Verdicts & Settlements

Lawyer settles suit over her detention for refusing to speak during traffic stop

A Philadelphia lawyer will receive a $30,000 settlement in a suit claiming her constitutional rights were violated when she was handcuffed and detained in a holding cell for refusing to answer police officers’ questions during a traffic stop. Philadelphia lawyer Rebecca Musarra settled the federal case last month, report NJ…

Aug 25, 2017 7:00 AM CDT

Emailed photo that arrived as talc trial began among new evidence credited in $417M cancer verdict

An emailed photo and negative evidence about witnesses supporting Johnson & Johnson’s safety claims may have influenced jurors who awarded $417 million to a woman diagnosed with ovarian cancer after using the company’s talcum powder for decades, according to one of her lawyers. Eva Echeverria, 63, said she began using…

Aug 22, 2017 1:08 PM CDT

‘Pharma Bro’ Martin Shkreli convicted of securities fraud in mixed verdict

Drug company CEO Martin Shkreli--the self-described "Pharma Bro"--said he was “delighted in many ways” after he was convicted Friday on three of eight counts in a securities fraud trial he called a "witch hunt."

Aug 4, 2017 2:23 PM CDT

Lawyers accused of forum shopping for settlement approval win reversal of federal sanctions

A federal appeals court has ruled class action lawyers did not abuse the judicial process when they dropped a federal lawsuit and refiled it in Arkansas state court with a proposed settlement.

Jul 27, 2017 7:00 AM CDT

Law profs find an ‘astonishing’ drop in win rates for federal plaintiffs

Success rates for plaintiffs in adjudicated federal cases declined from about 70 percent in 1985 to 33 percent in 2009, according to a draft study by two law professors.

University of Connecticut law professors Alexandra Lahav and Peter Siegelman say they can’t point to a single reason for the “astonishing” drop in success rates, Reuters reports. “A significant puzzle remains unsolved,” they write in the draft study, available here.

Jul 5, 2017 8:10 AM CDT

ABC settles suit claiming ‘pink slime’ stories defamed beef company

ABC News on Wednesday settled a $1.9 billion defamation lawsuit claiming its stories about a ground beef product labeled “pink slime” by the network had damaged the business that produces it. The suit settled for an undisclosed amount during a trial of the claims in South Dakota, report the Wall…

Jun 28, 2017 1:11 PM CDT

A second mistrial is declared for Ohio officer accused in fatal shooting of black driver

An Ohio judge has again declared a mistrial in the prosecution of Ray Tensing, a University of Cincinnati police officer accused of fatally shooting a black man he pulled over for driving a car without a front license plate. Judge Leslie Ghiz declared a mistrial after jurors said they were…

Jun 23, 2017 2:27 PM CDT

Former Milwaukee police officer is acquitted in shooting death of armed man lying on the ground

A former Milwaukee police officer was acquitted of reckless homicide on Wednesday in the shooting death of an armed man who was lying on the ground when the fatal shot was fired. Prosecutors had argued Dominique Heaggan-Brown committed a felony when he fired the shot that killed 23-year-old Sylville Smith,…

Jun 21, 2017 4:25 PM CDT

Judge seals settlement in Michael Brown wrongful death suit against Ferguson, cites safety concern

A federal judge in St. Louis has approved a confidential settlement in a wrongful death suit filed by the parents of Michael Brown, whose 2014 shooting death by a Ferguson, Missouri, police officer set off a wave of protests. Settlements against government are usually open records under Missouri law, but…

Jun 21, 2017 10:45 AM CDT

Bill Cosby’s wife calls DA ‘heinously and exploitively ambitious’ after he announces retrial plans

Bill Cosby’s wife lashed out at Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, District Attorney Kevin Steele on Saturday after the prosecutor announced plans to retry the comedian for sexual assault.

Jun 19, 2017 8:00 AM CDT

Officer is acquitted in shooting death of black driver whose girlfriend livestreamed the aftermath

Updated: A Minnesota police officer has been acquitted in the shooting death last summer of a cafeteria supervisor, an incident that received widespread attention because victim Philando Castile’s girlfriend livestreamed the aftermath on Facebook. Shortly after the verdict was announced, the town of St. Anthony said Jeronimo Yanez is no…

Jun 16, 2017 3:29 PM CDT

Woman is found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for encouraging boyfriend’s suicide with texts

A Massachusetts judge has found a woman guilty of involuntary manslaughter for encouraging her boyfriend to commit suicide and then failing to tell him to stop as he carried out the act in July 2014 when they were both teenagers. Judge Lawrence Moniz convicted 20-year-old Michelle Carter on Friday for…

Jun 16, 2017 11:24 AM CDT

Starbucks customer is awarded $100K for burns from hot coffee spill

Jurors in Jacksonville, Florida, last week awarded $100,000 to a woman who said she was severely burned when the lid popped off a cup of Starbucks coffee she received at a drive-through window. Jurors found Starbucks was 80 percent at fault for the 2014 coffee spill that left Joanne Mogavero…

May 22, 2017 7:00 AM CDT

Tulsa police officer acquitted in fatal shooting of unarmed man

A white police officer from Tulsa, Oklahoma, was acquitted of manslaughter on Wednesday in the shooting death of an unarmed black man last September. Jurors deliberated more than nine hours before they announced the acquittal of Betty Shelby, report the Tulsa World, the New York Times and the Washington Post.…

May 18, 2017 10:43 AM CDT

Former prostitute wins $1.7M verdict against lawyer for privacy invasion

Jurors in Denver have awarded a woman $1.7 million in damages in her privacy invasion suit against a Colorado lawyer who exposed her secret life as a prostitute. Suspended lawyer Sean Saxon was found liable for revealing Jerene Dildine’s work to her family members and classmates, CBS 4 reports. Dildine…

May 16, 2017 10:57 AM CDT