Ralph Nader’s Dream of a Tort Law Museum is almost a Reality

6/17/2015 America is a land of wacky museums, including ones honoring Pez dispensers, barbed-wire, and even the Museum of Bad Art in Massachusetts, but there is no law museum despite there being myriads of museums dedicated to similarly significant professions. That is about to change, however, as legendary consumer advocate and not-so-legendary presidential candidate, Ralph



New Net Neutrality Rules Went into Effect Friday, but will they Stick?

6/15/2015 Although the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has been defeated by the courts twice before in very public fashion over the issue of net neutrality; new rules proposed by the FCC in February quietly went into effect on Friday, June 12th. This comes as a three-judge panel from the D.C. Circuit Appeals Court denied a


Will Recent ET-Plus Guardrail Settlement be Death of Trinity Industries?

6/13/2015 Tuesday’s, $663 million settlement against guardrail manufacturer Trinity industries includes the largest-ever award given to a whistle-blower under the False-Claims Act, a whopping $199 million given to former competitor, Virginian Joshua Harman. Harman sued on behalf of the government claiming that Trinity defrauded taxpayers by failing to notify the Federal Highway Administration of a


National Cannabis Bar Association: Mainstream Marijuana

6/12/2015 Perhaps it was inevitable, or perhaps it is a stroke of genius, but a coalition of attorneys has launched the National Cannabis Bar Association (NCBA) in order to help people navigate what has been called the “green rush.” Medical marijuana is legal in some form in 23 states, and recreational marijuana is legal in


Supreme Court Case Review may Limit Class-Action Lawsuits

6/10/2015 The U.S. Supreme Court announced on Monday, June 8th that it will be reviewing a federal appeals ruling in its next term, petitioned by Tyson Foods, challenging a $5.8 million judgment against the company over unpaid work time at an Iowa pork-processing plant. While the sum of the judgment is miniscule in cases of


Pound Institute names Issacharoff Inaugural Appellate Advocacy Award Winner

5/31/2015 Officers and Trustees of the Pound Civil Justice Institute announced on Thursday, May 28th that they have awarded New York University Law professor and BP settlement attorney, Samuel Issacharoff the winner of the think-tank’s first Appellate Advocacy Award. Issacharoff is being awarded the honor for his tireless efforts working on the Deepwater Horizon lawsuit against


Is Blue Cross/Blue Shield a Cartel?

5/29/2015 A federal judicial panel in Alabama has consolidated two lawsuits into a single claim, alleging that the networked structure of insurance group Blue Cross/Blue Shield violates federal antitrust law. Both suits, one filed on behalf of healthcare providers, and the other on behalf of individuals and small-business customers claim that the 37 separate entities


Supreme Court Rules War is not Excuse for missed Whistleblower Deadlines

5/27/2015 In a decision that helps to define the statute of limitations for whistleblower cases, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled Tuesday, May 26th that whistleblowers do not get extra time to file false claims complaints during a time of war. The case revolves around former Iraq contractor, Benjamin Carter, whose 2011 complaint under review alleges


5th Circuit Appeals Court deals Obama’s Immigration policy Another Blow

5/27/2015 For the second time in as many months, a federal court has upheld the stoppage of a key portion of President Obama’s November 2014 executive order reforming U.S. immigration policy. A split 3-judge panel from the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Texas Federal Judge, Andrew Hanen’s February injunction of the executive order after