NEWS ABOUT: lawsuit
lawsuit stories: 372 news briefs
Victims can still sue swindler's wife to recoup losses
Newsday Jul 2, 09 11:05 AM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
When she leaves her Manhattan penthouse, Ruth Madoff will have a mere $2.5 million to her name—and she might not have that for long either, Newsday reports. Madoff’s deal with the government—in which she’ll gives up more than $80 million in assets, keeping just the aforementioned cash—doesn’t prevent victims of the Ponzi scheme run by husband Bernard Madoff from suing her.
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Novel about Holden Caulfield can't be published in US
New York Times Jul 1, 09 5:18 PM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
Another court triumph for JD Salinger: A federal judge has blocked the US publication of an unauthorized sequel to The Catcher in the Rye . The judge, who had issued a temporary restraining order last month, issued a more permanent injunction against the novel by Swedish author Fredrik Colting, reports the New York Times . It had been scheduled to come out this summer. Colting can still take the case to trial, but the judge said Salinger would likely prevail.
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USA Today Jun 30, 09 3:48 PM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
Recent lawsuits are bringing the reliability of police dogs’ noses into question, USA Today reports. Since 2004, three men have been released after wrongful convictions based partially on scent evidence, and two current federal suits target a well-known Texas deputy who works with his dogs across the nation. “It’s a fraud on so many levels,” a defense attorney said. “It’s junk science,” added another.
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Gawker Jun 25, 09 7:58 AM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
Celeb blogger Perez Hilton has apologized for using the "F word" gay slur in his dust-up with the Black Eyed Peas. Band manager Polo Molino has been charged with assault for allegedly punching Hilton after the gossip maven dissed Will.i.am after a video awards show in Toronto. GLAAD called on Hilton to apologize for his anti-gay slur.
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Says View co-host stole celiac disease idea
Boston Herald Jun 23, 09 3:12 PM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
A woman who sent Elisabeth Hasselbeck a cookbook to help deal with an autoimmune disorder now claims The View co-host pirated the ideas for her own tome, the Boston Herald reports. Self-published author Susan Hassett’s federal lawsuit claims she sent Living With Celiac Disease to Hasselbeck in 2008, and that Hasselbeck’s The G-Free Diet: A Gluten-Free Survival Guide , published last month, infringes on her copyright.
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BBC Jun 22, 09 11:38 AM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
The Justice Department has asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit seeking to unearth the bones of Geronimo from his Oklahoma tomb and rebury them in his native New Mexico, the BBC reports. The Apache leader’s descendants also name Yale University and the Skull and Bones society, which allegedly stole some of the bones to keep in its New Haven clubhouse.
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Associated Press Jun 22, 09 11:04 AM CDT
(AP Summary) -
The Supreme Court ruled narrowly today in a challenge to the Voting Rights Act, exempting a small Texas district from a key provision of the law, but side-stepping the larger constitutional issue. The act requires Southern areas with a history of discrimination to get advance federal approval before changing election procedures. The larger issue of whether the law is still necessary, “is a difficult constitutional question we do not answer today,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote.
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Civil case finds
Scrushy to blame
after criminal acquittal
Bloomberg Jun 18, 09 1:57 PM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
Four years after Richard Scrushy was acquitted of directing accounting fraud at HealthSouth, a judge has held him accountable for $2.876 billion, Bloomberg reports. “Scrushy was the CEO of the fraud,” said the judge, who ruled without a jury. The decision “is a shot across the bow for those who engage in corporate greed and fraud in our country,” said an attorney for the plaintiffs.
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Restraining order may be prelude to trial for Salinger, 'sequel' writer
Reuters Jun 17, 09 4:39 PM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
A federal judge today blocked the publication of a modern novel featuring the characters of The Catcher in the Rye while she weighs whether there’s a valid copyright case. Author JD Salinger, 90, sued the Swedish publisher of 60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye for not seeking his permission, Reuters reports. The new novel is literary commentary, a lawyer for the publisher counters.
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Both sides threaten lawsuits
TMZ Jun 16, 09 11:25 AM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
Carrie Prejean is threatening to sue Miss California USA for defamation, TMZ reports, and the pageant isn't taking it sitting down. The Miss California people sent her lawyer a letter stating that if she continues to publicly claim innocence, they'll sue her. If she keeps asserting that she was "courteous, cooperative, or professional in her conduct," the letter says, "the history of her churlish insolent misbehavior can be presented.”
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Ruling on Padilla may open door against former Justice lawyer
Associated Press Jun 13, 09 5:10 PM CDT
(AP Summary) -
A convicted terrorist can sue a former Bush administration lawyer for drafting the legal theories that led to his alleged torture, ruled a federal judge who said he was trying to balance a clash between war and the defense of personal freedoms. The order by judge Jeffrey White of San Francisco, regarding "dirty bomb" plotter Jose Padilla, is the first time a government lawyer has been held potentially liable for the abuse of detainees.
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Most listed on site actually don't subscribe, says NY man
New York Post Jun 11, 09 11:32 AM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
A Brooklyn man is suing Match.com over “humiliation and disappointment” suffered by users who seek dates with non-subscribers, the New York Post reports. Most people listed on the site, he says, “are canceled subscribers or never subscribed at all.” And those who e-mail them “feel rejected when their e-mails get no reply,” Sean McGinn claims.
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Plaintiff demands singer play US show or cough up $40m
Daily Telegraph (UK) Jun 11, 09 6:03 AM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
A New Jersey promoter has filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent Michael Jackson from starting his 50-concert London marathon next month, the Telegraph reports. The singer contracted to play a reunion concert in the US this summer with other members of the Jackson family before performing anywhere else, the suit charges. The promoter is demanding Jackson pay $40 million for breach of contract.
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Minneapolis Star Tribune Jun 8, 09 3:11 PM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
Minnesota has dropped a bid to cut off access to online gambling after a legal challenge from an industry group, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. The state had petitioned Internet service providers to block the sites. Whether the lobby “ultimately would have prevailed in court is unknown,” a state official said. “It may be more appropriate to resolve this problem by working to create clear and effective government policies.”
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But co-founder slams
La Russa suit, vows
to battle in court
CNET Jun 6, 09 6:37 PM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
Twitter came out swinging today against St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, calling his lawsuit against the company "an unnecessary waste of judicial resources bordering on frivolous," CNET reports. Co-founder Biz Stone also denied reports that Twitter had settled the suit, in which La Russa claimed emotional distress due to tweets posted in his name. But Stone did promise a new feature, "Verified Accounts," to cut down on imposter tweeting.
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Company argues NFL union has no copyright on players' info
CNET Jun 4, 09 8:11 AM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
Yahoo has taken the NFL Players Association to court in a bid to use players' information for its online fantasy football game without paying royalties, CNET reports. Yahoo argues that since the players' names, biographies, and statistics are already in the public domain, it no longer needs to gain permission to use them or enter a licensing agreement. Major League Baseball struck out when hit with a similar lawsuit in 2007.
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Fox may not be able to escape from this one unscathed
Hollywood Reporter Jun 4, 09 7:55 AM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
If Sacha Baron Cohen’s Bruno is anything like Borat , yesterday’s lawsuit is the first of many to come. But this one is different, according to the Hollywood Reporter . Unlike the Borat suits, mainly filed by people with gripes about release forms, the case is more serious: This lawsuit concerns a woman who, TMZ reports, says she was attacked by Cohen and his crew during a bingo game and left crippled after hitting her head.
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Mashable Jun 3, 09 7:27 PM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
Twitter's in trouble again for another celebrity impersonator. St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa is suing the site after someone tweeted off-color remarks under his name and likeness, reports Mashable. His lawsuit charges trademark infringement and says La Russa suffered "emotional distress" and damage to his reputation. Two of the tweets made reference to Cardinals pitchers who recently died, notes the Post-Dispatch .
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Associated Press Jun 3, 09 2:17 PM CDT
(AP Summary) -
A federal judge has tossed out more than three dozen lawsuits filed against the nation's telecommunications companies for allegedly taking part in the government's email and telephone eavesdropping program that was done without court approval. The dismissals were widely expected after Congress in July agreed on new surveillance rules that include immunity from lawsuits for telecommunications companies that allegedly helped the US spy on Americans.
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GOSSIP ROUNDUP
Plus, more celebs in trouble
TMZ Jun 1, 09 12:17 PM CDT
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The drama never ends with the Suleman 14—Angela Suleman’s home of many years will be auctioned off to the highest bidder today in California, TMZ reports, speculating that it was probably easier for Nadya to buy a new home (valued at $564,900) than help her mom out of the $534,289.54 hole for the old one. More celebs in trouble:
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