Verdicts & Settlements

North Carolina bar accuses lawyer of stealing from 2 death row exonerees

A Florida lawyer defrauded, deceived and embezzled funds from two mentally disabled clients who were declared innocent after spending 31 years in prison, according to a complaint filed Wednesday by the North Carolina State Bar. Henry McCollum and his half-brother, Leon Brown, were exonerated in 2014 after serving decades in…

Sep 28, 2018 6:00 AM CDT

Proskauer partner resolves her gender bias suit against the firm

Proskauer Rose partner Connie Bertram has apparently resolved her $50 million gender bias suit against her law firm. A stipulation filed Friday says the case is dismissed in its entirety, the American Lawyer reports. Bertram is still listed as a partner on Proskauer’s website. Bertram is the head of Proskauer’s…

Aug 13, 2018 10:05 AM CDT

Encouraged by speedier trials in Bronx misdemeanor court, plaintiffs agree to stay litigation

The Bronx Defenders, a nonprofit public defender group, has agreed to stay a lawsuit claiming lengthy delays in the New York borough’s misdemeanor cases were depriving their clients of a right to a speedy trial. The settlement stays the litigation for four years, though the plaintiffs have reserved the right…

Aug 10, 2018 12:44 PM CDT

Several states seek to block publication of blueprints for 3D-printed guns

Updated: The attorneys general of several states are seeking to block a Texas company from publishing its blueprints online to make guns from 3D printers. New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal sent a cease-and-desist letter on Thursday while Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro obtained an emergency federal court hearing on…

Jul 27, 2018 3:47 PM CDT

Ex-Lions Gate in-house lawyer got $2.5M settlement for alleged harassment by then-general counsel

A former in-house lawyer at Lions Gate Entertainment is talking to the media about allegations of unwanted sexual contact by general counsel Wayne Levin, who resigned last November. Levin’s departure came nearly a year after the company first reached a $2.5 million agreement to resolve misconduct claims by the former…

Jul 26, 2018 11:52 AM CDT

Lawsuit settlement will allow online blueprints for 3D-printed guns

Beginning Aug. 1, a Texas company will be able to publish its blueprints to make guns from 3D printers without fear of reprisal by the U.S. State Department. Defense Distributed will be able to publish the blueprints as a result of a June 29 lawsuit settlement with the federal agency,…

Jul 24, 2018 12:09 PM CDT

Former Balch & Bingham partner convicted of bribing ex-lawmaker to oppose Superfund expansion

A federal jury in Birmingham, Alabama, on Friday convicted a former Balch & Bingham partner and a corporate executive for bribing a onetime Alabama lawmaker to oppose expanding and prioritizing a Superfund site. Jurors convicted former partner Joel Gilbert along with the vice president of government and regulatory affairs at…

Jul 23, 2018 1:12 PM CDT

ABA files amicus brief with Supreme Court seeking to preserve cy pres awards for legal aid groups

The American Bar Association on Monday filed an amicus brief that told the U.S. Supreme Court that class-action cy pres awards are often appropriate when paid to legal service groups that help provide access to justice. Cy pres awards—paid to outside groups rather than class-action plaintiffs—provide an average of $15.5…

Jul 16, 2018 1:30 PM CDT

Johnson & Johnson ordered to pay nearly $4.7B in talcum powder case

Jurors in St. Louis awarded nearly $4.7 billion in damages on Thursday in a suit that claimed Johnson & Johnson baby powder caused 22 women to get ovarian cancer, including six women who died. Jurors awarded $550 million in compensatory damages and $4.14 billion in punitive damages, report the St.…

Jul 13, 2018 9:50 AM CDT

Judge awards $5 to Charlottesville rally organizer who said cursing woman violated anti-dueling law

A judge in Charlottesville, Virginia, awarded $5 on Friday to the organizer of last summer’s “Unite the Right” rally of white supremacists in a suit against a woman who cursed at him.

Jul 2, 2018 12:22 PM CDT

Texas lawyer’s wife settles suit claiming woman seduced her husband and induced money transfers

The wife of a Texas lawyer and the family’s limited partnership have settled a lawsuit targeting a woman said to have seduced the lawyer and induced him to transfer more than $2 million in assets to her. Sheila Umphrey and the Umphrey Family Limited Partnership filed a notice with a…

Jun 21, 2018 7:05 AM CDT

Woman who sued lawyer over injuries from flung pasta is awarded more than $85K

A Connecticut woman has been awarded more than $85,000 in her lawsuit claiming she was hit in the face with pasta in a spicy sauce flung by a lawyer during an argument with another man at a restaurant.

Jun 11, 2018 7:05 AM CDT

New rule requires California courts to disclose names of judges in settled cases alleging misconduct

The California Judicial Council has approved a rule that requires courts to disclose financial settlements involving judges accused of sexual harassment, discrimination and other misconduct.

May 30, 2018 7:11 AM CDT

Michigan State agrees to $500M settlement with victims of Larry Nassar

Michigan State University has reached a $500 million settlement with 332 victims of Larry Nassar, a former sports doctor for the university who was sentenced to prison for sexually molesting gymnasts and other athletes during medical treatments. The settlement was announced Wednesday in a suit that had accused Michigan State…

May 16, 2018 11:57 AM CDT

Morgan & Morgan apparently settles suit alleging its ads are misleading

A lawsuit alleging Morgan & Morgan was running misleading ads has apparently settled. U.S. District Judge Mark Kearney of Philadelphia issued an order last Friday that dismissed the case based on a stipulation of the parties, the Legal Intelligencer reports. Kearney had previously allowed the case to go forward, though…

May 11, 2018 12:14 PM CDT