By: Michael Seinberg OK, we all know various drugs have side effects. But Daniel Stewart, Jr. of Etowah County Alabama is now suggesting that the sleep aid Ambien can cause unexpected nudity and he’s suing Qualitest Pharmaceuticals to make his point. Stewart claims that on the night of October 3, 2011 while he was on [...]
After netting a paltry $111 from his $150,000 settlement, Elwin Francis of Brooklyn has filed a lawsuit against his lawyers seeking compensation for not looking after his interests, the New York Law Journal reports (subscription required). His attorneys took to 33% of the settlement for their contingency fee, while an astonishing $98,415 went to litigation finance companies; Francis had borrowed [...]
Rick Karlin of the Albany Times Union published a piece today highlighting the preliminary findings of a study by the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy which breaks down the annual cost that municipalities bear as a result of lawsuits. The study discovered that approximately one billion taxpayer dollars are spent annually on legal defense, judgments, and settlements for [...]
By: Scott Hobson New Hampshire recently enacted legislation which gives plaintiffs in medical malpractice cases the choice to opt out of filing a lawsuit in favor of accepting an early settlement. If the plaintiff does not feel the settlement is fair, they may reject it and still file a lawsuit. Both houses of the legislature [...]
Lawsuits against municipalities have been a major problem in New York State for quite some time. Often, municipalities are the target of lawsuits simply because of their ability to pay; thanks to our state’s rule of joint and several liability, a defendant who is found only 1% responsible can be forced to pay 100% an award. Even [...]
About two weeks ago we shared a great piece written by Bill Hammond of the New York Daily News about the New York-only Scaffold Law and its high cost to taxpayers. In response to a rebuttal from a New York union leader, today Bill Hammond has set the record straight. An excerpt from the article: “New York’s labor-union-trial-lawyer industrial complex did not appreciate my [...]
An article the Albany Times Union this week highlights objections to a bill that was quickly and stealthily introduced and passed in both houses on the final day of the legislative session, just hours before its’ end. The legislation at hand is known as the “Uniform Notice of Claims Act” (S.7641/A.10657) while commendable in its intent, it will have serious [...]
A newly released survey from CNBC ranks New York State dead last in business friendliness in the United States. The survey assessed perceived business friendliness based on the legal climate and state regulations. South Dakota ranked highest, followed by New Hampshire, Virginia, North Dakota, and Indiana. The survey reaffirms the link between lawsuits and a [...]
A class action lawsuit brought against Kellogg, for false health claims about their Frosted Mini-Wheats cereal, recently came to a settlement for a total of $10.6 million. After review by a panel of three judges this settlement was rejected. The reason? The lawyer fees of $2,100 an hour, totaling $2 million were considered too high. [...]
LRANY Executive Director Tom Stebbins will be a guest on The Paul Vandenburgh Show today at 4pm on My 4 Albany, to discuss frivolous litigation in New York and its devastating impacts on taxpayers, jobs creation, and the overall business climate of our state. Be sure to tune in!
