2012 Litigation Legal News Archives

December 2012

Circus Wins Large Settlement in Elephant Abuse Lawsuit

Saturday, 29 December, 2012

Feld Entertainment, Inc., the producer of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, has accepted a $9.3 million legal settlement from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).  The settlement is a partial resolution of two federal court cases in which Feld sued ASPCA and a … continue reading

Instagram Sued Over Terms of Service

Friday, 28 December, 2012

Last week, popular photo-sharing app Instagram announced changes to its Terms of Service, only to be met with outrage from consumers and a class action lawsuit brought by a group of angry Instagram users. Language in the TOS suggest the digital photo app could essentially sell a user's photos or … continue reading

November 2012

Office Lotto Pool Disputes Shaping a New Area of Law

Friday, 30 November, 2012

Offices everywhere were abuzz this week as groups of co-workers pooled their lottery money together to purchase a large number of tickets and increase their chances of winning the $585 million Powerball. Of course, even the largest office pools offer very little chance of winning, but the practice has become … continue reading

San Francisco Taxi Drivers File Class Action Against Uber

Friday, 16 November, 2012

A popular San Francisco start-up company providing taxi-like transportation services to residents, is being sued by a group of taxi drivers in a class action lawsuit. The action, brought by Attorney Gary Oswald, claims that the company, called Uber, is in violation of state and city statutes, and that the … continue reading

October 2012

Public Citizen Up in Arms Over New eBay Policy on Class Action Litigation

Monday, 8 October, 2012

The Internet’s largest online marketplace, eBay, has more than 100 million active users, according to its site. So when it changes its policies, it affects a lot of people. A recent alteration to its user agreement, making it more difficult to pursue a class action lawsuit against the company, has … continue reading

No Doubt and Activision Settle 3-yr Band Hero Lawsuit

Thursday, 4 October, 2012

Three years ago, No Doubt filed a lawsuit against Activism with claims that the game Band Hero featured an avatar of No Doubt leading lady, Gwen Stefani, in an offensive and unauthorized manner.The suit, which was supposed to go to jury trial in mere weeks, was settled with undisclosed details … continue reading

September 2012

Judge Rules Chip Thoma's Claims Against Sarah Palin Baseless

Friday, 28 September, 2012

In 2009, at the height of her fame, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was sued by neighbor and activist Chip Thoma with claims that Palin tried to silence his complaints over excessive traffic around the governor’s mansion. This week the lawsuit against Palin was struck down by U.S District Judge Timothy … continue reading

August 2012

Juror Use of Social Media: The ABA Releases New Rules

Wednesday, 29 August, 2012

The ABA has just released new rules regarding juror use of social media. There are no real earth-shaking surprises here. According to the ABA Journal, the model rules prohibit any juror from using any means of communication (including cell phones, computers, tablets, etc.) to discuss the case with anyone. The … continue reading