U.S. Supreme Court Limits Police Officer Liability
–by Kim Newton Sources: White v. Pauly, 137 S. Ct. 548 (2017); U.S. Const. amend. IV Abstract: On January 9, 2017 the Supreme Court unanimously held that an officer’s failure… Read more »
Category: Legal Pulse
A Potential Solution to a “Claw-ful” Problem: A Bill to Prohibit Declawing
–by Grace Hwang Citations: Joel Rose, A Declaw Law? Veterinarians Divided Over N.J. Cat Claw Bill, NPR (Feb. 16, 2017, 4:31 PM), http://www.npr.org/2017/02/16/515036397/a-declaw-law-veterinarians-divided-over-n-j-cat-claw-bill. To declaw cats or not? New Jersey… Read more »
After Hours of Debate Between Members of the House Judiciary Committee, the Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act of 2017 (H.R. 720) Advances to the House Floor
–by Anna Pinchuk Citations: https://judiciary.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/2.02.17-Transcript.pdf http://docs.house.gov/meetings/JU/JU00/20170202/105522/BILLS-115HR720ih.pdf http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/uncategorized/GAO/2017feb1_lara_l.authcheckdam.pdf http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170202006132/en/U.S.-Chamber-Applauds-House-Judiciary-Committee-Passage Abstract: H.R. 720, the Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act, amends Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The Act requires judges… Read more »
New York Court of Appeals Holds That Skin Color Is a Cognizable Class Under Batson Analysis
–by Robert Carpenter Citation: People v. Bridgeforth, 2016 N.Y. Lexis 3859 (Dec. 22, 2016) (internal citations omitted). Abstract: In a matter of first impression, the New York Court of Appeals… Read more »
After Two Years of Efforts to Bring Uber Upstate, 2017 May be the Year It Happens
–by Karianne Polimeni Citations: Ben Axelton, Cuomo to Reveal Plan to bring Uber, Lyft to Upstate New York, New York Upstate, (Jan. 8, 2017, 11:23 AM), http://www.newyorkupstate.com/news/2017/01/cuomo_to_reveal_plan_to_bring_uber_lyft_to_upstate_new_york.html; Kevin B. Knott,… Read more »
Georgia Court of Appeals Reverses Trial Court Denial of Transgender Name Change
–by Joseph Railey Citations: In re Feldhaus, __S.E.2d__ , 2017 WL 253649 (Ga. Ct. App. 2017) Abstract: The Georgia Court of Appeals reversed a denial of two name change petitions from… Read more »
Consumer Alleges Deceit; Court Rules that Reasonable Consumers Account for the Ice
–by Erin Shea Source: Galanis v. Starbucks Corporation, No. 16-C-4705, 2016 WL 6037962 (N.D. Ill. 2016) (all internal citations omitted). Abstract: The Northern District of Illinois concluded that a reasonable… Read more »
New York Court of Appeals Finds No Right of Public Performance Under New York Law for Creators of Sound Recordings
–by Elizabeth Snyder Citation: Flo & Eddie, Inc. v. Sirius XM Radio, Inc., No. 172, 2016 N.Y. LEXIS 3811 (Dec. 20, 2016). Abstract: Responding to a certified question from the… Read more »
Who Knew? Sue-and-be-sued Clauses: State or Federal Jurisdiction
–by Michael Corelli Source: Lightfoot v. Cendant Mortgage Corp., 580 U. S. ____ (2017); Bank of United States v. Deveaux, 9 U.S. 61 (1809); Osborn v. Bank of United States,… Read more »
Tesla’s Autopilot Cleared by Government Investigation, but Questions Remain About Liability for Accidents Involving Self-Driving and Safety Technology
–by Aya Hoffman Citations: https://www.wired.com/2017/01/car-dealers-dangerously-uneducated-new-safety-features/; http://fortune.com/2016/07/11/tesla-autopilot-joshua-brown/; http://jalopnik.com/the-latest-tesla-lawsuit-proves-how-important-human-dri-1790904371; https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/15/business/fatal-tesla-crash-in-china-involved-autopilot-government-tv-says.html; http://www.forbes.com/sites/omribenshahar/2016/09/22/should-carmakers-be-liable-when-a-self-driving-car-crashes/#1e0645771f40; http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1104183_lets-be-clear-teslas-autopilot-is-not-a-self-driving-car; http://money.cnn.com/2016/07/07/technology/tesla-liability-risk/; https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/who-s-responsible-when-a-self-driving-car-crashes/; https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/who-s-responsible-when-a-self-driving-car-crashes/ Abstract: Just a day after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”) closed its investigation into Tesla Motors’… Read more »