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Whether the U.S. Supreme Court's decision last week in reflects a new approach by the justices that could lead to additional and stricter limits on punitive damages awards outside the context of maritime law will have to await the next constitutional due process challenge that arrives at the high court. But it is clear that the ruling will now become part of the arsenal for major corporate defense firms that bring challenges to these damages awards.
Whether the U.S. Supreme Court's decision last week in reflects a new approach by the justices that could lead to additional and stricter limits on punitive damages awards outside the context of maritime law will have to await the next constitutional due process challenge that arrives at the high court. But it is clear that the ruling will now become part of the arsenal for major corporate defense firms that bring challenges to these damages awards.
It's A-List season at . For the sixth year, we applied the A-List algorithm to The Am Law 200 to determine the firms that best embody what it means to be a success in the legal community. As always, there were surprises, among them a new A-List champ. But what is most notable about the 2008 A-List rankings is just how difficult it has become for newcomers to land one of the 20 coveted spots.
It's A-List season at . For the sixth year, we applied the A-List algorithm to The Am Law 200 to determine the firms that best embody what it means to be a success in the legal community. As always, there were surprises, among them a new A-List champ. But what is most notable about the 2008 A-List rankings is just how difficult it has become for newcomers to land one of the 20 coveted spots.
has lost its bid to unseal the docket and court documents in a precedent-setting case brought by a woman who claims she was fired because she had an abortion. The paper was not seeking to learn the name of the woman, but instead, argued that the sealing of the dockets at both the trial and appellate courts was unconstitutional, and that in general court documents should be open to the public. Lawyers for the paper say they are studying their options to renew the challenge.
Chicago-based Much Shelist Denenberg Ament & Rubenstein has formed an outside board of advisers to give direction to the management committee on 'a broad range of issues that impact legal services,' according to the law firm. The panel will act like a board of directors, offering an outside perspective on cultural, global, economic and technological issues. The first meeting took place last week.
A Georgia court has ruled that the family of the county court reporter killed in a 2005 courthouse shooting may sue the Fulton County sheriff for negligence. The decision overturns a lower court finding that the sheriff is a county employee. The distinction could be critical, as county staff lawyers defending the sheriff have argued that the litigation against him is barred by the federal Workers Compensation Act, which generally bars all claims by an injured employee against a co-employee or employer.
The Sicilian Mafia and janitorial services might seem an unusual pairing, but it's at the root of nine years of litigation ruled on Friday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. At the heart of the Federal Circuit's decision was the question of whether a voluntary dismissal of a case is appealable, and if so, in what time frame.
In the U.S. Supreme Court term that ended Thursday, the 9th Circuit was
reversed in eight of the 10 cases reviewed, about par for the course for
the nation's largest, and most closely scrutinized, circuit. The Court
reversed not only their favorite targets like Judges Stephen Reinhardt
and Betty Fletcher, but also Judge Pamela Rymer -- a well-regarded
conservative talked about as a potential Republican nominee to the
Supreme Court -- who paid the price for hewing closely to precedent.
Pleading scienter for individual defendants is not always required to support a showing of corporate scienter in a securities fraud class action, the 2nd Circuit has ruled, rejecting an argument that it adopt such a rule as a pleading requirement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. The court ruled that a putative class action brought against Dynex Capital and Merit Securities by a Teamsters pension fund must be dismissed, but also gave the union an opportunity to replead following dismissal.
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