Lieff Cabraser Civil Justice Blog

Lieff Cabraser & Co-Counsel Win 2019 Trial Lawyer of the Year Award from Public Justice for 20-Year State Farm Case

by

Trial Lawyers of the Year 2019

Lieff Cabraser partner Robert J. Nelson accepts the 2019 Trial Lawyer of the Year Award from Public Justice on behalf of the State Farm team.

Lieff Cabraser’s State Farm case team and its co-counsel have been named Public Justice’s 2019 Trial Lawyers of the Year based on their work that began back in 1999 originally relating to insurance auto parts fraud and then escalating into improper and illegal electioneering after State Farm upended the Illinois judicial elections process. Public Justice’s Trial Lawyer of the Year award recognizes “the work of an attorney or team of attorneys working on behalf of individuals and groups that have suffered grave injustice or abuse.” Lieff Cabraser’s State Farm team and their co-counsel were recognized for their extraordinary 20-year efforts in winning a $250m settlement for consumers while shedding a light on corruption and dark money in state politics. The award was presented on the evening of Monday, July 29 at Public Justice’s Annual Gala and Awards Dinner in San Diego. [Read more…]

USC/Tyndall Sexual Assault Survivor Op-Ed: “USC Gynecologist George Tyndall Abused Me & My Fight For Justice Goes Beyond His Trial.”

by

Bustle USC/Tyndall Op-Ed

Bustle magazine has published a moving opinion piece written by USC alumna Shannon O’Conner, one of the thousands of women who allegedly suffered sexual abuse by the former head gynecologist at the USC student health center. Ms. O’Conner, a television producer in Los Angeles, recounts the sense of relief she felt after Tyndall was charged with 29 felonies in June 2019. [Read more…]

Sarah London Named Co-Chair of the Resource Board of the National Association of Women Judges

by

Sarah London Named Co-Chair of the Resource Board of the National Association of Women Judges

We are pleased to announce that Lieff Cabraser partner Sarah R. London has been named Co-Chair of the Resource Board of the National Association of Women Judges. NAWJ’s mission is to promote the judicial role of protecting the rights of individuals under the rule of law through strong, committed, diverse judicial leadership; fairness and equality in the courts; and equal access to justice. Since its formation in 1979, NAWJ has inspired and led the American judiciary in achieving fairness and equality for vulnerable populations. [Read more…]

Judge Rules Hotchkiss School Student Sexual Abuse Trial Will Move Forward

by

Hotchkiss

On Tuesday, July 23, 2019, U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden for the second time rejected a request by the attorneys representing the Hotchkiss School to dismiss the sexual abuse lawsuit against the prestigious college preparatory institution, ruling in favor of the plaintiff that a jury trial should take place. [Read more…]

13M Proposed Settlement in Google Street View Privacy Case

by

$13M Proposed Settlement in Google Street View Privacy Case

As reported by Law360 (subscription), on Friday, July 22, 2019, the parties proposed a $13 million settlement in the federal multidistrict litigation accusing Google LLC of illegally gathering Wi-Fi network data with its Street View vehicles. As part of the settlement, Google agreed to fund online privacy organizations and educate the public about encrypted networks. [Read more…]

RBGLY INVESTORS ALERT: Lieff Cabraser Announces Securities Class Action Against Reckitt Benckiser Group plc

by

The law firm of Lieff Cabraser announces that class action litigation has been filed on behalf of investors who purchased the American Depositary Shares (“ADSs”) of Reckitt Benckiser Group plc (“RB Group” or the “Company”) (OTC BB: RBGLY) between July 28, 2014 and April 9, 2019, inclusive (the “Class Period”). [Read more…]

Eight Lieff Cabraser Attorneys Recognized as 2019 Lawdragon “500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers”

by

Eight Lieff Cabraser Attorneys Recognized as 2019 Lawdragon “500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers”

Lawdragon legal magazine has published its annual listing of the “500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers in America,” a listing that includes Lieff Cabraser partners Elizabeth Cabraser, Mark Chalos, Paulina do Amaral, Steven Fineman, Rachel Geman, Lexi Hazam, Richard Heimann, and Annika K. Martin. The Guide, first published in 2007, offers Lawdragon’s take on “the best of the U.S. plaintiff bar who specialize in representing individuals who have suffered injuries from accidents, pharmaceuticals, civil rights abuse and other torts.”   [Read more…]

Lieff Cabraser Files Lawsuit on Behalf of Teen Who Suffered Massive Stroke From Juul Vaped Tobacco Products

by

Lieff Cabraser Files Lawsuit on Behalf of Teen Who Suffered Massive Stroke From Juul Vaped Tobacco Products

Lieff Cabraser has filed a lawsuit against Juul Labs in California Superior Court on behalf of Maxwell Berger, a 22-year-old who suffered a massive hemorrhagic stroke in July 2017 after becoming addicted to the company’s vaped tobacco products as a teenager. As a result of the stroke, Berger stayed over 100 days in the hospital and required three separate brain surgeries. Forbes notes that the lawsuit puts forth claims that Berger was left with “catastrophic and permanent injuries, such as left side paralysis, speech impairment and a 50% loss of vision from both eyes.” At the time of the incident, he was consuming two Juul-pods per day, the equivalent of smoking four full packs of old-style cigarettes. This case marks the first time the e-cigarette company has been sued over an injury this severe. [Read more…]

Women’s Health Alert: Recent Lawsuits Find Mesothelioma Linked to Use of Talcum Powder

by

talc

In a series of recent legal victories, women have won significant recoveries against talc manufacturers for mesothelioma they alleged was caused by long-term usage of talcum bath products, including those manufactured by Johnson & Johnson. As mesothelioma has long been linked to asbestos exposure, these results substantiate accusations against J&J that it misled consumers for decades by stating its talc products were asbestos-free. [Read more…]

Judge Grants Preliminary Approval to Wells Fargo’s $17.85M Deal to End 6 TCPA Lawsuits

by

Robocall

As reported by Law360 (subscription), Judge Manish S. Shah of the Northern District of Illinois has granted preliminary approval to a $17.85 million settlement with Wells Fargo over consumer claims that the bank violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”) by improperly sending unsolicited and harassing prerecorded messages to cellphones about mortgages, home equity loans, credit card accounts, auto loans, student loans, and fraud alerts. [Read more…]

Monsanto Roundup Non Hodgkin Lymphoma Cancer Injury Lawsuits

by

Roundup Weed Killer

In March 2015, IARC (The International Agency for Research on Cancer) classified glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto Roundup, as “probably carcinogenic to humans.” IARC also concluded that there was “strong” evidence for genotoxicity, both for “pure” glyphosate and for glyphosate formulations. [Read more…]

Claims Period Opens in USC Tyndall Sex Abuse Gender Violence Case

by

USC

On July 12, 2019, formal notice was sent to over 150,000 women identified as possible victims of the sexual predation and misconduct of USC gynecologist George Tyndall over the last several decades. Notice is being transmitted by email, direct mail, and social media, and the official settlement website for the case is now live at https://www.usctyndallsettlement.com. Women who wish to submit claims or learn more about the settlement and the claims process should visit the website at their earliest convenience for full information about the USC/Tyndall Sexual Abuse Litigation settlement. [Read more…]

Daily Journal Recognizes Kelly Dermody & Anne Shaver as 2019 Top Labor & Employment Lawyers

by

Daily Journal Recognizes Kelly Dermody & Anne Shaver as 2019 Top Labor & Employment Lawyers

We are proud to announce that the Daily Journal (subscription) has named Lieff Cabraser partners Kelly M. Dermody and Anne B. Shaver as Top Labor & Employment Lawyers for 2019. This is Anne’s second time receiving the award, while Kelly’s joins the list for the seventh time since 2011. [Read more…]

Court Directs Ford F-150 Brake Defects Litigation to Move Forward

by

traffic

As reported by Law360, on Wednesday July 10, 2019, U.S. District Judge Gershwin A. Drain directed that the lawsuit filed on behalf of hundreds of Ford F-150 pickup truck owners who’ve experienced sudden brake failures in their vehicles should move forward. While discarding some warranty claims in the suit, Judge Drain noted that the plaintiffs’ fraud and reliance claims had been pled sufficiently to overcome the defendant’s request for dismissal. [Read more…]

Hotchkiss School Sexual Abuse Lawsuit to Go Forward After Court Ruling

by

Hotchkiss

As reported by Law.com, U.S. District Judge Victor Bolden (D. Conn.) has ruled that a former student’s lawsuit against the prestigious Hotchkiss School in Connecticut alleging sexual abuse by Roy Smith, a teacher at the school in the 1990s, may move forward. Though the judge dismissed a count of intentional infliction of emotional distress against Hotckhiss, he ruled that the case can proceed on the four other counts, those of breach of fidicuary duty, recklessness, negligence, and negligent infliction of emotional distress. [Read more…]

Wendy Fleishman to Discuss Juul E-Cigarette Litigation at “Mass Torts Made Perfect” Fall 2019 Conference

by

Wendy Fleishman to Discuss Juul E-Cigarette Litigation at “Mass Torts Made Perfect” Fall 2019 Conference

The opening session on Juul E-Cigarette Litigation at the October 2019 Mass Torts Made Perfect (MTMP) Conference at The Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas will be led by Lieff Cabraser partner Wendy R. Fleishman, along with Mike Papantonio of Levin Papantonio, Robert Eglet of Eglet Adams, and John Yanchunis of Morgan & Morgan. [Read more…]

AOS INVESTORS NOTICE: Lieff Cabraser Reminds Investors of Deadline in Class Action Against A.O. Smith Corporation

by

A.O. Smith Securities Reminder Blog

Lieff Cabraser reminds investors of the upcoming deadline to move for appointment as lead plaintiff in the class action that has been filed on behalf of investors who purchased the common stock of A.O. Smith Corporation (“AOS” or the “Company”) (NYSE: AOS) between July 26, 2016 through May 16, 2019, inclusive (the “Class Period”). [Read more…]

Recall of Valsartan Blood Pressure Medication Expanded to Some Lots of Losartan Over Similar Fears of Carcinogen Tainting

by

Losartan Recall

As reported by CBS News, Macleods Pharmaceuticals is recalling another 32 lots of its widely used blood pressure medication Losartan that was sold nationwide, after finding the medication contained trace amounts of a probable carcinogen known as NMBA. [Read more…]

Judge Sets Oct 21st Deadline for Northern California PG&E Wildfire Claims

by

California Wildfires

As reported by Law360, Northern California wildfire victims will have until October 21, 2019 to file proof of claims against PG&E as a result of a ruling by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Dennis Montali made on Wednesday, June 26, 2019. The deadline was imposed despite objections from Lieff Cabraser founding partner Elizabeth Cabraser, who argued that a four-month deadline provides insufficient time to optimally reach fire victims with potential claims.  [Read more…]

Lieff Cabraser’s R-23s Win 2019 “Best Lawyer Band in the Bay” Award at Annual FVAP Charity Event

by

Lieff Cabraser's Rockin' Band The R-23s

We are delighted to announce that Lieff Cabraser’s in-house rock and roll band The R-23s have won the coveted “Best Lawyer Band in the Bay” award after winning big at the annual Family Violence Appellate Project’s June 20th  Banding Together to End Domestic Violence fundraising event at The Chapel in San Francisco. Along with receiving first place and Best Band bragging rights, the R-23’s were able to account for $22,817 toward the event’s total contribution of $186,687 to help California survivors of domestic violence! [Read more…]