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Nebraska court rejects former candidate's lawsuit
U.S. Court News |
2011/04/28 09:21
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The Nebraska Supreme Court has rejected a former legislative candidate's defamation lawsuit against the state Republican Party over campaign flyers.
The Lincoln Journal Star says the court ruled Thursday that tone of the publications constitute opinion and is protected by the First Amendment.
Democrat Rex Moats, of Omaha, sued the GOP after losing in the November 2008 election, saying he was defamed by 11 campaign flyers. The flyers referenced Moats' work with a vehicle-repair insurance company that failed in 2003 and left about 500,000 people without coverage. In the mailings, the Nebraska GOP claimed Moats received a $50,000 trust fund from the insurance company and misled creditors and the public.
Moats' attorney didn't immediately comment on the ruling. Mark Fahleson of the GOP hailed the ruling, calling the lawsuit frivolous. |
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Court hears arguments in Microsoft patent case
U.S. Court News |
2011/04/19 09:04
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The Supreme Court on Monday heard arguments from Microsoft Corp. asking it to overturn a $290 million patent infringement judgment against the world's largest software maker, a ruling that could have a profound effect on how corporations protect and profit from their future inventions.
An eight-justice court on Monday heard arguments from the Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft, which wants the multimillion dollar judgment against it erased because it claims a judge used the wrong standard.
Business groups are closely watching this case. The U.S. government made more than $64 billion off of international licensing and royalties from patents in 2009, with an expected growth rate of 15 percent a year. A ruling for Microsoft could make companies less likely to invest in new inventions, but a ruling for i4i, the company which brought the lawsuit against Microsoft, could make it harder for large corporations to fight off such challenges.
The cost of fighting off a patent lawsuit could be as much as $4 million per defendant, companies say. |
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Thousands sign on for $10 billion BP suit
U.S. Court News |
2010/08/30 07:01
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pThe revelation that BP's Texas City refinery emitted toxic benzene for more than a month has ignited a furor in the port community that has suffered its share of deadly industrial accidents and toxic spills./ppThousands of residents who fear they may have been exposed to the known carcinogen released at the oil refinery from April 6 to May 16 have been flooding parking lots and conference halls where local trial attorneys hosted information sessions and sought clients for class-action lawsuits against the oil giant./ppBP faces the new challenge just as it is reaching a key milestone in another crisis — plugging the Gulf of Mexico well that blew out in an oil spill disaster that is costing the company billions of dollars./ppOn Wednesday, more than 3,400 people lined the hallways and sidewalks around the Nessler Center to sign on to a $10 billion class-action lawsuit filed Tuesday in Galveston federal court by Friendswood attorney Anthony Buzbee. /ppThe lawsuit alleges the release of 500,000 pounds of chemicals - including 17,000 pounds of benzene - has jeopardized the health and property values of people who live and work in the area. At the nearby College of the Mainland, a separate town hall meeting drew a crowd of 600. /p |
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Appeals court grants Dish rare review of TiVo case
U.S. Court News |
2010/05/17 06:25
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pA federal appeals court on Friday granted Dish Network Corp. a rare, full-court review of a ruling it had earlier lost to TiVo Inc., one that could have resulted in the satellite TV company disabling millions of digital video recorders./ppInstead, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington breathed new life into litigation that Dish has consistently lost to TiVo. Dish's decision to seek an en banc review was seen as CEO Charlie Ergen's last straw effort as damages mounted. Ergen had even believed that the appeals court was unlikely to grant it./ppShares of DVR pioneer TiVo fell by $6.52, or 37.5 percent, to $10.87 in midday trading. Dish rose by $1.22, or 5.6 percent, to $23.18./ppBut it's uncertain whether Dish will have eventual victory given that TiVo has prevailed in a series of other court rulings./ppTiVo sued Dish in 2004 for patent infringement over a technology that stored and retrieved video on DVRs, which lets viewers pause, rewind and replay live TV. Dish lost the case on appeal, paid TiVo $104.6 million in damages and interest and was barred from using the technology.
/p |
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