Verdicts & Settlements

Adidas Award of $305M in Trademark Infringement Case May Be Record

A Portland, Ore., jury has awarded Adidas AG nearly $305 million for violation of its trademark for three-stripe shoes. Lawyers at Kilpatrick Stockton who represented Adidas said the judgment against Payless ShoeSource Inc. may be the largest trademark victory in U.S. history, the American Lawyer reports. The verdict included $137…

May 7, 2008 4:14 PM CDT

Report Slams Tactics by Plaintiffs Lawyers in Asbestos Cases

A report released today by the Manhattan Institute’s Center for Legal Policy takes aim at a “business model” in asbestos cases that relies on “flimsy medical diagnoses” and seeks to overwhelm defendants and courts with mass claims. “An epidemic of lawsuits, many riddled with fraudulent allegations, has distorted our economy…

May 7, 2008 1:37 PM CDT

‘Pants Suit’ Judge Back in Court, Now Suing for Job and $1 Million

A former administrative law judge in Washington, D.C., who infamously filed suit against his dry cleaner for $67 million (he later reduced his claim to $54 million) is back in court again. Now Roy Pearson is seeking reinstatement to the job he may have lost, at least in part, as…

May 6, 2008 11:51 PM CDT

Phila. Judge Booted from Bench Over 24-Year-Old Use of Bogus SS#

A Philadelphia municipal judge can no longer serve on the bench because she pleaded guilty to two federal felony counts related to her use of a bogus social security number on credit applications 24 years ago, Pennsylvania’s highest court has ruled. Deborah Griffin is banned from being a judge by…

May 6, 2008 11:00 PM CDT

Restaurant Sex Violated Permit, Pa. Appeals Court Says

Live sex between patrons is not an accessory use permitted under a Philadelphia restaurant permit, a divided Pennsylvania appeals court has ruled. “The majority said sexual activity was not subordinate to dining at Club Kama Sutra because the establishment’s pricing structure seemed more in keeping with that of a sex…

May 6, 2008 6:50 PM CDT

W. Va. Law School Gets $8M in Unclaimed Settlement Money

West Virginia University’s law school will get $8 million in unclaimed settlement proceeds from a class-action lawsuit against H&R Block. The money is the largest gift ever made to the law school, the Charleston Gazette reports. Judge Duke Bloom suggested giving the money to the law school. Lawyers from both…

May 6, 2008 2:54 PM CDT

Judge Rules Utah Tribe Is Phony, Throws Out Arbitration Awards

A federal judge has ruled that an Indian tribe formed during a meeting at an Arby’s restaurant in Provo, Utah, is a “complete sham” and the judgments awarded to the group by an arbitration council are phony. The group calls itself the Wampanoag Nation, Tribe of Grayhead, Wolf Band, and…

May 6, 2008 2:24 PM CDT

‘Totally Driven’ Lawyer’s Suicide a Wake-Up Call for Others

To those who knew him, including his best friend, Hermes Villarreal was a successful trial lawyer with a happy family life. But beneath the surface, the 41-year-old South Texas plaintiffs attorney struggled with anxiety and depression. However, he didn’t know at the time that his headaches and other symptoms apparently…

May 5, 2008 8:45 PM CDT

Prosecutors Who Withhold Evidence Should Be Jailed, Texas DA Says

Wrongful convictions of 45 Texas defendants since 2001 reportedly have cost the state $8.6 million. And in 22 of those cases, prosecutors withheld evidence from the defense, reports the Dallas Morning News. If they do so intentionally, prosecutors should potentially be disbarred and even jailed, says the Dallas County district…

May 5, 2008 6:53 PM CDT

3rd-Party Stalking is a Crime, Wash. Supreme Ct. Says

Overturning a state appeals court decision, a divided Washington Supreme Court has decided that it is a criminal act for an individual to use third parties to stalk another person. Ruling on the case of Andre Paul Becklin, who got friends to follow his ex-girlfriend and report back to him,…

May 1, 2008 11:23 PM CDT

Judge Awards $3M to Law Firms that Claimed They Were Cheated Out of Fees

A Florida judge has awarded almost $3 million plus interest to three law firms that claimed they were cheated out of fees by lawyers who hired them for settlement negotiations in a suit against Progressive Insurance. Judge David Crow of Palm Beach County said he found “serious ethical flaws” by…

May 1, 2008 2:18 PM CDT

What Can Be Done About Worsening Gun Violence?

Amid increasing concern nationwide over an apparent epidemic of gun violence, a federal appeals court decision today dismissing a New York City nuisance case against firearms manufacturers is likely to be seen as a persuasive opinion that may help limit legal redress options for metropolitan areas nationwide. Leaving aside spree…

Apr 30, 2008 7:54 PM CDT

MySpace Wins Suit Against Accused Spam King

The MySpace social networking website has won a default judgment against accused spammer Sanford Wallace. CNET News reports that Wallace failed to respond to discovery requests in the suit, filed in Los Angeles federal court last March. MySpace had contended Wallace launched a phishing scam to access MySpace profiles and…

Apr 29, 2008 2:27 PM CDT

Ex-Oral Roberts Profs Request $2.5M in Demand Letter

Two former professors at Oral Roberts University are seeking $2.5 million to settle their lawsuit contending they were forced to leave after exposing financial wrongdoing. The lawsuit contends university president Richard Roberts used school money to remodel his family home 11 times in 14 years, pay for his daughter’s $29,000…

Apr 29, 2008 1:23 PM CDT

Hot Doc Found at Law Firm in $8.4M Detroit Settlement Flap

A critical legal document that led almost instantaneously to an $8.4 million city settlement of two Detroit police whistle-blower cases reportedly has been found on a plaintiffs lawyer’s computer and is to be discussed tomorrow in court. Now at issue in an ongoing controversy over the handling of the settlement,…

Apr 28, 2008 10:50 PM CDT