In the News

A Boca Raton law firm has filed a class action lawsuit against the People’s Republic of China, alleging that its public agencies were negligent for failing to contain the deadly coronavirus outbreak that has caused economic devastation in the U.S.

This is the second of a two-part series on the growing trend of large court-ordered settlements in truck crash lawsuits. Lee Parsley, general counsel for litigation reform group Texans for Lawsuit Reform, said the verdict amount announced from such cases isn’t always what gets paid out. In Texas, punitive damages, which are intended to punish the recipient on top of economic and non-economic damages, are capped based on a formula using economic and non-economic damages. That cap, however, is calculated post-trial.

As courts across Texas move many proceedings to telephone and video conferencing, there’s a discussion behind the scenes about how to keep the courts open to the public. Some essential proceedings are moving forward as normal. But in nonessential matters, which will either be postponed or handled through electronic hearings, questions are arising about how the public can find out about those hearings, and how they can dial in to listen.

This is the first of a two-part series on the growing trend of large court-ordered settlements in truck crash lawsuits. Part 2, which will cover who pays for these settlements and how your fleet can protect itself against such verdicts.

A new coronavirus bill drafted by House Democrats will include a reform expanding liability protection for companies that sell masks after Democratic leaders dropped their opposition to that provision, The Post has learned.

Hardly a business doesn’t expect to be harmed by the coronavirus pandemic, but you had to know that trial lawyers would find a way to turn a buck from all the pain and suffering. Sure enough, a Florida law firm is now seeking to shake down Princess Cruise Lines for causing emotional distress to passengers recently quarantined off the coast of California.

That’s a prevailing sentiment throughout Louisiana and appears to be the No. 1 topic on the minds of lawmakers heading into this legislative session that started Monday. This is the first in a three-part series on tort reform, which is thought to be the key in getting auto insurance rates lowered. Part one defines the program and features drivers struggling to pay high premiums

Men have dominated Texas courts for decades. Now, in Democratic-controlled areas of the state, they seem headed for extinction. The corrective for years of gender inequity on the bench has proven rather simple: voters.

Although she’s under felony indictment, 164th Civil District Judge Alexandra Smoots-Thomas earned enough votes in the Democratic primary to advance to a runoff election for her bench. “I don’t think the average voter had any idea that Judge Smoots-Thomas was under indictment,” said Schaffer, a partner in Schaffer Carter & Associates in Houston. “I didn’t hear it mentioned at all.”

District Court Judge Tim Sulak’s stunning primary loss to Madeleine Connor angered many in the legal community who suspect voters were unaware of the flaws in Connor’s candidacy but picked her in the down-ballot race because they preferred a woman to a man. Connor’s victory fuels the ongoing debate about Texas’ process for picking judges through elections rather than appointments.