Overlawyered: Chronicling The High Cost Of Our Legal System

September 13 roundup

  • Scranton, Pa. federal judge “denies ‘exorbitant’ request for nearly $1M in attorney fees after $125K recovery” [ABA Journal; arose from bad faith insurance action on underlying uninsured motorist claim that settled for $25,000]
  • As PETA settles monkey selfie case with hapless photographer, details confirm that “Naruto is really just a prop to be deployed in the case as PETA sees fit.” [Ted Folkman, Eriq Gardner, earlier] A sad catalogue of litigation abuse enabled by PETA’s donors [Frank Bednarz thread]
  • Lively First Circuit opinion upholds extortion conviction of small town police chief [Bob Dunn, Berkshire Eagle, U.S. v. Buffis via IJ’s John Ross, “Short Circuit“; Lee, Mass.]
  • She beat DOMA and the IRS too, and all in great style. My appreciation of Edith Windsor [Cato at Liberty]
  • “North Carolina’s Fickle Finger of Redistricting” [also by me at Cato at Liberty]
  • Me: “Posner was the judge lawyers really didn’t want to run into if they had bad class action settlements to defend” [Jonathan Bilyk, Cook County Record, earlier]

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3 Comments

  • How can you claim to represent someone with no proof that they have asked you to represent them, even if they are a monkey? Maybe I should file a motion that the monkey is actually named Bob and that he told me that he did not wish PETA to represent him? But seriously, why does the federal court system allow such bs as this?

    • By cecil

    • Imagine if someone is in a coma, or very severely mentally disabled. The system contemplates someone defending their rights on their behalf, even though they are not personally in any condition to give consent.

      Extending that to this case is just abusing the system, however. And remember – PETA lost this case. The district judge granted the motion to dismiss.

      • By David C

  • “Lively” /First Circuit opinion upholds extortion conviction of small town police chief. I’ve been practicing 32 years and have never encountered an opinion quite like this one. It’s worth a read.