• Class Action Bid Vs. Philip Morris Denied
    Reuters (July 14, 2003 )
    NEW YORK (Reuters) - Philip Morris USA said on Monday a federal judge in Nevada has ruled against a bid seeking class action certification status in five cases filed by smokers against the company.
     
  • Appellate Court Sends 'Lights Case' Back
    Reuters (July 14, 2003 )
    NEW YORK (Reuters) - An Illinois appellate court on Monday ruled that a lower-court judge did not have the authority to slash the bond Philip Morris USA must post while it appeals a $10.1 billion verdict against it in a class-action lawsuit.
     
  • ABB Jumps on Asbestos Deal
    Reuters (July 11, 2003 )
    ZURICH (Reuters) - Investors in ABB breathed a sigh of relief on Friday after a U.S. judge approved a crucial $1.3 billion asbestos settlement, easing the way to a key unit sale needed to cut a potentially crushing debt load.
     
  • Wagner Sues 'Charlie's Angels' Makers
    AP (July 11, 2003)
    LOS ANGELES (AP) - Robert Wagner is suing Sony Pictures Entertainment for half the profits from the "Charlie's Angels" movies, saying he played a role in the development deal for the 1970s TV show that inspired them.
     
  • Reuters Sues Main Rival in Patent Row
    Reuters (July 11, 2003 )
    LONDON (Reuters) - Global news and information company Reuters Group Plc <RTR.L> said it sued its main rival, Bloomberg LP, in a U.S. federal court on Friday, alleging patent infringement and seeking unspecified damages.
     
  • Calif. Judge Allows Damages in Fraud Case
    AP (July 11, 2003)
    SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A California judge has ruled Siebel Systems Inc.'s directors can be held liable for punitive damages if a shareholder lawsuit can prove allegations that insiders improperly looted stock options from the business software maker.
     
  • Woman Sues Toys 'R' Us Over Hidden Camera
    AP (July 10, 2003)
    ATLANTA (AP) - A woman who says she noticed a video camera in the ceiling of a suburban Atlanta Toys "R" Us bathroom is suing the retailer for invasion of privacy.
     
  • Company Sues NYC Over Unused Body Bags
    AP (July 10, 2003)
    NEW YORK (AP) - A company sued the city Thursday for the cost of 100,000 body bags that it said the city hastily ordered after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks but later realized were not needed.
     
  • Judge Considers 2005 Trial Date for Enron
    AP (July 10, 2003)
    HOUSTON (AP) - A federal judge took under consideration Thursday a proposal to get dozens of lawsuits moving against Enron Corp., former executives and various banks and brokerages by setting them for trial in October 2005, nearly four years after Enron's bankruptcy filing.
     
  • ABB Gets Crucial OK for U.S. Asbestos Deal
    Reuters (July 10, 2003 )
    ZURICH/NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. court on Thursday removed a major stumbling block for ABB <ABBZn.VX> by approving the Swiss engineering firm's $1.3 billion asbestos settlement, paving the way for a crucial asset sale needed to cut its crushing debt load.
     
  • Spike Lee, Viacom Talk Business After Lawsuit
    Reuters (July 09, 2003 )

     
  • Suits Filed in Chicago Porch Collapse
    AP (July 08, 2003)
    CHICAGO (AP) - Two lawsuits have been filed against a variety of defendants over the collapse of a third-story porch that killed 13 people.
     
  • Plaintiffs Faring Well in Ala. PCB Trial
    AP (July 08, 2003)
    GADSDEN, Ala. (AP) - Every morning, 12 jurors get an armload of about 20 blue-backed binders, each with a photo on the cover of someone who claims to have been harmed by PCBs.
     
  • US Court Denies Cheney Appeal on Energy Papers
    Reuters (July 08, 2003 )
    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Saying the White House is not immune from legal proceedings, a U.S. appeals court on Tuesday rejected Vice President Dick Cheney's request that it block a lawsuit seeking papers from his energy task force.
     
  • Spike Lee, Viacom Settle Name Dispute
    Reuters (July 08, 2003 )
    NEW YORK (Reuters) - Movie director Spike Lee and Viacom Inc. on Monday settled a legal fight over the U.S. media conglomerate's plans to rebrand its TNN cable network as "Spike TV," representatives for both sides said.
     
  • Adelphia Creditors Sue Top Banks
    Reuters (July 07, 2003 )
    NEW YORK (Reuters) - The unsecured creditors' committee of bankrupt cable company Adelphia Communications Corp on Sunday sued hundreds of banks, including some top Wall Street institutions, for providing loans to the Rigas family that controlled the company, court documents said.
     
  • PETA Cries Foul in KFC Lawsuit
    Reuters (July 07, 2003 )
    CHICAGO (Reuters) - An animal rights group filed a lawsuit on Monday against fast-food chain KFC, accusing the company of making misleading statements on its Web site regarding how the chickens it sells are treated.
     
  • Judge Rules Kazaa Can't Pursue Lawsuit
    AP (July 07, 2003)
    LOS ANGELES (AP) - The distributor of the Kazaa software for sharing songs, movies and other files online cannot pursue an antitrust lawsuit against major recording labels and movie studios, a federal judge ruled.
     
  • O'Connor Dismisses Talk of Retirement
    AP (July 07, 2003)
    WASHINGTON (AP) - Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor is brushing aside talk of retirement, dampening speculation that President Bush will soon have an opportunity to choose a justice.
     
  • Supreme Court Justices Make TV Appearance
    AP (July 06, 2003)
    WASHINGTON (AP) - Despite the 5-4 votes and blistering dissents, the Supreme Court is not fractured, Justices Sandra Day O'Connor and Stephen Breyer said in a rare television interview.
     
  • L.A. Lawsuit Claims Vioxx Side Effects
    Reuters (July 03, 2003 )
    LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A California woman has sued Merck & Company, Inc. <MRK.N>, claiming she suffered dangerous, severe and life threatening side effects after taking the company's arthritis painkiller, Vioxx.
     
  • Judge Knocks Off $15M in Smoker Lawsuit
    AP (July 03, 2003)
    LITTLE ROCK, Ark., (AP) - A federal judge has eliminated $15 million in punitive damages that a tobacco company was ordered to pay the family of a smoker.
     
  • Lopez Says Former Manager Violated Rules
    Reuters (July 03, 2003 )

     
  • Court Overturns Wal-Mart Union Ban
    Reuters (July 03, 2003 )
    CHICAGO (Reuters) - The Arkansas Supreme Court overturned a decision that barred labor unions from soliciting in Wal-Mart <WMT.N> stores, the United Food and Commercial Workers union said on Thursday.
     
  • Court OKs 'Economy Class Syndrome' Suits
    Reuters (July 03, 2003 )
    SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Airlines that fail to warn travelers that cramped legroom could be dangerous to their health may face lawsuits, thanks to a U.S. federal court ruling in San Francisco, a plaintiffs' attorney said on Thursday.
     
  • UK Court Blocks Blood-Clot Case Against Airlines
    Reuters (July 03, 2003 )
    LONDON (Reuters) - A British court delivered a severe setback on Thursday to 24 victims of Deep Vein Thrombosis, the so-called economy class syndrome, by barring them from suing some of the world's largest airlines.
     
  • Merrill Lynch Wins Second Research Case
    AP (July 03, 2003)
    NEW YORK (AP) - A federal judge handed Merrill Lynch & Co. its second legal victory this week, tossing out a lawsuit by investors who claimed they lost money in a technology-focused mutual fund because of biased research.
     
  • Insurers Threaten to Oppose Asbestos Bill
    Reuters (July 03, 2003 )
    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Insurers threatened on Thursday to withdraw their support for a Senate proposal to set up a national fund for compensating asbestos victims, saying the price tag may be too high.
     
  • Judge Throws Out Another Case vs. Merrill
    Reuters (July 02, 2003 )
    NEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal judge handed Merrill Lynch its second court victory in as many days on Wednesday, dismissing a case by investors who claimed they were duped by biased research into investing in a technology fund.
     
  • My Big Fat Greek Lawsuit
    Reuters (July 02, 2003 )