Staff, Author at Legal Reader

9th Circuit to Debate California’s Death Penalty

August 30, 2015

The hearing also comes as California begins resuming executions this fall, introducing a new single-drug lethal injection procedure. The state had issued a defacto suspension of executions since 2006, joining many states’ concerns over the effectiveness and pain level of the established injection substances. It also comes just weeks after Connecticut’s Supreme Court commuted all of its condemned prisoners’ death sentences to life without parole. Voters in that state abolished the death penalty in 2012; however the law that was adopted only abolished it for future crimes, not for those already sentenced.

Will Lexmark’s ‘Ink War’ Reach the Supreme Court?

August 30, 2015

Lexmark added Impression products to the list of over two dozen defendants in a patent infringement lawsuit filed in U.S. Court for the Southern District of Ohio, a suit that began by the company in 2010. Although all of the other defendants buckled to Lexmark’s clout, either choosing to settle, or with the court granting Lexmark default judgments against absentee defendants, Smith and his attorney stood their ground electing to fight the lawsuit.

Appeals Court issues ‘Catch-22’ Ruling for NSA Spying Lawsuit

August 30, 2015

The 2-1 panel ruling did not dismiss the case outright, kicking the case back to lower federal court for further deliberation. The ruling, however, severely weakens the validity of the lawsuit and likely for similar cases of privacy invasion by the spying program in the future.

Dole Executives Fined $148 Million for Valuation Fraud

August 28, 2015

Laster believed that the executives fraudulently created grim sales forecasts, as well as drove the stock price down by understating the cost savings of Dole’s 2012 sale of its Asian operations, as well as cancelling a planned stock buyback. These activities led to Murdock purchasing the remaining shares for $13.50 each in a $1.2 billion purchase. Laster ruled that the executives undervalued the shares by $2.74 apiece, ordering that they pay the difference, a total of $148.2 million to the investors, many of them pension funds, that filed the class-action lawsuit.

NLRB Rules in Favor of Increased Bargaining power for Subcontractors, Temporary Workers

August 28, 2015

IFA president Steve Caldeira released a statement following the ruling, saying “The Board’s tortured analysis will undoubtedly be met with skepticism and will be rejected by local franchise owners, legislators and, ultimately, the courts. IFA and its allies are asking Congress to intervene to halt these out-of-control, unelected Washington bureaucrats to preserve the established joint employer standard.”

Marcy Borders, 9/11 ‘Dust Lady,’ Dies of Cancer at 42

August 27, 2015

Borders’s death is a stark reminder that many of those who endured the 9/11 tragedy are suffering from long-term health problems. Borders was asked if she thought that the debris from the terror attack, which contained glass and other carcinogenic dust, among other dangerous particles led to her cancer. She responded, “I’m saying to myself, ‘Did this thing ignite cancer cells in me?’ I definitely believe it because I haven’t had any illnesses. I don’t have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes.”

Will the .Law Domain Registry Succeed?

August 27, 2015

Despite the enthusiasm for the .law registry amid its early rollout, many question whether or not the domains will help firms, and in some respects, can even be considered a mild form of extortion. Well-known firms that rarely acquire new business via the internet will likely be required to purchase the .law extension in order to keep others from buying it in a brand-protecting move.

‘Deadly’ Keyless Ignition Systems Blamed in Class-Action Lawsuit against Ten Automakers

August 27, 2015

In addition to suing for compensatory and punitive damages, the plaintiffs are seeking an injunction mandating that the automakers install the automatic shutoff components in all current and future vehicles with keyless ignition systems.

Appeals Court Strikes Down New Jersey’s Sports Betting Law…Again

August 26, 2015

Governor Chris Christie, along with state politicians and residents, has been hoping to revive the industry through sports wagering. Judge Rendell acknowledged the local sentiment, writing in the majority opinion, “While PASPA’s provisions and its reach are controversial and, some might say, unwise, we are not asked to judge the wisdom of PASPA and it is not our place to usurp Congress’ role simply because PASPA may have become an unpopular law.”

Judge Dismisses Part of Plavix Multidistrict False Claims Lawsuit

August 25, 2015

Judge Freda Wolfson of the U.S. District of New Jersey has granted some relief for drugmakers Bristol-Myers Squibb and Sanofi-Aventis in a complicated multidistrict whistleblower lawsuit against the two companies over marketing claims involving the blood-thinning medication Plavix. Wolfson granted motions to dismiss several claims made by former Sanofi sales representative Elisa Dickson, alleging that

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