Capitol Records v. Thomas
Jury in the retrial of a music downloading
case awards $1.92 million in damages against a Minnesota woman -- eight times more than the award at the original trial.
Padilla v. Yoo
California judge says an "enemy combatant" can sue a former U.S. government lawyer for creating the "legal construct" that allowed him to be tortured while in custody.
Olson v. Cohen
California woman allegesSacha Baron
Cohen assaulted her on the stage of a bingo hall where he was filming a scene for his upcoming movie "Bruno."
Craigslist v. McMaster
Website files suit seeking court protection from unconstitutional threats by the South Carolina attorney general to prosecute it for failing to block ads that solicit prostitution.

lc_search
LC_DayByDay

 Jun   July 09   Aug

SMTWTFS
   1  2  3  4
  5  6  7  8  91011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031 
Julianna Willis Technology
LC_BySubject
OnTheMap

rss

LC_ExtraPoints

• Boston judge refuses to require Massachusetts to include materials that deny the Armenian genocide in the public school curriculum.
"[T]he decision as to what to teach about ... the Armenian genocide must be made by elected officials, educators, and teachers rather than by federal judges."
Griswold v. Driscoll

• Kentucky Court of Appeals upholds a $3.7 million jury award against a school board for ignoring a student's complaints that several teachers had molested her. Plaintiff Lynne Maner "presented sufficient evidence that the Board was deliberately indifferen[t] in its failure to act." Maner v. Fayette County Board of Education

• 6th Circuit revives the racial bias case of an African-American couple who sued a hotel for refusing to host their wedding reception. "There is a genuine issue of material fact in this case as to whether ... the Hotel denied them the right to enter into a contract because of their race." Keck v. Graham Hotel Systems

• San Francisco judge rules that a city did not violate a hiker's rights by failing to protect her from an attack on public land by a rancher's cattle. "[P]laintiffs have not alleged facts supporting a claim that the City was deliberately indifferent to a known or obvious danger" to Jo Dee Schmidt. Schmidt v. Hoover

• Divided New York appellate court says a golfer is not liable for striking another golfer in the eye with an errant drive. The defendant's failure to yell "Fore" before hitting the ball "does not rise to the level of creating a dangerous condition over and above the usual dangers inherent in participating in the sport of golf." Anand v. Kapoor

• Sioux tribal members file a class action seeking their share of as much as $900 million held in trust by the federal government as compensation for the "taking" of the Black Hills of South Dakota. The plaintiffs have split from other Sioux who refuse to take the money, insisting on the return of the land.
Different Horse v. Salazar

• Texas Court of Appeals says a gas station owner is not liable for the negligence of an attendant who accidentally shot a customer while showing him a gun. The attendant's "actions were not merely a misuse of his authority; they were utterly unrelated to his duties."
Glass v. Williams

• San Francisco judge denies Chevron Corp.'s request for $485,159 in court costs from impoverished Nigerian villagers who sued the company for human rights violations. "The economic disparity between plaintiffs, who are Nigerian villagers, and defendants, international oil companies, cannot be more stark."
Bowoto v. Chevron






Alltop_125x125.jpg

 

$11M Awarded to Dancer in Extortion Case Print

Michael Flatley

An $11.1 million default judgment awarded to Michael Flatley in an extortion case is almost double what the "Lord of the Dance" star requested a few months ago.

In a court declaration filed Sept. 7, Flatley said he was entitled to at least $6 million in damages for the harm to his reputation and the emotional distress he suffered after Tyna Marie Robertson falsely accused him of raping her in a Las Vegas hotel room. She and her attorney, D. Dean Mauro, allegedly demanded $1 million from Flatley for their silence.

“Defendants' threats to subject me to false criminal charges and to 'ruin' me by spreading these false charges wherever I or the dance troupes perform 'for the rest of my life' ... caused me severe emotional distress,” Flatley declared.

After a hearing Dec. 7 at which the Irish dancer testified, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael L. Stern found “adequate support” for a judgment of $11,095,872. The record “conclusively establish[es] the falsity of Robertson's claims and Robertson's malicious, intentional and willful publication of these false accusations,” he said.

Where the additional $5 million came from is unclear. But Flatley's declaration reflected only general damage to his reputation and not “the specific amount of monetary harm” caused to his business.

Flatley is unlikely to recover much of the judgment from Robertson, a real estate agent and the single mother of a child whose father is Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher. She recently pleaded for extra child support from Urlacher, saying, “I only have $6 in my name to support my son.”

Mauro settled the case against him after the California Supreme Court ruled in July 2006 that his communications with Flatley were not protected under a free-speech law. Flatley v. Mauro, 39 Cal.4th 299.

This story linked by:

By Matthew Heller
12/14/07

 
rc_insidestories
  • No Prayer Now for Preacher's Suit Over "Religulous"

    Less than three weeks after being sued for defrauding two former parishioners of $600,000, a Florida preacher dropped his $50 million lawsuit alleging the Bill Maher documentary “Religulous” falsely portrayed him as a charlatan, On Point has learned.
    Read more...
  • Man Burned at Burning Man Assumed Risk

    Get too close to the Burning Man fire and you assume the “obvious and inherent” risk of being burned, a California appeals court has ruled in dismissing a personal injury lawsuit against the operators of the iconic countercultural arts festival.
    Read more...
  • Lawyer's 'Prove Me Wrong' Offer No Joke to Student

    A Texas law student may have taken a $1 million “prove me wrong” challenge seriously, but the criminal defense lawyer who made the challenge on a TV news show appears to have done so with enough tongue in cheek to avoid liability for not paying up.
    Read more...
  • Jury Chills Rights in Strip Search Case

    A jury has reached a chilling decision in the civil rights case of a Southampton, N.Y., woman, clearing four police officers in the exclusive resort community of liability for performing a strip search on her after a minor marijuana bust.
    Read more...
  • Toxic Bra Suits Won't be Combined in Ohio

    A rash of lawsuits against Victoria's Secret alleging defectively manufactured underwear is continuing with eight new cases filed in the past two months. But in a setback for plaintiffs, a judicial panel has refused to consolidate all the litigation in Ohio.
    Read more...
  • Wedding Fiasco Suit Really Takes Cake

    Sandra Newsom's wedding disaster lawsuit may -– literally –- take the cake. The New York woman has sued a cruise ship operator for ruining her wedding reception by serving a coconut-containing cake to which she had an allergic reaction.
    Read more...
  • Woody Allen Got $5M After Judge Shredded Defense

    A week before American Apparel agreed to pay Woody Allen $5 million for misappropriating his image, a judge had shredded the clothing company's First Amendment defense based on its CEO's “mental processes,” On Point has learned.
    Read more...
RC_OnFile

Sugawara v. Pepsico
Subject: False Cereal Advertising
Document: Order Granting Dismissal

Ozzy Osbourne v. Tony Iommi
Subject: Rock Band Trademark
Document: Complaint

Mohamed v. Jeppesen Dataplan
Subject: State Secrets
Document: Petition for En Banc Review

Savio v. Peterson
Subject: Wrongful Death
Document: Complaint

Kerr v. New Orleans Police Department
Subject: Male Skirt-Wearing
Document: Complaint

more

RC_OnTrial

Capitol Records v. Thomas
Court: USDC, Minn.
Subject: Digital music downloading
Verdict: $1.92 million

ASPCA v. Ringling Bros.
Court: USDC, D. Col.
Subject: Illegal "taking" of elephants by circus

more


RC_OnTheDocket

Howard K. Stern v. Rita Cosby
Date: 7/7/09
Court: USDC, S. N.Y.
Hearing: Motions for summary judgment in defamation case.

Goldberg v. Paris Hilton Entertainment
Date: 7/9/09
Court: USDC, S. Fla.
Hearing: Jury trial in breach-of-contract case.

more


-

-