California "California Supreme Court" Employment "Attorneys Fees" Fees "Civil Procedure" Corporations "Choice of Law" Delaware "Private Attorney General" "Health Benefits" "Implicit Contract"… Continue Reading
In Clark v. Superior Court, the Supreme Court considered the claims of elderly plaintiffs under California’s unfair competition law, Business & Professions Code, § 17200 et seq., which sought treble damages under Civil Code § 3345. Under Civil Code § 3345, which is part of the Consumers Legal Remedies Act, the trier of fact is … Continue Reading
In Reid v. Google, the California Supreme Court addressed and resolved a well-known procedural trap for California attorneys: if you file your objections to your opponent’s evidence on a summary judgment motion, but the trial court never specifically rules on them, are the objections preserved on appeal? The Supreme Court’s answer: “yes.” In opposing a … Continue Reading
California, like most states, has enacted a statute (Civil Code section 846) which provides that property owners have no duty to maintain their premises in a manner that makes them “safe” for recreational users of the land. The statute was intended to encourage landowners to make their property available for recreational use without fear of … Continue Reading
The Florida Supreme Court has adopted mediation rules for all appellate courts, including circuit courts acting in their appellate capacity, district courts of appeal and the Supreme Court of Florida. Under the new rules(.pdf), the appellate court, on its own motion or that of a party, may refer a case to mediation at any time. … Continue Reading
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has named Associate Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye of the California Court of Appeal as his choice to replace the retiring Hon. Ronald M. George as Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court. Governor Schwarzenegger praised Justice Cantil-Sakauye’s record in announcing the nomination: Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye has a distinguished history of public service and understands … Continue Reading
Snow and ice are a fact of life in Chicago during the winter months. So what duties of care do government agencies, individuals and businesses have in relation to dealing with winter conditions? The Illinois Supreme Court addressed this important issue late last week in Krywin v. The Chicago Transit Authority [pdf]. Illinois has long followed the … Continue Reading
California Chief Justice Ronald M. George has announced today that he will be retiring from the Court, effective January 2, 2011. We will have a profile of this great California jurist soon.… Continue Reading
The Illinois Supreme Court announced yesterday afternoon that it will release two opinions [pdf] on the morning of Thursday, July 15th, including one civil case: No. 108888, Krywin v. Chicago Transit Authority, which presents the issue of whether the “natural accumulations rule,” which provides that a business owner generally has no duty to take precautions … Continue Reading
Earlier this week, we discussed “advice and consent.” Can Senators legitimately ask a Supreme Court nominee about a hot button issue and expect a direct answer? Do Senators have the right to vote up or down on a particular nominee for purely political reasons? Now we turn from the question of what the confirmation process should … Continue Reading
Two Texas ranchers had a long-standing feud. During a drought, 13 of plaintiff’s cattle strayed from plaintiff’s ranch to defendant’s property along a dry river bed. Defendant rounded up the cattle and sold them, despite warnings from the ranch hands that the cattle were not his. Plaintiff brought a conversion action and prevailed at trial. … Continue Reading
In Tverberg v. Fillner Construction, Inc., the Supreme Court resolved a conflict in the lower courts by holding that the peculiar risk doctrine does not make a hiring party liable for workplace injuries of an independent contractor or subcontractor. In doing so, the Court departed from the rationale in Privette, holding instead that an independent … Continue Reading
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 created the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, an agency with broad authority to regulate accounting firms that perform audits of publicly-traded corporations. The Board is formally placed under the Security and Exchange Commission, but the Commission may only remove Board members pursuant to a stringent good cause requirement. In Free … Continue Reading
Supreme Court confirmation hearings have come in for a lot of criticism in recent years. They’ve been called a “Kabuki Dance” and a process which has “take[n] on an air of vacuity and farce.” Amid all the discussion of whether or not nominees have become more evasive recently – a subject we’ll address later in the … Continue Reading
Yesterday, a divided U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the University of California, Hastings College of the Law’s right to condition official recognition of a Christian student group on the organization’s agreement to open eligibility for membership and leadership to all students – including homosexual students. In an opinion on behalf of a narrow 5-4 majority, Justice Ginsburg concluded … Continue Reading
It’s been a busy summer at the Circuits for decisions applying the antitrust state action immunity. First up, as we reported three weeks ago, was the Ninth Circuit’s affirmance of the dismissal in Shames v. California Travel and Tourism Commission, [pdf] in which the plaintiffs alleged the California Travel and Tourism Commission had colluded with the rental … Continue Reading
In Kleffman v. Vonage Holdings Corp., the Court addressed a legal question from the Ninth Circuit regarding the application of Business and Professions Code §17529.5(a)(2) to spam e-mails that were being sent from multiple domain names to avoid spam filters. While this statute bars spam which “contains or is accompanied by falsified, misrepresented, or forged … Continue Reading
The Supreme Court of Florida, answering a question certified by the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, recently held that posting defamatory material on a website about a Florida resident does constitute the commission of a tortious act within Florida for purposes of the State’s long-arm statute, section 48.193(1)(b), Florida Statutes, if the material on the … Continue Reading
The Eleventh Circuit, in Pretka v. Kolter City Plaza II, Inc. recently reexamined and rejected as dicta broad statements in Lowery v. Alabama Power Co., 483 F.3d 1184 (11th Cir. 2007), that limit the type of evidence used to establish the amount in controversy for removal. The plaintiffs in Pretka, buyers of units in a new … Continue Reading
Last week the Supreme Court granted review in six civil cases, covering a wide variety of issues: Coito v. Superior Court, which addresses when witness statements are protected from discovery as work product. See Civil Procedure/Evidence/Discovery update. Professional Engineers in California Government v. Schwarzenegger, which the Supreme Court transferred on its own motion before … Continue Reading
It’s no secret to those of us who’ve been defending antitrust cases for a number of years that economic expert witnesses are a more important part of the defense team than ever before. Triers of fact often must evaluate complex economic analyses of the competitive effect of sophisticated business strategies. According to Judge Richard Posner of the … Continue Reading
Can a government agency conspire to fix prices? When it comes to the California Travel and Tourism Commission, the Ninth Circuit says the answer is "no." Shames v. California Travel and Tourism Commission [pdf]. The CTTC consists of a dozen commissioners appointed by the Governor, and two dozen selected by the tourism industry. In 2006, the passenger rental … Continue Reading
On May 28, 2010, the Texas Supreme Court granted petitions for review in the following cases: Anglo-Dutch Petroleum Int’l v. Greenberg Peden P.C.—This case concerns the construction of a contingency fee agreement and the circumstances under which a court can conclude that an agreement is ambiguous. Hyde Park Baptist Church v. Turner—This case concerns the … Continue Reading
Last week, the Illinois Supreme Court allowed petitions for leave to appeal in eight new civil cases. They are: Uldrych v. VHS of Illinois, Inc., Williams v. Board of Review, 2010 WL 743894 (1st Dist., 2010), which involves the question of whether implied indemnity actions are subject to the four-year statute of repose governing actions … Continue Reading
