Overlawyered » New Hampshire http://overlawyered.com Chronicling the high cost of our legal system Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:11:47 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Perfume restrictions in the news http://overlawyered.com/2012/01/perfume-restrictions-in-the-news/ http://overlawyered.com/2012/01/perfume-restrictions-in-the-news/#comments Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:27:42 +0000 Walter Olson http://overlawyered.com/?p=27109 Under a bill introduced by a New Hampshire legislator, “state employees who interact with the public would not be allowed to wear perfume. Rep. Michele Peckham, R-North Hampton, is the prime sponsor of the perfume bill, which she said she put forward after a constituent asked her to do so. She said there are people allergic to fragrances. ‘It may seem silly, but it’s a health issue,’ Peckham said. ‘Many people have violent reactions to strong scents.’” [Union-Leader via Radley Balko, who calls it reductio creep] Similar proposals have surfaced in places like Portland, Ore., and “perfume sensitivity” lawsuits have been reported from Detroit and New Jersey (& welcome WSJ Law Blog readers; day’s “Five Must-Read Stories”).

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]]> http://overlawyered.com/2012/01/perfume-restrictions-in-the-news/feed/ 11 “Man Charged With Wiretapping for Using Phone During Traffic Stop” http://overlawyered.com/2011/04/man-charged-with-wiretapping-for-using-phone-during-traffic-stop/ http://overlawyered.com/2011/04/man-charged-with-wiretapping-for-using-phone-during-traffic-stop/#comments Wed, 13 Apr 2011 05:14:24 +0000 Walter Olson http://overlawyered.com/?p=22501 Another twist on the assertion that state laws against wiretapping and unauthorized recording make it unlawful to record the cops: police in the town of Weare, N.H. charged a man with wiretapping after he placed a cellphone call during a traffic stop “because the officer’s voice could be heard in the background of his phone call.” [Lowering the Bar]

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]]> http://overlawyered.com/2011/04/man-charged-with-wiretapping-for-using-phone-during-traffic-stop/feed/ 4 Man drives car into light pole in Wal-Mart parking lot http://overlawyered.com/2010/12/man-drives-car-into-light-pole-in-wal-mart-parking-lot/ http://overlawyered.com/2010/12/man-drives-car-into-light-pole-in-wal-mart-parking-lot/#comments Sun, 05 Dec 2010 15:30:11 +0000 Walter Olson http://overlawyered.com/?p=20489 Is the parking lot of the Newington, N.H. “normal[ly] configured,” had there been earlier drivers who bumped into the pole, and should either point matter in the lawsuit he’s filed as a result? [Seacoast Online via Siouxsie Law]

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]]> http://overlawyered.com/2010/12/man-drives-car-into-light-pole-in-wal-mart-parking-lot/feed/ 13 “Mount Washington Hotel to businesses: Stop using mountain’s name” http://overlawyered.com/2010/11/mount-washington-hotel-to-businesses-stop-using-mountains-name/ http://overlawyered.com/2010/11/mount-washington-hotel-to-businesses-stop-using-mountains-name/#comments Sun, 14 Nov 2010 05:20:08 +0000 Walter Olson http://overlawyered.com/?p=20132 “A state lawmaker tells WMWV-FM that the Mount Washington Hotel and Resort has told other businesses with ‘Mount Washington’ in their name to stop using it or face a legal challenge.” The hotel says it has challenged only three lodging businesses and does not intend to go after other local businesses named after the mountain. [AP, WMUR, Boston Globe]

P.S. Commenter Mannie: “It gets better. The IOC routinely harasses businesses on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula for using the name ‘Olympic.’”

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]]> http://overlawyered.com/2010/11/mount-washington-hotel-to-businesses-stop-using-mountains-name/feed/ 3 “Student who shocked himself suing school, teacher” http://overlawyered.com/2010/08/student-who-shocked-himself-suing-school-teacher/ http://overlawyered.com/2010/08/student-who-shocked-himself-suing-school-teacher/#comments Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:26:13 +0000 Walter Olson http://overlawyered.com/?p=19092 The suit argues that the student wasn’t given adequate warning that attaching electrical clamps to his nipples could be dangerous. Earlier reportage on the case quoted students who accused the teacher of encouraging horseplay and making light of the dangers of mild shocks; the teacher later resigned but did not face criminal charges. [Joey Cresta, Foster's Daily Democrat/Boston Herald (Dover, New Hampshire)] More: Lowering the Bar (”Nor am I buying the Mountain-Dew-enticement allegations.”)

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]]> http://overlawyered.com/2010/08/student-who-shocked-himself-suing-school-teacher/feed/ 10 April 22 roundup http://overlawyered.com/2010/04/april-22-roundup/ http://overlawyered.com/2010/04/april-22-roundup/#comments Thu, 22 Apr 2010 05:03:53 +0000 Walter Olson http://overlawyered.com/?p=17052
  • Liquor commissioner of New Hampshire nabbed on DWI rap, refuses breathalyzer test [WMUR]
  • Slumber party liability waivers are something we’ve reported on before. But home trampoline disclaimers? [Free-Range Kids]
  • Website’s terms and conditions include giving up your immortal soul [Popehat]
  • Scottish jury says charges “not proven” against lawyers in case of monetary demand for return of stolen Leonardo da Vinci painting [Guardian, earlier]
  • If you’re going to shake down food makers with false claims of contaminants in their wares, it’s best to vary your story patterns [Tacoma News-Tribune, Seattle Times]
  • “My task is simple: spew foundationless tripe that turns itself into a pre-trial settlement demand.” [The Namby Pamby, a lawyer blog I really should have linked before now] More: Daniel Fisher, Forbes.
  • Why plaintiffs lawyers aren’t so thrilled about recent Toyota revelations: most are invested in blaming electronics, not stuck pedals or mats [WSJ Law Blog]
  • Duck hunters sue guide over disappointing trip [Fred Hartman, Fort Bend, Texas, Herald]
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    ]]>     http://overlawyered.com/2010/04/april-22-roundup/feed/ 4     December 18 roundup http://overlawyered.com/2009/12/december-18-roundup-2/ http://overlawyered.com/2009/12/december-18-roundup-2/#comments Fri, 18 Dec 2009 05:06:39 +0000 Walter Olson http://overlawyered.com/?p=15216
  • Class action to follow? Longtime Overlawyered favorite Gloria Allred now representing one of the Tiger Tootsies [The Observer]
  • Alabama lawyer moves to postpone trial so he can see Crimson Tide take on Texas [Yahoo "Rivals"]
  • “Thomas the Tank Engine attacked for ‘conservative political ideology’” [Telegraph; Canadian academic calls for tighter controls on children's broadcasting]
  • Government manages to lose money at bookie racket: “NYC’s Off-Track-Betting Seeks Bankruptcy Protection” [Bloomberg]
  • “Rapist ex-lawmaker claims copyright on his name, threatens legal action” [Boing Boing, Volokh, Randazza/Citizen Media Law]
  • Graubard Miller $42 million contingency fee “now in referee’s hands” [NYLJ; earlier Oct. 5, etc.]
  • It’ll destroy our image of him: opponents say “alleged Ponzi schemer and disbarred attorney Scott Rothstein filed frivolous lawsuits” [DBR]
  • New Hampshire disciplinary panel finds prominent injury attorney broke ethics rules in handling client who talked of firing him from multi-million-dollar case [Keene Sentinel]
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    ]]>     http://overlawyered.com/2009/12/december-18-roundup-2/feed/ 5     Update: lawyer’s baseless demand letter amounted to extortion http://overlawyered.com/2009/09/update-lawyers-baseless-demand-letter-amounted-to-extortion/ http://overlawyered.com/2009/09/update-lawyers-baseless-demand-letter-amounted-to-extortion/#comments Fri, 18 Sep 2009 18:30:36 +0000 Walter Olson http://overlawyered.com/?p=13730 Updating our March 2008 coverage: The New Hampshire Supreme Court ruled last month that an attorney could properly be convicted of extortion for sending a demand letter threatening patently baseless litigation. The lawyer had sent the letter (which included a demand for monetary payment) to a hair salon threatening litigation over its purportedly discriminatory setting of different rates for men’s and women’s haircuts. A crucial element in the decision was that the lawyer did not in fact have a client in hand with a potential complaint as an actual customer of the salon. [Eugene Volokh, Above the Law; State v. Hynes, PDF] “Assistant Attorney General Elizabeth Baker said Hynes sent letters to at least 19 salons in the state.” [Concord Monitor 2008 coverage]

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    ]]>     http://overlawyered.com/2009/09/update-lawyers-baseless-demand-letter-amounted-to-extortion/feed/ 0     September 11 roundup http://overlawyered.com/2009/09/september-11-roundup-2/ http://overlawyered.com/2009/09/september-11-roundup-2/#comments Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:13:15 +0000 Walter Olson http://overlawyered.com/?p=13589
  • House Ways & Means — yep, Charlie Rangel’s own — passes bill slamming taxpayers for innocent errors [James Peaslee, WSJ, via Alkon]
  • Must protect the children! “Parents banned from British school sports event” [Common Room] After-school pickup procedures can get a little crazy too [Free-Range Kids, Florida]
  • Once again, America’s Most Irresponsible Public Figure® (that’d be RFK Jr.) sounds off on an environmental dispute to which he turns out to have personal financial ties [Greenwire via Eco-Pragmatism]
  • Allegations in ugly Florida law firm breakup include misallocation of Hillary Clinton campaign money [DBR]
  • When in court, try to avoid following the example of “Girls Gone Wild” impresario Joe Francis [Lowering the Bar and more, earlier]
  • “Judge Allowed to Sue N.Y. Daily News, But Not a Lawyer Thought to Be a Source” [ABA Journal, NYLJ]
  • New Hampshire judge rules for divorced father who disapproves of homeschooling [Volokh]
  • ABA Journal is taking nominations for its annual best-of “Blawg 100″ list [hint, nudge]
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    ]]>     http://overlawyered.com/2009/09/september-11-roundup-2/feed/ 0     Mortgage Implode-O-Meter online speech case, cont’d http://overlawyered.com/2009/07/mortgage-implode-o-meter-online-speech-case-contd/ http://overlawyered.com/2009/07/mortgage-implode-o-meter-online-speech-case-contd/#comments Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:38:12 +0000 Walter Olson http://overlawyered.com/?p=12098 Harvard Law School’s Cyberlaw Clinic and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press have submitted an amicus brief in the case, urging the New Hampshire Supreme Court to uphold the website’s position on First Amendment grounds. The popular site Mortgage Lender Implode-O-Meter had published a New Hampshire Banking Department document containing information about a private company; that company proceeded to sue the site demanding that the document be taken down, and also demanded discovery of how the document had come into the site’s possession. Earlier here.

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