Verdicts & Settlements

HUD lawyer is awarded $800K in ‘melodrama’ retaliation case

A government lawyer who claims her supervisors retaliated against her after she complained about preferential treatment given to young, male lawyers has been awarded $800,000 in her federal lawsuit. In an Oct. 24 verdict (PDF), jurors found that lawyer Terri Roman was subjected to a retaliatory work environment while working…

Oct 31, 2016 7:50 AM CDT

Law school agrees to second name change after losing injunction fight in trademark suit

The South Texas College of Law has abandoned plans to change its name to the Houston College of Law after a federal judge enjoined use of the new name in a trademark suit filed by the University of Houston Law Center. The law school is devising a new name that…

Oct 27, 2016 10:46 AM CDT

Court orders bar skin-care marketers from misleading customers about ‘risk-free trials’

The Federal Trade Commission has obtained court orders or default orders against 29 companies and individuals accused of selling skin-care products through misleading “risk-free trials.” The defendants sold Auravie, Dellure, LéOR Skincare, and Miracle Face Kit skincare products, report ABC News and an FTC press release. The companies advertised “risk-free…

Oct 20, 2016 4:31 PM CDT

Ousted city attorney settles bias suit for $1.45M

A former city attorney for Anaheim, California, has reached a $1.45 million settlement in her discrimination lawsuit over her ouster. The city of Anaheim said the settlement will pay the plaintiff, Cristina Talley, $750,000, and will pay her law firm $700,000, the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register…

Oct 13, 2016 10:18 AM CDT

TV anchor settles suit claiming Hasbro hamster toy violated her right of publicity

Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner has settled her suit claiming a Hasbro hamster toy that shares her name violated her right to publicity. Faulkner and Hasbro announced the settlement on Wednesday without disclosing any financial terms, report the Hollywood Reporter, LawNewz, Reuters and Deadline Hollywood. The announcement says the toy…

Oct 6, 2016 9:18 AM CDT

Lawyer is ordered to pay $1.75M in punitive damages for alleged meritless suit

A Philadelphia-area lawyer has been found liable for $1.75 million in punitive damages for an alleged meritless lawsuit he filed against a former Cozen O’Connor lawyer.

Oct 6, 2016 8:00 AM CDT

Judge orders race car driver and companies to pay record $1.3B restitution in payday-lending scheme

A federal judge in Nevada has ordered race car driver Scott Tucker and several of his lending companies to pay $1.3 billion restitution in a deceptive payday-lending scheme. The award is the largest litigated judgment ever obtained by the Federal Trade Commission, according to an FTC press release. The $1.3…

Oct 4, 2016 10:26 AM CDT

Harvard law grad pleads guilty to kidnapping in case once considered a hoax

A Harvard law grad has pleaded guilty to one count of kidnapping for abducting a California woman from her boyfriend’s home in March 2015 and seeking payment of a ransom. Matthew Muller, 39, pleaded guilty on Thursday in a plea deal in which federal prosecutors will seek no more than…

Sep 30, 2016 8:00 AM CDT

Former appellate defender employee is entitled to $1M in retaliation suit, federal judge rules

A federal judge in Chicago has ordered payment of more than $1 million to a former employee with the Illinois Appellate Defender’s office who claimed she was forced to resign after complaining about a salary cut. U.S. District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer said former employee Alice Washington was entitled to $200,000…

Sep 27, 2016 12:01 PM CDT

Latest US settlement with tribes puts total payout at $3.3B

The United States has reached a settlement with 17 additional Native American tribes that had alleged the federal government mismanaged assets and natural resources held in trust. The latest settlements will resolve the “vast majority” of the outstanding claims, according to a press release. So far the payouts total more…

Sep 26, 2016 11:28 AM CDT

Municipal-bond fraud verdict against Miami could cause increase in SEC enforcement actions

After a federal jury Wednesday found that the city of Miami committed fraud when it sold more than $150 million in municipal debt, it’s likely that the Securities and Exchange Commission will bring similar actions against other cities, Reuters reports. The SEC accused the Florida city and Michael Boudreaux, its…

Sep 16, 2016 2:45 PM CDT

Sandra Bland’s family settles case for $1.9M; agreement includes policy changes for Texas jail

The family of Sandra Bland, whose death last year while in custody at a Texas jail was ruled a suicide, has settled their wrongful death action with law enforcement there for $1.9 million. Besides a monetary award, the settlement has some procedure agreements, the Texas Tribune reports. Waller County, where…

Sep 15, 2016 12:35 PM CDT

Target hit with $4.6 million jury verdict at trial; retailer had nixed $12K settlement offer

Target recently got hit with a $4.6 million jury verdict after a South Carolina woman in 2014 was stuck with a hypodermic needle her 8-year-old daughter found in the store parking lot. The Minneapolis company rejected a $12,000 offer to settle the case before trial, and responded with a counteroffer…

Sep 12, 2016 4:00 PM CDT

Court tosses bias-crime conviction in Rutgers roommate webcam case

A bias-crime conviction for a Rutgers College student who secretly webcammed his roommate during gay sexual encounters was overturned by a New Jersey appellate court Friday, and a new trial was ordered. The 2012 conviction against Dharun Ravi stemmed from the suicide of his roommate, freshman Tyler Clementi, NJ Advance…

Sep 12, 2016 9:45 AM CDT

LeClairRyan to pay $20M settlement in bankruptcy of client investigated for alleged kickbacks

LeClairRyan has agreed to pay $20.375 million to resolve claims related to its legal advice to a medical lab company that filed for bankruptcy after a federal investigation into whether it paid kickbacks to doctors. LeClairRyan does not admit any wrongdoing in the proposed settlement filed on Sept. 1 in…

Sep 8, 2016 9:22 AM CDT