Well, Donald Trump has decided to settle the case against him and Trump University. That is wise. It would look very bad for him to have this going on while he is trying to get his government together. I previously wrote about that lawsuit here. He had no choice really. That he would settle
Litigation and trial practice
Judge Declines to Exclude Statements in Trump University Lawsuit
Donald Trump and Trump University have been the defendants in a class action lawsuit for some six years, now. The trial was postponed from last Spring to Nov. 28, 2016. Bu, in the meantime, Mr. Trump campaigned and he made statements about the lawsuit. His lawyers tried to exclude those statements from the trial. Judge…
Investigations of Plaintiff and his Attorney Violate Ethical Rules
Yet another challenge to arbitration is found in the class action complaint against Uber, the ride sharing platform. The case is known as Meyer v. Kalanick and Uber Technologies, Inc., No. 15-CV-9796 (E.D. N.Y. 7/25/16). While the ruling on class action status will break new ground, the ruling on investigating the plaintiffs’ counsel breaks…
Bexar County Jury Awards $127,000 in Attorney Fees
Faith Gonzales worked at a Bill Miller barbecue restaurant. As any San Antonian would know, Bill Miller’s is a fast-food version of barbecue and is a local institution. She complained about discriminatory conduct and was fired in 2008. She filed her charge with the EEOC. The matter did not go to trial until January, 2013.…
Judge Smith Retires, Subject of Further Investigation
Judge Walter Smith, a Federal judge in Waco, was reprimanded by the Fifth Circuit last year for unwanted sexual advances on one of his employees back in 1998. I wrote about that reprimand here. Judge Smith has now retired. Apparently, the investigation into whether he made advances on other women over the years will…
Target Hit with $4.6 Million Award
Settling a case is not easy. The hardest part is simply looking at your own case objectively and trying to put a number to its value. When we sell cars, there are sources of valuation of cars. But, valuation of lawsuits is generally based on results from other similar cases. But, the thing is no…
Fifth Circuit Took Away Verdict for Plaintiff
The Fifth Circuit is a risky place to do business. Sometimes, it just reaches some strange conclusions. The case of Allen v. Radio One of Texas II, LLC, No. 11-20781, 2013 WL 703832 (5th Cir. 2/26/2013) illustrates the lack of predictability at the Fifth Circuit. In that case, Corina Allen worked at a radio…
Defense Law Firm Hacked into Stored Files
Unlike Texas, some states still have a viable worker’s compensation system that produces valuable benefits for workers. One such state is California. So, as we might expect, the worker’s compensation docket is much more competitive than here in Texas. One defense firm sought an extra edge. It allegedly hacked into online stored legal files for…
Plaintiff Changes Mind about Settlement
In many lawsuits, the two opposing parties eventually turn to mediation or talks about settlement. Not every case settles at mediation, but many do. Typically at mediation, if the parties reach a verbal agreement, they then reduce that verbal agreement to a very brief written agreement. The mediator will usually have on hand a generic,…
Roger Ailes Invokes Arbitration Clause
So, now Roger Ailes has invoked an arbitration clause in the lawsuit filed by Gretchen Carlson. I previously wrote about her lawsuit here. Of course, he would invoke arbitration. See Washington Post report. In arbitration, he can keep these unseemly allegations out of the press. Arbitration is private. Already, other women have come…