Overlawyered » Philadelphia

March 12 roundup

Walter Olson — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 05:08:41 +0000

How ObamaCare will drive up cost of contraception [Avik Roy] Better idea: sell Pill over the counter [Virginia Postrel, Bloomberg]
Had been seized by authorities: obese 9-year-old returns home after dropping 50 pounds [Cleveland Plain Dealer, earlier]
Best campaign funding mechanism ever? [Ron Paul Forums, JPG, more explanation; but is it lawful?]
More appreciations of Bill Stuntz crimlaw book [Leon Neyfakh, Boston Globe, Stephen Smith and Jonathan Jacobs, Liberty and Law]
Changes in court rules could curb Philadelphia’s allure for mass tort forum-shoppers [Alison Frankel, Reuters] “Further Empirical Evidence on Forum Shopping in Philadelphia Civil Courts” [Josh Wright, earlier]
Coming: federal authority over private firms’ IT-security departments? [Jim Harper/Cato; Constantine von Hoffman/CIO]
“0.1% claim rate in ‘successful’ class action” [Ted Frank/PoL, AT&T case]

Tags: Child Protective Services, class action settlements, crime and punishment, obesity, Philadelphia

March 12 roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

January 15 roundup

Walter Olson — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 16:09:19 +0000

Self-referent notice required by law on Florida vending machines might baffle onlooker [Popehat] More from Lowering the Bar: “Please Report Me If I Am Missing. Thank You.”
Bryan Walsh at Time magazine happily spun by Chevron/Ecuador plaintiffs. Not so Roger Parloff at sister magazine Fortune;
Doubts re: foster mom’s conviction following youngster’s salt-poisoning death [Texas Monthly via Ted Frank; controversy over science behind "shaken-baby" cases] Charges against parents to move forward in Utah “co-sleeping” death case [ABA Journal]
In Philadelphia shooting case, lawsuits like bullets fly in every direction [Above the Law]
More on constitutionality of Obama recess appointments [Todd Gaziano/Heritage "Foundry", Mickey Kaus, Mike McConnell via Adler and more, earlier]
New site design at my old blog Point of Law;
Podcast: Prof. Mike McConnell on Hosanna-Tabor [Fed Soc, earlier] More: Bader. And shorter David Sessions/Daily Beast: since SCOTUS unanimously rejected Obama position on church liberty, critics were wrong to get so alarmed about that position. Makes sense to him…

Tags: Chevron, dramshop statutes, Florida, Philadelphia, Texas

January 15 roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

Philadelphia courts attract forum-shoppers

Walter Olson — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 05:23:01 +0000

According to a new study by Josh Wright for the International Center for Law and Economics. His “findings are consistent with a conclusion that Philadelphia courts demonstrate a marked and meaningful preference for plaintiffs, consistent with both the Complex Litigation Center’s intention of inviting ‘business’ from other courts and criticisms that Philadelphia’s courts provide a unique combination of advantages for plaintiffs.” [Pennsylvania Record, Point of Law]

Tags: forum shopping, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

Philadelphia courts attract forum-shoppers is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

July 7 roundup

Walter Olson — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 05:33:12 +0000

Correct result, yet potential for mischief in latest SCOTUS climate ruling [Ilya Shapiro/Cato, my earlier take]
Wouldn’t even want to guess: how the Howard Stern show handles sexual harassment training [Hyman]
Philadelphia: $21 million award against emergency room handling noncompliant patient [Kennerly]
Antitrust assault on Google seems geared to protect competitors more than consumers [Josh Wright]
“They knew there was a risk!” Curb your indignation please [Coyote]
Theme issue of Reason magazine on failures of criminal justice system is now online;
“Why Your New Car Doesn’t Have a Spare Tire” [Sam Kazman, WSJ]

Tags: antitrust, autos, broadcasters, climate change, crime and punishment, emergency medicine, global warming, Google, harassment law, Philadelphia, safety

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

But is it constitutional?

Walter Olson — Tue, 31 May 2011 18:47:33 +0000

“Philly judges tell reporter he can’t take notes in court” [Legal NewsLine]

Tags: constitutional law, judges, Philadelphia

But is it constitutional? is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

April 26 roundup

Walter Olson — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 12:26:33 +0000

Study of how class action lawyers interact with their named clients [Stephen Meili via Trask]
California releases numbers on how bounty-hunting lawyers did in 2010 under Prop 65 environmental-warning law [Cal Biz Lit]
According to the tale, lender errors in foreclosure gave Florida borrower home free and clear. Actual story may be more complicated than that [Funnell]
The very long discovery arm of the Philadelphia, and Pennsylvania, courts [Drug & Device Law, more]
UK law firm “could face big bill” after sending thousands of file-sharing demand letters [ABA Journal]
Goodbye to men’s track at U. of Delaware, and the women’s team is suffering too, as often happens with Title IX [Saving Sports]
OSHA’s proposed “illness and injury prevention program” (I2P2) termed a “Super Rule” with potentially widespread economic impact [Kirsanow, NRO]

Tags: class actions, discovery, forum shopping, mortgages, OSHA, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Prop 65, RIAA and file sharing, Title IX

April 26 roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

“Jury Awards Law Professors $5 Million Against West Publishing For Defamatory Pocket Part”

Walter Olson — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 16:44:15 +0000

A major law-book publisher seems to have gone ahead with an update under the authors’ names despite their unwillingness to cooperate. [Max Kennerly; Philadelphia Inquirer]

Tags: libel slander and defamation, Philadelphia, publishers, punitive damages

“Jury Awards Law Professors $5 Million Against West Publishing For Defamatory Pocket Part” is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

September 21 roundup

Walter Olson — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 13:29:08 +0000

Facing four harassment claims, embattled Philadelphia housing chief files his own suit for $600K+ [Inquirer]
“Ohio State Abuses Trademark Law to Suppress a Fan Magazine and Website” [Paul Alan Levy, CL&P]
“Judge Dismisses Baltimore Blight Suit Against Wells Fargo, Will Allow Refiling” [ABA Journal]
Trial lawyer taking behind-the-scenes hand in Louisiana politics [OpenSecrets via Tapscott]
“Are hedge funds abusing bankruptcy?” [Felix Salmon and WSJ]
North Carolina alienation-of-affection law strikes again: “’Mistress Ordered to Pay $5.8 Million’ to Wronged Wife” [Volokh, Althouse]
“Lawyers take a haircut on a contingency fee in Colorado” [Legal Ethics Forum]
ADA lawsuits close another beloved eatery [Stockton, Calif.; six years ago on Overlawyered]

Tags: alienation of affection, Baltimore, bankruptcy, fans as infringers, Louisiana, North Carolina, Philadelphia, trademarks

September 21 roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

August 31 roundup

Walter Olson — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 13:28:56 +0000

Well, that solves that problem: International Criminal Court outlaws “aggression” [Jeremy Rabkin, Weekly Standard] One contrasting view [David Bosco, Foreign Policy]
“Attorney holds banks up to liability in ATM robberies” [Baldas, NLJ; Ted at PoL]
New report: litigation costs to California public schools run high [California Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse, PDF]
“Plaintiffs Object to Deal in Anorexia Suit Claiming School Didn’t Prevent Fat Taunts” [ABA Journal]
Attention government contractors: “Your customer wants to see how much you make” [Hodak Value]
New Jersey med-mal reform advocates rally after state high court guts certificate-of-merit law [NJLRA, more]
SEPTA, the Philadelphia transit authority, files trademark action against personal injury law firm [Kennerly]
Chemicals devastating lobsters in the Northeast? Maybe not [Logomasini, CEI]

Tags: banks, bullying, California, international law, medical malpractice, New Jersey, Philadelphia, schools, third party liability for crime, trademarks, transit

August 31 roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

August 26 roundup

Walter Olson — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 12:17:44 +0000

Eugene Volokh on Lineage II “addictive videogame” lawsuit [Volokh Conspiracy, earlier]
New “Trial Lawyers Inc.” report on environmental litigation [Manhattan Institute, related from Jim Copland on a Richard Blumenthal suit]
Furor continues over Philadelphia’s $300 “business privilege tax” on bloggers and other low-revenue businesses [City Paper, Instapundit, Atlantic Wire, Kennerly]
“DoJ seeks Ebonics translators” story affords glimpse of oft-abused market for prosecution experts [Ken at Popehat]
Much more on FASB show-the-adversary-your-cards litigation accounting proposals [Cal Biz Lit and more, Beck, Hartley, ShopFloor, PoL (with Chamber views), earlier]
“The Many Ways In Which Fashion Copyrights Will Harm The Fashion Industry” [Masnick, TechDirt, on the Innovative Design Protection and Piracy Prevention Act, earlier links here]
Denmark carries out a real-world experiment in the incentive effects of unemployment compensation [Stossel]
“Junk fax” suit demands $2 trillion [eight years ago at Overlawyered]

Tags: accounting, bloggers and the law, copyright, Denmark, environment, expert witnesses, Philadelphia, taxes, unemployment benefits, videogames

August 26 roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system