Back in the actual calendar year 1984, for what it’s worth, the operation of copyright law was a lot gentler toward political satirists and other public commentators (Boing Boing, Mar. 28)(via Glenn Reynolds).
Author Archive
Update: Minor, co-defendants guilty on all charges
“Attorney Paul Minor, former Circuit Judge John Whitfield and Chancery Judge Wes Teel were found guilty Friday of all charges in a judicial bribery conspiracy.” (Anita Lee, “Guilty, guilty, guilty”, Biloxi Sun-Herald, Mar. 31; Jimmie E. Gates, “Minor, 2 others found guilty”, Jackson Clarion-Ledger, Mar. 31). We’ve been covering this corruption story, which arose from the financial coziness with judges of one of Mississippi’s most prominent trial lawyers, since it broke: see Mar. 16, etc., as well as Mar. 22.
More: Anita Lee, “Hard Time”, Biloxi Sun-Herald, Apr. 1.
“She looked at me and then asked if there was anyone I could sue”
Because a hospital bill for $12,000 for 15 minutes of trauma care after a smallish motorcycle accident just demands to be shifted somewhere (David Lazarus, “Uninsured patient billed more than $12,000 for broken rib”, San Francisco Chronicle, Mar. 30).
Furor over imams’ John Doe suit
“House Republicans are pushing legislation to protect airline passengers from lawsuits for reporting suspicious behavior that might be linked to a terrorist attack. Rep. Steve Pearce, New Mexico Republican, introduced the Protecting Americans Fighting Terrorism Act of 2007 on Thursday, a week after a lawsuit was filed by a group of Muslim imams who were taken off a US Airways flight in November.” (Dec. 6, Mar. 15, Mar. 22; Audrey Hudson, “Hill bill protects flying public”, Washington Times, Mar. 24). Syndicated columnist and blogger Michelle Malkin has been on top of developments (“The John Doe Manifesto”, National Review Online, Mar. 28; blog posts, Mar. 24, Mar. 27, Mar. 28).
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune has a response from the imams:
The imams’ Manhattan attorney, Omar Mohammedi, said the suit “is directed at the airlines and the airport, not passengers.”If someone has a legitimate security concern, we’re not going after that person,” he said. “Or if someone saw them praying and reported that out of ignorant fear, we aren’t going to target that.
“But if someone lied and made a false report with the intention to discriminate, such as in saying the imams made anti-American comments and talked about Iraq when in fact nothing like that ever happened, we have the right to challenge that,” Mohammedi said.
(Pamela Miller, “Attorney offers aid to defendants in imam suit”, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Mar. 22). USA Today has editorially weighed in on the passengers’ side: “This legal tactic seems designed to intimidate passengers willing to do exactly what authorities have requested — say something about suspicious activity.” (“Our view on post-9/11 travel: Clerics’ lawsuit threatens security of all passengers”, Mar. 27; opposing view by Arsalan Iftikhar). See also Marc Sheppard, American Thinker, Mar. 27.
P.S. And now AP is on the case (“Imams removed from flight may sue passengers”, AP/MSNBC, Mar. 30), and Sen. Fred Thompson (“Suing for Silence”, National Review Online, Mar. 29). The imams have now amended their complaint to cast a seemingly less capacious net for John Does: Audrey Hudson, “Imams narrow target of ‘Does'”, Washington Times, Mar. 31.
“Searching for a snowman in a blizzard”
The number one category of malpractice lawsuits these days? Suits against radiologists for missing signs of breast cancer on mammograms. “Meanwhile, the number of certified mammography facilities is declining. There were about 11 percent fewer places to get mammograms in the United States in 2006 than there were six years earlier, according to the government. That’s 1,101 fewer mammography centers across the country.” (Diane Cochran, “Fear of lawsuits means fewer radiologists read mammograms”, Billings Gazette, Mar. 18)(via KevinMD). More: Nov. 2, 2000, Sept. 24, 2002, May 12, 2003, Oct. 3, 2003, Jun. 14, 2004, Jul. 10, 2005, Dec. 18, 2006.
Even in Hong Kong
A reader writes:
Just in case your readers think that blatantly rent-seeking, anti-competitive lawsuits are unique to the United States and don’t happen in loser-pays jurisdictions, here’s a story to read.
Love Overlawyered (and I am primarily a plaintiffs’ lawyer)!
Paul Karl Lukacs (Knife Tricks)
Update: Takedown ping-pong
“I’m Billing Time”
“Written and sung by the Bar and Grill Singers for Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas (hat tip: reader Victor Serby):
Update: Brockovich Beverly Hills case
A further stinging rebuff in court for the glamourpuss tort-chaser: “A judge on Friday dropped the Beverly Hills Unified School District from a lawsuit that claims an oil well on a high school campus caused cancer in former students. Superior Court Judge Wendell Mortimer Jr. said he was not persuaded that the well operating for decades at Beverly Hills High was a danger. He also found no evidence that the school district was aware of any danger.” (“Beverly Hills schools dropped from lawsuit over campus oil well”, AP/San Diego Union-Tribune, Mar. 23). For more on the Beverly Hills case, see Mar. 16, 2004, Nov. 3, 2005, and Dec. 1, 2006. For Brockovich’s rebuffs in Medicare-billing cases, see Mar. 15, etc.
If you want to get out of jury duty
“Just tell ‘em you’re a doctor. … Booooiiinnnggggg. … Bounced out like a SuperBall on a hot, dry pavement.” (Dr. Wes, Mar. 19).