Rodriguez v. Rodriguez
Wife of Alex Rodriguez petitions for divorce, saying the marriage is "irretrievably broken" because of the Madonna-linked New York Yankee's "extramarital affairs."
Ferguson v. CBS Corp.
Former employee of "The Rachel Ray Show" who has anorexia sues the producers, alleging a manager said "Anorexics are sick in the head" and "should not be able to work."
Troyer v. TMZ Productions
Pint-sized actor Verne Troyer of "Mini Me" fame files suit to block the sale of a videotape of him having "explicit sexual and intimate relations" with his girlfriend.
Courthouse News On Trial

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• Texarkana restaurant moves for summary dismissal of the case of a woman allegedly injured when she slipped on peanut shells discarded on the floor. "Peanut shells, if any ... would be an open, obvious and unconcealed condition, and therefore, Defendant did not owe Plaintiff a duty to warn."
Lange v. Texas Roadhouse

• Civil liberties group sues South Carolina for approving "an explicitly Christian-themed specialty license plate" that "not only improperly advances and endorses religion, but also discriminates against citizens of other faiths because it fails to provide a comparable expressive outlet." Summers v. Adams

• New York judge orders Google/YouTube to turn over user log-on names and IP addresses as part of discovery in Viacom's copyright infringement suit. "Defendants do not refute that the 'login ID is an anonymous pseudonym' ... which without more 'cannot identify specific individuals.'” Viacom v. YouTube

• U.S. government files a motion to dismiss a suit against the operators of the Large Hadron Collider atom smasher in Switzerland. "Plaintiffs’ allegations ... are not accepted by the scientific community, are not based on rigorous scientific analysis, and are unfounded."

• Nebraska Supreme Court rules that a woman cannot seek a court order compelling her ex-husband to have a physical examination so she can take out an insurance policy on his life as security for his alimony obligations. "Such an order would have violated this state’s public policy of requiring an insured’s consent to a policy on his or her life." Davis v. Davis

• Kansas woman sues the Wild Oats organic grocery chain for selling her a defective "ear candle" that she used in an alternative medicine procedure. Anne Danaher's ear candling resulted in "severe conductive hearing loss," the complaint says.

• Pennsylvania appeals court finds that a will written on the cardboard panel of a cigarette carton is not valid. The will "lacked both a positive disposition of property and the testamentary intent of the decedent." In re: Estate of Shelly

• New York judge dismisses a defamation suit filed by a former New York Post gossip columnist against billionaire investor Ron Burkle and Burkle friends Bill and Hillary Clinton. The complaint "can most accurately be described as a political diatribe drawn by Larry Klayman of Freedom Watch, Inc., an avowed enemy of the Clintons." Stern v. Burkle

• Fox News employee sues the landlord of the network's New York headquarters for "allowing plaintiff's workspace to become infested with bed bugs," causing her to "sustain serious injuries and to have suffered pain, shock [and] mental anguish."
Clark v. Beacon Capital Partners



Featured in Alltop

 
Black Novelist Settles Segregation-in-Publishing Case

An African-American author who claimed that Penguin Group "segregated" her debut romance novel in bookstores appears to have settled her unusual discrimination suit against the publisher.

Court records show that a New York judge ordered Nadine Aldred's case discontinued April 30 "subject to reopening should the settlement not be consummated within thirty days of the date hereof."

The apparent settlement follows disputes over whether Penguin could search for deleted e-mails on Aldred's computer and other discovery issues. U.S. Magistrate Judge Theodore H. Katz ruled in February that an independent technician could make a mirror image of the computer's hard drive.

UPDATE

  • Aldred confirmed the settlement on her blog. "I'm very pleased to share that the matter has now been resolved to my satisfaction through an agreement, the terms of which can never be discussed," she said.

  • Aldred, who writes as Millenia Black, was seeking no less than $250 million in damages for the economic losses she allegedly suffered by being deprived of a “mainstream” audience for “The Great Pretender,” published by Penguin in 2005.

    “[P]laintiff has been pigeonholed as an African American author despite her best efforts to become known as an author without regard to race,” the complaint, filed in September 2006, said.

    Penguin has denied that it "solely" marketed "The Great Pretender" as African-American fiction or demanded that Aldred rewrite white characters in another novel, "The Great Betrayal," as black or race-neutral.

    5/9/08



     
    Obese Jail Inmate Drops Suit over Weight Loss

    An obese Arkansas jail inmate has dropped his prisoner rights suit alleging jail officials serve meals so low in calories that he has been losing weight.
    more


    Church Not Liable for 'Laying Hands' on Teen

    Ruling against a woman who sued members of a church for assault, the Texas Supreme Court has effectively insulated religious organizations from liability for intentional abuse as long as they raise their beliefs as a defense.
    more


    Judge Keeps Court Open in Celebrity Divorce

    A ruling in the divorce case of former supermodel Christie Brinkley is an encouraging sign that judges are not going to use the rapid information flow of the digital age as an excuse to close court proceedings.
    more


    N.Y. Woman Loses Suit over Affair with Rabbi

    New York’s highest court has set the bar prohibitively high for proving certain civil cases against predatory clergy by ruling that a woman cannot sue a rabbi who had an affair with her because she was not “uniquely vulnerable and incapable of self-protection." more


    "Parrot Fever" Death Tests Products Law

    The family of a Texas man who allegedly died of a disease contracted from a sick cockatiel has sued PetSmart for wrongful death, but the fate of similar cases around the country suggests their products liability theory will not fly.
    more


    "Naked Cowboy" Wins Duel with Candy Cowboy

    A ruling in a trademark infringement case filed by a New York street entertainer who performs as “The Naked Cowboy” is another indication that judges may be taking parodies too seriously when the parody conveys a commercial message.
    more


    Unsafe Undies? Thongs Ain't What Used to Be

    A rash of product liability lawsuits has hit Victoria's Secret, with plaintiffs alleging they were injured by defectively designed underwear.
    more


    Eye Doctor Blamed for Fatal Fall After Dilation

    The son of a Kansas woman has filed what may be the first wrongful-death lawsuit involving an eye procedure, alleging her optometrist caused the injuries she suffered in a fall by failing to provide her with protective sunglasses after a pupil dilation.
    more


    Stripper Sues Club for Letting Her Drive Drunk

    An Alabama strip club's practice of encouraging dancers to have customers buy them drinks could make it liable for the injuries of a dancer who wrecked her car after leaving the club in a “highly intoxicated” state.
    more


    Judge Dumps Suit over 'Servile' Coffee-Making

    An office worker who claimed two male managers reduced her to the stereotypical role of “subservient female” by demanding that she serve them coffee was not the subject of a hostile work environment, a Philadelphia judge has ruled.
    more



    Grant v. NASCAR
    Subject: Racial Discrimination
    Document: Complaint

    Davis v. Johnny Rotten
    Subject: Reality Show Assault
    Document: Complaint

    Smith v. Thomas
    Subject: Harry Potter Discrimination
    Document: Complaint

    In re Sara Steed
    Subject: Polygamy Church
    Document: Opinion

    Laura Boyce v. Rob Lowe
    Subject: Sexual Harassment
    Document: Cross Complaint

    more

    On Trial
    Brinkley v. Cook
    Court: Suffolk County (N.Y.) Supreme
    Subject: Celebrity divorce

    Bryant v. Mattel
    Court: USDC, C. Calif.
    Subject: "Bratz" doll copyright infringement

    more

    Rob Lowe v. Jessica Gibson
    Date: 7/10/08
    Court: Santa Barbara (Calif.) Superior
    Hearing: Anti-SLAPP motion to strike "nannygate" case.

    Claassen v. E-Harmony.com
    Date: 7/21/08
    Court: Alameda County (Calif.) Superior
    Hearing: Jury trial in dating service discrimination case.

    more