Injury & Accident Law

Litigation funder is charged in staged accident plot; high interest rates left little cash for phony plaintiffs

Federal prosecutors have accused a Manhattan litigation financier of participating in a staged $31 million slip-and-fall scheme that recruited drug addicts and homeless people to serve as plaintiffs willing to undergo unnecessary surgeries.

Oct 25, 2021 9:07 AM CDT

Litigants claiming GEICO auto policy covers STD from car sex can’t proceed anonymously, judge rules

A car owner and his sexual partner can’t keep their names secret in litigation over their claim that GEICO’s auto and umbrella policies cover damages for a sexually transmitted disease contracted during sex in the insured car.

Oct 5, 2021 4:18 PM CDT

Infowars host who called Sandy Hook shooting a ‘giant hoax’ loses suits because of discovery abuse

Infowars host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones is liable by default in three defamation lawsuits filed over his claims that the December 2012 mass shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, was a “giant hoax.”

Oct 4, 2021 1:02 PM CDT

Costly Collisions: A small-town personal injury case sends a powerful message to the trucking industry

The number of crashes involving large trucks has been rising during the past decade. And as the number of crashes has increased, so has the size of jury awards and settlements, often resulting in what some lawyers call “nuclear verdicts”—multimillion-dollar damages verdicts significantly higher than expected given the injuries in the case, generally in excess of $10 million.

Oct 1, 2021 12:00 AM CDT

Agreement giving lawyers ‘sole discretion’ to settle client’s case violates ethics rules, appeals court says

A California appeals court has voided a provision in a contingent-fee agreement that gave personal injury lawyers the “sole discretion” to settle a client’s case.

Sep 7, 2021 4:12 PM CDT

This law firm will pay $100K for best jingle ‘that pairs well with fighting for justice’

Go to Morgan & Morgan’s website, and you will see a banner touting $10 billion recovered for clients. Now, the personal injury law firm is prepared to pay $100,000 to one lucky person who writes the best “catchy, unforgettable jingle that pairs well with fighting for justice.”

Aug 18, 2021 4:42 PM CDT

5th Circuit rules for ‘The Hammer’ in lawyer’s trademark suit over purloined keywords and click-to-call ads

A Texas lawyer should get a chance to prove that consumers who entered his trademarked keywords in search engines were confused when they saw unlabeled advertisements, clicked on them, and found themselves calling a number that belonged to a legal referral group, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Aug 12, 2021 9:51 AM CDT

Software to power your personal injury law firm

Each month since April, I’ve been focusing on practice-area-specific law practice management software. This type of software is becoming increasingly prevalent as the overall demand for law practice management software increases.

Jul 23, 2021 9:18 AM CDT

Top state court is second to rule that gas stations can be liable for selling fuel to drunken drivers

Gasoline stations in New Mexico can be liable for selling fuel to drivers they know or have reason to know are intoxicated, the New Mexico Supreme Court ruled Monday.

Jul 22, 2021 9:41 AM CDT

Akerman lawyer is appointed as receiver in condo collapse; who may be liable?

A Florida judge on Friday appointed an Akerman partner as a receiver to handle financial matters for the Champlain Towers South condo association in litigation over the building collapse in Surfside, Florida.

Jul 6, 2021 1:41 PM CDT

Judge tosses 238 oil-spill cases, citing law firm’s failure to respond to discovery requests

A federal judge in Pensacola, Florida, has dismissed 238 cases filed for cleanup workers who blame their medical problems on the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Jun 29, 2021 2:38 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Hate speech mustn’t be normalized, ABA president says; Title IX protects gay and transgender students

ABA president: Hate speech legitimizes intolerance ABA President Patricia Lee Refo said Tuesday the association is “deeply troubled” by recent hate speech directed at Jewish, LGBTQ, Asian American and Muslim people. Refo said studies show a correlation between exposure to hate speech and the increase in hate crimes. Hate speech…

Jun 16, 2021 3:45 PM CDT