Tort Law

MyPillow CEO rails against lawyers in defamation depositions, says he doesn’t make ‘lumpy pillows’

Lawyers contend that MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell was “combative, vulgar, disrespectful, nonresponsive, evasive and consistently loud” during three depositions in a defamation case against him.

Sep 12, 2023 12:58 PM CDT

Ex-BigLaw partner shown in tirade videos sues influencer for allegedly destroying his career

A former Greenberg Traurig partner has sued a social media influencer for allegedly posting “false, defamatory and misleading videos” that sought to depict him as an abusive father and spouse.

Sep 7, 2023 12:08 PM CDT

‘Misogynistic’ McElroy Deutsch defamed and retaliated against former executive, amended suit alleges

A fired executive at McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter has come out swinging in an amended countersuit claiming that the law firm retaliated against her and made unwarranted assumptions when it accused her of being aware of her husband’s alleged embezzlement.

Sep 7, 2023 9:29 AM CDT

Collateral estoppel allows jurors to skip liability issue in second Trump defamation trial

A jury considering a second defamation lawsuit against former President Donald Trump by writer E. Jean Carroll can skip the liability issue and decide on damages, a federal judge in New York City has ruled.

Sep 7, 2023 8:59 AM CDT

Elder law attorney sues guardianship reform advocate for alleged libel

A Tampa, Florida, attorney has been granted leave to file an amended complaint in his libel lawsuit against the founder of a guardianship reform group for his alleged comments about “predatory attorneys” and probate litigators lying in court.

Sep 1, 2023 10:19 AM CDT

Sexual harassment accusers are ‘scorned former lovers,’ onetime law prof’s suit says

A George Mason University law professor who resigned in August following sexual harassment allegations says in a lawsuit two of his accusers are “scorned former lovers.”

Aug 31, 2023 9:55 AM CDT

Giuliani sanctioned for providing ‘blobs of indecipherable data,’ few documents in discovery

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., entered a default judgment Wednesday against lawyer Rudy Giuliani for failing to provide meaningful discovery to two Georgia poll workers who sued him for defamation after he falsely accused them of election fraud.

Aug 30, 2023 1:25 PM CDT

Copyright Law and Generative AI: What a mess

“A lot of these [copyright] issues have existed for some time,” says a partner and chair of the software and IT practice at Knobbe Martens in its Seattle office. “It’s coming to the forefront of communications because of the availability [of generative AI].”

Aug 30, 2023 8:18 AM CDT

Weekly Briefs: SCOTUS asked to hear high school admissions case over race; utility company faces suit after Hawaii wildfires

Supreme Court could hear high school admissions case involving race The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday was asked to hear a Virginia high school admissions case over race. The Coalition for TJ, a group of parents and students, filed the petition for writ of certiorari in response to the Fairfax…

Aug 25, 2023 2:09 PM CDT

Kirkland & Ellis must face ex-associate’s sex bias claims, federal court says

A former associate in the intellectual property litigation group at Kirkland & Ellis in San Francisco can move forward with her sex discrimination lawsuit against the law firm, a federal judge in California ruled Wednesday.

Aug 24, 2023 10:31 AM CDT

Fenwick & West aided FTX fraud by creating ‘shadowy entities,’ proposed class action alleges

Updated: A proposed class action lawsuit filed Monday alleges that Fenwick & West aided fraud by cryptocurrency exchange FTX and Samuel Bankman-Fried, its founder.

Aug 11, 2023 11:09 AM CDT

Supreme Court temporarily blocks $6B opioid settlement, agrees to consider Sackler family shield

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to consider the propriety of a bankruptcy plan for OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma that shielded the company’s current owners from future civil liability in exchange for a $6 billion payout.

Aug 10, 2023 4:23 PM CDT

High-risk, high-reward world of mass torts is a billion-dollar business

It’s a practice area that can yield blockbuster verdicts against deep-pocket corporations—the kinds of cases frequently featured in the news. Mass torts is a field that’s often misunderstood and mischaracterized, praised by some for prompting consumer safeguards and forcing corporate change but also viewed as overwhelmingly white and male with high barriers to entry. And the field has plenty of detractors.

Aug 1, 2023 1:10 AM CDT

Judge reluctantly tosses second bankruptcy attempt by baby powder maker Johnson & Johnson

A federal bankruptcy judge has reluctantly thwarted Johnson & Johnson’s second attempt to protect itself from claims related to its baby powder through the bankruptcy of a subsidiary created to hold Johnson & Johnson liabilities.

Jul 31, 2023 3:37 PM CDT

Weekly Briefs: Wire-transfer fraudsters fool 3 law practices; Quinn Emanuel discloses cyberattack

Unwitting money transfers to fraudsters yield reprimands Three North Carolina lawyers have been reprimanded for separate incidents in which they or their staff members mistakenly transferred real estate money or other entrusted funds to fraudsters. In all three cases, no one verified the authenticity of wiring instructions. In one case,…

Jul 28, 2023 2:26 PM CDT