Overlawyered » autos

Motorcyclist blames BMW for unsought excitement

Walter Olson — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 16:04:41 +0000

Another installment in World’s Most Embarrassing Lawsuits, a series: A California man is suing BMW, claiming that following a four-hour ride the seat on his motorcycle inflicted on him a state of unwanted sexual arousal that he has been unable to deactivate for 20 months. The German-owned automaker notes that he was using a custom seat purchased from an aftermarket supplier (which he’s also suing) and says it cannot be responsible for the performance of aftermarket equipment. [WWJ Detroit, with some memorable comments]

Tags: autos

Motorcyclist blames BMW for unsought excitement is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

March 27 roundup

Walter Olson — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 04:04:06 +0000

NYC: “Lawsuit Blames Apple’s Glass Doors for Plaintiff’s Broken Nose” [Lowering the Bar, CBS New York]
Some who pushed enhanced punishment for Dharun Ravi may now be doubting they really want it [Scott Greenfield, earlier here, etc.]
NYT editorial on FMLA state immunity is as bad as anyone had a right to expect [Whelan]
“Pleading, Discovery, and the Federal Rules: Exploring the Foundations of Modern Procedure” [Martin Redish, FedSoc "Engage"] Summary of important ’09 Redish book Wholesale Justice calling into question constitutionality of class actions [Trask]
Would trial-by-DVD be so very wrong? [James Grimmelmann, Prawfs]
Contested memorabilia: lawsuits filed over estate of gay rights pioneer Franklin Kameny [MetroWeekly]
Feds’ “distracted driving” guidance could impair usefulness of car navigation systems [Cunningham/CNet, earlier]

Tags: Apple, autos, discovery, juries, pleading

March 27 roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

March 7 roundup

Walter Olson — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 05:06:46 +0000

Ray LaHood’s forgotten predecessor: “How One Bureaucrat Almost Succeeded in Banning Car Radios” [Mike Riggs, Reason]
“Some Recent Nonsense on Freedom of Religion in the Times” [Paul Horwitz, Prawfs]
Choice of Ben Stein as speaker for ABA Tech Show raises eyebrows [Derek Bambauer, InfoLaw]
“Oblivion video game ‘Abomb” becomes federal lawsuit” [Abnormal Use]
Tort causation: “Probability for thee, mere possibility for me” [David Oliver]
Washington state says it won’t pay for “unnecessary” Medicaid ER visits. Can you see the unintended consequences coming? [White Coat]
Utah says family can’t fundraise for son’s legal defense without permit [Standard-Examiner via Balko]

Tags: autos, Ben Stein, churches, emergency medicine, Utah, videogames, Washington state

March 7 roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

March 2 roundup

Walter Olson — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 14:30:02 +0000

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who crusades against distracted driving, worsens the problem by honking at motorists he sees using phones [WTOP via Mike Riggs, Reason] Expensive new mandate for back-up cameras in cars may be delayed until after election [Ira Stoll and more, Ann Althouse]
With reporter Lee Stranahan, the late Andrew Breitbart shone an investigative spotlight on the USDA’s billion-dollar settlement with lawyers representing black farmers, and there was indeed much to investigate [Big Government]
Substance on floor may have been own baby oil: “Oiled Stripper Loses Slip and Fall Lawsuit” [Erik Magraken; B.C., Canada; related on-the-job pole-dance injuries here and here]
Honeywell’s new thermostat design deserves high marks, its patent litigation maybe not so much [Farhad Manjoo, Slate]
Socialism takes too many evenings: @ChadwickMatlin live-tweets Park Slope Food Co-op meeting [The Awl]
Auto bailout a success? Really? [Mickey Kaus, Todd Zywicki, Ted Frank, Prof. Bainbridge]
Way to go Maryland: proud of my state for enacting law recognizing same-sex marriage, signed by Gov. O’Malley yesterday [WaPo]

Tags: agriculture and farming, autos, Maryland, NHTSA, patent litigation, same-sex marriage, strippers and exotic dancers

March 2 roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

Creative class actions: gas in repossessed cars

Walter Olson — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 12:15:59 +0000

Lawyers representing a White Lake, Mich. woman say that whether or not Ally Financial was within its rights to repossess her 2006 Pontiac, it was not entitled to the half-tank of gas it carried. They are asking class-action status on behalf of Michigan customers and seek $5 million. [Detroit News]

Tags: autos, class actions, Michigan

Creative class actions: gas in repossessed cars is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

February 27 roundup

Walter Olson — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 05:08:07 +0000

Department of Transportation cracks down on distraction from cars’ onboard information and entertainment systems; Mike Masnick suspects the measure won’t work as intended, as appears to have been the case with early texting bans [Techdirt; earlier here, etc.] “Feds Push New York Toward Full Ban On Electronic Devices In Cars” [Glenn Reynolds, Instapundit; Truth About Cars]
Oh no: Scott Greenfield says he’s ceasing to post at his exemplary criminal defense blog after five years [Simple Justice, Dave Hoffman]
California not entitled to pursue its own foreign policy, at least when in conflict with rest of nation’s: unanimous “blockbuster” decision by en banc 9th Circuit strikes down law enabling insurance suits by Armenian victims [AP, Alford/OJ, Recorder, related, Frank/PoL]
Playboy model’s $1.2M award against Gotham cops is a great day for the tabloids [NYDN]
To hear a pitch for fracking-royalty suits, visit the American Association for Justice convention, or just read the New York Times [Wood, PoL]
What the mortgage settlement did [John Cochrane, earlier]
Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) of 1978 blows up an adoption: “She’s a 2-year-old girl who got shoved in a truck and driven to Oklahoma with strangers.” [Reuters, SaveVeronica.org]

Tags: AAJ, adoption, autos, California, Indian tribes, insurance, legal blogs, mortgages, oil industry, reparations

February 27 roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

From IowaHawk’s Clint Eastwood parody

Walter Olson — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:03:21 +0000

“A Fistful of Rebates“:

….what’s true about Detroit is true about all of us. This country can’t be knocked out with one punch. We get back up, slip again, and send the video to our personal injury lawyer. And when we do – the world is going to hear the roar of our engines.

Tags: autos, Detroit, parody

From IowaHawk’s Clint Eastwood parody is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

Honda vs. “small claims flash mob” tale

Walter Olson — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 15:00:30 +0000

A much-linked L.A. Times account seemed somehow “off,” and George Wallace now explains why.

Tags: autos, class action settlements

Honda vs. “small claims flash mob” tale is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

Ban hands-free car phone use? Who, us?

Walter Olson — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 05:13:41 +0000

Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, who has made “distracted driving” his “signature safety issue,” is putting distance between himself and the NTSB’s call for a sweeping ban. [Reuters, Tina Korbe/Hot Air, earlier here and here]

Tags: autos, cellphones

Ban hands-free car phone use? Who, us? is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

Volt vs. Toyota

Walter Olson — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 12:56:34 +0000

Coyote wonders about the contrast between the frantic, America-in-crisis media and political coverage of an imaginary Toyota sudden acceleration glitch and the considerably mellower reception given an alleged safety hazard in Chevy Volts, put out by government-sponsored General Motors.

Tags: autos

Volt vs. Toyota is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system