Libel

Lawyer’s mistaken Zelle transfer leads to ethics complaint

An Ohio lawyer mistakenly sent $550 via money transfer app Zelle to an Illinois resident, peppered him with emails and texts while a bank fraud department investigated, and then sued him after the money was returned, according to an ethics complaint by the Dayton Bar Association.

Nov 5, 2024 9:30 AM CST

Judge allows malicious prosecution claim in attorney’s countersuit against McElroy Deutsch

A lawyer who countersued McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter for defamation and retaliation may add a malicious prosecution claim to the action, a New Jersey judge has ruled.

Oct 2, 2024 2:48 PM CDT

Law firm can sue over alleged fake online reviews that toppled its top rating, appeals court says

A Houston law firm alleging that it was defamed by 99 fake three-star reviews on its Google business page can sue for defamation for 62 of those reviews, an Ohio appeals court has ruled.

Sep 19, 2024 2:37 PM CDT

It’s ‘past time to proceed to the merits’ in fired BigLaw associate’s bias case, judge says

A federal judge in California last week refused to toss an amended gender-bias and retaliation lawsuit filed against Kirkland & Ellis by a fired associate, saying “it is past time to proceed to the merits.”

Sep 16, 2024 12:26 PM CDT

2nd Circuit cites push notifications to jurors as one reason why Sarah Palin deserves new defamation trial

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, a Republican, is entitled to a new trial in her defamation case against the New York Times, partly because a jury finding of no liability was marred by push notifications received by jurors, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.

Aug 28, 2024 2:54 PM CDT

Victim advocate fired for misdirected ‘panties’ email sues district attorney’s office for its comments

A victim witness advocate has sued for privacy invasion and defamation following his firing for mistakenly sending a “wacky email” to the entire San Francisco district attorney’s office that read, “What color panties you have on.”

Jul 24, 2024 2:47 PM CDT

Former BigLaw partner settles defamation suit against social media influencer

A former Greenberg Traurig partner has reached a settlement with a social media influencer he accused of posting defamatory videos seeking to falsely depict the lawyer as an abusive husband and spouse.

Jul 8, 2024 1:22 PM CDT

Judge tosses lawyer’s defamation suit against ex-mayor for alleged crude and insulting statements

Then-Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot was acting within the scope of her official duties when she allegedly questioned a lawyer’s legal abilities and bragged that she has the "biggest d- - - in Chicago,” according to a Cook County, Illinois, judge.

Jun 7, 2024 9:15 AM CDT

Judge denies dueling requests for sanctions in Elon Musk defamation case

A Texas judge has denied a bid for sanctions claiming that BigLaw partner Alex Spiro “brazenly” appeared at a deposition for Tesla CEO Elon Musk without pro hac vice permission and then acted in “an obnoxious manner.”

Jun 3, 2024 8:56 AM CDT

Lawyer seeking sanctions ‘descended into schoolyard antics’ at deposition, Quinn Emanuel says

Alex Spiro, a partner with Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, may have given some responses that "were pointed at times" during a deposition of his client Tesla CEO Elon Musk. But it was in response to the opposing lawyer’s "insults, shouting, interruptions and violations" of a court order, according to the law firm’s opposition to a sanctions motion.

Apr 22, 2024 11:09 AM CDT

‘Sense of entitlement’ led BigLaw partner to ‘brazenly’ appear at deposition and act ‘obnoxious,’ sanctions bid says

Alex Spiro, a partner with Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, wrongly appeared at a Texas deposition without pro hac vice permission and then proceeded to act in a “ridiculously unprofessional” manner, according to a sanctions motion by a Los Angeles man suing Tesla CEO Elon Musk for alleged defamation.

Apr 10, 2024 10:27 AM CDT

Lawyer defending ex-CEO of Overstock arrested after she is no-show on voting-machine-possession charge

A Michigan lawyer was arrested in Washington, D.C., on Monday for failing to appear for a March 7 hearing on charges that she possessed and damaged a voting machine.

Mar 20, 2024 9:44 AM CDT

Trump seeks court approval of $91.6 million bond while he appeals E. Jean Carroll verdict

Donald Trump secured a $91.6 million bond to delay execution of a jury verdict in E. Jean Carroll’s defamation lawsuit while he appeals, putting to rest questions about whether he could come up with the funds amid a cash crunch.

Mar 8, 2024 11:26 AM CST

Ex-Greenberg Traurig partner’s defamation suit against blogger is ‘replete with unnecessary commentary,’ judge says

A social media influencer has won dismissal of a defamation lawsuit filed by a former Greenberg Traurig partner over the posting of marital videos said to depict the lawyer as an abusive spouse and father.

Feb 12, 2024 10:48 AM CST

Law prof presses male sex-bias allegations in new suit after federal judge tosses his Title IX claim

Updated: A professor at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law has filed a new lawsuit against the school stemming from a former associate dean’s alleged comments in 2016 that she didn’t want to see white men teaching anymore in the trial advocacy program that he headed.

Feb 7, 2024 10:42 AM CST