Karmeier SPRINGFIELD – State Farm Insurance bought Lloyd Karmeier a seat on the Illinois Supreme Court to escape a billion dollar judgment, according to lawyers who want the billion back.
Scruggs WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - A documentary that debuts Monday night chronicles personal injury lawyers who abused America's civil justice system.
We've all heard of the McDonald's coffee case - the one where the elderly woman spilled coffee in her lap and sued McDonald's for millions and won. This case happened nearly 20 years ago, but it's still the butt of jokes and used as an example of how Americans supposedly take advantage of our legal system. It is the very case that tort reformers across the country refer to when making their case for civil justice "reform."
Rickard The unfortunate continuing irony, however, is that in many class actions, particularly those that go on in state courts, the plaintiffs are not the real winners in the case. A number of high-profile cases continue to result in class members "winning" coupons worth maybe a few dollars while the lawyers walk-away with millions.
Rickard Imagine if a foreign government defined employees of General Motors and AIG as "foreign officials" of the United States government because the government owns portions of the company or called Bloomberg Media employees "foreign officials" because 85 percent of the company is owned by a government official, the Mayor of New York City. Take a GM senior manager out to lunch and you may have committed bribery!
Mudge A five-and-a-half year old public relations proposal cited last week by Madison County Circuit Judge William Mudge as "hostile" toward the Madison County judicial system touches on more than just the county's judicial reputation.
Stack A coming ruling from the Illinois Supreme Court could offer asbestos attorneys with a new group of plaintiffs based on a case arising from Madison County.
Oprah A lawsuit against Oprah and President George W. Bush, alleging they implanted a camera into a woman with the intention of reincarnating her, topped the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform's (ILR) 2010 Most Ridiculous Lawsuit of the Year Poll.
Hoffman SPRINGFIELD - A piece of legislation referred to as a "Lawsuit Loan Shark" bill will be heard today at a House Judiciary Committee hearing as state lawmakers convene for fall veto session.
Rickard WASHINGTON - The U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for Legal Reform released a national survey Thursday that reveals 88 percent of voters who cast ballots in Tuesday's election believe there are too many "meritless" lawsuits.
Kilbride CHICAGO - Illinois' Republican Party says state Supreme Court Justice Thomas Kilbride wants to trick voters into thinking he's a member of the GOP.
Kilbride As one of the most expensive single candidate campaigns winds down in Illinois, Justice Thomas Kilbride's chief detractor defends his group's anti-retention effort.
Kilbride An Illinois Supreme Court race has become the nation's most expensive one-candidate retention election this decade, according to a public policy and law institute and a campaign group aimed at keeping courts fair.
"Where's the recovery?" That's the question millions of unemployed Americans continue to ask. Unemployment still hovers near 10 percent, the economy is still sluggish, and poverty is on the rise. Washington's policy prescriptions—more taxing, more spending, and more government control of the economy—haven't worked. It's time for a change of direction. It's time to re-embrace the free enterprise principles
Akin Harris Interactive, Inc. recently released its annual rankings of each state based on legal fairness and once again Illinois is home to some of the worst local court jurisdictions in the country.
Rickard Madison County is one of the most unfair state court jurisdictions in the nation, a survey of top corporate lawyers and business executives indicates.