The “Florida Supreme Court has agreed to review last year’s Miami appellate court decision that vacated a record-setting $145 billion punitive damage verdict against the nation’s largest cigarette companies.” We’ve had a lot to say over the years about the travesty that is the Engle case: see Jul. 12, 1999; Jul. 18, 2000; Mar. 23, Jun. 24 and Aug. 3, 2003; other posts on this site. (Laurie Cunningham, “Fla. High Court to Review $145 Billion Tobacco Case”, Miami Daily Business Review, May 13).
Chronicling the high cost of our legal system
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Point of Law- Around the web, November 9Small favors dept.: managers of House health bill agree to amendment reducing incentive for states to repeal existing fee/award limits, but states without such limits would still be accorded new incentives not to adopt them [Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Pero]... […]Walter Olson
- Medical malpractice reform omitted from House health care billThe lack of medical liability reform in the House health care bill and the political power of trial lawyers were two points argued late Saturday when Republicans moved to recommit the health care bill, H.R. 3962, to committee. A motion... […]Carter Wood
- House passes chemical facility security bill, welcomes litigationThe U.S. House of Representatives on Friday voted 230-193 to pass H.R. 2868, the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Act. (Roll call vote.) All but 21 Democrats voted in favor; Republicans all opposed. With the announcement yesterday of October's 10.2 percent unemployment,... […]Carter Wood
- "Spano's Suicide: Housing Plan Doomed County Exec"The New York Post has now picked up a slightly shortened version of my City Journal piece on the housing lawsuit that contributed to a voter revolt in Westchester. P.S. The Weekly Standard "Scrapbook" feature discusses the piece, as do... […]Walter Olson
- "Chloroform for tort reform"The Washington Times assails as "dishonest" and a "poison pill" the House health bill's provisions bribing states not to enact limits on malpractice awards and attorneys' fees.... […]Walter Olson
- Around the web, November 9
- Volokh
- Bloggers: 10% unemployment would be disaster for Dems in 2010. Split on whether Cap/Trade will passIn last week’s National Journal of political bloggers, one question asked: “If unemployment remains at roughly the current level, what impact will that have on the 2010 midterm elections?” One hundred percent of the Right, and 89 percent of the Left bloggers thought it would hurt Democrats, and most thought it would hurt them a [...] […]David Kopel
- Monday Bear BloggingRenewing the intermittent tradition of Monday bear blogging, I thought I’d note this story. Copyright © 2008 This feed is for personal, non-commercial use only. The use of this feed on other websites breaches copyright. If this content is not in your news reader, it makes the page you are viewing an infringement of the [...] […]Jonathan H. Adler
- CVSG in Staub v. Proctor HospitalThe Court didn’t grant cert in any cases today. It did, however, call for the views of the Solicitor General in Staub v. Proctor Hospital, 09–400, a case presenting the question of the proper standard to employ in determining whether an employer can be held liable based on the unlawful intent of officials who [...] […]John Elwood
- Second OT2009 Opinion–PC in Capital CaseNo Supreme Court opinions in argued cases yet, but we got a second per curiam in a non-argued case. The Court summarily reversed the Sixth Circuit (Merritt, Martin, Moore) in the case of David Bobby (I guess that’s Ricky’s brother), Warden v. Robert J. Van Hook, 09–144, a capital case presenting the question of [...] […]John Elwood
- Federal Rules Interpreted as Barring Twitter Coverage of Trial from Inside CourtroomFrom United States v. Shelnutt (M.D. Ga. Nov. 2): A reporter for the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer newspaper has requested that he be allowed to use his handheld electronic device (e.g., a BlackBerry or cellular telephone) during the trial of the above-captioned criminal case to send electronic messages describing the court proceedings directly from the courtroom […]Eugene Volokh
- Bloggers: 10% unemployment would be disaster for Dems in 2010. Split on whether Cap/Trade will pass
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Florida showdown
Following major victories for lawsuit reform efforts in Georgia and South Carolina this year, attention has shifted to Florida, where the legislature’s session is scheduled to last only through the end of this week. Governor Jeb Bush has proposed an…
Florida showdown
Following major victories for lawsuit reform efforts in Georgia and South Carolina this year, attention has shifted to Florida, where the legislature’s session is scheduled to last only through the end of this week. Governor Jeb Bush has proposed an…
Florida showdown
Following major victories for lawsuit reform efforts in Georgia and South Carolina this year, attention has shifted to Florida, where the legislature’s session is scheduled to last only through the end of this week. Governor Jeb Bush has proposed an…
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