Injury & Accident Law

LA Plaintiffs Firm Loses Chevron Suit Filed for Nigerian Protest Victims

A federal jury in San Francisco has ruled for Chevron in a case brought on behalf of Nigerian victims of a military shooting during a protest on the company’s oil rig. The plaintiffs had sued for damages under the Alien Tort Claims Act, the Recorder reports. They had sought damages…

Dec 2, 2008 1:25 PM CST

Judge Tosses Testimony of Doc Who Diagnosed 7,000 Asbestos Plaintiffs

A Michigan judge has disqualified expert witness testimony from a physician who diagnosed more than 7,000 asbestos plaintiffs. Judge Robert Colombo Jr. ruled that the physician’s opinions were not reliable, the National Law Journal reports. Dr. Michael Kelly was not a radiologist and was not board-certified to read X-rays, according…

Nov 25, 2008 3:27 PM CST

Alleged Thief Nearly Busts Himself Open, Along With Stolen ATM

An unidentified Kansas man allegedly came close to pulling off an ATM heist early yesterday, after he reportedly stole a skid loader and not only used it to pry a cash machine loose from a local credit union but also to drop it down a 50-foot embankment and bust it…

Nov 25, 2008 12:56 AM CST

Tasered Accountant Gets $60K in Excessive-Force Case

A 53-year-old Washington state accountant who voluntarily went to the local police station as a witness and wound up as a defendant in an obstruction case, after being jolted twice with a stun gun, has won a $60,000 award in a federal civil rights case. Kevin Bonner was awarded $35,000…

Nov 20, 2008 12:00 AM CST

UK Lawyer Made $25M in a Year, Now He Is Focus of Legal-Fees Controversy

Representing injured coal miners has proven to be a lucrative practice area for Jim Beresford, 58, and his three-partner law firm. At one point, the head office of the United Kingdom law firm now known as Beresfords Solicitors was shabby building near a Chinese takeout restaurant in Doncaster, in South…

Nov 14, 2008 12:31 AM CST

How an Obama Presidency May Benefit Lawyers

Lawyers in diverse practice areas ranging from labor law to bankruptcy are likely to benefit from legal changes that could be made during the Obama administration. Lawyers can expect more regulations in banking and health care, fewer restrictions on lawsuits, more real estate lending and a pro-labor tilt, according to…

Nov 6, 2008 2:26 PM CST

2nd Circuit OKs Suit Over Alleged Union Carbide Water Pollution in Bhopal, India

Nearly 25 years after a catastrophic accident in Bhopal, India, killed thousands of people, a federal appeals court in the U.S. has reinstated a 2004 lawsuit concerning those allegedly exposed to toxic drinking water and contaminated soil after the 1984 gas leak at a Union Carbide Corp. pesticide plant there.…

Nov 4, 2008 8:00 PM CST

Keanu Reeves Cleared in Paparazzo Suit

Actor Keanu Reeves was found not to be liable for a photographer’s injuries last year after the paparazzo apparently got too close to his upscale vehicle. Alison Silva “claimed he was knocked to the ground and injured his wrist in March 2007 when he was trying to take pictures of…

Nov 4, 2008 6:42 PM CST

Eliminating Guardrails Atop Elevator Saved $1K But Cost $2.17M

Saving $1,000 to $1,500 by not installing guardrails on top of a $1 million cargo elevator, as the original design called for, cost two elevator companies $2.17 million yesterday. That’s what a jury in Rock County, Wis., awarded the widow of a General Motors worker who died Oct. 30, 2003…

Oct 29, 2008 4:06 PM CDT

National Study Finds Modest Damages are the Norm in State Civil Cases

A new study appears to debunk tales of runaway civil trial damages, at least in most kinds of cases. The first national study of civil trials in state courts has found that civil plaintiffs who received monetary damages in 2005 received a median final award of only $28,000, according to…

Oct 28, 2008 8:30 PM CDT

Boy, 8, Dead in Uzi Firing Range Accident; Some Suggest Change in Law

An 8-year-old boy aiming a 9 mm Micro Uzi at a pumpkin on a Connecticut firing range Sunday accidentally shot himself instead as the submachine gun recoiled and he apparently lost control of it. The tragedy at a Westfield gun club has sparked calls for changes in state law, reports…

Oct 28, 2008 5:02 PM CDT

Judge Tells Chevron to Remove Sponsored Links to Website about Case

A federal judge in San Francisco has ordered Chevron to take down sponsored Google links to a website providing the company’s spin on an incident that resulted in the death of a Nigerian villager and a lawsuit under the Alien Tort Claims Act. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston had issued…

Oct 28, 2008 12:28 PM CDT

Pictures Point to Sheriff’s Deputy in Fatal Crash, But Civilian is Blamed

A convicted sexual predator who previously worked as a deputy for the Polk County Sheriff’s Office may have caused a fatal accident in Florida for which a civilian has been blamed. Traffic accident reconstruction experts who reviewed photographs kept by attorneys of the Volkswagen Passat involved in the the six-year-old…

Oct 27, 2008 5:30 PM CDT

Another Hot Coffee Lawsuit Filed, this One against Starbucks

A Tennessee woman claims in a lawsuit that she suffered severe burns when coffee she bought at a Starbucks drive-up window spilled onto her hand and lap. The plaintiff is 23-year-old Jordan Triplett, the Knoxville News reports. The suit claims the coffee lid was loose, and dislodged as she was…

Oct 27, 2008 4:44 PM CDT

Dismissed: Basketball Face-Punch Claim Against Lawyers League

Acting New York Supreme Court Justice Paul G. Feinman dismissed a negligence action against the Lawyers Athletic League by a former Milberg Weiss Bershad & Schulman teammate who was allegedly punched in the face by rivals during a basketball game. Devone Stephenson, who is 6 feet 8 inches tall and…

Oct 23, 2008 10:38 PM CDT