‘Westworld’ story lines connect with real-world legal issues

A fictional theme park with a wild west theme is the setting for the HBO series Westworld, where guests pay to live out their fantasies. Those familiar with the darker side of the human condition won’t be surprised to learn that these fantasies often entail patrons killing as many of the amusement park hosts as they please.

May 21, 2018 7:10 AM CDT

Uber and Lyft end mandatory arbitration for sexual assault claims

Uber and Lyft have ended forced arbitration for sexual assault cases brought by passengers, drivers and employees.

May 15, 2018 5:19 PM CDT

14 women accusing drivers of sex assault ask Uber board to be released from arbitration

Fourteen women sent a letter to the Uber’s board of directors Thursday requesting to be released from the arbitration provision in their consumer agreement to allow them to pursue a class-action lawsuit alleging Uber’s inadequate driver screening procedures led to the sexual assault, rape, sexual harassment and gender-motivated violence they experienced at the hands of their drivers.

Apr 30, 2018 2:54 PM CDT

Medical device plaintiff sues her law firm, saying it coaxed her into unnecessary surgery

An Arkansas woman who contends she was scared into surgery to remove vaginal mesh to bolster her position in litigation has filed a lawsuit against her former law firm and the litigation funding company that financed the operation. Allegations in the suit by Jerri Plummer highlight how plaintiffs in suits…

Apr 16, 2018 11:25 AM CDT

Law firms and doctors aided fraudulent claimants in $1B concussion settlement, NFL alleges

The NFL claims in a motion filed Friday that a special investigator should be appointed to stop the “widespread fraud” in claims filed under the $1 billion concussion settlement.

Apr 13, 2018 5:03 PM CDT

Bedbug resurgence launches new legal specialty

Legal observers say the growth of bedbug lawyers and climbing verdicts fit the pattern of novel personal injury specialties that can become overrun—like mold law a decade ago and the recent proliferation of ride-share injury attorneys.

Bedbug attacks are indeed a small tort practice, but the cases have struck a chord with juries.

Mar 1, 2018 2:25 AM CST

The dangers of digital things: Self-driving cars steer proposed laws on robotics and automation

Increased reliance on robotics, artificial intelligence and automation tests whether laws and regulations designed to protect those humans are sufficient or whether new laws are necessary.

Mar 1, 2018 12:01 AM CST

Illinois Supreme Court removes judge from a second case after alleged ‘rolling inquisition’

The Illinois Supreme Court has removed a Chicago judge from a case after a lawyer alleged the judge had engaged in a two-year “rolling inquisition” in a desperate bid “to find a conspiracy where none exists.” It wasn’t the first time Judge Daniel Lynch of Cook County was removed from…

Oct 4, 2017 10:59 AM CDT

Suit claims hot tea spill at Starbucks drive-thru burned woman and killed her dog

A Colorado woman has filed a lawsuit claiming that a hot tea spill at a Starbucks drive-thru in Denver severely burned her and killed her dog. Deanna Salas-Solano asserts in the suit that the employee who served the tea did not secure the lid, did not use a hot-cup sleeve,…

Sep 14, 2017 9:35 AM CDT

First responders sue chemical plant owners for failing to warn of dangers from fire

A group of seven first responders have filed a lawsuit against the owner of the Arkema chemical plant in Crosby, Texas, for alleged negligence and failure to warn about the dangers of fumes from explosions and fires that erupted after Hurricane Harvey. The lawsuit, seeking at least $1 million in…

Sep 8, 2017 12:40 PM CDT

Tort suits in state courts are ‘down sharply’ as contract claims grow

The conventional wisdom that state courts are awash in tort lawsuits is wrong.

Tort lawsuits are “down sharply,” raising concerns among some judges that Americans no longer see the courts as a way to achieve justice in garden-variety civil cases, the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) reports.

Jul 26, 2017 7:00 AM CDT

Chemerinsky: Two end-of-term decisions close the courthouse doors to those who have been injured

Amid the flurry of end-of-term decisions, two are very troubling. Although the cases arose in different contexts, they both have the same effect: closing the courthouse doors to those who have suffered serious injuries.

Jul 6, 2017 8:30 AM CDT

Who’s to blame when self-driving cars crash?

The law, as it stands now, is simple. Human beings cannot delegate driving responsibility to their cars. In self-driving cars, a human must be ready to override the system and take control. But this rule has to be updated, according to the NHTSA’s September 2016 report on autonomous vehicles.

Jul 1, 2017 1:40 AM CDT

Lawyer for man dragged from plane sees lawsuit likelihood, wants to stop airline bullying

A lawyer for the man dragged from a United Airlines plane said at a press conference on Thursday that his client will need reconstructive surgery and will "probably" file a lawsuit.

Apr 13, 2017 10:50 AM CDT

Tesla responds to lawsuit by claiming it has no duty to design a fail-safe car

A lawsuit against Tesla, the maker of high-end fully electric cars, alleges that its Model X and Model S vehicles have a software flaw that creates unintended acceleration that lead to accidents, Ars Technica reported Monday—but Tesla “disputes that there is a legal duty to design a fail-safe car.” The…

Apr 5, 2017 4:39 PM CDT