John O'Brien News
Tobacco lawyers sent back to trial against each other
HOUSTON - The fight among two law firms and a litigation-funder for tobacco money is not over yet, even after the sides agreed their fee-sharing agreement was unambiguous.
U.S. Tennis Association appeals $9M sexual assault verdict
ORLANDO - The United States Tennis Association is appealing a $9 million verdict awarded to a woman who was allegedly sexually assaulted by her coach.
DeSantis asks court to dismiss latest lawsuit by migrants moved to Martha's Vineyard
BOSTON - Technical issues could doom a class action lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who was sued in 2022 after moving Venezuelan migrants from a Texas shelter to Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts.
Class action lawyer defends his actions after suing the wrong company and being sued himself
TALLAHASSEE - The class action lawyer who has angered judges with his hundreds of novel theories of consumer deception at grocery stores and elsewhere is asking a Florida court to dismiss a lawsuit filed against him for suing the wrong company.
Lost in translation: Interpreter's email choice dooms Creole woman's suit against Walmart
MIAMI - A Walmart employee who missed 37 shifts and blamed her interpreter has lost her lawsuit, with a federal judge calling her argument unreasonable.
Doral cops ordered to pay $100K to lawyer in 'rough ride' civil rights case
MIAMI - The attorney for a Doral man who alleged cops there took him for a "rough ride" after arresting him without cause will get close to $100,000 from them.
Judge rules against U.S. Tennis Association, leaves $9M sexual assault verdict in place
ORLANDO - The United States Tennis Association has again lost in Orlando federal court, as a judge has refused to change the $9 million verdict awarded to a woman who was sexually assaulted by her coach.
Lawyer penalized for calling a lawsuit a 'claim' gets chance to defend self
DAYTONA BEACH - Sanctions have been lifted - possibly temporarily - against a Florida lawyer accused of violating pretrial directions from a Brevard County judge during a personal injury trial.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio sues Biden, now-defunct campaign for calling him a felon
TAMPA - Before President Biden bowed out of this year's election, he was hit with a defamation lawsuit by controversial Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio in Florida.
Fla. class action lawyer escapes punishment for filing loser case
OCALA - A Florida class action lawyer has convinced a federal judge he isn't to blame for the filing of a frivolous lawsuit.
'Rape' coverage of Trump sexual assault verdict has ABC, Stephanopoulos deeper into defamation case
MIAMI - Former President Donald Trump will get to pursue defamation claims against ABC News for its use of the word "rape" when reporting on the "sexual abuse" verdict against him.
Expelled student's allegations of racism by AI won't be heard in federal court
FORT LAUDERDALE - An expelled Black student claiming racist AI called her a cheater must pursue some of her lawsuit in arbitration, while the rest of her case has been thrown out.
Class action lawyer pleads ignorance as he fights having to pay victorious defendant's fees
OCALA, Fla. (Legal Newsline) - A Florida class action lawyer is claiming he didn't know an identical lawsuit against Big Lots had failed before he filed his, in an attempt to avoid paying a share of a $180,000 penalty.
Cop who shot at bystanders in drive-thru must face excessive force lawsuit
MIAMI - A Miami-Dade County police officer will have to face a lawsuit alleging he shot up a car in a restaurant drive-thru to apprehend a suspect who wasn't in it.
All my X's: Former Twitter to face trademark suit from X Social Media
ORLANDO, Fla. (Legal Newsline) - X Corp., the former Twitter, has lost most of its motion to dismiss a trademark lawsuit from a social media company that was first called X.
Tyranny and commies: Fired JetBlue worker's suit over mask mandate pared by judge
ORLANDO - A JetBlue flight attendant who reached her boiling point after wearing a mask at work for two years thanks to the COVID pandemic will get to keep pursuing only one part of her lawsuit against the company.
Class action lawyer facing possible $180K penalty for filing second suit after first failed
OCALA, Fla. (Legal Newsline) - Big Lots wants a $180,000 penalty levied against a notorious class action lawyer recently slapped down by a Florida federal judge for bringing a case that had no chance of winning.
Celebrity Cruises settles case over treatment of dead body onboard
MIAMI - Following a key ruling from a federal judge against it, Celebrity Cruises has settled a lawsuit filed after the morgue on one of its ships malfunctioned and kept a family from having an open-casket funeral.
Class action lawyer ordered to pay other side's costs for bringing frivolous case
OCALA, Fla. (Legal Newsline) - A 23-page body slam of a court order will have a controversial class action lawyer paying the fees of one of the hundreds of companies he has sued.
Fla. judge won't let Zantac plaintiffs blame others, file in more receptive court
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (Legal Newsline) - Plaintiffs trying to escape a court hostile to their Zantac-related claims and flee to Delaware state court have lost their effort.