Tort Law

Lawyers likely to see large payouts in $787.5M Fox defamation case

At least 31 lawyers from nine different law firms were involved in Dominion Voting Systems’ two-year defamation lawsuit against the Fox Corp., which ended this week with a $787.5 million settlement.

Apr 21, 2023 9:47 AM CDT

Is Trump immune in defamation suit over rape denial? It’s too soon to decide, top DC court says

The top court for Washington, D.C., declined to say Thursday whether former President Donald Trump was acting within the scope of his presidential employment when he denied rape claims by writer E. Jean Carroll.

Apr 14, 2023 11:48 AM CDT

Weekly Briefs: Justice Thomas responds to luxury trips story; suit filed over Idaho AG’s abortion referrals opinion

Justice Thomas: I was following colleagues’ advice on luxury trips U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas said he was following guidance from colleagues and others in the judiciary when he didn’t report luxury trips financed by a good friend, Republican megadonor Harlan Crow. ProPublica’s report on the trips said Thomas…

Apr 7, 2023 2:13 PM CDT

Johnson & Johnson tries once again to settle talc claims through ‘Texas two-step’ bankruptcy

A Johnson & Johnson unit is back in bankruptcy court again, after its first attempt to settle looming talcum powder cases failed because it wasn’t in financial distress.

Apr 7, 2023 11:06 AM CDT

ChatGPT falsely accuses law prof of sexual harassment; is libel suit possible?

A law professor was surprised to hear that he had been accused of sexual harassment during a class trip to Alaska sponsored by his law school, the Georgetown University Law Center.

Apr 6, 2023 10:42 AM CDT

Alan Dershowitz can’t pursue defamation suit against CNN, despite its ‘foolishness’ and ‘apathy,’ judge says

Former Harvard Law School professor Alan Dershowitz can’t pursue his lawsuit contending that CNN defamed him by mischaracterizing his remarks during the first impeachment trial of then-President Donald Trump, a federal judge in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has ruled.

Apr 5, 2023 12:51 PM CDT

How a yearslong toxic tort case ended in record $363M verdict

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. But what if the two points span over 30 years? How do you manage to build that straight line? Through focus and restraint. And that is exactly how we exposed three decades of misdeeds and obtained a $363 million verdict.

Apr 1, 2023 2:10 AM CDT

How I made a career in mass torts

The law appealed to me for many reasons, the primary one being that one person, regardless of socioeconomic status, can take action and stand against a company or governmental actor that had wronged them and realize some modicum of justice—unlike many other legal systems found around the world.

Apr 1, 2023 1:50 AM CDT

Morgan & Morgan won’t give ‘one single inch’ to insurance carriers on continuances and courtesies

Personal injury law firm Morgan & Morgan is drawing a line in the sand after Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a sweeping tort reform measure into law.

Mar 30, 2023 4:42 PM CDT

Insurers don’t have to provide free HIV-prevention drugs, some cancer screenings as result of federal judge’s ruling

A federal judge in Fort Worth, Texas, has blocked requirements for insurers to provide some preventive-care services for free, including drugs for HIV prevention and screenings for depression, high blood pressure, sexually transmitted diseases and some kinds of cancer.

Mar 30, 2023 1:29 PM CDT

Retired Florida judge died after eating tainted Jif peanut butter, suit claims

Updated: A retired Florida judge died in July 2022 after eating peanut butter that was contaminated with salmonella, according to allegations in a lawsuit seeking damages from the maker of Jif and the grocery store that sold it.

Mar 29, 2023 10:32 AM CDT

In ‘Actual Malice,’ law prof explains why NYT v. Sullivan mattered in 1964 and is under attack today

The 1964 decision in New York Times v. Sullivan protected the civil rights movement, established the "actual malice" standard, and is the basis for modern American libel law. But in recent years, criticism of the case has grown among conservatives—with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas calling it "policy-driven decisions masquerading as constitutional law" and suggesting that the decision should be reconsidered.

Mar 29, 2023 8:52 AM CDT

A horse is a horse—of course? Oregon Supreme Court denies plaintiff horse case review

It was an open and shut case of neglect. The victim in rural Oregon was starved, denied proper shelter and suffered from frostbite and grave injuries. His caregiver pled guilty in 2017 to criminal neglect. A year later, damages were sought for the 8-year-old victim to cover the lifelong medical care necessary for his physical and emotional injuries. But in Justice v. Vercher, the plaintiff is not a child. He is a horse.

Mar 28, 2023 1:01 PM CDT

Suit by Fox News producer alleges BigLaw lawyers and others pressured her to give evasive testimony

Updated: A Fox News producer alleges in a lawsuit filed Monday that she worked in a “misogynistic environment” at the network and received worse legal representation than male employees as she prepared for deposition testimony in the defamation case filed by Dominion Voting Systems.

Mar 21, 2023 12:32 PM CDT

STD contracted during car sex isn’t covered by GEICO auto policy, federal judge rules

A federal judge in the Western District of Missouri has ruled for GEICO in a lawsuit seeking a declaratory judgment that its auto policy doesn’t cover damages for a sexually transmitted disease contracted during car sex.

Mar 14, 2023 8:35 AM CDT