A jury has ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $18.8 million to a California man who said the company's popular talc-based baby powder caused him to develop cancer. Twenty-four-year-old Emory Hernandez Valadez filed his lawsuit last year in California state court against the pharmaceutical and consumer manufacturer accusing it of... Read More about Jury Orders J&J to Pay Cancer Patient $18.8M in Baby Powder Lawsuit
A California Court of Appeals has ruled that a driver who was pulled over for making an unsafe lane change, then detained while a police officer conducted an illegal “dog sniff,” will get a new trial where the evidence gathered by the ”certified narcotics collection police dog” will be suppressed. ... Read More about Twelve-Minute Traffic Stop to Wait for Drug-Sniffing Dog Violates Fourth Amendment
A Vermont coach filed a federal lawsuit alleging his rights to free speech were violated after he was abruptly fired for sharing his opinions on transgender athletes. The popular coach, David Bloch, had founded the Woodstock Union High School’s snowboarding team, and was their coach for over ten years. Mr.... Read More about High School Coach Files Suit After He Was Fired for Seemingly Transphobic Comments
A year after the Supreme Court overturned the historic Roe v. Wade decision, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs created a unique new way to legally protect reproductive freedom in the state. Governor Hobbs signed an executive order that strengthens the ability of all residents of her state to make their own... Read More about Arizona Governor Hobbs Diverts Abortion-Related Criminal Cases From County Attorneys to AG’s Office to Limit Prosecutions
The union representing more than 160,000 actors officially declared a strike against Hollywood producers last week, joining the industry’s writers in challenging the state of affairs in the streaming era. The strike’s effects go beyond television and film actors, as SAG-AFTRA issued specific rules pertaining to social media influencers. It... Read More about Actors' Union Forbids Influencers From Promoting Movies During Strike
The family of 19-year-old Mallory Beach has reached a multi-million dollar settlement with convenience store chain Parker’s in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Beach’s mother in March 2019. Mallory Beach’s death garnered national attention because of her connection to the now-notorious Murdaugh family. The head of the family, 64-year-old... Read More about Family of Mallory Beach Reach $15 Million Settlement Following Murdaugh Boat Crash
In the law, timing is everything. With the 2024 presidential election looming, a judge was asked to consider the government’s proposed December 11 court date for Trump’s classified documents trial. After considering arguments from both parties in the face, federal district Judge Aileen Cannon set the start date for the... Read More about Judge Sets May Trial Date in Trump Classified Documents Trial as the Issue of “Graymail” Looms
NYC app-based delivery workers from DoorDash, GrubHub, Uber and Relay hoped to get a pay bump to $17.96 per hour for their deliveries on July 12, but they were quickly disappointed. The new wage was supposed to go into effect on July 12 as per an expected agreement with the... Read More about Judge Keeps NYC Minimum Wage Rule Intact for APP Delivery Workers for Now, Though NYC Estimates They Are Only Making $7.09 per Hour
The California Supreme Court handed a victory to insurance companies on Thursday, ruling that Medicare recipients are limited to federal remedies when pursuing claims against Medicare Advantage organizations. The case titled Quishenberry v. UnitedHealthcare, Inc. concerns a Medicare Advantage (MA) recipient who died after being discharged from a skilled nursing... Read More about California High Court Protects Medicare Providers Against State Law Liability
A U.S. Labor Department investigation into alleged illegal tampering with correction workers’ payroll records unearthed disturbing news. Numerous complaints against the state, representing corrections workers, claimed that the workers were being swindled out of pay due to them. The impacted workers were cheated out of their fair payments due to... Read More about Maryland Pays Over $13 Million in Settlement to Resolve State Corrections’ Unpaid Wages Claims, the Second Largest Such Case in US History
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal has given Anthony Alexandre another chance to avoid deportation to Haiti, where he claims he would be tortured by voodoo priests because of his “anti-voodoo views.” In a 2-1 decision reported in a Memorandum Opinion, the appellate court reviewed Alexandre’s petition for review of... Read More about Man Who Fears Voodoo Torture if Deported Gets Another Chance to Stay in US
New York State officials are continuing their investigation into suspected serial killer Rex Heuermann. This week, officials have released more details about evidence linking him to a series of murders along the Long Beach area. The thorough investigation came to a head after agents arrested Heuermann late last week near... Read More about Evidence Mounts Against Suspected Gilgo Beach Murderer, Rex Heuermann
The United States Department of Justice charged four China-Based precursor chemical manufacturing firms and eight executives and employees in a global supply chain disruption including fentanyl. Three indictments in the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York were announced, charging the China-based companies and their employees with crimes related to... Read More about In First Case to Charge China, DOJ Indicts Four China-Based Companies, Eight Executives, and Three Employees in Global Scheme Including Fentanyl
Hollywood was well and truly brought to a standstill as the union representing around 160,000 actors declared a strike, joining the screenwriters who walked out in May. Both unions seek revised contracts and concessions from Hollywood's biggest studios in light of the streaming era, artificial intelligence, and other growing concerns... Read More about Hollywood Actors Join Writers in Strike to Protest Low Pay, Fears Over AI
Even though the COVID-19 pandemic is over, the legal issues that remain in its wake are far from finished. A California case released last week, which decided whose responsibility it is to pay the expenses for work that had to be performed at home, is another one. Paul Thai, an... Read More about IBM Must Pay Employees’ Expenses When COVID Forced At-Home Work