Verdicts & Settlements

Nude sunbather, 77, agrees to plea deal in case over his backyard practice

Thirty years of nude sunbathing in his own backyard ended Tuesday for a 77-year-old Utah man with a plea deal that requires him to don a swimsuit. Myron Lee Kipp hitherto had only a traffic ticket on his record from more than a decade ago, the Associated Press reports. His…

Mar 17, 2015 3:20 PM CDT

Two Florida judges dismiss 24,000 red-light camera tickets in one county

Two Florida judges on Monday dismissed 24,000 red-light-camera tickets from nearly every city in Broward county, finding that they were not issued as required by state statute. “We made the argument that the program was an improper delegation of police power because the videos were being sent out of state…

Mar 17, 2015 9:45 AM CDT

Documents show GM knew of ignition-switch issue, says plaintiff’s lawyer in leading case

Following a settlement last week in a high-profile ignition-switch case that sparked a massive General Motors recall, plaintiff’s lawyers involved in the case are saying that documents obtained in discovery show the company was involved in a cover-up. An internal report by Jenner & Block partner Anton Valukas found “a…

Mar 16, 2015 3:25 PM CDT

Are Lyft and Uber drivers employees? Juries will decide

Operators of the popular Lyft and Uber ride-sharing smartphone applications say drivers who use their own private vehicles to transport passengers who find them via the apps are independent contractors. But federal judges in two separate San Francisco class actions against the companies aren’t so sure, reports the Los Angeles…

Mar 16, 2015 9:07 AM CDT

Judge OKs guitar collector’s copyright suit over Toyota ad featuring B.B. King

Guitar collector Eric Dahl made a spectacular find when he purchased at a pawn shop in 2009 a prototype Gibson Lucille that he later discovered had been stolen from B.B. King. Rewarded in person by the blues legend with an autographed Gibson Lucille when he returned King’s own instrument, Dahl…

Mar 13, 2015 11:35 AM CDT

California judge boots Orange County DA’s office from murder case because of withheld evidence

A California judge has booted the Orange County district attorney’s office from a high-profile multiple murder case, citing a “chronic failure” to turn over prosecution evidence to the defense. Scott Dekraai last year pleaded guilty to eight counts of first-degree murder in the 2011 slayings of his wife and seven…

Mar 12, 2015 3:50 PM CDT

Paralegal takes plea in $600K law firm client theft; feds say he spent $550K on coin collection

A trusted paralegal accused of embezzling nearly $600,000 from 41 clients of a Georgia law firm over a period of about five years pleaded guilty Tuesday after representing himself at trial for two days in federal court. Criminally charged with 253 counts, including bank fraud, money laundering and aggravated identity…

Mar 11, 2015 2:15 PM CDT

Manslaughter case video shows actor Wyatt Russell running for life as train hurtles toward movie set

The movie was never completed. But a video clip showing actor Wyatt Russell and crew members, who had been filming Midnight Rider, running for their lives down a train trestle high above a Georgia river in real life, as a whistle-blowing train barreled down on them at 55 mph, became…

Mar 11, 2015 11:00 AM CDT

Some lawyers see blurred lines in ‘Blurred Lines’ copyright verdict

A $7.4 million verdict on behalf of singer Marvin Gaye’s family on Tuesday in the “Blurred Lines” copyright suit has clouded the line between paying homage and infringement, critics say. At issue in the suit was whether the “Blurred Lines” hit song by Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke infringed Gaye’s…

Mar 11, 2015 10:31 AM CDT

Lawyer not liable in slaying of PI killed while trying to serve divorce papers, top state court says

A Virginia lawyer had no special duty to warn a private investigator he retained to serve divorce papers. Hence, the attorney is not liable in the Pi’s slaying, even though the attorney knew the target of the divorce was armed and had been told the target was “behaving strangely,” the…

Mar 10, 2015 4:00 PM CDT

Judge says man can’t smoke in his own home due to neighbor’s 2nd-hand smoke concerns

The Washington, D.C., home in which Edwin Gray lives has been owned by his family for 50 years. But that doesn’t mean he can smoke there. Responding to a lawsuit by a new neighbor concerned about second-hand smoke, a D.C. Superior Court judge has issued a temporary order requiring Gray,…

Mar 10, 2015 1:30 PM CDT

Federal jury awards $491M in trial over prepaid funeral scheme

A federal jury in St. Louis on Monday awarded $491 million in damages concerning a failed prepaid funeral operation that has been described by prosecutors as a Ponzi-like scheme. During the more than 15 years that National Prearranged Services Inc. was in operation, the money paid in for funerals was…

Mar 10, 2015 10:30 AM CDT

Accused of stonewalling complaints, major credit agencies promise reform in pact with New York AG

Following claims that credit reporting agencies stonewall consumer complaints about inaccuracies, New York’s attorney general demanded reform and has now announced a settlement. Among other changes, the three major credit reporting agencies have promised to have trained employees review the specifics of complaints about alleged errors and will wait six…

Mar 9, 2015 4:20 PM CDT

Woman who confessed to murder to get private room in mental hospital is exonerated decades later

Prosecutors are dropping a murder case against a woman who was twice convicted in a Nevada slaying based on a confession her lawyer says she made in order to get a private room in a psychiatric hospital. Cathy Woods, who is now 64, won a new trial for the second…

Mar 6, 2015 2:30 PM CST

Colorado lawyer wins $150K libel award against UK Internet troll who criticized his law firm

Angry and upset by an online attack that seemed to be coming from a disgruntled client, Colorado lawyer Timothy Bussey retained counsel to find out who was behind the criticism of his law firm on a Google page. The answer, a U.K. High Court judge ruled, was Jason “Jay” Page,…

Mar 6, 2015 1:55 PM CST