Verdicts & Settlements

Sex, Lies and Text Messages: Side Deal a Secret in $8.4M Pact, Detroit Lawyer Says

During a hearing that began today over a controversial $8.4 million settlement by the city of Detroit of police whistle-blower cases, a lawyer representing the mayor told the city council he had no ethical obligation to inform the governing body about a secret side deal about text messages between the…

Apr 8, 2008 10:44 PM CDT

Record $3M Settlement in Seattle Schools Sex-Abuse Case

Seattle Public Schools has agreed to pay $3.05 million to settle a case about two students molested by a former middle-school teacher whose behavior during a 20-year education career allegedly resulted in multiple complaints that weren’t properly investigated. The settlement reportedly is the highest ever agreed to by any school…

Apr 8, 2008 9:51 PM CDT

Grace Sets $3B Aside to Settle Asbestos Suits

After years of posturing, a bankruptcy and recently heated negotiation, W.R. Grace & Co. has announced it will settle all 112,000 lawsuits filed on behalf of individuals sickened or killed because of exposure to asbestos in the company’s vermiculite mine in Libby, Mont. Grace plans to create an irrevocable trust…

Apr 8, 2008 6:16 PM CDT

Facebook Close to Resolving Origin Claims?

An uncomfortable challenge to the popular college student-networking site Facebook may be near settlement. Three former Harvard students sued Facebook claiming that the idea for the social networking site was theirs, the New York Times reports. Brothers Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss went to Harvard with Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of…

Apr 8, 2008 3:21 PM CDT

Wily Tax Attorney Helps Win IRS Case from Beyond the Grave

His own case is still ongoing, some seven years after his death. But tax attorney Burton Kanter’s wily plan for avoiding excessive payments in a nearly 20-year-old income tax matter has now been okayed by an 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel hearing a co-defendant’s case. And that 11th…

Apr 7, 2008 10:35 PM CDT

N.J. Agrees to Cough Up $1.8M for Demolishing Condo

Here’s the scenario that culminated in a $1.8 million settlement in New Jersey this week: Family takes plot of land that had been vacant for 20 years; developer builds condos; city condemns property to build new school; new condos are torn down; city no longer has money for new school;…

Apr 4, 2008 9:01 PM CDT

Nicolas Cage Wins Libel Action Against Kathleen Turner

Actor Nicolas Cage, who was dogged by false allegations in Kathleen Turner’s memoir, has won a libel action against the actress and the Daily Mail in England. In her book, Send Yourself Roses, Turner alleged that Cage had twice been arrested for drunken driving and that he had stolen a…

Apr 4, 2008 7:07 PM CDT

Ohio Pledges $30M More to Resolve Youth Prison Litigation

Following a troubling report last year about Ohio’s youth prison, the state has promised to direct $30 million in additional funding and hire 100 more guards to improve the system. The state, in a settlement agreement (PDF), also said it would hire more psychologists, nurses, social workers and teachers, the…

Apr 4, 2008 6:06 PM CDT

$2M Award Tossed; Woman Claimed Fiance’s Parents Were Part of AIDS Coverup

A woman who won a $2 million jury verdict in part because she claimed her fiance’s parents failed to let her know their son was dying of AIDS is not entitled to the award, the Illinois Supreme Court has ruled. The woman, identified as “Jane Doe,” won the $2 million…

Apr 3, 2008 10:16 PM CDT

Pet Food Suits Resolved in Global Settlement

Canadian pet food distributor Menu Foods has reached an agreement in principle to settle pet food lawsuits consolidated before a federal judge in New Jersey. Terms of the agreement won’t be disclosed until the agreement is finalized May 1, the New Jersey Law Journal reports. The suits say at least…

Apr 3, 2008 4:16 PM CDT

Md. Police Agree to $400K Settlement in Racial Profiling Suit

The Maryland State Police Department has agreed to pay $400,000 to settle a 10-year-old lawsuit that contends it engaged in racial profiling of motorists. The department will pay $300,000 to six plaintiffs who remain in the litigation and will spend up to $100,000 to hire a consultant to examine whether…

Apr 3, 2008 3:25 PM CDT

Court of Public Opinion Sways Wal-Mart in Battle Over Legal Winnings

A Missouri man, who lost a son in Iraq and whose wife suffers from debilitating memory loss because of an auto accident, couldn’t convince his wife’s former employer to back off its claim to the money the family recovered for her accident. At least not until his plight made prime-time…

Apr 2, 2008 6:52 PM CDT

Goodyear Loses Bid to Keep Sealed Deposition Testimony Secret

Lawyers representing Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. could be on the hot seat under a federal judge’s order allowing them to be questioned about deposition testimony in a case that was settled under a confidentiality agreement. The March 18 decision by U.S. District Judge Rudi Brewster of San Diego comes…

Apr 2, 2008 12:05 PM CDT

Judge Questions Multitude of Law Firms Seeking Fees in Credit Card Settlement

A federal judge yesterday questioned why so many law firms are seeking attorney fees in a $336 million settlement of a lawsuit against Mastercard and Visa. U.S. District Judge William Pauley seemed concerned about the number of law firms seeking fees, rather than the amount of the fee request—which is…

Apr 1, 2008 2:20 PM CDT

Gangster Museum Reopens After Dillinger Nephew Settles Suit

American gangster history enthusiasts will get a chance to explore the life and times of the notorious John Dillinger. The Dillinger Museum reopened Friday in Hammond, Ind., after a long-fought court battle between local tourism officials and Dillinger’s great-nephew Jeffery Scalf, the Post-Tribune reports. Scalf, who owns Dillinger LLC, which…

Mar 31, 2008 8:36 PM CDT