$1M Settlement in Man’s Traffic Death in Hawaii
Kauai officials have agreed to pay $1 million to the family of a man who died after being hit by a police cruiser. Tthe family of 19-year-old Michael Kocher Jr. reached a settlement with Kauai County last month.
Read the source article at Insurance Journal
John Wayne Bobitt recalls night his wife chopped penis off
John Wayne Bobbitt has spoken out about the “nightmare” night he awoke to find his wife had cut his penis off with a knife.
Lorena Bobbitt notoriously drove off from the scene with her husband’s detached penis and tossed it out of the window into a field as she passed.
Incredibly, after an extensive police search in the area, Bobbitt’s severed member was recovered, placed into a hotdog box, and rushed to the hospital.
Read the source article at Mirror Online
After damaging Reuters report, J&J doubles down on talc safety message
"The FDA has tested Johnson's talc since the '70s. Every single time it did not contain asbestos," the company said in a Dec. 19 tweet. Posted under the handle @JNJNews, it didn't mention that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found traces of asbestos in the company's Shower to Shower talc in 1973
Read the source article at reuters.com
Veterans win suit against MA over denial of Welcome Home bonus
Three veterans who sued Massachusetts for denying them a Welcome Home bonus should receive the money, a Suffolk Superior Court judge ruled.
Massachusetts offers veterans who served after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks a Welcome Home bonus as long as they receive an honorable discharge. The bonus is $1,000 for veterans who served in Iraq or Afghanistan and $500 for those who served elsewhere for at least six months.
Read the source article at masslive.com
$14.7 million verdict upheld in tobacco case
A divided South Florida appeals court Wednesday upheld a verdict that calls for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. to pay $14.7 million to the wife and daughter of a man who died at age 56 of lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
In a 2-1 decision, a panel of the 3rd District Court of Appeal rejected arguments that the verdict was excessive and that a plaintiffs’ attorney made improper comments during closing arguments.
Read the source article at Home | Pensacola News Journal | pnj.com
$4M sex abuse judgment upheld against Jehovah's Witnesses
A California appeals court has affirmed a more than $4 million judgment against the nation's leading body of Jehovah's Witnesses in favor of a woman who claims she was molested as a child in by a church elder.
In its 44-page opinion issued Dec. 10, the California 4th District Court of Appeal, Division Two three-judge panel left in place terminating sanctions and a judgment of little more than $4 million against Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York Inc.
The Riverside Superior Court previously handed down the sanctions and judgment and Watchtower declined ...
Read the source article at Legal Newsline
Opioid Makers Must Face Racketeering Claims
A federal judge in Ohio refused Wednesday to dismiss racketeering claims against Purdue Pharma and other drug manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies in a massive collection of cases blaming them for the nation’s opioid epidemic.
The claims of hundreds of cities and counties against opioid makers including Purdue and Johnson & Johnson have been consolidated in Cleveland federal court. U.S. District Judge Dan Polster is overseeing the case.
Read the source article at Homepage
Oregon Officials Face Wrongful Death Suit for Releasing Alleged Murderer
A mother of five filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Oregon State Psychiatric Security Review Board in state court Wednesday, accusing it of prematurely releasing an inmate who killed two people after release.
Less than a month after being discharged, Anthony Montwheeler allegedly stabbed his ex-wife to death and then intentionally drove head-on into the car of Jessica and David Bates during a police chase, resulting in David’s death.
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$480M Wells Fargo Shareholder Settlement Approved
A federal judge on Tuesday gave his final blessing to a $480 million deal to resolve claims that Wells Fargo misled investors about a costly sham accounts scandal that tarnished the bank’s reputation.
The settlement applies to those who purchased stock in the San Francisco-based bank between Feb. 26, 2014, and Sept. 20, 2016. Each investor will get about $0.35 per share after attorneys’ fees are deducted from the settlement fund.
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New York alleges Target, Walmart sold toys with toxic lead levels
The state of New York has filed a lawsuit against the Target and Walmart, as well as LaRose Industries, alleging the sale of lead-contaminated toys with nearly 10 times more than legal level of lead allowed by federal standards.
According to the New York Attorney General's Office, Walmart, Target and importer LaRose Industries violated state laws after testing showed "Cra-Z-Jewelz" sold by the retailers and imported by LaRose, contained more than the 100 parts per million over the federal limit. The Cra-Z-Jewlez jewelry-making kits tested by the Attorney General's Office and retested by the Consumer ...
Read the source article at Legal Newsline
The Hamilton Project: cash bail system cost the U.S. economy over $15B
The Hamilton Project at the Brookings Institution has released a new report titled, “The Economics of Bail and Pretrial Detention,” which explores the economic burden that the U.S. bail and pretrial detention system places not only on low-income defendants—but society as a whole.
The study concludes that in 2018, the direct cost of bail to the U.S. economy was $15.26 billion (illustrated below in Table 1). The more than $15 billion in costs does not include additional indirect fees and long-run damages including: decreased future employment opportunities, increased financial burdens placed on family members, and future crimes committed, among other factors.
Additional findings from the report include:
- Despite California’s recent elimination of cash bail, the analysis finds that in recent decades, the usage of bail and the duration of pretrial detention in the U.S. has increased significantly—regardless of the type of offense. For example: between 1992 and 2009, median bail increased by 33 percent for drug offenses, 48 percent for public order offenses, and 67 percent for violent offenses.
- Nearly 25 percent of all state and local inmates are in jail without having been convicted of a crime. The majority of these people are deemed eligible for release by a judge—but are unable to raise the funds to leave jail.
- Pretrial detention periods are growing substantially, subsequently increasing costs to those who cannot afford bail. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the median duration of pretrial detention increased for every charged offense, ranging from an increase of 34 percent for burglary to 104 percent for rape.
- The share of released defendants who relied on commercial bail bonds more than doubled—rising from 24 to 49 percent, from 1990-2009. Commercial bonds account for all of the increase in total defendants who are able to secure financial release.
To learn more about the findings in the analysis, view the full report online.
ACLU and The Leadership Conference Praise Senate Passage of FIRST STEP Act
The Senate has passed a revised version of the FIRST STEP Act by a margin of 87-12. It is expected to pass quickly in the House of Representatives in the coming days.
Jesselyn McCurdy, deputy director of the Washington Legislative Office at the American Civil Liberties Union, had the following reaction:
“The FIRST STEP Act is by no means perfect. But we are in the midst of a mass incarceration crisis, and the time to act is now.”
“We applaud the bipartisan group of senators who were willing to listen to advocates and include important sentencing reforms that will grant thousands of currently incarcerated people a second chance.”
“People’s lives are at stake. We’re delighted to see common sense prevail and the FIRST STEP Act move closer to the finish line.”
Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of the The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, had the following response:
“The Senate’s bipartisan vote to pass the FIRST STEP Act is an important, but modest step forward for justice and human dignity. But it is not the end of our fight. This bipartisan bill offers some important improvements to the current federal system, but it falls short of providing the meaningful change that is required, as we explained in a letter to the Senate. More work will be needed as we push for transformational change that will end mass incarceration in America."
“We applaud our coalition members for their tireless work to ensure that the final bill included the vital sentencing provisions that improved the bill, Senators Durbin, Booker, Harris, Lee, and Grassley for their leadership, and the many formerly incarcerated allies and advocates who remind us that this work has real-world impact.”
More information about the ACLU’s position on the FIRST STEP Act can be found here:
https://www.aclu.org/blog/smart-justice/mass-incarceration/how-first-step-act-moves-criminal-justice-reform-forward
Judge rules Parkland cops, schools had no duty to shield students
A federal judge on Monday ruled that Broward County schools and the Sheriff’s Office were not legally obligated to protect and shield students in the shooting that occurred at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., last February.
U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom tossed out a lawsuit brought by 15 students who survived the school shooting that argued the Sheriff’s Office and the Broward school district had a legal duty to protect them during the massacre.
Read the source article at The Hill
Passenger alleges Viking River Cruises failed to move, struck bridge
A Maryland man is seeking damages from California cruise line after his ship failed to sail and the replacement ship struck a bridge.
John Amato IV, on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, filed a complaint on Dec. 6 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland against Viking River Cruises Inc. alleging negligence and fraud.
Read the source article at Legal Newsline
Jury Awards $25 Million Against Texas Nightclub in Cowboys Player’s Death
A Dallas County jury awarded the mother of former Dallas Cowboys football player Jerry Brown $25 million Thursday afternoon, concluding a local nightclub shared responsibility in his car collision death six years ago.
Jurors deliberated for over four hours before finding Beamers Private Club and Brown’s teammate, Josh Brent, each 48 percent responsible for Brown’s death, while holding Brown himself four percent responsible.
Read the source article at Homepage