Tort Law

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.19.16

* "Donald Ducks," the DNC's mascot that's being used to taunt Donald Trump for his undisclosed tax returns, bears a striking resemblance to Disney's Donald Duck, and people are starting to wonder: "Is Donald Ducks waddling over Disney's intellectual property rights?" [WSJ Law Blog] * The Third Circuit declined to re-seal excerpts of depositions in the Bill Cosby case where he admitted to giving women Quaaludes, but included in its opinion an interesting footnote calling out the district court judge's decision to unseal the records in the first place, saying its "public moralist rational" had "no basis in our jurisprudence," and that the term itself was "vague and undefined." [THR, Esq. / Hollywood Reporter] * This fall, Indiana Tech Law will welcome its largest class ever, with 55 students set to begin their legal studies next week. With only 15 students in its inaugural class, this huge jump in enrollment could possibly be due to the fact that the ABA gave the school a provisional rubber stamp (as it's wont to do) back in March. [Indiana Lawyer] * "There is a disconnect between what banks are doing and what consumers want," and what they want is the ability to sue. More and more big banks -- 72 percent of them, in fact -- are using mandatory binding arbitration clauses in their contracts to prevent customers from filing suit. Read the find print, people. [DealBook / New York Times] * "What if somebody gets injured on somebody else's property? Trip on a rock or get bitten by the neighbor's dog? There would be a whole host of responsible parties." A New York firm already filed a class-action suit against the company behind Pokemon Go, but this lawyer thinks there's a minefield of tort actions available to sue over. [Mlive.com]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 09.30.15

* Paul Walker's daughter, 16-year-old Meadow Walker, filed a wrongful death suit against Porsche, alleging the automaker was negligent and strictly liable because the car her father died in had several design defects, namely that it was too fast, too furious. [CNN] * The jury on the Dewey & LeBoeuf criminal trial is having a really difficult time this week. Yesterday, on the eighth day of deliberations, jury members asked for the definition of the word "deliberation" and clarification on what their jobs were as jurors. [Am Law Daily] * If you'd like to know why Hughes Hubbard likely conducted layoffs last week, then look no further than the commentary of this City Private Bank Law Firm Group analyst. Times have officially changed for litigators at large law firms. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg] * In news that no one should find particularly shocking, Albany Law School has announced an affiliation with the University at Albany. Both schools are struggling with enrollment and hungry for cash, so it's a match made in heaven. [Albany Times Union] * “There are 35,000 museums in the U.S. ... [b]ut the great legal profession hasn’t gotten around to establishing one.” Spoke too soon: Say hello to the American Museum of Tort Law, Ralph Nader's house of personal injury horrors. [Wall Street Journal (sub. req.)]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 09.11.15

* Ellen Pao, formerly of Cravath, won't be appealing her gender discrimination case against Kleiner Perkins. Did she settle? Hell no! "Settlement might have provided me with financial benefits, but only at the great cost of silence.” [Re/code] * During a time when first-year law school applications are still low, Arizona State Law claims to have just welcomed its "largest class" in law school history. Spoiler alert: The school is counting all of its LL.M. students in that figure. [ASU News] * BU Law teamed up with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for clinic offerings that will provide entrepreneurs from both schools free legal advice. MIT students might "change the world," and BU Law students might... get jobs? [Boston Business Journal] * Per the latest report from the Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Legal Reform, East Texas is the nation's “least fair and reasonable litigation environment." With its huge tort awards, this pro-business lobby thinks it's simply the worst. Go figure. [WSJ Law Blog] * Leaford George Cameron, a man who allegedly practiced law without a license for more than a decade, has been indicted on federal charges. The "scary man" would-be lawyer reportedly defrauded clients across the country. [Daily Delco / Philadelphia Daily News]

By Staci Zaretsky