Fla. Jury Awards $779M To Family Of Guard Killed In Robbery

By Carolina Bolado

A Florida jury returned a $779 million wrongful death verdict for the family of a security guard who was shot during an armed robbery at an internet café that the family said was also running an illegal gambling operation.

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Texas Co. Owes $10M To Woman Shot At Gun-Friendly Event

By Y. Peter Kang

A Texas state jury has awarded more than $10 million to a woman who was shot in the hand at a company-sponsored event that allowed employees and clients to shoot firearms as part of the festivities, with the jury finding the company negligently exposed the woman to a dangerous condition.

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'Crazy' To Link Talc With Ovarian Cancer, J&J Expert Says

By Craig Clough

Johnson & Johnson rested its defense Wednesday in a Los Angeles bellwether trial over claims its talc products caused two women's ovarian cancer, with a gynecologic oncologist appearing as its last witness and telling the jury the idea of talc used for feminine hygiene reaching the ovaries is "crazy."

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PacifiCorp Owes $39M In Latest Wildfire Trial

By Cara Salvatore

An Oregon jury awarded $39.3 million in noneconomic damages Wednesday to a group of people who fled wildfires that the utility PacifiCorp had been found liable for starting, including an elderly woman who ended up living in a trailer park for four years and a man who lost the ability to keep his disabled wife in their home for the last three years of her life.

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DOJ Gets Another OK To Unseal Epstein Grand Jury Docs

By Rae Ann Varona

The U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday secured another Manhattan federal judge's permission to unseal grand jury and other evidentiary materials related to the investigation of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, with the judge saying that a new law Congress passed "unequivocally" intends for the materials to be public.

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Ukrainian Civilians Say Intel, TI Parts Used In Russian Missiles

By Spencer Brewer

Several Ukrainian civilians told a Texas state court that semiconductor components manufactured by Intel Corp., Texas Instruments Inc. and others ended up in Russian missiles, saying Wednesday the companies negligently allowed their products to flow to the Russian military.

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Pelosi Attack Footage Unfairly Swayed Jurors, 9th Circ. Told

By Dorothy Atkins

David DePape urged the Ninth Circuit Wednesday to vacate his conviction and 30-year prison sentence for attempting to kidnap then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and assaulting her husband, arguing the trial judge committed multiple errors, including admitting prejudicial footage of Pelosi's husband lying in a pool of blood.

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Feds Seek 10 Years For Ex-Harvard Morgue Manager

By P.J. D'Annunzio

Federal prosecutors in Pennsylvania have recommended that the court impose a 10-year prison sentence for former Harvard Medical School morgue manager Cedric Lodge following his admission to stealing and selling body parts from cadavers donated to the school for scientific research.

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5th Circ. Reinstates $1M Verdict In LSD Injury Coverage Suit

By Hope Patti

A split Fifth Circuit reversed a Texas federal court's decision undoing a jury verdict that put a home insurer on the hook for a $1 million injury settlement between a man who became a quadriplegic after taking LSD and the owners of the home where he ingested the drugs.

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Mich. Justices Ask If Tenant's Age Plays Into Fall Liability

By Danielle Ferguson

Michigan Supreme Court justices during Wednesday oral arguments questioned whether residences for elderly and disabled tenants may have a stricter obligation to maintain their common areas in a case where a woman says her complex and a contractor should be liable for her fall in a parking lot.

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Ga. Health Providers Say It's Too Late For Subpoena, Judge DQ

By Emily Johnson

A pair of Georgia healthcare providers asked a federal court to throw out a Florida couple's subpoenas for documents, arguing that their subpoenas and attempt to disqualify a Georgia federal judge are too late and not valid because they came after the dismissal of their medical malpractice suit was affirmed on appeal.

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Union Pacific Gets $3.5M Verdict Nixed Over Theft Evidence

By Mike Curley

An Illinois appeals court has wiped out a $3.5 million injury verdict against Union Pacific Railroad Co., saying the trial court wrongly excluded evidence that the plaintiff had previously been convicted of a felony crime of dishonesty.

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Trans Woman Sues Hilton Over Security Guard Sex Assault

By Mike Curley

A transgender woman is suing Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. and its affiliates in Texas state court, alleging she was sexually assaulted by a security guard who later used hotel records to find her phone number and send unwanted, sexually explicit videos.

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6 Ways To Nuke-Proof Litigation As Explosive Verdicts Rise

As the increasing number of nuclear verdicts continues to reshape the litigation landscape, counsel must understand how to create a multipronged defense strategy to anticipate juror expectations and mitigate the risk of outsize jury awards, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

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Series

The Biz Court Digest: Welcome To Miami

After nearly 20 years in operation, the Miami Complex Business Litigation Division is a pioneer upon which other jurisdictions in the state have been modeled, adopting many innovations to keep its cases running more efficiently and staffing experienced judges who are accustomed to hearing business disputes, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

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Grassley Urges White House To Step It Up On Noms

By Courtney Bublé

Sen. Chuck Grassley, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, had a message for the White House Thursday: "Get on the ball" with nominations for U.S. attorneys and the judiciary.

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Norton Rose Taps New Leadership For Global Investigations

By Andrea Keckley

Norton Rose Fulbright has appointed two longtime partners to take over as co-heads of global investigations.

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Bonus Spotlight

Pallas Offers Up To $232K In Bonuses To Top US, UK Lawyers

By Tracey Read

Litigation boutique Pallas Partners announced Thursday that it is offering high-performing senior U.S. and U.K. associates and counsel as much as $232,000 in bonuses this year.

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White House Pushes Halligan's Confirmation Despite Hurdles

By Courtney Bublé

The White House is forging ahead with its bid to win confirmation of the president's controversial pick for U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia after a federal judge ruled she was serving illegally on an interim basis.

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Elevance Health Adds Former Pfizer GC To Its Board

By Christine DeRosa

Insurer Elevance Health has appointed former Pfizer Inc. general counsel Amy Schulman, currently a managing partner of Polaris Partners, to serve on its board of directors.

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Mass. Lawyer Accused Of Misusing Pot Shop Investor Funds

By Julie Manganis

A Massachusetts lawyer took a 50.1% stake in a cannabis startup in exchange for what he said was a discount on fees for legal work he would perform, then botched the license application and misused investor funds, a lawsuit filed in state court alleges.

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NJ Sens. Urge Cooperation On Next NJ US Attorney Nom

By Courtney Bublé

The New Jersey senators are looking to collaborate with the White House to find a new nominee for U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey after the president's initial pick failed.

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