|
|
|
Calif Supreme Court lifts tobacco suit deadlines
Industry News |
2011/05/06 08:43
|
The California Supreme Court has lifted legal deadlines for smokers who later develop diseases like lung cancer.
Lawyers who filed the lawsuit say Thursday's unanimous ruling in San Francisco will likely allow new smoker suits to be filed against the tobacco industry and keep alive lawsuits that may have been thrown out because of expired legal deadlines.
The case before the court involved former smoker Nikki Pooshs, who was diagnosed in 1989 with smoking-related chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in 1989 and a couple of years later with periodontal disease.
But Pooshs didn't sue the tobacco industry until she was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2003.
Cigarette makers argued the suit should be dismissed because California law gives people two years to file suit after discovery of an injury. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Court upholds $311K award against debt collector
Industry News |
2011/04/19 08:50
|
div class=entrydiv class=articlepA North Dakota law firm accused of trying to collect a $3,800 debt after the statute of limitations expired is now the one that owes a lot of money./ppAn appellate court has upheld a $311,000 jury award to a Montana man who sued the firm in 2007 over a violation of the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act./ppJohnson, Rodenburg amp; Lauinger appealed the April 2009 summary judgment and damages awarded to Timothy McCollough of Laurel. The case was heard in July by a special panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Billings, including retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor./ppThe panel issued a decision Friday upholding the damages. They include $1,000 statutory maximum for violating the debt collection law, $60,000 in punitive damages and $250,000 for emotional distress./ppI'm just so giddy it's all over. We're finally able to take a deep breath, McCullough told The Billings Gazette on Friday. We knew we had a good case, but it just went on forever./ppMcCullough said he hoped the case showed debt collectors that people are going to know they don't have to take the garbage. They can fight back./pp
/p/div
/div |
|
|
|
|
|
|
High court takes no action on Va. health care case
Industry News |
2011/04/19 08:48
|
The Supreme Court has taken no action on Virginia's call for speedy review of the health care law.
Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is asking the court to resolve questions about the law quickly, without the usual consideration by federal appellate judges and over the objection of the Obama administration.
The case was among those that were scheduled to be discussed in the justices' private conference on Friday, but there was no announcement about the case when the court convened on Monday.
The silence could mean, among other things, that one justice asked for more time to think about the case or to write a short opinion that would accompany an order.
The justices meet again on Friday to discuss pending cases. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Abuse cases against Santa Rosa diocese withdrawn
Industry News |
2011/03/31 08:52
|
div class=entrydiv class=articlepA lawyer for four men who claim they were molested by a priest at their Northern California parish says he has temporarily withdrawn his clients' lawsuits against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa. /pp
Attorney Joseph George said Wednesday that he is working with a Minnesota lawyer with an international clergy abuse practice to expand the scope of the suits involving former priest Patrick Joseph McCabe. /ppMcCabe is awaiting extradition to his native Ireland to face charges that he sexually abused young boys there in the 1970s and early '80s. /ppGeorge says the Minnesota lawyer, Jeff Anderson, is traveling to Ireland this weekend to try to gather information showing that church officials in Dublin knew McCabe was a pedophile when they allowed him to transfer to St. Bernard's Parish in Eureka. /ppMcCabe served in the parish from 1983 to 1985. He has denied abusing any children.
/p/div
/div |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Human trafficking suspect due in court in Michigan
Industry News |
2011/02/25 09:26
|
| pA former fugitive is due in federal court in Detroit to face charges he was a member of a violent ring that lured Eastern European women to the United States and forced them to become strippers./ppThe U.S. attorney's office says Veniamin Gonikman, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Ukraine, was due in court Friday afternoon. He consented to the transfer from New York last month./ppCourt papers claim Gonikman was using a fake Russian passport while living in Ukraine. Officials there arrested him on Jan. 26 and ordered his deportation./ppThe Associated Press reported on the case involving Gonikman last year in a lengthy investigation of the exploitation of a U.S. cultural exchange program that provides foreign college students temporary visas to live and work in the United States./p |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reed Smith considering merger with Texas firm
Industry News |
2010/10/04 09:19
|
pPittsburgh-based Reed Smith, which has 150 lawyers in Philadelphia, is in early merger discussions with Dallas-based law firm Thompson amp; Knight, both firms confirmed Friday to the Pittsburgh Business Times./ppWe are in preliminary merger discussions with Texas-based Thompson amp; Knight, said Reed Smith Managing Partner Greg Jordan in an e-mail. “The discussions are preliminary and no final agreement or partner vote has been reached or taken.”/ppReed Smith has more than 1,500 lawyers, while Thompson amp; Knight has about 350 lawyers with a focus on the energy industry, including oil and gas, Jordan said./ppBecky Jackson, chief client services officer at Thompson amp; Knight, offered the following statement in an e-mail:/pp“In today’s legal environment, Thompson amp; Knight’s historical presence in Texas and our outstanding energy expertise are sought after by firms. For several years, we have regularly received inquiries regarding possible mergers. We have had preliminary conversations with Reed Smith, and they are obviously a great firm, but it is premature to characterize these discussions in any detail.”/ppUnder Jordan’s decade-long tenure, Reed Smith has grown from a Pittsburgh-centric 500-lawyer firm to an international firm three times the size through a series of major mergers and acquisitions. In 2001, the firm acquired 60-lawyer Warner Cranston of London. In January 2003, it acquired California’s 220-lawyer Crosby Heafey Roach amp; May. In 2007, the firm merged London’s 250-lawyer Richards Butler and 140-lawyer Sachnoff amp; Weaver of Chicago. And in January 2008, Reed Smith acquired 110-lawyer Richards Butler Hong Kong and 55 lawyers from New York’s Anderson Kill amp; Olick.
/p |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Grand jury not targeting Deal, his lawyer says
Industry News |
2010/09/07 09:23
|
| pNo federal grand jury is investigating former Congressman Nathan Deal, contrary to published reports and numerous ads by his opponents, the lawyer for the Republican gubernatorial candidate says./ppThere is no grand jury. That's just not true, said Randy Evans, who also has represented Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin and other notable Republicans facing ethics charges./ppFirst GOP primary foe Karen Handel and now Democrat Roy Barnes have used talk of such a probe as a battering ram./ppBarnes is airing TV ads claiming that - if elected - Deal could be distracted from his duties by a grand jury probe and argues that such ethical questions should disqualify him from being governor./ppThe speculation stems from claims then-Congressman Deal lobbied Georgia officials about his company's lucrative business arrangement with the state./p |
|
|
|
|
|
Legal News RSS Feed
