Injury & Accident Law

UK Court Awards Woman $14K for Broken Heel

Updated: Stiletto heels are apparently dangerous in more ways than one. A British court has awarded a student $14,400 for a broken ankle she suffered when a stiletto heel broke off the first time she wore new shoes. And meanwhile, a Washington state woman had to have emergency surgery after…

Jul 9, 2008 5:28 PM CDT

Omar Sharif’s Winning Tort Defense Tactic: Not Fighting $455K Case

After he hit a Beverly Hills, Calif., restaurant valet in the face during a night of drinking in 2005, actor Omar Sharif initially was apologetic and ready to cover the man’s costs. But then the 76-year-old actor, who is famed for his wartime roles in Lawrence of Arabia and Dr.…

Jul 9, 2008 3:37 PM CDT

New Law Firm Marketing Technique: 99-Cent Gas

There’s no word on whether Kentucky personal injury attorney Kevin Renfro and the Becker Law Office, picked up any new clients. But his law firm-sponsored 99-cent gas sale at a local station in Louisville certainly garnered a lot of free publicity and a captive audience. Motorists lined up as early…

Jul 1, 2008 10:50 PM CDT

Attorney Fees Drop 80% Along With Exxon Award

Attorney fees were slashed by about 80 percent when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled yesterday that Exxon Mobil Corp. should pay no more than $507.5 million in punitive damages for the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Potential fees in the class action now stand at about $188 million based on the…

Jun 26, 2008 12:22 PM CDT

Will Court’s 1-1 Ratio in Maritime Case Have Broad Punitives Impact?

When Justice David H. Souter set a 1-1 ratio for punitive to compensatory damages in a majority opinion yesterday, he emphasized he could do so because the court was setting a common law rule in a maritime case rather than a constitutional limit. That isn’t keeping some lawyers from speculating…

Jun 26, 2008 10:25 AM CDT

Lawyer Makes Thong Injury Suit Sound Boring

A Los Angeles woman’s lawsuit against Victoria’s Secret for a thong injury didn’t seem quite as titillating when her lawyer appeared with her on NBC’s Today show. The plaintiff, Macrida Patterson, claims she was injured when a metal fastener attaching a rhinestone heart to a thong snapped off and hit…

Jun 19, 2008 4:58 PM CDT

Judge Approves $11M Va. Tech Settlement

An $11 million settlement that was reportedly agreed to several months ago by victims and survivors of last year’s shooting massacre at Virginia Tech has now been approved today by a Virginia judge. “Families of 24 victims—out of 32 killed by Seung-Hui Cho—will be compensated under the settlement approved by…

Jun 17, 2008 11:21 PM CDT

Dad and Daughter a Winning Trial Team, Racking Up $22M in Auto Case

Katie Grassini initially played a key role in one of her father’s personal injury trials long before she went to law school. When Lawrence Grassini needed an assistant to help him represent a ventriloquist in a syndication rights suit, he put his then-10-year-old daughter to work. She watched episodes of…

Jun 9, 2008 4:00 PM CDT

Suit Claims Baby Bottles Are Made With Dangerous Chemical

A lawsuit filed against Playtex Products claims its plastic baby bottles contain a dangerous chemical known as bisphenol A. The suit was filed in New Haven, Conn., federal court after Canada announced it may ban the use of BPA in baby bottles over concerns it could be harmful, the Associated…

May 29, 2008 4:09 PM CDT

Pet Food Companies to Pay $24M Settlement

Companies that sold contaminated pet food have agreed to pay $24 million to resolve more than 100 consolidated lawsuits. The proposed $24 million settlement is in addition to $8 million already paid to pet owners, USA Today reports. Legal fees and expenses will be paid from the fund. The agreement…

May 23, 2008 1:56 PM CDT

NYC Seeks to Discipline 7 Cops in Bell Police Shooting Case

Officials have filed administrative discipline charges against seven New York City police officers, including several who were not indicted in a separate criminal case, over the death of Sean Bell. Three detectives were acquitted last month in a controversial criminal case over the death of the unarmed Bell in a…

May 20, 2008 9:34 PM CDT

Family Seeks $207M in Death Suit, $1M Per Minute of Suffering

The family of an East Baltimore teen who died in 2007 at a school for juvenile offenders while counselors attempted to restrain him have filed a wrongful-death suit seeking $207 million. The figure represents $1 million for every minute that Isaiah Simmons III, 17, allegedly suffered while counselors at Bowling…

May 16, 2008 1:59 PM CDT

Bork Settles Injury Suit

Failed U.S. Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork has settled his $1 million personal injury suit against the Yale Club in Manhattan. Terms of the agreement were confidential, the Associated Press reports. Bork, a former federal appeals judge, sued after he fell while trying to climb onto a dais to deliver…

May 12, 2008 12:27 PM CDT

Driver Kills Dog, Sues Owners for Damages

A Minnesota driver who struck and killed a dog has sued its owner for damages. Jeffery Ely maintains he deserves about $1,100 compensation for damage to his car and the time he had to take off work for repairs. The dog was a miniature pinscher named Fester after the uncle…

May 9, 2008 4:18 PM CDT

Lawyers Drugged at Bingham Events, Ex-Associate Says

A former first-year associate at Bingham McCutchen complains that the law firm didn’t do enough to investigate alleged druggings of attorneys by a former employee and/or attendee of firm events and keep its female attorneys safe. In discrimination complaints filed with state and federal agencies, former associate Michelle Moor says…

May 8, 2008 5:08 PM CDT