New Supreme Court Ruling in Corporate Law
Favorable Tort Ruling for Corporations Recently the U.S. Supreme Court narrowed rules on where injury lawsuits may be filed in the country, which will favorably help corporations in the future. The recent ruling will put an end to the Legislature’s constant debate over tort reform, and will curb plaintiffs’ ability to “shop” for courts in […]
What You Can and Can’t Do With a Phone While Driving
Update: Major Loophole Plugged in State’s Hands Free Cellphone Laws Assembly Bill 1785 is a groundbreaking new law that took effect January 1, 2017. It states “holding and operating a handheld wireless telephone or an electronic wireless communications device unless the wireless telephone or electronic wireless communications device is specifically designed and configured to allow […]
Jury Awards Six Billion Dollars in Punitive Damages Against Japan’s Largest Drugmaker
One of the Largest Punitive Damage Awards in History In one of the largest punitive damage awards in history – greater even than that awarded against Exxon Mobile Corp. for the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill – a Louisiana Federal Court jury awarded $6 billion in punitive damages against Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., and $3 billion […]
General Motors Seeks to Avoid Products Liability
GM Asks for Immunity From Liability General Motors has asked the Bankruptcy Court to confirm that it has immunity from products liability claims brought in a class-action lawsuit in California Federal Court. General Motors (GM) went through a taxpayer-financed bankruptcy reorganization in 2009. The new GM that emerged from that process was offered immunity from […]
Duty to Disclose Dangerous Condition of Property Runs to Real Estate Agents
Real Estate Agent Responsibility In Hall v. Aurora Loan Services, LLC (2013) 215 Cal.App 4th 1134, the California court of appeals recently held that real estate agents who are showing a property to prospective buyers, or their agents, have a duty to disclose dangerous conditions of which the seller’s agent has actual or constructive knowledge. […]
Firefighter Injured in Multi-Vehicle Collision in Northern California
Careless California Driving Consequences Unfortunately, it is something we see all too often in California. A speedy motorist in a flashy car thinks that the traffic laws – and the rules of common decency – do not apply, and turns the freeway into his personal racetrack, cutting off other vehicles and swerving in and out […]
Los Angeles Ranked in Top Five Cities with Most Pedestrian Fatalities
Wet, Fall Weather Means Dangerous Conditions According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), California, Florida and Texas have more pedestrian deaths than any other states, and Los Angeles ranks in the top five cities with the most pedestrian deaths as a proportion of total pedestrian fatalities. The NHTSA reports that the most deadly […]
Wrongful Death Versus Survival Action: Why You Should Know the Difference
When a loved one dies because of the negligence of another, California law provides for two different types of lawsuits that can be brought against the wrongdoer. One type of lawsuit is known as a wrongful death lawsuit and is brought under California Code of Civil Procedure §377.60. The other is known as a “survival action” […]
Broker’s Duties to Conduct Visual Inspections Pursuant to C.C.P. SECTION 2079, ET SEQ.
Duty to Disclose A selling broker or agent has a duty to conduct a visual inspection of residential property offered for sale and to disclose all facts materially affecting the value of the property to a potential buyer. See Cal. Code Civ. Proc. §2079 et seq. To be safe, a broker or agent showing a […]
Wrongful Death of a Jogger by Pack of Dogs
Wrongful Death Cases Come in Many Forms A sixty-three year old jogger was violently mauled to death by a pack of pit bulls in the Palmdale area of Los Angeles County on Thursday, May 9, 2013. The victim was dragged fifty yards and her arm was ripped off in the attack. She died of her […]
Wrongful Death of Unborn Babies Killed by Ariel Castro
Unlawful Killing of a Fetus Ohio prosecutors sought death penalty charges against convicted kidnapper and rapist Ariel Castro for the miscarriages he inflicted on the women he held prisoner for ten years. The women testified that Castro starved them and beat them in the stomach in order to terminate their pregnancies making him the first […]
When David Killed Goliath
By Philip W. Boesch, Jr Reprinted with permission – www.westsidetoday.com David Steals Goliath’s Music – A New York Times editorial weighs online music piracy. David Versus Goliath – Business Week describes podcast wars. Newsweek says Arabs on the street see America as Goliath. An ad agency just calls itself “David and Goliath,” because everyone […]
