- Would single-payer fix malpractice woes? Not likely given trial bar political clout [KevinMD] #
- Prosecuting candidates for crowd-inciting campaign speeches? Now there’s a truly bad idea [Point of Law] #
- Her busy docket: “For people like Oprah, lawsuits are a part of life” [Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times] #
- Nebraska hospital sues patient for refusing to leave [Happy Hospitalist; related earlier] #
- Community covenant craziness: “Dad’s in prison because we can’t afford to sod the lawn” [St. Petersburg Times] #
Posts Tagged ‘broadcasters’
Cuomo suit: minority listeners undercounted in radio ratings
The office of New York attorney general Andrew Cuomo “said it planned to file a lawsuit this week against Arbitron, the company that compiles the data, because of concerns that minority listeners were not being adequately represented. … Recruiting and retaining enough respondents from these demographic groups [blacks and Hispanics] has proved difficult for Arbitron, leading some stations that cater to urban and ethnic audiences to claim that they are not being sufficiently counted.” (Brian Stelter, “Cuomo to Sue Radio Ratings Company, Claiming Minorities Are Underrepresented”, New York Times, Oct. 7).
Siccing lawyers on broadcast campaign ads
“While no one tracks the number of legal notices broadcasters receive on political ads, station managers and lawyers say attempts to block ads are growing both in number and intensity, particularly in states with closely contested elections. … While some stations buckle under the pressure and drop the ads, most refuse.” (Sarah McBride, “Campaigns Pressure Stations Over ‘527’ Ads”, Wall Street Journal, Sept. 26). More: Jesse Walker, Reason “Hit and Run” (NRA ads in Pennsylvania); Eugene Volokh (Missouri “truth squad” controversy).
Radio silence? Suit against conservative talk show hosts
Los Angeles: “David Birke and his attorney Johnny Birke filed a complaint Aug. 27 against seven talk show hosts of KRLA-AM (870), Salem Communications Corporation and its owner Edward Atsinger III, alleging that they use the public airwaves to push Republican beliefs. David and Johnny Birke would not say whether they were related, citing attorney-client privilege. … Radio hosts Laura Ingraham, Dennis Prager, Michael Medved, Hugh Hewitt, Dennis Miller, Mike Gallagher and Kevin James are named as defendants in the suit.” The various defendants have defrauded the public and violated FCC obligations “by using their radio license to discuss only Republican issues, Johnny Birke said Monday.” (Veronica Rocha, “KRLA sued over content”, Glendale News-Press, Sept. 8). Radio Equalizer (Sept. 9) notes one presumed irony: “KRLA has in the past featured a show on the subject of lawsuit abuse.”
“EU wants to ban ‘sexist’ TV commercials”
Members of the European Parliament “want TV regulators in the EU to set guidelines which would see the end of anything deemed to portray women as sex objects or reinforce gender stereotypes. This could potentially mean an end to attractive women advertising perfume, housewives in the kitchen or men doing DIY [do-it-yourself].” (Chris Irvine, Daily Telegraph, Sept. 5).
“Killing talk radio”
Investigative journalism and libel chill
Investigative journalism by the TV networks has been in decline, per Broadcasting & Cable, and the networks’ general enfeeblement is only one reason: targets of hostile journalism are now more apt to sic their lawyers on news operations. What gets chilled is not just the shoddy litigation-sourced reportage typified by the NBC “Dateline”-GM trucks scandal, but also more aboveboard and defensible coverage of business failings:
In 2003, “A Dangerous Business,” a [PBS “Frontline”] report examining the water and sewer pipe industry in Texas, kicked off a four-year legal battle. Reported by Bergman and accompanied by a Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times series, the report detailed egregious workplace safety violations that caused systemic maiming and, in several cases, gruesome deaths of workers.
“That was a great drain and if it wasn’t for The Times, I fear that we might have been in a position where our insurance company would have said, why don’t we just settle this?” says Frontline executive producer David Fanning.
A Texas judge dismissed the suit last year. But Fanning and Bergman are now working to establish a pro-bono team of lawyers to help insulate Frontline from legal threats.
“It’s not that we’re not careful,” Fanning adds. “It’s a question of what it does to you the next time round. Do you find yourself pulling back? Do you find yourself looking over your shoulder?”
(Marisa Guthrie, “Investigative Journalism Under Fire”, Jun. 22).
Claim: Rachael Ray food show scorned anorexic
Aaron Ferguson, who used to work as an accountant for the popular cooking show, says executives there made caustic comments about the skinny physique of the show’s executive in charge. These comments apparently wounded and offended Ferguson, who says that he himself suffers from the eating disorder anorexia. There’s a retaliation claim, too: Ferguson says that after he went to HR to complain, his boss began to treat him badly. (“Rachael Ray Employee Claims Anorexia Bias”, CBS/AP, Jul. 3; “Rachael’s Show Hates the Skinnies”, TMZ, Jul. 3)(via PopeHat).
“Doctor Who’s new enemy: the BBC lawyers”
“A Doctor Who fan who gave away knitting patterns which created vague recreations of the programme’s aliens has been threatened with legal action by the BBC for copyright infringement.” (Andy Bloxham, Daily Telegraph, May 14). More: Times Online.
Update: court nixes “Deal or No Deal” lawsuit
Updating a Feb. 28 post:
The Supreme Court of Georgia has said “no deal” to a team of Columbus lawyers representing a proposed class of people seeking to recover money they spent participating in a feature of the NBC hit show “Deal or No Deal.”
The suit filed in federal court had contended that the Lucky Case Game — in which viewers, like the contestants on “Deal or No Deal,” try to pick a lucky suitcase — ran afoul of Georgia law because participants were charged 99 cents to play through their cell phones. The plaintiffs based their suit on a colonial-era Georgia statute that allows gamblers to recover their losses through lawsuits.
(Alyson M. Palmer, “Luck Runs Dry for ‘Deal’ Plaintiffs in Lawsuit Against NBC”, Fulton County Daily Report, Apr. 22).