Latest Lawsuits Headlines

All the headlines from our Lawsuits Topic Page, ordered by recency.

U.S. Chamber: ‘Broken Lawsuit System’ Hurts Small Businesses

May 18 2007 // The tort system in the United States cost small businesses $98 billion in 2005, with the fear of lawsuits altering the way the small business owners make decisions, according to studies released at a Congressional hearing...

Ariz. Bill to Raise Burden of Proof on ER Suits Fails in House

May 18 2007 // The Arizona House has narrowly rejected a medical malpractice bill that would have made it harder to successfully sue emergency medical providers for alleged malpractice. The bill was the only major piece of malpractice...

Ark. Judge Grants Class Status to Truckers Suing Wal-Mart

May 18 2007 // A judge in Little Rock, Ark., has granted class status in a federal lawsuit against Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in which the company is accused of discriminating against black applicants for jobs driving Wal-Mart trucks. In his...

Tyco to Pay $3 Billion to Settle Shareholders’ Lawsuit

May 17 2007 // Tyco International Ltd. has agreed to pay about $3 billion to settle shareholder claims from one of the largest corporate fraud cases ever, ending uncertainty over the outcome of the legal battle as it prepares to split...

Actor Tom Sizemore Settles Lawsuit with State Farm

May 16 2007 // Actor Tom Sizemore has settled lawsuits brought against him by State Farm Insurance and his former girlfriend, one-time Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss. Papers filed in Superior Court in California said that resolutions were...

N.H. Woman Sues After Crash That Killed Unborn Daughter

May 16 2007 // A Hampton, N.H. woman who delivered a stillborn baby hours after a crash two years ago is suing the other driver. Kelly Marie was eight months pregnant when a pickup truck sideswiped her car. She delivered the baby girl...

W. Va.: Massey Energy Hit with Lawsuit, Alleging Clean Water Act Violations

May 15 2007 // West Virginia coal producer Massey Energy Co. and its subsidiaries have illegally poured pollutants into West Virginia and Kentucky waterways 4,633 times within the last six years, federal prosecutors allege in a case...

Lawsuit Claims Paralysis Caused by Denial of Claim

May 15 2007 // A 39-year-old Washington woman paralyzed from injuries caused in a car crash sued her insurer for denying coverage for surgery doctors agree could have prevented her paralysis. Tara Sadler, a Yakima, Wash., resident and...

Resident Sues N.Y. Yankee Cory Lidle’s Estate Over Plane Crash

May 14 2007 // Stephane Sparta was at home in his 31st floor apartment when New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle’s small plane crashed into the floor below. The plane didn’t hit Sparta, “but it gave him quite a...

Trial Begins for Man Suing Idaho Hospital in Malpractice Case

May 10 2007 // Lawyers for a man who blames an eastern Idaho hospital for brain damage during surgery for a minor wrist injury have begun presenting their case to a jury. Brock Higham is suing the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center,...

N.D., Iowa, Minn. Support Model Annuity Suitability Regulation

May 10 2007 // NASD and state regulators from North Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota announced today that they have signed a joint statement supporting a new rule to require that insurance companies and agencies recommend only suitable annuity...

Judge Denies State Farm Motion to Dismiss Miss. Lawsuit

May 9 2007 // A federal judge has denied State Farm Fire and Casualty Co.’s request to dismiss a lawsuit against the insurer because the policyholders received an emergency Small Business Administration loan to help rebuild their...

Texas AG Sues Pawn Shop Chain for Dumping Customer Records

May 9 2007 // The Texas Attorney General’s Office filed suit against a pawn shop chain on May 8, claiming it “systematically” exposed customers to identity theft. Attorney General Greg Abbott’s office said...

West Virginia a ‘Test Ground’ of U.S. Chamber’s Anti-Lawsuit Efforts

May 8 2007 // In its ongoing, multimillion-dollar lobbying and advertising campaign decrying “frivolous” lawsuits and “jackpot” jury awards, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has anointed West Virginia the poster...

Okla. governor vetoes tort reform bill

May 7 2007 // Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry on April 28 vetoed a sweeping civil justice measure that would have changed the way negligence and medical malpractice lawsuits are filed and litigated in state courts. Despite his veto of the...

Case Law Watch

May 7 2007 // Anti-assignment Clause Holloway v. Republic Indemnity Co. of America (Oregon, Nov. 16, 2006) Ruling: At issue on this appeal was whether an anti-assignment clause that provided that “[y]our rights or duties under...

News Currents

May 7 2007 // California susceptible to class action lawsuits California’s class action law ranks 46th in the nation in fairness and reasonableness, according to an annual national ranking of state civil justice systems. The only...

Pet food case raises product recall, ‘special property,’ new coverage issues

May 7 2007 // While the manufacturer of the contaminated multi-brand pet foods that have caused an unknown number of pet deaths and illnesses wants to put the controversy behind it, the pet food maker along with insurers, lawyers and...

Pet food case raises product recall, ‘special property,’ new coverage issues

May 7 2007 // While the manufacturer of the contaminated multi-brand pet foods that have caused an unknown number of pet deaths and illnesses wants to put the controversy behind it, the pet food maker along with insurers, lawyers and...

Dog daze: pet food case raises product recall, ‘special’ property claims

May 7 2007 // The tragedy could even lead to some new coverage opportunities for the insurance industry if lawyers are successful While the manufacturer of the contaminated multi-brand pet foods that have caused an unknown number of pet...