Justices take up attorney fees case 
Published: June 18, 2013
Tags: 1st Circuit, attorney fees, Employment Law, U.S. Supreme Court
WASHINGTON — Taking up a 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals case on an issue dividing the circuits, the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether a district court’s decision on the merits that leaves unresolved a request for contractual attorney fees is a “final decision” under federal law.
FAIR HOUSING ACT
Published: June 18, 2013
Tags: disparate impact, Fair Housing Act, U.S. Supreme Court
Are disparate impact claims cognizable under the Fair Housing Act?
See “Does Fair Housing Act permit disparate impact claims?”
Mount Holly v. Mount Holly Gardens Citizens in Action, No. 11-1507. Certiorari
» Continue Reading.
Does Fair Housing Act permit disparate impact claims?
Published: June 18, 2013
Tags: disparate impact, Fair Housing Act, U.S. Supreme Court
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether disparate impact claims are cognizable under the Fair Housing Act.
Can airline be sued for employee’s statement about dangerous pilot?
Published: June 17, 2013
Tags: Aviation Transportation and Security Act, defamation, First Amendment, TSA
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether Air Wisconsin could be sued for defamation after a manager reported that a disgruntled pilot had just been fired and might be armed, mentally unstable and traveling as a passenger on a commercial flight.
Attorneys can’t get driver information to solicit clients, justices rule
Published: June 17, 2013
Tags: client solicitation, consumer protection, Driver's Privacy Protection Act, U.S. Supreme Court
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the litigation exception to a federal privacy law did not allow four South Carolina trial attorneys to obtain the personal information of drivers for the “predominant purpose” of soliciting new clients for consumer lawsuits.
Settlement offer didn’t moot Fair Debt Act suit
Published: June 17, 2013
Tags: debt collection, Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, mootness, Rule 68
Defendants could not moot a class action alleging unfair debt collection practices by making an offer of settlement that did not completely satisfy the plaintiff’s demands, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in affirming judgment.
Are ‘trial-spin’ websites the wave of the future?
By:
Sylvia Hsieh
Published: June 14, 2013
Tags: Endoscopy Trial, trial publicity, Will S. Kemp
In the first week of a high-stakes trial in which the plaintiffs planned to ask a major health corporation for billions of dollars in damages for medical injuries, their lawyers noticed something they had not anticipated: The defendant had launched a website putting its spin on the case.
Limitation on license plate image may violate First Amendment
By:
Susan Bocamazo
Published: June 14, 2013
Tags: First Amendment, freedom of speech
A plaintiff can sue for violation of his First Amendment rights based on a state statute that requires residents to pay a fee to avoid a required image on the state license plate and forbids covering up the image, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled.
Supreme Court nixes human gene patents
By:
Kimberly Atkins
Published: June 13, 2013
Tags: BRAC, genetic material, human genes, patent, product of nature, U.S. Supreme Court
WASHINGTON – In a decision that seemed designed to carve out a middle ground in the legal battle over whether companies can hold exclusive rights in the use of biological material, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled today that isolated human genes are not patentable, but synthetically created genetic material may be patented.
How-to guide explains identity theft policies for businesses
Published: June 13, 2013
Tags: FTC, identity theft, red flags rule
A how-to guide has been published by the Federal Trade Commission to help businesses comply with rules requiring a written policy and procedures to prevent and respond to identity theft.
