lawsuit news stories on Newser

Judge: Text Sender Can't Be Sued in Crash

Dustin Lushing — Fri, 25 May 2012 16:28:06 CDT

Should the person who sends a text message to a driver be held liable if an accident occurs? A judge in New Jersey says no. He threw out a lawsuit today against a young woman who texted her boyfriend moments before he crashed into two motorcyclists, reports the Star-Ledger . "I...

Transformers Extra Who Lost Part of Head Gets $18.5M

Evann Gastaldo — Thu, 24 May 2012 11:25:33 CDT

A horrific accident on the Transformers 3 set left extra Gabriella Cedillo, then 24, without "about a third of the top of her head," according to her attorney; now she has settled for $18.5 million. "She will be taken care of. I wouldn't have resolved this case if I...

Nanny: Sharon Stone Racist, Wouldn't Let Me Read Bible

Evann Gastaldo — Thu, 24 May 2012 10:50:26 CDT

According to a new lawsuit, Sharon Stone hired a nanny … then wouldn't let her speak to Stone's children, lest they pick up her Filipino accent. This according to Erlinda T. Elemen, who worked as Stone's live-in housekeeper and nanny for five years, and who claims Stone made other racially...

Female Soldiers Sue Over Combat Ban

Mark Russell — Thu, 24 May 2012 10:42:53 CDT

Two female army reservists filed suit against the US military yesterday, claiming the policy preventing women from serving in combat is unconstitutional, reports Reuters . Being banned from combat "solely on the basis of sex" violates their Fifth Amendment rights and "restricts their current and future earnings, their potential for promotion...

Shareholders Sue: Morgan Stanley, Zuckerberg, Facebook

Kate Schwartz — Wed, 23 May 2012 08:37:17 CDT

Good thing Mark Zuckerberg has that new bride to be excited about, because his new billions are only bringing him headaches. Shareholders today filed a suit against Zuckerberg, Facebook itself, and a number of Morgan Stanley-led banks, arguing that all three kept secret a "a severe and pronounced reduction" in...

Strauss-Kahn Lawsuit: He Hates Women

Kevin Spak — Wed, 23 May 2012 08:33:34 CDT

Nafissatou Diallo has added a new wrinkle to her lawsuit against Dominique Strauss-Kahn, arguing that he hates women and that his alleged rape of her hence amounted to gender violence, the Guardian reports. "Strauss-Kahn's conduct towards women generally is, and more specifically his sexual assault of Ms. Diallo was, motivated...

Catholics File Flood of Birth-Control Lawsuits

Rob Quinn — Tue, 22 May 2012 05:26:04 CDT

Notre Dame's lawsuit yesterday was just the beginning, because America's Catholic bishops have turned en masse to the courts in an attempt to ensure that employees of Catholic institutions do not have health plans that cover birth control. Some 43 Catholic dioceses, schools, social service agencies, and other institutions filed...

Travolta Case Lawyers Now Suing ... Each Other

Neal Colgrass — Mon, 21 May 2012 19:00:16 CDT

John Travolta's alleged massage table exploits have inspired a few venomous accusations between lawyers, TMZ reports. The lawyer representing one of the masseurs has filed suit against Gloria Allred for trying to steal his client, John Doe #2, and she's planning a counterclaim against that lawyer. "I can't believe f**king...

Developer, Wayne Newton in Nasty Legal Fight

Fri, 18 May 2012 11:58:05 CDT

Plans to turn Wayne Newton's sprawling Las Vegas estate into a celebrity museum have shifted into an ugly legal battle citing mismanagement, animal abuse, and sexual harassment. The company that purchased the rights to convert Newton's home into "Graceland West" filed a lawsuit this week in Las Vegas against Newton,...