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]
“Nobody held a gun to their head and made them enroll at a school called CATHOLIC University”
Welcome Prof. Bainbridge readers: The Washington, D.C. Office of Human Rights is investigating Catholic U. for, among other alleged offenses, “not providing [some Muslim students] rooms without Christian symbols for their daily prayers.” Like a legal complaint against the same institution for reinstating single-sex dormitories, this one has been advanced by inveterate publicity hound and George Washington U. lawprof John Banzhaf, whose antics we have discussed often in the past (though not much recently, since he actually seems to like the attention); a few highlights here, here, and here.
The dreaded “network of corporate control,” or When Mutual Funds Rule the World
Some fans of the Occupy movement, such as Cory Doctorow at BoingBoing, have been hyping a research paper alleging that 150 companies control the world economy through interlocking ownership shares. Turns out most of the leading positions in the supposed “control” network are held by… mutual fund operators and other managers of collective investment vehicles. Tyler Cowen, Yves Smith and Tim Worstall offer debunking assistance.
October 28 roundup
- Self-parody watch: Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Ct.) wants federal program to dispense free diapers [Fox News]
- Trial-lawyer-friendly Florida Supreme Court could strike down state’s 2003 malpractice limits [Orlando Business Journal]
- Don’t forget to thank Wal-Mart lobbyists for that debit fee charge [Mark Perry]
- “Should insurers [be compelled by law to] pay for eating disorders?” [NYT “Room for Debate”]
- Texas man drops suit against former fiancee [Above the Law]
- “$75,000 Settlement for Muslim Teacher Denied 19 Days’ Unpaid Leave for Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca)” [Volokh]
- Epidemiology for hire: “The Texas Sharpshooter Goes Free Range” [David Oliver]
CSPI suit: Fruit by the Foot promotion left out unfavorable facts
The promotional claims that General Mills makes about its snack product seem to be accurate enough, but the busybody Center for Science in the Public Interest says the company should be calling attention to other, less positive nutritional facts too. Stephen Richer wonders whether dating profiles are going to have to begin listing the candidate’s less appealing qualities. [WLF Legal Pulse]
“I always tell my clients, if you start a big disturbance, you’ll get a bigger compensation package.”
Although not conducted through the legal system, some battles in China over alleged injury from medical malpractice make for an interesting compare-and-contrast exercise, right down to the role of contingent fees:
Medical personnel advocates complain that the more violent incidents are staged by hired thugs, paid by families of the deceased in hopes of winning compensation from the hospitals. … The Chinese have even coined a word for the paid protesters: yinao, meaning “medical disturbance.”
“It has become a very sophisticated system for chasing profits. Whenever somebody dies in a hospital, the yinao will get in touch with the family and offer their services in exchange for 30% to 40%,” said Liu Di, who is setting up a social network for medical professionals.
October 27 roundup
- “Table Saw without ‘saw stop’ technology defective: First Circuit” [George Conk, Ted Frank, earlier here, here]
- Court OKs burned patron’s flaming-rum suit against Bacardi [Reuters]
- Feds won’t pursue Title IX complaint against 60 Oregon school districts [Oregonian]
- IRS putting the squeeze on small tax preparers [WaPo]
- How the incinerator (and decades of bad decisions) bankrupted Harrisburg [Bond Girl]
- “The most thoughtful, reasonable guy in the whole symposium” — aw [Greenfield on law licensing, earlier] P.S. And similarly from David Lat;
- Adam Freedman and readers on Florida “wrongful birth” case [Ricochet, earlier]
“If you say it’s just a drill, would you move as quickly?”
Just when you think the school-locker-search genre has exhausted its outrage potential, comes this: Wolcott, Ct., school authorities falsely informed students over the intercom that a menacing intruder was loose in the school and that everyone needed to go into lockdown mode. Actually, it was an excuse to search lockers for drugs. (None were found.) One possible lesson? “If you say something important to teenagers and you want them to trust you, it’s better not to lie.” [Rick Green, Hartford Courant via Scott Greenfield]
By reader acclaim: “PETA Sues SeaWorld for ‘Enslaving’ Killer Whales”
“People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is accusing the SeaWorld parks of keeping five star-performer whales in conditions that violate the 13th Amendment ban on slavery. SeaWorld depicted the suit as baseless.” The action may further an “ongoing, intense debate at America’s law schools over expansion of animal rights.” [AP; related on that academic background, including the role of star lawprofs like Cass Sunstein and Larry Tribe, here, here, here, and here]
Clifford Winston in NYT on deregulating lawyers
The Brookings scholar has an op-ed outlining his idea of deregulating entry to the legal profession, and I have a brief response up at Cato, drawing on my longer symposium response last month. Carolyn Elefant and Elie Mystal have somewhat different objections to Winston’s argument.