Brushing aside precedents from both the U.S. Supreme Court and its own state supreme court, a California appeals court has affirmed a trial court’s punitive damages award that is 16 times larger than the compensatory damages awarded in a tobacco case
Judicial HellholesCalifornia’s high court is expected to render its decision soon in a key “phantom damages” case, and Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Walters succinctly asseses the importance of the pending decsion
Judicial HellholesIf it’s not with phony wheelchair access claims or absurd consumer protection lawsuits, California plaintiffs lawyers also extort money from small businessmen and women by exploiting an environmental law that’s ripe for reform
Judicial HellholesA recent Los Angeles Times story reports that judges there are bemoaning sharp budget cuts. Pardon our lack empathy
Judicial HellholesReacting to an Associated Press story that circulated over the weekend, the American Tort Reform Association is pointing to health research reported by NPR last week that suggests “California’s latest wave of shameless class actions might enrich lawyers while actaully endangering the health of retail employees”
Judicial HellholesNo one will be surprised to learn that four states notorious for their Judicial Hellholes and Watch List jurisdictions — California, New York, Illinois and New Jersey — have been ranked by corporate CEOs as the worst in the nation for doing business
Judicial HellholesThe Wall Street Journal’s John Fund offered an interesting piece of analysis this past weekend, demonstrating that California, the #2 Judicial Hellhole, is losing employers and jobs to tort-reforming Texas
UncategorizedThe Alabama law firm headed by tort kingpin Jere Beasley has withdrawn its would-be class action against Taco Bell filed in California last January.
Judicial HellholesCalifornia karma and a disgruntled would-be reality show producer have turned the tables on Charlie with a $20 million lawsuit of their own
Judicial HellholesAs the first quarter of 2011 draws to a close, it’s an appropriate time to update both some bad news and good news from once and future Judicial Hellholes
Judicial HellholesDespite what were supposed to be small business-friendly reforms to California law two years ago, the pernicious wheelchair lawsuit industry there rolls on, destroying beloved community businesses and jobs
Judicial HellholesAs home to more crazy lawsuits than practically any other state, California is the perfect place for conspiracy theorist and self-proclaimed “winner” Charlie Sheen to sue/blame former employers for his precipitous fall from grace
Judicial HellholesJere Beasley, Alabama’s infamous class-action impresario and would-be Dickie Scruggs, has headed for the border. Alleging that his own law firm’s “independent” testing indicates that Taco Bell’s beef tacos include only 35% beef, Beasley is suing the fast-food chain in – you guessed it – California, the nation’s best place to have a meritless consumer class-action certified and taken seriously by a kooky judge
Judicial HellholesIt’s precisely the type of lawsuit that gave California a reputation for consumer lawsuit abuse. Lawyers sued the lock manufacturer, Kwikset for deceptive advertising because products, labeled as “Made in the U.S.A.,” included components, such as screws, produced overseas. In a dissent Justice Ming W. Chin, joined by Justice Carol A. Corrigan, recognized that “[t]his cannot be what the electorate intended” in voting for a measure intended to reduce frivolous lawsuits.
Judicial HellholesJudicial Hellholes® reporters stand by the decision to include California at #2 in their recent rankings of the least fair civil court jurisdictions in the nation. But they admit to missing a laudable appeals court decision there last fall when researching the latest Judicial Hellholes report and now wish to give credit where credit is due
Points of LightThe Sacramento Bee reports the latest small business closure resulting from yet another abusive disability access lawsuit. The San Francisco small bookstore owner who was forced out of business said of the wheelchair-bound professional plaintiff, he ” is picking off small business owners like grapes on a vine.”
Judicial HellholesThe California State Bar has announced that two of the state’s most prominent plaintiffs’ lawyers will face no further discipline for allegedly attempting to enforce an invalid $489 million judgment obtained in Nicaragua against the Dole Food Company.
UncategorizedA Washington-based interest group bent on limiting food choices has chosen California as the place to bring its latest lawsuit, which attacks McDonald’s for “the most powerful, unfair, and deceptive practices – tempting kids with toys to get them to nag their parents to buy Happy Meals.”
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