Lawyers USA Online » Business and Civil Practice

Supreme Court declines to hear music downloading case

Sylvia Hsieh — Wed, 23 May 2012 20:49:15 +0000

A $675,000 jury verdict against a student who illegally downloaded 30 songs from the Internet was left standing by the U.S. Supreme Court, which declined to take the matter up.

Joel Tenenbaum, a 28-year-old Boston University physics student, used file-sharing software to download and distribute music on sites including
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ADA doesn’t protect medical marijuana users

Pat Murphy — Wed, 23 May 2012 16:40:08 +0000

Federal disability discrimination law does not protect medical marijuana users who claimed their civil rights were violated by local municipalities that interfered with the lawful distribution of the drug, the 9th Circuit has ruled in affirming judgment.

Medical marijuana use is permitted under California law. The plaintiffs are severely disabled
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Police officer’s lawsuit divides town, settles for $1.2 million

Dan McDonald — Tue, 22 May 2012 18:34:14 +0000

At first, attorney Michael Sacco thought he was handling a routine disability claim. A sole practitioner in Westfield, Mass. who typically represents retirement boards, Sacco quickly found himself knee-deep in a civil rights lawsuit that offered a glimpse into the inner political machinations of a sleepy town and its police department, revealing a sordid mess.

Vermont takes symbolic stand with first fracking ban

John Stodder — Mon, 21 May 2012 19:16:48 +0000

The state of Vermont has become the first in the nation to prohibit fracking, establishing a model that anti-fracking activists hope will be followed by other states.

Fracking, also known as hydraulic fracturing, is a practice that involves injecting water, sand and chemicals deep underground to extract natural gas from
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Party can’t recover cost of translating documents

Pat Murphy — Mon, 21 May 2012 17:44:31 +0000

A defendant that prevailed in a personal injury case filed in federal court could not recover its costs for translating documents from Japanese to English, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in a 6-3 decision.

The ruling reverses a decision from
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Party may depose opposing counsel

Pat Murphy — Mon, 21 May 2012 16:52:22 +0000

State law did not absolutely prohibit a party in a business dispute from deposing the opposing party’s former trial lawyer, the Nevada Supreme Court has ruled.

The plaintiff and the defendant entered into a real estate development project. When a multimillion loan for the project went into default, the plaintiff
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Drug maker can’t be sued for off-label marketing

Pat Murphy — Fri, 18 May 2012 14:58:01 +0000

A patient and a union health and welfare fund lacked standing to sue Schering Plough for allegedly engaging in illegal marketing campaigns to persuade physicians to prescribe certain drugs for off-label uses, the 3rd Circuit has ruled in affirming a dismissal.

The consolidated appeal addressed two class actions against Schering
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Former employee wins $1.5 million in securities fraud suit

Tony Ogden — Fri, 18 May 2012 14:44:11 +0000

A former employee of Stiefel Laboratories won a $1.5 million verdict on allegations that the Coral Gables-based company defrauded its employee shareholders during its $2.9 billion sale to GlaxoSmithKline in 2009.

Read the full article from the South Florida Business Journal: Former Stiefel employee wins $1.5M verdict in securities fraud
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Skechers to pay $40 million to settle case over claims

Tony Ogden — Fri, 18 May 2012 14:42:46 +0000

Skechers has agreed to pay $40 million to settle charges that the company made unsupported claims about the benefits of its toning shoes, falsely asserting that they help people lose weight, tone their lower bodies and even combat heart disease.

Read the full article from the Columbia Daily Tribune: Skechers
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$4.9M junk fax deal isn’t covered by insurance

Pat Murphy — Thu, 17 May 2012 15:43:36 +0000

Insurance does not cover a $4.9 million settlement of a consumer lawsuit alleging that a business violated federal law by sending unsolicited fax advertisements, the Missouri Court of Appeals has ruled in reversing judgment.

The plaintiff filed a class action alleging that the defendant violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act
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