David Bernthal: 'Hot coffee case' significant in more than one way | David Berntha, a retired 21-year federal magistrate, discusses the McDonalds Hot Coffee case/civil justice system and concludes, "The lesson here is that we should not judge a case without knowing all the facts, and we should not jump to conclusions about a process before we understand how it works." | TTLA Car Wrecks Seminar | Check out our upcoming TTLA Car Wrecks Seminar dates and locations. Click on the headline to learn more and register. | Texas Tribune Daily Brief | | States' Efforts to Curb Fracking-Related Earthquakes Appear to be Paying Off | | Using a growing body of research, along with trial and error, scientists and state regulators are getting closer to pinpointing the cause of the startling increase in earthquakes in the central and eastern parts of the country, and preventing them. The general cause, scientists have found, is not drilling, but what happens after, when operators dispose of wastewater that comes up naturally during the oil and gas extraction process. The operators inject the wastewater into disposal wells that go thousands of feet underground, which can increase fluid pressures and sometimes cause faults to move. Jen Fifield, The Washington Post 08/16/2016 | Read Article: The Washington Post | Texas Judge Tosses GM Ignition Switch Lawsuit | | A Texas judge has thrown out a lawsuit against General Motors from a woman who blamed a 2012 car crash on a faulty ignition switch that later prompted the company to recall 2.6 million vehicles. The Aug. 13 order from Judge Robert Schaffer in Harris County, Texas, came in a 2013 case brought by Gloria Alexander that the automaker had selected as the second test trial amid 20 similar cases in that state court over the ignition switch. REUTERS, Fortune 08/16/2016 | Read Article: Fortune | GM Ignition Switch Bellwether Gets Pretrial Trim | | The New York federal judge overseeing the GM ignition switch multidistrict litigation on Monday tossed failure-to-recall and constructive-fraud claims brought by a Virginia woman in an upcoming bellwether trial, but said she can still seek punitive damages on other claims. U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman granted General Motors LLC summary judgment on two of Stephanie Cockram's claims that are based on the conduct of New GM, the post-bankruptcy entity being sued. Emily Field, Law360.com 08/16/2016 | Read Article: Law360.com | Report: VW to be Accused of Criminal Conduct | | The Justice Department has found evidence of criminal misconduct by Volkswagen in the handling of its diesel-emissions fiasco and is trying to negotiate a settlement, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday based on unnamed sources. WSJ Reports, USA Today 08/16/2016 | Read Article: USA Today | RJ Reynolds Hit With $5M Verdict Over Veteran's Cancer Death | | A Florida jury on Monday awarded $5 million to the widow of a chain-smoking military veteran who died of lung cancer, slapping R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. with a slim majority of the blame for his death but finding the company doesn't deserve to pay punitive damages. Jurors found R.J. Reynolds 55 percent responsible for the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and fatal lung cancer of Robert Mathis and said Mathis himself bears the remaining 45 percent of blame for his ailments and death. Brandon Lowrey, Law360.com 08/16/2016 | Read Article: Law360.com | Mich. Couple Suing PokÊmon Go for Ruining Their Quality of Life | | Scott and Jayme Dodich of St. Clair, Michigan have filed a class action lawsuit, claiming PokÊmon Go developers and owners have made millions of dollars while ruining the quality of life for many Americans. They claim the so-called Pokestops and gyms ' which are actually GPS coordinates for Pokemon hunters looking for virtual creatures ' are being placed on or near private property without the permission of owners. Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press, USA Today 08/16/2016 | Read Article: USA Today | Stanford Ignored Health and Safety of Football Players, Says Class Action Suit | | A former football player for Stanford University has filed a lawsuit alleging that the school disregarded the health and safety of its players. The lawsuit names as defendants the University, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Pacific-12 Conference (Pac-12). The class action lawsuit, filed by the 1976 graduate, covers Stanford football players active between 1959 and 2010. The lawsuit alleges that many of the schools players who had suffered concussions were prematurely returned to the field, causing them to suffer chronic injuries ranging from impulse control to early onset Parkinson's disease. Miguel Samano, The Stanford Daily 08/11/2016 | Read Article: The Stanford Daily | | |