Verdicts & Settlements

Juror says $2B award in Roundup cancer trial was intended to have ‘punch-in-the-gut effect’

Jurors awarded $2 billion in punitive damages Monday to a California couple who alleged that their longtime use of Roundup weed killer caused their non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

May 14, 2019 8:55 AM CDT

Oregon may finally join 49 other states that require unanimous jury decisions in criminal cases

In 49 U.S. states and the federal court system, a 10-2 vote would not have been enough to convict. Oregon is currently the only state that permits convictions (for felonies other than murder) on a 10-2 or 11-1 vote of the jury. That practice has come under criticism in recent years by people who say it was enacted for racist reasons; it denies minority viewpoints on the jury a voice and removes an important safeguard against wrongful convictions.

May 1, 2019 2:30 AM CDT

Socialite grifter convicted, despite help from courtroom stylist; she allegedly fooled law firms

A professional courtroom stylist was unable to win an acquittal for accused socialite grifter Anna Sorokin, who was also accused but not charged with duping three BigLaw firms.

Apr 30, 2019 7:30 AM CDT

Neo-Nazi who plowed car into crowd in Charlottesville, killing paralegal, pleads guilty to hate crimes

The neo-Nazi who killed a paralegal after plowing his car into a crowd of racism protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, pleaded guilty to federal hate crimes Wednesday after Attorney General William Barr agreed to drop the only charge carrying the death penalty. James Alex Fields Jr. of Maumee, Ohio, pleaded guilty…

Mar 28, 2019 9:30 AM CDT

Former BigLaw lawyer awarded $6.3M for brain injury caused by parking garage pipe

A former lawyer with Hunton & Williams has been awarded $6.3 million for a brain injury caused when she hit her head on a low-hanging pipe in the Atlanta parking garage used by people at the law firm. The lawyer, Aja Diamond McCoy, suffers “unpredictable and severe” pain from the…

Mar 28, 2019 7:30 AM CDT

Purdue Pharma reaches $270M settlement with Oklahoma in opioid epidemic suit

Purdue Pharma and its owners have agreed to a $270 million settlement with Oklahoma in the state’s lawsuit claiming OxyContin contributed to an opioid epidemic, according to multiple publications. The settlement was to be announced at a press conference on Tuesday, report Reuters, the Washington Post, Bloomberg and the Wall…

Mar 26, 2019 12:43 PM CDT

Sellers of blood-thinner drug to settle about 25,000 suits for $775M

The sellers of the blood thinner Xarelto have agreed to pay $775 million to settle about 25,000 lawsuits claiming the companies failed to warn the drug can cause potentially fatal bleeding. Johnson & Johnson and Bayer agreed to the settlement Monday, report the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal,…

Mar 26, 2019 11:03 AM CDT

Attorney accused of witness intimidation by emoji pleads guilty to different charge

A Las Vegas lawyer who was accused of intimidating a witness partly by posting a rat emoji won’t be charged with that offense after pleading guilty in a separate case. Alexis Plunkett, 38, pleaded guilty to allowing clients to use cellphones in jail, report the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Fox…

Mar 21, 2019 10:54 AM CDT

SCOTUS requires standing review of case challenging cy pres awards to groups rather than plaintiffs

Only Justice Clarence Thomas offered an opinion on the merits Wednesday in a case that challenges cy pres awards that give class-action awards to nonparty nonprofit groups rather than the plaintiffs.

Mar 20, 2019 10:55 AM CDT

Roundup weed killer was substantial factor in man’s cancer, jurors find in second trial

Federal jurors in San Francisco found Tuesday that Roundup was a substantial factor in causing the cancer of a California man who used the weed killer to kill poison oak on his 56-acre property for 26 years. Jurors ruled for 70-year-old Edwin Hardeman in the first phase of his trial,…

Mar 20, 2019 9:25 AM CDT

Michael Cohen sues Trump Organization for nearly $2M in unpaid legal fees

President Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen filed a lawsuit against the Trump Organization on Thursday that alleges that the company violated an agreement to pay his legal fees and related costs. Cohen filed the suit in New York state court, report the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal,…

Mar 7, 2019 3:19 PM CST

Former general counsel’s award of nearly $8M upheld; he claimed he was fired for whistleblowing

A federal appeals court has upheld all but $2.96 million of a nearly $11 million federal jury award obtained by a whistleblowing former general counsel of Bio-Rad Laboratories. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at San Francisco upheld $2.96 million in back pay and stock compensation and $5 million…

Feb 28, 2019 12:41 PM CST

Drug kingpin El Chapo convicted; defense case lasted half-hour

Drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera was convicted Tuesday following a three-month trial in which the defense case lasted only a half-hour. Guzman, 61, was convicted on all counts, including charges of drug trafficking and conspiracy, report the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal and…

Feb 12, 2019 3:15 PM CST

Blockchain neophyte carves out niche in cryptocurrency litigation

David Silver learned about cryptocurrency the way a lot of people do—at a dinner party.

Feb 8, 2019 7:00 AM CST

Sen. Rand Paul awarded more than $580K in civil suit against neighbor who tackled him

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky was awarded more than $580,000 in damages Wednesday in a civil suit against a neighbor who tackled him from behind and broke six of his ribs, leading to two bouts of pneumonia and a hernia caused by the coughing. The verdict against the neighbor,…

Jan 31, 2019 10:54 AM CST