Attorneys & Judges
Luxury Handbag Company, Founder and Co-Conspirator Sentenced for Smuggling Handbags Made from Caiman and Python Skin
Luxury handbag company Gzuniga Ltd., its founder Nancy Teresa Gonzalez de Barberi and Gonzalez’s associate Mauricio Giraldo were sentenced to prison today for illegally importing merchandise from Colombia to the United States that was made from protected wildlife. All had previously pleaded guilty.Gzuniga was ordered to forfeit all handbags and other previously seized product, banned for three years from any activities involving commercial trade in wildlife and sentenced to serve three years of probation. Gonzalez was sentenced to 18 months in prison with credit for time...
Attorneys & Judges
New Jersey Man Charged with Federal Hate Crime for Breaking into Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University and Destroying Property
State Court
'Kick my ass': Doctor's statement after problem in surgery ruled inadmissible
Reform
Atlanta business owner: Lawsuits are ‘causing auto and commercial rates to explode’
Chris Hellgeth, owner of the Atlanta-based fuel-hauling company Vi-Mac, has called for "tort reform" to prevent lawsuits from "causing auto and commercial rates to explode." Hellgeth made this statement in an April 16 post on X.
Attorneys & Judges
Lawyer in hot water over insurance claims deserved a hearing, Fifth Circuit rules
NEW ORLEANS (Legal Newsline) - A lawyer who worked at a Houston law firm that has run afoul of the law will get a second chance to show he shouldn't have been suspended for nine months.
In the wake of escalating auto insurance rates in Georgia, a small but significant legal reform could signal the beginning of relief for drivers across the state - if the House would take action…
From WV Record
From WV Record
Arizona Estate Law Firm Unveils New Brand, Website
Chandler, Arizona (AZ) attorney Bernard M. Strass is excited to announce fresh branding and a new website for his AZ estate law firm, Desert Rose Estate and Elder Law. The law firm’s new name reflects a full concentration on estate and life planning that enables Strass to provide focused and dedicated legal services for these matters. It also honors Strass’s father, Luke, who owned Desert Draperies and Interiors in Phoenix for many years and Strass’s mother’s family, the Roses.
Coash Court Reporting & Video Announces Acquisition, Rebrand, New Website
The team at Coash Court Reporting & Video is excited to announce the acquisition of the court reporting agency by Cristina and Jerry Coash Jr. The company’s transition kicked off with rebranding and the debut of its new, user-friendly website.
Attorneys & Judges
Michigan lawyers can't file notice of med-mal case, Arkansas court says
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Legal Newsline) - Out-of-state lawyers had no authority to file a notice of a medical malpractice lawsuit in Arkansas, a state appeals court ruled.
Hot Topics
Lawyers miss med-mal deadline but COVID orders keep lawsuit alive
LANSING, Mich. (Legal Newsline) - Tolling orders in the COVID era have saved a medical malpractice lawsuit in Michigan, as a state appeals court has ruled the plaintiff had extra time to file.
Lawsuits
Lawsuit filed over cable-railroad dispute
RICHMOND, Va. (Legal Newsline) - CSX says Cox Communications plans to install cable lines under its tracks, without regard for safety.
Lawsuits
Wrongful death suit filed against dumpster company after cyclist killed in Boston
BOSTON (Legal Newsline) - A lawsuit against a dumpster company alleges one of its trucks struck and dragged a cyclist in Boston, killing him.
Federal Court
PFAS case against Cava never makes it to class action status
SAN DIEGO (Legal Newsline) - Class action lawyers won't be moving forward with their PFAS lawsuit against the Mediterranean food restaurant chain Cava Grill.
State AG
Attorney General Moody Challenges Biden Administration's Electric Vehicle Mandate
Attorney General Ashley Moody, along with a multistate coalition, has taken legal action to block a new Environmental Protection Agency emissions rule that aims to increase the production of electric vehicles (EVs) significantly. The lawsuit is in response to the Biden Administration's push for stricter emissions standards on gas and diesel-powered vehicles, with the goal of having EVs account for nearly 70% of car sales in less than a decade.In a statement, Attorney General Moody criticized the EPA's approach, saying, "Biden’s EPA continues to push radical Green New Deal...
State AG
Law Enforcement Agencies Awarded Grants from State Opioid Settlement Funds
Twelve Tribal nations, county, and municipal law enforcement agencies have been awarded grants from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) to address the dangers of opioid use in their communities. The projects funded by these grants focus on prevention, intervention, and treatment activities aimed at combating the opioid epidemic.Attorney General Josh Kaul highlighted the importance of law enforcement agencies in the fight against the opioid epidemic, emphasizing the significance of prevention and intervention efforts. Governor Tony Evers acknowledged the...
Attorneys & Judges
Appeal filed after lawyer loses civil rights lawsuit against Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) - A lawyer booted from a Los Angeles trial attorney group is appealing the loss of his civil rights lawsuit against it.
State Supreme Court
Iowa HR exec can't use harassment reports in her own lawsuit
DES MOINES, Iowa (Legal Newsline) - The State of Iowa doesn’t have to pay a $790,000 jury award to a state employee who claimed a hostile work environment based mostly on secondhand reports she received as an administrator overseeing social workers in the Iowa Department of Human Services.
Lawsuit filed over cable-railroad dispute
RICHMOND, Va. (Legal Newsline) - CSX says Cox Communications plans to install cable lines under its tracks, without regard for safety.
Wrongful death suit filed against dumpster company after cyclist killed in Boston
BOSTON (Legal Newsline) - A lawsuit against a dumpster company alleges one of its trucks struck and dragged a cyclist in Boston, killing him.
Fla. lawyer accused of mishandling funds
TAMPA, Fla. (Legal Newsline) - A recent lawsuit accuses a Florida lawyer of mishandling funds that were supposed to be used to support a victim of medical malpractice.
Washington hospitals could be liable for malpractice by contractor physicians
OLYMPIA, Wash. (Legal Newsline) - Hospitals may be liable for the actions of contractor physicians working in their emergency rooms, the Washington Supreme Court ruled, reversing the dismissal of a case involving a woman who died after an ER doc allegedly failed to diagnose flesh-eating bacteria in her shoulder.
Class action over data breach targets AT&T
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Legal Newsline) - Class action lawyers have hit AT&T with a lawsuit over a data breach.
Lawyers miss med-mal deadline but COVID orders keep lawsuit alive
LANSING, Mich. (Legal Newsline) - Tolling orders in the COVID era have saved a medical malpractice lawsuit in Michigan, as a state appeals court has ruled the plaintiff had extra time to file.
State treasurer announces SMART529 board votes to drop China investments from portfolio
CHARLESTON – West Virginia Treasurer Riley Moore has announced a state program that oversees the SMART529 is adopting his proposal to exclude China-based investments.
American Tort Reform Association president: California trial lawyers invest in advertising to ‘boost settlements and payouts’
Sherman "Tiger" Joyce, president of the American Tort Reform Association (ATRA), stated that trial attorneys in California "pump significant money" into advertising campaigns to attract "more clients" and secure "larger contingency fees for themselves." Joyce made this statement in a press release dated March 19.
South Carolina Senate passes citizen only voting amendment
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina Senate has passed a resolution that would allow citizens to decide whether only American citizens can vote in state elections.
W.Va. governor, Senate president want non-citizen voting amendment on special session agenda
CHARLESTON – A resolution that would put a constitutional amendment before voters this fall to ensure non-citizens are unable to vote in West Virginia elections likely will be on the agenda for a planned special session.
Luxury Handbag Company, Founder and Co-Conspirator Sentenced for Smuggling Handbags Made from Caiman and Python Skin
Luxury handbag company Gzuniga Ltd., its founder Nancy Teresa Gonzalez de Barberi and Gonzalez’s associate Mauricio Giraldo were sentenced to prison today for illegally importing merchandise from Colombia to the United States that was made from protected wildlife. All had previously pleaded guilty.Gzuniga was ordered to forfeit all handbags and other previously seized product, banned for three years from any activities involving commercial trade in wildlife and sentenced to serve three years of probation. Gonzalez was sentenced to 18 months in prison with credit for time...
Supreme Court boots ballot challenges to Trump, says states can't block presidential candidates under 14th Amend
The unanimous ruling strikes down rulings from Democratic judges in Colorado and Cook County, which had declared individual states have the power under the Fourteenth Amendment to block "insurrectionists" from seeking federal office
Inaction by Ga. House will help car-crash plaintiffs who weren't wearing their seatbelts still hit jackpots
ATLANTA (Legal Newsline) - When a Georgia woman's airbag didn't deploy during a 2020 crash, she hit her head on the windshield and sued Ford, which figured it had the ultimate defense: She wasn't even wearing her seatbelt.
Bankruptcy plan to avoid asbestos lawsuits approved despite company's massive value
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Legal Newsline) - The contested strategy of a Georgia-Pacific unit created to clear asbestos claims will continue in bankruptcy court, a judge has ruled much to the dismay of plaintiff lawyers hoping to get their clients bigger paydays in civil courts.
It's raining asbestos: Court rejects case over steam line explosion in Tennessee
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (Legal Newsline) - A Tennessee woman's lawsuit over an explosion of an Eastman Chemical Company steam pipe has failed, as an appeals court has ruled that it is basically an asbestos case.
No cash for woman in case of exploding showerhead
LOS ANGELES (Legal Newline) - A woman who claimed she was injured by an exploding shower nozzle failed to muster any evidence a hotel was to blame, an appeals court ruled, rejecting her argument a maid must have damaged the device while she was out shopping.
Privacy class action firms jockey for control of 23andMe data breach claims; Edelson calls for new approach
Data privacy class action firm Edelson P.C. is seeking to control 40 class actions, potentially worth huge money, against 23andMe for allegedly allowing genetic info to be stolen in a data breach. In a new filing, Edelson is asking courts to reconsider how they decide which lawyers should lead
Report finds mass tort litigation relies on third-party financing, questionable science
The American Tort Reform Association (ATRA), an organization dedicated to the reform of the civil justice system, has released a report outlining the tactics employed by trial lawyers in mass tort litigation. According to the report, these practices often involve third-party litigation financing (TPLF), reliance on questionable scientific evidence, and extensive advertising campaigns.