BOSTON — Hollywood actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin were charged along with nearly 50 other people Tuesday in a scheme in which wealthy parents bribed college coaches and insiders at testing centers to get their children into some of ...
Read More »Harsher sentencing guidelines violate Ex Post Facto Clause
Sentencing a criminal defendant under later guidelines that provide for a higher sentence than those in effect at the time the crimes were committed violates the Ex Post Facto Clause, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in a 5-4 decision. ...
Tagged with: U.S.Supreme Court
Read More »Will Obama’s proposals rein in patent trolls?
The Obama Administration has announced five executive actions and seven legislative proposals aimed at holding back the tsunami of litigation by patent trolls, and lawyers are weighing in on whether the recommendations will wall off the tidal waves or merely ...
Tagged with: Obama administration
Read More »CFPB refers first criminal complaint to prosecutors
In the first criminal complaint referred to prosecutors by the watchdog agency Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a debt relief company and two lawyers have been indicted in an alleged fraud scheme. The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New ...
Tagged with: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Read More »Supreme Court deals blow to class actions
The U.S. Supreme Court dealt another blow to class actions in its recent decision allowing an employer to get rid of a wage class action by “picking off” the named plaintiff before it begins. While it’s debatable how serious the ...
Tagged with: class actions U.S.Supreme Court
Read More »Class action settlements face growing scrutiny
Facing new objectors, class action settlements are attracting greater scrutiny from appellate courts, which are gutting those settlements and sending them back to be renegotiated. In particular, the amount and proportion of attorney fees and the payment of money into ...
Read More »FTC issues new guidelines for online ads
The Federal Trade Commission has updated its guidelines for online advertising disclosures to grapple with some of the new technologies since its last guidance in 2000. The guidelines are called “.com Disclosures: How to Make Effective Disclosures in Digital Advertising.” ...
Tagged with: Federal Trade Commission
Read More »Solicitor general triumphs in health care case
Everyone has experienced a bad day at the office. And most lawyers have developed a thick skin against public criticism and mockery. But only one lawyer this year had to endure being called a “train wreck” on national television and ...
Tagged with: Affordable Care Act Obamacare solicitor general Supreme Court
Read More »Lawsuits over hair loss drugs surge forward
Since last year when the first lawsuits against Merck were filed over its hair loss drugs Propecia and Proscar, the number of suits has multiplied to approximately 1,000 cases in multidistrict litigation in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District ...
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Read More »Medicare proposes PI settlement rules
Proposed rules on how future medical bills in personal injury settlements should be handled to protect the interests of Medicare have been released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. New reporting requirements have ushered in a regime in ...
Tagged with: Medicare
Read More »Firm wins $121.5M ‘triple malpractice’ verdict
In a rare case of triple malpractice, a jury has awarded $121.5 million against three hospitals that treated a patient during a one-month period that began with an office visit for seizure medication, progressed to a severe allergic skin reaction ...
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Read More »Tort litigation, verdicts make news in 2011
The past year featured a flurry of activity on the personal injury and tort scene, with several new drug and device developments, significant U.S. Supreme Court rulings and some staggering verdicts. Here’s a wrap-up of the highlights of personal injury ...
Tagged with: 2011 U.S. supreme court
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