September 30, 2003
A judge will decide by Thursday whether to require the woman who has accused Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant of rape to take the stand at next week's preliminary hearing, the judge in the case said on Monday.
- Kobe Bryant Judge to Decide if Accuser Must Appear
- Woman Convicted in Murder Blamed on Paxil
- N.J. Standoff Ends With Bodies in Trailer
- 1 Killed in Minnesota Government Center Shooting
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04:23 AM
A group of Oregon physicians filed four ballot measures with the state recently, proposing limits on what juries can award in noneconomic damages in medical malpractice lawsuits and on the money attorneys can earn.
- Physicians Seek To Limit Jury Awards
- Doctor Gets Licence Back For Appeal
- Tuck Proposes Review Board For Medical Malpractice Cases
- Legislators Sign Pledge To Enact More Tort Reform
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04:22 AM
Network Associates (NAI) announced an offer to pay $70 million to settle a class action brought by shareholders who allege the company used improperly booked revenues to ramp up its share price. According to the lawsuit the IT security firm misled investors during the late 1990s by recording software sales when technology was shipped to distributors instead of when users actually bought product, a practice known as channel stuffing.
- NAI Offers $70m to Settle Class Action Suit
- VeriSign Hit With Class-Action Lawsuit
- Class-Action Alleges Polaroid Broke Law
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04:21 AM
September 29, 2003
People came from North Carolina, Minnesota and even the Dominican Republic to collect what they had been told over the phone would be up to $11,000 in insurance money, awaiting them at an office in Long Island City, Queens. But when they arrived, they were arrested and charged with participating in an auto insurance fraud ring, one that police said billed insurance companies tens of millions of dollars for accidents that never happened.
- 51 Are Arrested in Auto Insurance Scheme
- Indiana Gunman Slays Four in Family, Himself
- Klaas Parents Look Back on Kidnapping
- Mississippi Judge at Center of Inquiry
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01:51 AM
The jump in the number of Americans without health insurance is not just another bad economic statistic. Health care costs are soaring again, after several years of stability; average premiums rose nearly 14 percent this year, the third year of double-digit increases, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
- Analysis: Plight Of The Uninsured Goes Middle Class
- Insurers Won't Say When Rates Will Drop
- Boiling Brew: Politics and Health Insurance Gap
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01:50 AM
It's been hailed as one of the most effective contraceptives ever, but just two years after its market release in Australia doctors are warning the product could be withdrawn because of rising insurance costs. The product – called
Implanon – is a hormonal implant inserted into a woman's arm for up to three years.
- Contraceptive May Be Withdrawn From Market
- Judge Grants Class-Action Status To IPALCO Suit
- Is Wal-Mart Too Powerful?
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01:49 AM
September 27, 2003
Laci Peterson's family filed a civil lawsuit Friday against her husband, Scott Peterson, to keep him from receiving money for selling his story, even as he awaits trial in connection with her death. Sharon Rocha, Laci Peterson's mother, wants any proceeds or profits that may go to Scott Peterson to be put in a trust until a verdict is reached in his trial.
- Ashcroft Tightens Prosecutor Rules, Limits Plea Bargains
- Laci Peterson's Mother Sues to Block Story Profits
- Amber Frey's Lawyer Says She Fears for Client's Safety
- Police Chief Charged With Misconduct
- Mother Charged in Slayings of 2 Daughters
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04:34 AM
September 26, 2003
Kobe Bryant's accuser asked a judge Thursday to reject a defense request for records from a rape crisis center. The basketball star's attorneys issued a subpoena Sept. 5 to the Resource Center of Eagle County, which runs a hot line, counsels victims and provides shelter.
- 'Defense Not Entitled to Crisis Center Records'
- Peterson, Frey Spoke Often Prior to Disappearance
- Judge Delays Flag-Flying Home Sale
- FBI Offers Reward in Bank Robbery Blast
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03:01 AM
Long before JetBlue was sued this week for giving a military contractor computer data on a million passengers, NASA quietly sought upward of 15 million passenger records from Northwest Airlines for similar computerized security research. At least three class-action lawsuits were filed against JetBlue this week, a response that cast NASA's request to Northwest in a new light.
- NASA Sought Airline's Records
- Judge Oks Settlement Of Diabetics' Lawsuit
- Lawsuit Over Pay Raise Filed On Behalf Of Judges
- Ice Cream Give Away In Class Action Settlement
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03:00 AM
The Illinois Supreme Court has suspended a Bloomington attorney's law license for providing false information in two medical malpractice lawsuits. Maurice Barry received a nine-month suspension that had been recommended by the state Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission.
- Court Suspends Lawyer's License
- 'Doctors Refused Presence Of Supervisory Physician'
- Man Left Bleeding For 2 Hours
- Doctors Face Jail After Conviction Over Death
- Health Care Commission Discusses Incident Reporting
- Doctors Hope Prop 12 Begins Trend Toward Better Care
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03:00 AM
September 25, 2003
Police arrested a 33-year-old man Wednesday in connection with the discovery of body parts belonging to at least two different people behind a gas station. More body parts were found inside the man's Detroit home when he was taken into custody.
- Woman Arrested in Granddaughter's Killing
- Man Arrested in Investigation of Dismembered Bodies
- Court Urged to Rule in Death Penalty Case
- 1 Student Dies, 1 Hurt in Minnesota Shooting
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02:51 AM
A state judge's ruling allows smokers in six northeast Ohio counties to sue tobacco giant Philip Morris USA on a claim they were duped into believing low-tar cigarettes were safer. Medina County Common Pleas Judge James Kimbler granted class-action status on Wednesday to a pair of lawsuits filed by Akron lawyer A. Russell Smith, who named Philip Morris brands Virginia Slims lights and Marlboro Lights.
- Ohio Judge Clears Way for Tobacco Lawsuit
- 'Caveat Emptor' Warning Accompanies Online Drug Market
- Legal Bid Over Show Death Ride
- Wal-Mart Bias Suit May Be Far-Reaching
- Federal Court Denies Certification of Baycol Lawsuits
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02:50 AM
The widow of inhalation anthrax victim Bob Stevens filed lawsuits in state and federal courts Wednesday, alleging that negligence by either the U.S. government or by at least two laboratories that handle the anthrax bacteria may have led to her husband's death.
- Widow Sues U.S. for $50 Million Over Anthrax Death
- Jurors Settle Lawsuit Against Doctor
- 3 Doctors Held Over Surgery
- Voters Approve 'Proposition 12'
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02:49 AM
September 24, 2003
Individuals close to Scott Peterson told Fox News there are discussions going on about possibly diminishing the role of lead attorney Mark Geragos. Several members of Peterson's family are said to be frustrated with his representation.
- Scott Peterson Defense Team May Change
- Innocent Plea in Georgia Corpse Dumping Case
- 4 Plead Innocent in Chicago Club Stampede
- Judge Nixes Ex-Wife Motive in Sniper Case
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10:24 AM
Days after starting his cycle of Cipro, John Angell began suffering pain in his joints and tendons. Walking became labored and painful. He stopped taking Cipro, but his condition did not improve. In fact, his condition has never improved. Chronic pain forced Angell to leave his post with Montana Sen. Max Baucus. He now works as a consultant from home and lays the blame for his disability on Cipro.
- Hundreds To Sue Bayer Over Drug To Fight Anthrax
- Pfizer, Forest File Patent Infringement Suits
- Suit Leads Grocers To Label Artificially Colored Salmon
- Reduced Drug Plan Offered To Settle Tenncare Lawsuit
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10:23 AM
Farmers Insurance Group said Wednesday that it will stop selling medical malpractice insurance, narrowing an already tight market for physicians in Pennsylvania and 17 other states it served. Farmers Insurance lost more than $100 million last year on malpractice policies, said Michelle Levy, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles-based insurance group.
- Farmers Stops Selling Medical Malpractice Insurance
- Man Awarded $500,000 In Medical Malpractice Case
- Rising Malpractice Insurance Costs Hurting All
- Boston Hospital Faulted In Three More Deaths
- Debate On Jury Awards Continues
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10:22 AM
September 23, 2003
A Fresno County Jail inmate claims accused killer Scott Peterson plotted with Neo-nazis against his pregnant wife about a month before she disappeared. Cory Lee Carroll passed a polygraph test and met this week with investigators in the Laci Peterson case.
- New Allegations Against Scott Peterson
- New Information In Peterson Case
- Experts: Kobe Bryant Heading for Trial
- Death at Phil Spector Home Ruled Homicide
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10:05 AM
Three of the world's largest forest-products companies have agreed to collectively pay $68 million to settle two class-action lawsuits that alleged conspiracy to fix prices for containerboard. The companies, International Paper, Weyerhaeuser Co. and Georgia-Pacific Corp., admit no wrongdoing in the settlement, but wanted to avoid litigation, the companies said.
- Forest-Products Companies Agree To $68 Million Settlement
- Attorney Questions Timing Of Hurricane Deductible
- JetBlue Sued Over Passenger Privacy
- Alstom Investors Flee On News Of US Lawsuit
- Court Sides With Tobacco In Price Case
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10:04 AM
The Texas Legislature passed a bill in May that put a cap of $750,000 in awards set forth by juries in medical malpractice suits. Voters then voted to make it an amendment to the Texas Constitution.
- Doctors, Lawyers Argue Over Proposition 12
- Quality Of Healthcare At Risk, Doctors Say
- Health Care Commission Discusses Incident Reporting
- Missouri Patient Safety Commission Named
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10:03 AM
September 22, 2003
After an arrest, a six-week flight from authorities, nearly two years in jail and a three-week jury selection process, attorneys for Robert Durst, the cross-dressing New York real estate heir, are set to defend him against charges that he killed his elderly neighbor.
- Trial to Begin Against Real Estate Heir
- Death Penalty Goes On Trial
- Man Indicted for Luring Girl for Sex Over Internet
- Former Police Chief, 3 Others Indicted
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10:38 AM
The federal government will settle a medical malpractice lawsuit against Brooke Army Medical Center for $3.5 million. In May, a federal jury in Bexar County ruled that decisions and miscommunication among medical staff at Brooke Army Medical Center and Northeast Methodist Hospital would cost the providers and a doctor about $16.6 million.
- Feds Settle Malpractice Suit For $3.5 Million
- Bush Uses Radio Time To Push Medical Malpractice Limits
- Insurance Costs Squeezing Some Firms
- Doctors Halt Talks On Medical Malpractice Deal
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10:37 AM
A department head at Pennington Biomedical Research Center served as an expert witness for the marketers of ephedra, a controversial weight loss supplement being researched at the center. Dr. George Bray, a Boyd Professor at LSU and the chief of the Clinical Obesity section at Pennington, testified for Metabolife, the marketers of ephedra, in a class-action lawsuit in New Orleans.
- Pennington Official Caught Up In Ephedra Trial
- Class Action Proceeds Against Bank
- Suit Against Kmart Fails
- JC Penney Sued Over 'Profiling'
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10:36 AM
September 21, 2003
Sheriff's detectives say they have concluded that legendary record producer Phil Spector was responsible for the shooting death of an actress and have submitted their findings to prosecutors. "It's not an accident. It's not a suicide," Capt. Frank Merriman said. "Phil Spector shot her."
- Police Chief: 'Phil Spector Shot Her'
- Man Charged With Peeping In Store Bathroom
- Two More Suspects Killed Guarding Pot Plots
- Man Charged in Alcohol Death Won't Serve Time
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03:20 PM
September 19, 2003
A man accused of clubbing to death a brother and sister 25 years ago in the Mojave Desert was extradited Thursday from Wisconsin to face capital murder charges. William F. Zamastil, 51, is charged with the 1978 robbery and murders of Malcolm Bradshaw, 17, and his sister Jacqueline, 18, of Los Angeles.
- Wisconsin Killer Extradited to California
- Jurors Seek End to Oakland Police Trial
- Ex-Teacher Charged in Girl's Slaying
- Man Held in Plot to Kill Bryant's Accuser
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09:56 AM
A Bergen County assemblywoman wants to rid New Jersey of its worst physicians by requiring the state Board of Medical Examiners to conduct quicker malpractice investigations. Loretta Weinberg, a Democrat, announced legislation Thursday that gives the board 30 days to investigate doctors who have lost malpractice cases.
- Bill Calls For Quick Investigation On Bad Doctors
- New Jersey Doctors Ratchet Up Tort Reform Campaign
- Lawmakers Pressured To Address Malpractice Issue
- Playing Politics With Malpractice
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09:55 AM
Florida businesses using certain Microsoft Corp. products may qualify to participate in the proposed $202 million settlement of lawsuits against the company. Businesses that purchased the Microsoft products between November 1995 and December 2002 may submit claims before a Nov. 24 hearing.
- Class Action Against Microsoft
- Western Auto Supply Bias Lawsuit Settled
- Spill Trial Under Way
- AP Analyzes House Freshmen Fund Raising
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09:54 AM
September 18, 2003
A felon with ties to a street gang was charged Tuesday with murder in the death of the sister of tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams. Aaron Michael Hammer appeared briefly in Superior Court but Judge John J. Cheroske postponed his arraignment to Sept. 23 at the request of the defense. He remained held without bail.
- Hammer Charged With the Murder of Williams' Sister
- Kobe Bryant's Lawyers Press For Accuser's Medical Records
- Tennessee Police Kill Gunman After Standoff
- Man Charged With Exposing Lover to HIV
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11:39 AM
A proposed class-action lawsuit against the manufacturer of the cholesterol-lowering drug Baycol was denied Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis by Judge Michael Davis. German pharmaceutical maker Bayer faces more than 800 lawsuits in Minnesota and upward of 11,000 lawsuits nationwide by people who used the drug before it was pulled off the market two years ago.
- Judge Denies Class Action Against Bayer Over Baycol
- Bayer Rises After Court Denies Baycol Class Action
- Class-Action Suit To Proceed Against Drug Distributor
- TBad Implants Cost $1 Million
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11:38 AM
Tort reform and good judges are prominent on the Ohio State Bar Association's agenda for next year. The association briefed reporters on its strategy for the new legislative session at a meeting Tuesday at the Statehouse.
- Bar Association Focuses On Tort Reform, Judge Races
- State Senate Approves Malpractice Proposal
- Limits Urged On Medical Lawsuits
- Texas Voters OK Lawsuit Limits
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11:37 AM