J&J faces 1,000 more talc-cancer suits after verdict loss
Johnson & Johnson must pay $55 million to a 62-year-old South Dakota woman who blamed her ovarian cancer on the company’s talcum powder in the second such trial loss this year.
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Top NY court upholds conviction for illegal knife
New York’s highest court on Tuesday upheld a driver’s conviction for illegal possession for a gravity knife, rejecting arguments that he didn’t know the folding knife he used for work could open with a flick of the wrist.
Man pleads guilty in drunken driving death of Muncie teen
A central Indiana man has pleaded guilty in a fatal drunk driving case in which he killed a Muncie teenager when he slammed into his motor scooter last summer.
Ball State police still face excessive force lawsuit
A federal judge’s recent ruling means Ball State University will have to settle or defend itself at trial in a two-year-old civil rights lawsuit filed by a hip-hop artist.
Justices weigh duty of care for house party hosts
Indiana Supreme Court Justice Steven David posed a graphic hypothetical to an attorney defending a liability suit against a homeowner who hosted a party where a guest died after a fight. David’s scenario encapsulated the justices’ apparent concern over a trial court’s grant of summary judgment in the homeowner’s favor.
Undocumented immigrant issues left unanswered
A recent Indiana Court of Appeals decision didn’t provide the guidance one attorney had hoped from the court regarding injured undocumented workers. But the judges did decide that the worker’s immigration status is important in his lawsuit.
US Supreme Court ruling affirms class waivers in arbitration clauses
In today’s marketplace, consumers have a choice when purchasing such things as cellphones, banking services and even medical procedures. Sign the contract and get the product. Don’t sign the contract and don’t get the product.
Fee shifts an issue for court reporters
In certain situations, Tom Richardson will watch two attorneys in a deposition and will know one is going to get stuck with a bigger bill for the same service.
Bluebook: Here to stay, but lawyers don’t have to like it
A valuable way to standardize citations and make court cases and sources easier to find, or “560 pages of rubbish” as 7th Circuit Judge Richard Posner said in a recent article for the Green Bag? That’s been the debate over The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation for several years.
Funding, use of ADR in family law cases varies in courts around state
Rensselaer lawyer Samantha Joslyn has handled family law cases filed at the Jasper County courthouse and in several surrounding counties in northwest Indiana. She said whether those cases will be mediated depends in large part on the court where the case is filed.
Evansville Judge Kiely honored with freedom award
Vanderburgh Circuit Judge David Kiely was honored April 29 by his colleagues on the bench and bar for his work helping to expand problem-solving courts and establish special programs for offenders.
In a divorce, who gets to keep the family dog?
Rudy is a 9-year-old German shorthaired pointer with a regal personality and loving owners who are divorced. The humans in his life agreed to a shared-custody arrangement: Every two weeks, Rudy goes back and forth between their two homes in western Massachusetts.
Gilead judge re-opens case amid claim Merck scientist lied
A federal judge re-opened Merck & Co.’s patent case against Gilead Sciences Inc. over a hepatitis C drug amid claims that an ex-Merck scientist lied to a jury that awarded the company $200 million in damages.
Developer Alig avoids prison time with plea deal
A prominent Indianapolis developer who pleaded guilty to one count of theft and one count of securities fraud received a four-year suspended sentence Monday morning and was ordered to repay victims $321,000.
Supreme Court won’t review appeal from POM juices
The U.S. Supreme Court is leaving in place a court ruling that found advertising claims of the health benefits of POM Wonderful juices were deceptive.
High court to hear patent fight over adult diapers
The Supreme Court of the United States will resolve a patent dispute between companies that make adult diapers.
Tax court: Fees not subject to utility receipt tax
The Indiana Tax Court found a utility’s nontaxable connection fees were separated from taxable receipts on its returns and were therefore not subject to Indiana’s utility receipt tax.
Divided justices deny rehearing asbestos statute of repose case
The Indiana Supreme Court issued an order declining to rehear a case that ended the statute of repose on prolonged asbestos cases by a 3-2 vote Thursday, with the same justices who voted to end the statute of repose voting against the rehearing.
Supreme Court won’t block Texas voter ID law for now
The Supreme Court on Friday rejected an emergency appeal to stop Texas from enforcing its challenged voter ID law. But the court said it could revisit the issue as the November elections approach.
Nebraska, Oklahoma join suit to halt Colorado marijuana law
Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson and his counterpart in Oklahoma are joining a lawsuit aimed at halting legal marijuana in Colorado.