Texas Tribune Daily Brief
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| Dallas Jury's $4B Verdict for Widow Could be Reduced to $71M |
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JPMorgan Chase & Co. was ordered by a Dallas jury in September to pay more than $4 billion in damages for mishandling a client's estate. The probate court trial, brought by the heirs of former American Airlines executive Max Hopper, ended in September with a jury awarding $7 million in compensatory damages and billions in punitive damages. But "in light of legal limitations on the availability of damages," some of the plaintiffs moved for a total of $71 million in damages, JPMorgan said. Another plaintiff has yet to make a request.
Wire Services, The Dallas Morning News 11/02/2017    |
| Read Article: The Dallas Morning News |
| Harvey Suits: Federal Judges Vet Lead Lawyers |
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In the two months since Hurricane Harvey pummelled the Houston area, more than 1,000 people have sued the federal government seeking more than $100 million in damages over the controlled releases from the Addicks, Barker and other reservoirs. Tens of thousands more could join the legal fight in the coming years, lawyers told federal judges Wednesday in a Houston courtroom. With that steady influx in mind, two top federal judges jointly presided Wednesday over a standing-room crowd of lawyers vying for leadership spots over large groups of clients who suffered flooding loss after the hurricane. Three lawyers from the Justice Department also attended the hearing as well as one attorney for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Gabrielle Banks, Houston Chronicle 11/02/2017 |
| Read Article: Houston Chronicle |
| Utah Nurse Receives $500K Settlement Over Arrest |
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A Utah nurse who was unlawfully arrested for refusing to let police take a blood sample from an unconscious patient has received a $500,000 legal settlement from the city and her employer, her attorney said. Salt Lake City and the University of Utah are each paying half of the $500,000 settlement, Matthew Rojas, a spokesman for the Salt Lake City mayor, said on Wednesday.
Alex Dobuzinskis, Reuters 11/02/2017 |
| Read Article: Reuters |
| Marine Corps Facing Lawsuit Over Alleged Abuse of Muslim Recruits |
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A Marine Corps drill sergeant in South Carolina is facing charges that he choked, kicked, and burned Muslim recruits during racist hazing rituals. During a court-martial hearing on Tuesday, prosecutors said that the sergeant may have contributed to the death of one recruit. The sergeant is currently undergoing a military trial for his alleged cruelty and maltreatment of Muslims for several years. He is also facing a lawsuit by the family of the 20-year-old Muslim recruit who died in a fall that was initially considered a suicide. The family contends that the government is guilty of negligence in their son's death and that it should not have been ruled a suicide. Evidence revealed that the sergeant may have slapped the recruit before he fell to his death.
Christina Maza, Newsweek 11/02/2017 |
| Read Article: Newsweek |
| Massive Recall of 40M Kidde Fire Extinguishers |
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More than 40M fire extinguishers, some on the market for more than four decades, are being recalled because they may not work in an emergency. One death has been linked to problems with the extinguishers made by Kidde, according to a notice Thursday from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. In 2014, extinguishers failed to function as they should for emergency personnel responding to a fiery car wreck. The recall covers 134 models of push-button and plastic-handle extinguishers in the U.S. and Canada made from 1973 through Aug. 15 of this year. It includes models that were previously recalled in March of 2009 and February of 2015, the commission said Thursday.
Associated Press, USA Today 11/02/2017 |
| Read Article: USA Today |
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