torts
Looking for the Key to Unlock the Floodgates in Climate Change Litigation
Stephan Faris’ Conspiracy Theory in the new issue of the Atlantic posits climate change as this era’s Tobacco settlement, profiling the efforts of Steve Susman and Steve Berman.
As scientific evidence accumulates on the destructive impact of carbon-dioxide emissions, a handful of lawyers are beginning to bring suits against the major contributors to climate change. Their […]
Carl Icahn reminisces about Tort King Lawyer Joe Jamail, Texaco-Pennzoil case
Via Houston’s Clear Thinkers, “Corporate Raider Carl Icahn caught on video at Caroline’s Comedy Club in Manhattan talking about the Texaco/Getty Oil Lawsuit.” Icahn’s Joe Jamail impression is worth the price of admission.
Suing Chinese Companies
In Liability Lawyers Struggle to Pierce the Chinese Curtain, the Washington Post chronicles the obstacles facing American lawyers in holding Chinese companies accountable for injuries caused by their products in the US.
The opacity and scarcity of regulation of Chinese business practices make investigations and evidence-gathering cumbersome and frustrating. Headquarters offices, once found, are often bare-bones […]
Houston Alum John O’Quinn Making News Again…
Houston Law alum John O’Quinn is Above the Law’s Lawyer of the Day today. OK, so maybe it’s not for the reasons we might hope, but any publicity is good publicity right? Well….
According to the Houston Chronicle:
Houston plaintiff lawyer John O’Quinn has been ordered to refund at least $35.7 million to more than 3,000 former […]
Professor Richard Alderman on the 54 million dollar pant case
In this Chronicle op-ed Houston Law Professor Richard Alderman points out What the ‘pant rant’ on talk radio misses about lawsuits (archive), advocates for tort reform are pointing to Judge Pearson’s $54 million dollar pant case for all the wrong reasons. The judge tossed this case and Pearson out on his proverbial can.
As if I didn’t hear enough about that damn McDonald’s Hot Coffee Case
Jury awards $122,400 for bite from sister’s cat
Interesting Economic Research, Race, Poverty and American Tort Awards
Another post on a great piece from Marginal Revolution, Alex Tabarrok discusses his recent research with Eric Helland on Race, Poverty and American Tort Awards. His conclusion:
A 1% increase in black poverty rates, for example, can increase tort awards by 3-10 percent with a similar increase in Hispanic poverty rates. Careful forum shopping can easily […]
Legal Consequences of Trans Fats
I heard a tort-reform advocate spouting off about lawsuits built on obesity and couldn’t understand what why he was harping on it. Could Supersize Me have scared him that badly? Now it’s starting to make a little more sense.
CS Monitor: Lead paint, cigarettes: Are trans fats next?
In Pelman v. McDonald’s Corp., 237 F. Supp. 2d […]