the NBA on Tuesday over recorded racist remarks that were made public. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver stated that he would ask the NBA Board of Governors to force a sale of the Clippers. Tuesday was the…

May 2, 2014 1:30 PM CDT

Can this Foley & Lardner lawyer keep the Buffalo Bills from relocating?

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has hired Foley & Lardner to try and keep the Buffalo Bills from leaving the state. The Buffalo News reported on Wednesday that Cuomo has turned to Foley partner Irwin Raij of Manhattan. The paper states that the firm’s contract will run for three years…

May 1, 2014 6:40 PM CDT

NBA owner Donald Sterling suspended for life, and experts say his legal options are limited

Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling was banned for life from the National Basketball Association and fined $2.5 million after a recording surfaced over the weekend of him making racist and sexist statements. In a press conference in New York City on Tuesday, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced that Sterling…

Apr 29, 2014 11:40 PM CDT

TLC’s ex-manager files $40 million defamation lawsuit against Viacom over VH-1 biopic

TLC—Rozonda “Chili” Thomas, Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins & Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes—in 1999. Everett Collection / Shutterstock.com R&B group TLC doesn’t like scrubs. And based on their 2013 biopic on VH-1, they aren’t too fond of their old manager, Perri “Pebbles” Reid, either. Turns out, Reid wasn’t fond of the way…

Apr 29, 2014 7:37 PM CDT

Death of ‘Dueling Banjos’ creator brings litigation anecdote to light

The death last week of an acclaimed crossover musician who wrote and recorded “Dueling Banjos” has brought to light the story of how Arthur Smith won a substantial settlement over the famed bluegrass song’s unauthorized use in a major motion picture. Initially recorded as “Feudin’ Banjos” in 1955, it was…

Apr 10, 2014 8:10 PM CDT

Lawyer files federal racketeering suit over ‘pay for play’ on son’s high school lacrosse team

A Texas lawyer has filed a 39-page federal lawsuit over what he describes as a federal racketeering enterprise requiring “pay for play” from those who want to be active participants in some of the state’s top high school lacrosse programs. Among those adversely affected, according to the complaint by William…

Apr 8, 2014 3:30 PM CDT

Sandusky’s appeal of child-molestation conviction nixed by Penn. Supreme Court

In a one-sentence order, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court refused on Wednesday to hear an appeal by former Pennsylvania State University assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky of his child-molestation conviction. However, other avenues of appeal remain open to Sandusky. They include a state court filing under Pennsylvania’s Post-Conviction Relief Act concerning…

Apr 2, 2014 9:55 PM CDT

In ‘revolutionary’ ruling, NLRB says football players are employees of Northwestern, can unionize

Football players are employees of Northwestern University and can unionize, the National Labor Relations Board said in a ruling released Wednesday that is expected to reverberate throughout the country. Robert McCormick, a professor emeritus at Michigan State University College of Law, describes the decision as “revolutionary for college sports.” If…

Mar 26, 2014 8:25 PM CDT