Overlawyered: Chronicling The High Cost Of Our Legal System

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“Drunk on power: campaign reformers can’t help it”

Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Tom Harkin (D-Ia.), Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) and Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) have teamed up to co-sponsor a proposed constitutional amendment that “would overturn U.S. Supreme Court decisions that limit Congress’ power to regulate the funding of political campaigns. … the amendment would repeal the 1st Amendment as it relates to campaign finance. This would be the first time in our history that we altered the Constitution to curtail liberties protected by the Bill of Rights. It would also have the effect, not accidental, of protecting incumbent members of Congress from being unseated at the polls.” (Steve Chapman, Chicago Tribune/syndicated, Oct. 28).

P.S. Then there’s the possibility that the talk-radio-stifling Fairness Doctrine will be reintroduced in 2009 or after (John Fund, OpinionJournal.com, Oct. 29). And while “Crooked Timber” may be a pleasantly evocative name for a weblog, would arch-liberal Isaiah Berlin really have been so keen to use the state’s coercive power against unwanted speech? (Sullivan, Bainbridge)(& welcome Salon Blog Report readers).

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Harris v. Mt. Sinai Medical Center: Geoffrey Fieger loses

We’ve been on top of this outrage of a medical malpractice case since it was in trial—Aug. 2004, Oct. 2004, Nov. 2004, May 2006, Apr. 12—but Roger Parloff has such a comprehensive post about the Ohio Supreme Court’s 5-1 (corrected:) 6-1 decision to strike down an intermediate court’s reinstatement of a bogus $30 million verdict that we defer to him. Even the dissenter would have found Fieger’s shenanigans problematic, but would have merely reduced the award to $10 million. Still, on remand for a new trial, Justice Paul Pfeifer recommended that “it would be wise for the trial judge to deny any motion for admission pro hac vice filed on behalf of Mr. Fieger.”

NB that among the tactics condemned by the Ohio Supreme Court are the tactics that trial lawyer John Edwards used when he successfully tried a medical malpractice case—pretending to channel the baby in the womb to the jury.

Among the victorious attorneys: one of our favorite bloggers, Mark Herrmann.

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Bogus claims in Chevron-Ecuador suit

I’ve got a post at Point of Law detailing a judge’s ruling chastising, and imposing sanctions on, three lawyers (including one who’s fairly famous) who sued the oil company on behalf of supposed cancer victims in Ecuador; it turned out some of the victims 1) didn’t have cancer and 2) weren’t aware a suit was being filed in the U.S. in their name. (Oct. 25; and see Roger Parloff’s excellent post on the episode at Fortune “Legal Pad”).

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Legal Tidbits for Thought

Don’t make his art the butt of your jokes

Spotted by Lowering the Bar and story here and if you dare, here’s the link. AP story excerpt:

A high school art teacher fired after officials learned he moonlighted by creating paintings using his bare buttocks and other body parts sued his former employers on Thursday.

Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board finds politician aide’s media criticism of him did not constitute “abnormal working conditions” and upheld a decision denying him benefits

The Court’s decision is here. The decision was purely on the merits of the compensability of the workers’ compensation claim, so there is no mention if he sued for libel.

Soldier dies after entering operating hotel air conditioning unit; family wants $10M

The story is not entirely clear on if the unit in which he was found was marked with a warning sign or not, although it suggests that it was. The suit claims the hotel was negligent (what a shock) for failing to post appropriate signs and lock doors. You’d think the whirring blades would give a clue it’s not the brightest place to be. Oh, his blood alcohol level may have been a factor (see the story.)

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October 25 roundup

  • Lawyer for Mothers Against Drunk Driving: better not call yourself Mothers Against Anything Else without our say-so [Phoenix New Times]
  • Ohio insurer agrees to refund $51 million in premiums, but it’s a mutual, so money’s more or less moving from customers’ left to right pockets — except for a big chunk payable to charity, and $16 million to you-know-who [Business First of Columbus; Grange Mutual Casualty]
  • Sources say Judge Pearson, of pants suit fame, isn’t getting reappointed to his D.C. administrative law judge post [WaPo]
  • Between tighter safety rules and rising liability costs, more British towns are having to do without Christmas light displays [Telegraph]
  • So strong are the incentives to settle class-action securities suits that only four have been tried to a verdict in past twelve years [WSJ law blog]. More: D&O Diary.
  • It’s so cute when a family’s small kids all max out at exactly the same $2,300 donation to a candidate, like when they dress in matching outfits or something [WaPo via Althouse]
  • Idea of SueEasy.com website for potential injury plaintiffs [Oct. 19] deemed “incredibly stupid” [Turkewitz]
  • New at Point of Law: med-mal reports from Texas and Colorado; Lynne-Stewart-at-Hofstra wrap-up (more); immune to reason on vaccines; turning tax informants into bounty-hunters?; and much more;
  • $800,000 race-bias suit filed after restaurant declines to provide free extra lemons with water [Madison County Record]
  • Settling disabled-rights suit, biggest card banking network agrees to install voice-guidance systems on 30,000 ATMs to assist blind customers [NFB]
  • Think twice before publishing “ratings” of Pennsylvania judges [six years ago on Overlawyered]

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Wildfires and land management litigation

No doubt the search for policy lessons from the catastrophic Southern California wildfires (N.Z. Bear, CBS8) is in its early stages, and no doubt multiple contributing factors will wind up being implicated. Many, though, recall the controversy that hit the front pages after disastrous 2002 wildfires in Arizona, when it was revealed that Forest Service attempts to reduce fire risk by clearing underbrush, installing firebreaks and permitting logging of excessive growth had been heavily litigated and delayed in court by environmental groups (Jul. 1-2 and Jul. 12-14, 2002). Just last month scientists testified that efforts to “step up tree removal efforts and prescribed fire programs” were needed to counter growing fire risk (Ben Goad, “Speed forest thinning to ease fire threat, experts say”, Riverside, Calif., Press-Enterprise, Sept. 24). Michelle Malkin and readers have a big discussion (Oct. 23; & welcome readers from there). More from CEI’s Hans Bader and Robert Nelson and again from Michelle Malkin (per L.A. Times report, brush clearance and forest thinning credited with saving homes around Lake Arrowhead).

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Update: Baseball players can’t sue over fantasy baseball statistics

As a Judge Morris Arnold opinion holds (h/t Slim) baseball players can’t prohibit fantasy baseball players from playing games based on their statistics. Earlier: May 2006; April 2005.

Not only does this post allow me to celebrate one of my favorite judges, but I can also use this platform to note that Kenny Lofton was out: not because he didn’t beat Manny Ramirez’s throw into second base (he did), but because he bounced off the bag afterwards while still being tagged.

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“Your old junk could come back to haunt you”

Disposing of a worn-out vehicle, appliance, computer, even maybe a house in the state of Oregon? Maybe you’d better worry that a subsequent user will get injured by or in or with it and blame the mishap on your negligent failure to perform proper maintenance. That theory is getting a plaintiff to trial past a motion to dismiss in a case where a crash victim is suing not only the owner of the truck that hit him, but also a former owner that had sold the truck about a year earlier. The Oregon Supreme Court, reversing a trial and appeals court, is allowing the case to go to trial. Lewis & Clark lawprof Jack Bogdanski writes:

How far does the rule of this case go? Would it cover tools that you unloaded at a garage sale last year? How about the house you sold last year, or five years ago? Surely, it would cover that used car you got rid of, although the court hinted that maybe you’d be off the hook if the dangerous condition was obvious when you sold it, or if you traded the car in at a dealership.

What can you do to protect yourself? I doubt that your insurance covers it — at least auto policies end when the vehicle is sold, and I’d be surprised if a standard homeowners policy wouldn’t work the same way. There’s no way to get a release in advance from everyone who might be hurt by breakdowns of your former stuff while it’s in the hands of future owners whom you don’t even know.

(Jack Bog’s Blog, Oct. 21; Bailey v. Lewis Farm, Inc., Oregon Supreme Court, Oct. 11). P.S. Corrected procedural posture of case following reader comment.

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Farmers market victims can sue Santa Monica

Reversing a lower court, a California appeals court “reinstated allegations that the city had failed to adequately shield marketgoers from motorist George Russell Weller, who was 86 when he crashed his car through barricades and into crowds of pedestrians at the popular open-air market”. (John Spano, “Farmers market crash victims can sue Santa Monica, court rules”, Los Angeles Times, Oct. 17; Terence Lyons, “City Back In Farmers’ Market Lawsuits”, Santa Monica Mirror, Oct. 18-24). Earlier: Jul. 14, 2004.

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Guestblogging opening

Ted and I both have onerous deadlines to meet over the next two weeks, so we’ve got an opening for a guestblogger or two who might like to drop by for a week’s stint. Those who’ve guested before are welcome to consider a return engagement, too. Contact editor – [at] – this domain name.

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