Miscellaneous

February 5 roundup

By Walter Olson, Ted Frank, and David Nieporent

• John Ritter's family has already received $14 million in settlements, seeking $67 million more in medical malpractice litigation for ER failure to diagnose rare heart condition. Dr. R.W. Donnell thinks they're wrong. [LA Times; USA Today; Kevin MD; Turkewitz; Overlawyered Sep. 2004]
• Speaking of the celebrity bonus in litigation: as M.E. e-mailed me, "Cheek rides again"; Wesley Snipes acquitted of tax felonies, though convicted of misdemeanors, and still on the hook for $17 million in taxes plus penalties. [NY Times; earlier]
• California AG Jerry Brown continuing bogus carbon dioxide "public nuisance" lawsuit against automakers [Stirling & Sandefur @ Investor's Business Daily; earlier]
• Words-only criminal obscenity prosecution. [WSJ Law Blog (and farewell to Peter Lattman)]
• In the category of gambits we're sympathetic to, but are unlikely to succeed: East Texas burger restaurant tries mandatory-arbitration-by-posted-window-notice [TortsProf]

• Mikal Watts puff piece [Corpus Christi Caller-Times]

Full post as published by Overlawyered on February 05, 2008 (boomark / email).