Verdicts & Settlements

Afternoon Briefs: Discipline recommended for bar code switches; Andrew McCabe sues over firing

• A staff lawyer for an Ohio judge is facing possible discipline after he was accused of switching bar codes on Walmart merchandise before going through the self-checkout. The lawyer, Terrence Kensley Scott, was accused of paying $27 for items valued at $367. A police officer who confronted Scott outside…

Aug 8, 2019 4:44 PM CDT

Federal judge appears likely to certify unusual ‘negotiation’ class for nation’s cities in massive opioid case

A federal judge in Cleveland appears ready to approve a “negotiation” class representing the nation’s 33,000 cities, towns and counties to try to achieve a settlement in opioid litigation.

Aug 7, 2019 10:03 AM CDT

Citing contradictory evidence, judge overturns sex assault verdict; juror is ‘absolutely appalled’

Advocates for victims are expressing concern after a Pennsylvania judge granted a defense motion for a judgment of acquittal in a sexual assault case. Judge Alexander Bicket of Allegheny County acquitted 24-year-old Joon Woo (Jason) Baik on July 22 after jurors had found him guilty of sexual assault, report the…

Jul 29, 2019 2:13 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: $2B verdict against Roundup maker slashed; law firm breakup now a play

• For the second time in two weeks, a judge in California has reduced a verdict against the maker of Roundup weed killer in a suit by cancer victims. Judge Winifred Smith of Alameda County reduced the award to Alva and Alberta Pilliod from $2 billion to $86.7 million. Defendant…

Jul 26, 2019 5:02 PM CDT

Neil Armstrong’s family received $6M in secret settlement with hospital that treated him before death

Astronaut Neil Armstrong’s relatives obtained a confidential $6 million settlement for alleged medical errors by the Ohio hospital that performed heart bypass surgery on him before his death in August 2012, according to published reports. The New York Times and the Cincinnati Enquirer reported on the secret settlement days after…

Jul 25, 2019 1:05 PM CDT

Tech companies under fire: Facebook to pay $5B, antitrust probe opened, AG Barr criticizes encryption

Technology companies are under fire by the Trump administration. On Wednesday, the Federal Trade Commission announced that Facebook will pay a record $5 billion privacy penalty to settle allegations that the company deceived users about their ability to control disclosure of their personal information. The Washington Post has coverage. The…

Jul 24, 2019 10:27 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Teen vandal gets paint-with-a-toothbrush sentence; Equifax settles data breach claims

• Equifax has agreed to pay up to $700 million to settle state and federal claims related to a 2017 data breach that exposed the information of 147 million consumers. Up to $425 million of the settlement will pay consumers for time and money they spent to address identity theft…

Jul 22, 2019 4:15 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: House holds attorney general in contempt; opioid executives charged

• The U.S. House voted Wednesday to hold Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in contempt of Congress for failing to turn over documents on now-scuttled plans to add a citizenship question to the census. The vote refers the case to the Justice Department for prosecution of…

Jul 18, 2019 4:05 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Feds won’t charge cop in Eric Garner’s chokehold death, Cardi B defends her courtroom attire

• The U.S. Justice Department won’t charge the New York City police officer who put Eric Garner in a chokehold during an arrest for selling loose cigarettes. Garner cried out, “I can’t breathe” before his death. Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue said the officer won’t be charged with a civil…

Jul 16, 2019 6:15 PM CDT

Lawyers can be sued for allegedly violating confidentiality deal in Monster Energy suit

A lawyer who sued Monster Energy in the cardiac death of a teenager can be sued for allegedly violating a confidentiality clause that was part of the case settlement, the California Supreme Court has ruled. In its July 11 decision, the court said Monster Energy could sue Bruce Schechter and…

Jul 16, 2019 1:30 PM CDT

Law firm awarded $900K in suit contending departing lawyers took confidential files

A former Boston law firm has been awarded $900,000 in its suit claiming that departing lawyers breached their duty of loyalty when they took the firm’s electronic database of files and misused confidential information. Jurors found for the Governo Law Firm last week in its suit against six departing lawyers…

Jun 28, 2019 12:40 PM CDT

Greenspoon Marder settles bias suit of former partner who’s Korean American

Greenspoon Marder has settled a lawsuit filed by a Korean American lawyer who alleged he was ousted from the partnership because of racial and national origin discrimination. In a June 17 order, U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan dismissed the case because of the settlement, the Daily Business Review reports. Terms…

Jun 19, 2019 3:18 PM CDT

Former Jones Day partner drops suit claiming ‘enforced code of silence’ led to pay bias

A former Jones Day partner in California has dropped her pay bias suit against the law firm in exchange for return of capital that she contributed to the firm. Lawyer Wendy Moore has dismissed all her claims, according to a statement by the law firm emailed to the ABA Journal.…

Jun 18, 2019 3:28 PM CDT

More suits ahead after Honduran immigrant’s $125K settlement for mistreatment in border detention

A group that helped represent a Honduran immigrant who received a $125,000 settlement for mistreatment in border detention facilities says the victory has led to plans for more lawsuits. Suny Rodriguez Alvarado sued under the Federal Tort Claims Act for mistreatment of her son and herself. Her suit, filed in…

Jun 18, 2019 2:33 PM CDT

Program cuts for unaccompanied immigrant children could violate settlement, lawyer says

Updated: Unaccompanied immigrant children living in U.S. shelters will no longer receive English instruction, legal aid and recreational programs that had been funded by the Office of Refugee Resettlement. A spokesman for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services confirmed the cuts to the Washington Post. Funding is being…

Jun 5, 2019 12:14 PM CDT