http://overlawyered.com Chronicling the high cost of our legal system Sat, 21 Nov 2009 23:18:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 http://overlawyered.com/2009/11/judge-dismisses-lawsuit-claiming-miley-cyrus-pic-discriminated-against-asians/ http://overlawyered.com/2009/11/judge-dismisses-lawsuit-claiming-miley-cyrus-pic-discriminated-against-asians/#comments Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:38:34 +0000 Ted Frank http://overlawyered.com/?p=14843 “The novel legal claim was filed by Lucie J. Kim in a class action suit against the singer earlier this year that sought $4,000 in damages for each Asian and Pacific Islander living in Los Angeles County.” Kim complained that Cyrus was photographed with an Asian friend and other friends pulling back their eyelids; Cyrus apologized when the photo became public in February. Cyrus sought tens of thousands of dollars in attorneys’ fees for what she felt was a frivolous claim; the request was denied. “Henry M. Lee, Kim’s attorney, said his client is considering appealing the case.”

Tags: California, discrimination law, libel slander and defamation, Los Angeles, loser pays, Miley Cyrus, sanctions

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]]> http://overlawyered.com/2009/11/judge-dismisses-lawsuit-claiming-miley-cyrus-pic-discriminated-against-asians/feed/ 1 http://overlawyered.com/2009/11/will-secret-copyright-treaty-restrict-your-digital-rights/ http://overlawyered.com/2009/11/will-secret-copyright-treaty-restrict-your-digital-rights/#comments Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:55:23 +0000 Walter Olson http://overlawyered.com/?p=14841 Concerns about the pending Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) [Jeff Porten, MacWorld/MacUser]

Tags: copyright, international law, trademarks

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]]> http://overlawyered.com/2009/11/will-secret-copyright-treaty-restrict-your-digital-rights/feed/ 0 http://overlawyered.com/2009/11/house-health-care-reform-would-discourage-many-state-reforms/ http://overlawyered.com/2009/11/house-health-care-reform-would-discourage-many-state-reforms/#comments Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:06:33 +0000 Walter Olson http://overlawyered.com/?p=14835 I’m quoted on the subject in Grant Bosse’s article in New Hampshire Watchdog. Earlier here and here. More at Point of Law here (Senate bill) and here (more advantages for trial lawyers).

Tags: medical malpractice

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]]> http://overlawyered.com/2009/11/house-health-care-reform-would-discourage-many-state-reforms/feed/ 0 http://overlawyered.com/2009/11/testimony-federal-judge-owed-150k-on-credit-cards-got-20k-from-2-lawyers/ http://overlawyered.com/2009/11/testimony-federal-judge-owed-150k-on-credit-cards-got-20k-from-2-lawyers/#comments Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:33:15 +0000 Walter Olson http://overlawyered.com/?p=14831 Allegations of $2,000 in an envelope, constant requests for cash, false financial filings, and much else besides, figure in the House impeachment proceedings against a Louisiana jurist. [ABA Journal]

Tags: judges, Louisiana

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]]> http://overlawyered.com/2009/11/testimony-federal-judge-owed-150k-on-credit-cards-got-20k-from-2-lawyers/feed/ 2 http://overlawyered.com/2009/11/november-20-roundup-2/ http://overlawyered.com/2009/11/november-20-roundup-2/#comments Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:05:51 +0000 Walter Olson http://overlawyered.com/?p=14823

Judge finds Army Corps of Engineers negligent in Katrina levees suit [WSJ Law Blog, Krauss/PoL]

Feds raise the Gibson guitar factory in Nashville on an exotic-woods rap [The Tennessean] Eric Scheie has a few things to say about what turns out to be a remarkably comprehensive federal regulatory scheme on trade in wood enacted with little public discussion as part of the 2008 farm bill [Classical Values]

In the mail: Amy Bach’s new book Ordinary Injustice: How America Holds Court, very favorably reviewed by Scott Greenfield not long ago (AmLaw Daily interview with author);

Pension tension: link roundup on CALPERS mess [Reynolds]

Maine passes very sweeping law banning marketers from collecting or using wide array of information about minors, but state acknowledges that much of the law probably wouldn’t pass constitutional muster and won’t be enforced [Valetk/Law.com, Qualters/NLJ]

StationStops, which provides a mobile app for NYC commuter schedules, seems to have survived its legal tussle with New York’s MTA and thanks those who helped call attention to the story, with generous words for a certain “great blog”;

Lawsuits cost Chicago taxpayers $136 million last year [Fran Spielman, Sun-Times]

Blawg Review #238 is from Joel Rosenberg and bears the title, “Celebrating the International Day of Tolerance … and the NRA’s Birthday” [WindyPundit]

Tags: advertising, California, Chicago, endangered species, Katrina, Maine, NYC, privacy

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]]> http://overlawyered.com/2009/11/november-20-roundup-2/feed/ 1 http://overlawyered.com/2009/11/trespasser-sues-railroad/ http://overlawyered.com/2009/11/trespasser-sues-railroad/#comments Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:08:23 +0000 Walter Olson http://overlawyered.com/?p=14819 She “was taking pictures on the railroad tracks in Tupelo in 2006″ and things didn’t end happily. Now her lawsuit says the train was going too fast and that the BNSF Railway Company “should have posted trespassing signs to keep people away.” People like her, that is. [AP/Jackson Clarion Ledger]

Tags: assumption of risk, railroads

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]]> http://overlawyered.com/2009/11/trespasser-sues-railroad/feed/ 4 http://overlawyered.com/2009/11/u-k-find-discarded-gun-bring-it-in-to-cops-get-convicted-for-possession/ http://overlawyered.com/2009/11/u-k-find-discarded-gun-bring-it-in-to-cops-get-convicted-for-possession/#comments Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:54:39 +0000 Walter Olson http://overlawyered.com/?p=14814 Could such a sequence of events actually happen? It seems to have happened to Paul Clerke of Merstham, England. [ThisIsSurreyToday via Coyote]

Tags: crime and punishment, guns, United Kingdom

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]]> http://overlawyered.com/2009/11/u-k-find-discarded-gun-bring-it-in-to-cops-get-convicted-for-possession/feed/ 4 http://overlawyered.com/2009/11/lawyers-who-sleep-with-clients/ http://overlawyered.com/2009/11/lawyers-who-sleep-with-clients/#comments Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:40:57 +0000 Walter Olson http://overlawyered.com/?p=14798 You’d think they wouldn’t need specific rules to know not to do that. [Scott Greenfield]

Tags: ethics

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]]> http://overlawyered.com/2009/11/lawyers-who-sleep-with-clients/feed/ 4 http://overlawyered.com/2009/11/a-case-in-antiquities-for-finders-keepers/ http://overlawyered.com/2009/11/a-case-in-antiquities-for-finders-keepers/#comments Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:12:56 +0000 Walter Olson http://overlawyered.com/?p=14806 John Tierney at the Times makes the case against heritage repatriation laws.

Tags: antiquities

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]]> http://overlawyered.com/2009/11/a-case-in-antiquities-for-finders-keepers/feed/ 0 http://overlawyered.com/2009/11/senate-panel-approves-david-michaels/ http://overlawyered.com/2009/11/senate-panel-approves-david-michaels/#comments Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:56:55 +0000 Walter Olson http://overlawyered.com/?p=14802 Carter Wood at Point of Law, Hans Bader at the Examiner, and David Kopel at Opposing Views have more about the oughta-be-controversial OSHA nominee.

Tags: David Michaels

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