Search

The article reports on the lawsuits filed against 'toxic tort' attorney Thomas Girardi as of January 2021 due to alleged lawyer misconduct including misappropriation of payments to families of the 2018 Lion Air crash victims. Also cited are how Girardi helped Erin Brockovich won a case against Pacific Gas & Electric in the 1990s, and the claim by Girardi's lawyers that he is no longer mentally competent to stand trial.

Reports that U.S. President George W. Bush has urged lawmakers to rewrite the tort law rules to do away with costly lawsuits. Action in the Senate Judiciary Committee; Bipartisan support for some pieces of Bush's tort law plan; Bill that would transfer most class-action lawsuits from state courts to federal courts.

Criticizes the tort reform proposed by the administration of U.S. president George W. Bush to deal with the problem of high medical malpractice costs. Research finding that only a small number of people are being compensated for malpractice; Problem with the proposal that would punish those most deserving of compensation; Motive of political gain behind the move to impose tort reform.

Reports that doctors in the United States are using methods popularized by labor unions to gain leverage in their fight against rising premiums for malpractice coverage. Holding of large-scale marches; Limitation of treatment to emergencies; States' enactment of major tort reform; Observation that physician activism has become more widespread as managed care has squeezed doctors' reimbursement.

Editorial. Discusses the Alien Tort Claims Act, a law originally written to fight piracy in 1789, but has been used by foreigners to sue in American courts for overseas human rights violations. Examples of cases; Reliance of human rights advocates on the law to adjudicate a wide range of crimes that might otherwise never get to court; Supreme Court's decision to a lawsuit by a Mexican doctor illegally detained for a few hours during an investigation into the death of a federal Drug Enforcement Administration officer.

Reports on a U.S. Supreme Court's decision on June 20, 2004 that would keep federal courts open to lawsuits by foreigners who allege that they are victims of serious human rights violations anywhere in the world. Decision's interpretation of the Allen Tort Statue; International business interests' concern over the increasing use of the law to sue multinational corporations for human rights violations; Lawsuit filed on behalf of residents of Myanmar charging the Unocal Corp. with human rights violations in connection with a gas pipeline project that has already been argued before the federal appeals court in San Francisco, California and could reach the Supreme Court.

Reports on medical liability crisis in 20 states in the U.S. Medical malpractice cases and tort reform.

Reports on the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights' plans in investigating serious abuses of rights in Ivory Coast after a rebel uprising that started in September 2002.

Focuses on issues pertaining to tort reform. Increase in insurance industry profits; Decline of tort filing; Consideration of liability insurance costs for businesses; Medical malpractice insurance and claims.

The article reports on the conviction of Kathy Gonzalez with the charge of murder who spent 77 years in prison and due to DNA evidenced she was freed and plans to collect civil right judgment against the Gage County for false accusations.

The article reports on the victory of Republican Party candidate Matt Bevin over Democratic opponent Attorney General Jack Conway in the governor's election in Kentucky. Topics discussed include concerns of Republicans and Democrats over his unconventional nature; and his plans to curtail the power of labor unions to organize, to reform tort laws and to reform the state's pension systems for public employees and teachers.

The article reports on the kits used to try mass tort legal cases in which thousands of citizens are suing a large corporation, such as the 2007 case in which 27,000 sued the painkiller Vioxx's maker Merck & Co. Inc. Merck settled the case for over $4 billion dollars, but it raises the question of whether mass tort cases are the best way to regulate large corporations, since it is often the plaintiffs' lawyers who capitalize in these type cases.

Focuses on lawsuits against U.S. corporations involving silica dust, which causes silicosis, an often fatal lung disease. How companies facing silica suits fought back, winning a victory that is being copied by other lawyers fighting class-action lawsuits; Demand by defense lawyers that claimants produce evidence that their clients had silicosis symptoms and deserved compensation; Significance of a decision by U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack of Texas, who sharply criticized silica-related claims; Background on Jack's decision; Question of why defense lawyers were not more successful in challenging the validity of claims in the past.

Reports that pharmaceutical company Merck asked an Alabama court for the dismissal of the first Vioxx personal injury lawsuit, contending that a man who died of a heart attack after being prescribed for the Vioxx never took the drug. Claim that the man's widow has produced false evidence; Report that there are thousands of claims that have been filed against Merck by people who say that the painkiller Vioxx caused them to have heart attacks or strokes; Possibility that Merck will be forced to pay $15 billion or more to settle Vioxx-related claims; Case of the death of Howard B. Rogers; Impact of the case on shares of Merck.

An essay this weekend on Page 11, about crackpot conspiracy theories, misspells the given name of the French president. It is Nicolas Sarkozy, not Nicholas. Corrections in other sections: Sunday Business, Page 2; Styles, Page 14; Travel, Page 2. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The British government is, at last, moving to reform the country's notorious libel law, which has long made London a magnet for frivolous lawsuits. The reform proposal presented to Parliament last week by Kenneth Clarke, the justice secretary, is far from perfect but represents a reasonable first effort to change a law regarded as so unfair that it has been condemned by the United Nations. Last summer, President Obama signed a bill blocking enforcement of British libel judgments in American courts. Under British libel law, a defendant is guilty until proved innocent. A plaintiff does not have to show damage to his reputation. Further, under the 1849 Duke of Brunswick rule, each individual newspaper sale -- or hit on a Web site -- counts as a new publication and thus another libel. The law also treats opinion, however measured, just as it treats tabloid gossip until a defendant convinces a court it should be accepted as fair comment. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A woman accused of plotting to kill a Swedish artist who depicted the Prophet Muhammad with the body of a dog pleaded guilty Tuesday, admitting to conspiracy a month after an accomplice also pleaded guilty. The defendant, Jamie Paulin Ramirez, 32, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists in Federal District Court in Philadelphia and faces up to 15 years in prison. Prosecutors said she and Colleen LaRose conspired to receive military-style training in South Asia and then travel to Europe to wage holy war. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prosecutors pressed criminal slander charges on Tuesday against a journalist who was savagely beaten two years ago, though it appeared that they were eager to end the case quickly, with a $100 fine the most severe potential punishment. Still, the case against the journalist, Mikhail Beketov, has been widely condemned. Mr. Beketov, an outspoken journalist in the Moscow suburb of Khimki, was beaten so viciously that a leg and three fingers had to be amputated, and he is unable to speak. Mr. Beketov has been accused of defaming the Khimki mayor, Vladimir Strelchenko, by saying that he was involved in the blowing up of Mr. Beketov's car, which predated his beating. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The grand New York City taxi fraud may not be as grand as officials first thought. After announcing that tens of thousands of cabbies had cheated passengers by improperly flipping on an out-of-town meter rate, the chairman of the Taxi and Limousine Commission said on Monday that ''a fairly significant number'' of the incidents resulted in no additional charges, suggesting they might have been simple mistakes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A lawyer appointed by Mayor Dave Bing of Detroit to the city's ''crisis turnaround team'' has pleaded not guilty to a charge linked to a federal inquiry into a motorcycle gang. The lawyer, Hatim Attalla, appeared in Federal District Court on a charge of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of controlled substances. Mr. Bing said Mr. Attalla would resign immediately. Mr. Attalla's lawyer said the accusations were ''absolutely untrue.'' [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A lobbyist's lawsuit against The New York Times over the newspaper's account of her ties to Senator John McCain has been settled, both sides announced on Thursday. The suit, filed by Vicki L. Iseman, the Washington lobbyist, was settled without payment and The Times did not retract the article. In an unusual agreement, however, The Times is letting Ms. Iseman's lawyers give their views on the suit on the paper's Web site. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The first one, Alan J. Mergel, was a 55-year-old personal injury lawyer with a home in Montvale, N.J., and an office in the Empire State Building. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article comments on Robert Bork, a former federal appeals court judge in the U.S. and a critic of tort lawsuits. Bork, who slipped and fell at the Yale Club in 2006, has filed an aggressive lawsuit. It is reported that Bork's unfortunate experience at the Yale Club has led him to re-evaluate any of the harsh things he has said in the past about injured people.

The article focuses on the efforts of the U.S. government to change state tort laws.

Looks into the case filed by the U.S. government against Wadih El-Hage for conspiring in the bombings of two U.S. embassies in East Africa in 1998. Facts of the case; Development of the unexplained circumstances surrounding the creation and discovery of the videotapes; Views of prosecution and defense lawyers on the matter.

Presents letters to the editors regarding the article "Take Two Torts and Call Me in the Morning," published in previous issue.

Reports on the assault charge filed against Nebraska offensive lineman Darren DeLone in the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the U.S.

Focuses on the victory of U.S. President George W. Bush in the second debate. Contradiction on the policy of opponent John Kerry over foreign policy; Argument on tax increase; Support on tort reform.

Focuses on a bill signed by Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour to limit tort damages for death and suffering to $500,000 in medical malpractice cases and to $1 million in other cases.

Reports that a significant number of U.S. doctors has denounced a proposal asking the American Medical Association to endorse refusing care to lawyers involved in medical malpractice cases in 2004. Withdrawal of the proposal following the reaction of the medical profession.

Reports that both houses of the State Legislature of Mississippi passed a tort reform bill that would limit awards for damages like death or pain and suffering to $500,000 in health care cases and $1 million in all others.

Reports on the wrongful death case filed by John Langan in 2002 against a New York City hospital for the death of his domestic partner Neal Conrad Spicehandler, where he claimed standing to sue as a surviving spouse under the Vermont civil union law. Background on the civil union law in Vermont which confers same-sex couples virtually all the rights that the state confers on married couples; Details of the ruling which upheld Langan's spousal standing to sue under New York's wrongful death law and not for all purposes in the state.

Reports that the Church of Scientology in Clearwater, Florida has settled a civil wrongful death lawsuit against it by the estate of a member in May 2004.

Reports on the control of Gonaïves in Haiti by members of the Gonaïves Resistance Front, an armed opposition group. Narration of the assaults made by the group; Denial of Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide of being involved in the killing.

Editorial. Focuses on the proposed class action fairness act or tort reform program in the U.S. Provisions of the proposed legislation; Support of President Bush for the proposed bill; Efforts of some Senators to block the approval of the proposed legislation.

Reports on the proposed changes in the tort law in the U.S. Lobbying efforts of business groups for the legislation; Provision of the proposed changes; Legislative agenda adopted by President Bush for changes in tort law; Proponents and opponents of the proposed changes.

Reports on the effort of lawyer Sheldon Silver to defend himself from charges of conflict of interest when dealing with tort-reform bills in Albany, New York on April 14, 2003.

Discusses the plan of U.S. President George W. Bush and Congressional Republicans to back changes in tort law in 2003, which include proposals that would make it hard to win large jury awards for medical malpractice.

Focuses on the possibility that rules governing tort actions, or civil lawsuits usually for money claiming wrongful conduct by defendants, often companies, may change drastically following victories for United States Republicans in the 2002 midterm elections. Areas where reform is most probable, including class actions and punitive damages; How Republicans have addressed tort issues; Opposition to tort reform by Democrats.

Discusses challenges to United States liability laws enacted to limit jury awards and curtail accident, malpractice and injury lawsuits. Identification of states which have struck down all or part of the laws; Role of state constitutional guarantees of the right to a jury trial; Background of the tort reform movement behind passage of the liability laws; Details of a July 15, 1999 Oregon Supreme Court decision striking down a law limiting damages; Implications for tort reform.

Reports on the debate over the tort system in Alabama. Plans to revise the tort system; Provision of the law about the revised system; Difficulty in placing prohibitions on punitive damages.

Criticizes the tort reform bill passed by the Congress on grounds of it being protective toward people practicing fraud. Defense of the author against securities fraud lawsuits being a burden on the legal system or that they block stock market activities or innovation in the high-tech sector; Need for securities laws.

Opinion. Debates on the feasibility of the tort reform, directed to reduce the amount of damages awarded in the lawsuits. Opposition against tort reforms by the Women's Legal Defense Fund; Senator Barbara Boxer's condemnation of the proposal.

Opinion. Looks at the issue of tort reforms that may be introduced by the Congress in the United States. Criticism of some law suits filed under the tort category; Damage verdict against the McDonald's for serving hot coffee to a woman who burnt herself with it.

Describes the proceedings in the House over the Republicans' move to reform the torts law. Details of the proposals; Debate over the issue.

Reports on the debate on tort reform and its impact on the justice system. Views of lawyers on changes in the civil judicial system; Impact of the Republican victory in November 1994 Congressional elections on tort reform; Details of correspondence between Senator George McGovern and Ralph Nader, promoter and opponent of the reform, respectively.

Opinion. Comments that Senator Bob Dole plans to introduce a new tort law in response to the expected veto of President Bill Clinton of a bill that limits awards in product liability suits. Focus on lawyers who confound the system.

Declares that House Republicans have dropped their plans for a sweeping overhaul of the United States civil litigation system. Moving to support narrower legislation by Senate Republicans that would only limit lawsuits involving faulty products; Features of the bill; Uncertainty regarding President Bill Clinton's response to the legislation.