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 http://overlawyered.com/2010/02/february-8-roundup-3/ http://overlawyered.com/2010/02/february-8-roundup-3/#comments Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:28:53 +0000 Walter Olson http://overlawyered.com/?p=15988

Cleverer approach NFL might have taken in “Who Dat” affair [Schwimmer, HuffPo, earlier here, here, etc.]

Justice Anthony Kennedy: influence of unionized prison guards in passing California’s three-strikes law “sick” [LA Times]

Federal prosecutors going after poster designer Shepard Fairey for untruth in civil lawsuit? How strange is that? [Kennerly]

Plaintiff in complaint against Mark Steyn before Canadian rights tribunal boasted of having “increase[d] the cost of publishing anti-Islamic material” [NRO "Corner"; earlier here, here, here, etc.]

Federal jury rejects wrongful birth suit against Elkton, Maryland obstetrician [Miller, more on wrongful birth]

Forced-reincarnation suit against Oprah Winfrey dismissed, George W. and Laura Bush off hook too [WV Record]

“How to Report the News”: funny plug-and-use TV reporting template [YouTube/Charlie Brooker, Newswipe, UK]

“Virginia Legislators Kill Bills to Mandate Child Support for Adult College Students” [Hans Bader/CEI "Open Market", earlier here and here]

Tags: Mark Steyn, Oprah Winfrey, public employment, wrongful birth and wrongful life

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]]> http://overlawyered.com/2010/02/february-8-roundup-3/feed/ 1 http://overlawyered.com/2009/09/september-17-roundup-2/ http://overlawyered.com/2009/09/september-17-roundup-2/#comments Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:00:03 +0000 Walter Olson http://overlawyered.com/?p=13688

Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce: “Elmer Fudd” commenter defamed us [Sun-News via Patrick at Popehat]

“New Texas law seeks common sense instead of ‘zero tolerance’ in punishment of students” [Star-Telegram]

Oprah can relax, poet’s self-scripted $1 trillion lawsuit against her is dismissed [THR Esq., Lowering the Bar and more, New Jersey Lawsuit Reform Watch]

Overview of big push for new federal food safety laws [Kristin Choo, ABA Journal]

And thanks for all the booze: “Chronic drunk costs SF taxpayers at least $150,000/year” [Obscure Store, Common Room]

“We have made a grave mistake in politicizing the economy so deeply, and should back away now.” [Tyler Cowen, NYT]

As a phrase, “sex toy product liability” is probably going to bring us the wrong sort of search engine traffic [Law and More]

Overturning Supreme Court’s Iqbal/Twombly pleading jurisprudence emerging as key Congressional objective for trial lawyer lobby [Freddoso, Examiner; recent post of mine at Point of Law, and much other coverage there]

Tags: food safety, libel slander and defamation, Oprah Winfrey, pleading, product liability, taxpayers, Texas, zero tolerance

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]]> http://overlawyered.com/2009/09/september-17-roundup-2/feed/ 1 http://overlawyered.com/2009/05/mutual-of-omaha-vs-oprah-winfrey/ http://overlawyered.com/2009/05/mutual-of-omaha-vs-oprah-winfrey/#comments Sun, 17 May 2009 22:36:36 +0000 Walter Olson http://overlawyered.com/?p=11212 Their lawyers are locked in a dispute over who gets to use the phrase “aha moment”. [L.A. Times, Omaha World-Herald, Yakima Herald-Republic]

Tags: insurers, Oprah Winfrey, trademarks

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]]> http://overlawyered.com/2009/05/mutual-of-omaha-vs-oprah-winfrey/feed/ 4 http://overlawyered.com/2006/09/oprah-my-lawyers-overreacted/ http://overlawyered.com/2006/09/oprah-my-lawyers-overreacted/#comments Tue, 26 Sep 2006 08:59:58 +0000 Walter Olson http://overlawyered.com/wpblog/?p=3988 The TV host says a phone call should have sufficed to ask a retired teacher to make changes in his Oprah-for-president campaign (Sept. 25), which she calls “a flattering thing”. (”Oprah Says Her Lawyers Overreacted”, AP/Washington Post, Sept. 25).

Tags: fans as infringers, Oprah Winfrey

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]]> http://overlawyered.com/2006/09/oprah-my-lawyers-overreacted/feed/ 1 http://overlawyered.com/2006/09/oprah-for-president-cease-and-desist/ http://overlawyered.com/2006/09/oprah-for-president-cease-and-desist/#comments Mon, 25 Sep 2006 00:08:41 +0000 Walter Olson http://overlawyered.com/wpblog/?p=3982 Attorneys for the talk show host have fired off a cease and desist letter to retired Kansas City teacher Patrick Crowe, 69, over his efforts to draft her as a presidential candidate. In addition to demanding that he surrender his website oprah08.net (which lands visitors on this site) and give up his toll-free number 1-866-OPRAH08, the letter (courtesy Smoking Gun) insists (p. 2) that Crowe “refrain from using any and all references in any vehicle (including, without restriction, websites), for any reason, to Ms. Winfrey” or her properties. (Matt Campbell, “Quest to elect Oprah becomes publicity opera”, McClatchy/ Seattle Times, Sept. 23; Andrew Buncombe, “Oprah blocks bid to make her President”, The Independent (U.K.)/Belfast Telegraph, Sept. 22). Ann Althouse comments: “would Oprah be a good President? I think she’s too litigious.” (Sept. 24).

Tags: broadcasters, fans as infringers, nastygrams, online speech, Oprah Winfrey, politics

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