Motorbike Sale to Defy Lead Law
Angry with a nationwide ban on sales of youth motorcycles and ATVs over lead concerns, one of the biggest dealers in Southern California plans to sell the child-size vehicles today despite potential criminal penalties. Malcolm Smith, a Riverside, Calif., dealer and major figure in off-road motorcycling for four decades, is challenging federal officials to come […]
Jurors’ Use of the Internet Upsets the Scales of Justice
Last week, a juror in a big federal drug trial in Florida admitted to the judge that he had been researching the case on the Internet, directly violating the judge’s instructions and centuries of legal rules. But when the judge questioned the rest of the jury, he got an even bigger shock. Eight other jurors […]
Lead Law Throttles Youth Powersports
A new federal law aimed at protecting children from lead in toys has forced a nationwide halt in sales of off-road motorcycles and recreational vehicles built for young riders, killing off a multimillion-dollar industry that was thriving despite the recession. Thousands of powersports dealers were told to halt sales of vehicles designed for children 12 […]
Insurance Co. Pays $10 million to Ledger’s Estate, Avoids Lawsuit
The company holding Heath Ledger’s life-insurance policy will pay the $10 million death benefit and avoid a costly lawsuit, according to court records. ReliaStar Life Insurance Co. had initially refused to fork over the money, claiming it had to investigate Ledger’s death last year as a possible suicide. The actor’s estate filed a lawsuit in […]
Increased Court Costs in Texas Criminal, Civil Cases
Raising court costs will only affect “the bad guys” and should not be seen as a tax or fee on the average citizen, proponents of the increase say. But the extra $20 fee will also be imposed on traffic offenders like speeding soccer moms, couples getting divorced, and people who go to small claims court. […]
$16 Million Verdict Stands in Allstate Bad Faith Suit
An appeals court has upheld a bad faith insurance jury award against Allstate Insurance, letting stand a $16 million verdict against the company. Like the Missouri jury that originally found against Allstate, a three-judge appeals panel did not believe the insurance company’s assertion that its failure to settle the claims of two car accident victims […]
Supreme Court Rules Plaintiffs Without Standing May Sue
On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a collection agency that has no pecuniary stake in a case may sue on behalf of its customers. The Court’s 5-4 decision contradicts a basic legal tenet, that courts may only hear cases if plaintiffs have standing to sue–that is, if they suffer injuries as a result […]
Fraud Claim Rejected In Hurricane Katrina Lawsuit
A federal judge on Monday dismissed a key Hurricane Katrina lawsuit alleging fraud against State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. The suit was filed by Biloxi, Mississippi couple Thomas and Pamela McIntosh, after State Farm blamed most of the damage to their home on Katrina’s storm surge, and paid them only $36,228. Dozens of lawsuits […]
Health Insurers Ordered to Reinstate Revoked Policies
Three of the leading health insurance companies in California have been ordered to reinstate 26 policies that were revoked because insurers claimed that policyholders lied on their applications. California regulators said the policies were wrongly rescinded for inadvertent errors made on the applications. A California regulatory agency warned the companies that it will also review […]
Bear Stearns Pays $27 Million to Settle Lawsuit
Bear Stearns, the former Wall Street brokerage giant, has paid $27 million to settle a lawsuit concerning a now-defunct Orlando company involved in one of the biggest insurance fraud cases in Florida history, lawyers said Wednesday. Bear Stearns recently settled allegations that it gave deceptive and misleading investment advice to National Heritage Life Insurance Co., […]