Study Suggests Women Jurors Are Better for Plaintiffs: The Morning Minute
The news and analysis you need to start your day.
May 25, 2022 at 06:00 AM
6 minute read
Litigation
Want to get this daily news briefing by email? Here's the sign-up.
|
WHAT WE'RE WATCHING
WOMEN WANTED? - Plaintiffs fare better at trial when women jurors are in the majority, according to an ALM study on the impact of gender on jury deliberations. According to the study, data from 30 years' worth of personal injury and other civil verdicts reported to Law.com affiliate VerdictSearch from 12 of the most litigious states shows a plaintiff is more likely to win with a jury where women are in the majority. But, as some attorneys and jury consultants told Law.com's Charles Toutant, choosing jurors based on gender is a flawed strategy for litigants. New Jersey-based plaintiffs personal injury lawyer K. Raja Bhattacharya of Bendit Weinstock, for example, said his experience trying cases has not supported the notion of women jurors being more hospitable to plaintiffs. "The rule of thumb that I've practiced with is it's good to have a jury that can relate to your client, so that would mean if my plaintiff is a female then a female majority jury would be preferred," he said. "I can't always get that obviously, and I've had female supermajority juries no-cause my female client." Meanwhile, Aria Amrom, of MMG Jury Consulting, said "selecting a jury simply based on gender can be dangerous and improper," adding that "more often than not, life experience is more predictive of verdict propensity than demographic variables."
MONEY WELL SPENT - For the Am Law 200, 2021 saw gross revenue rise 9.1%, total head count grow by 1.3%, revenue per lawyer jump 7.7%, and profits per equity partner climb 11.8%. Meanwhile, associates enjoyed significant salary increases and most partners saw draws that made up for any losses they sustained in 2020—or compounded their gains. Through the first half of 2022, demand hasn't let up even as deal flow slows down, and most firm leaders with a decent balance of deal lawyers and litigators will tell you they have the countercyclical staffing necessary to make good on the next downturn. But, as Law.com's Dan Roe reports, the good times can only roll for so long. As costs continue to rise and demand eventually falls back to Earth, fortune will favor those firms that were prudent with their profits during this boom period. "We will certainly see some disgruntled partners and an increased level of movement from firms," said law firm consultant Marcie Borgal Shunk, president and founder of The Tilt Institute. "This isn't going to be a blanket scenario where all firms are hit equally. The firms that didn't cut expenses down to the bone, who used the extra capital to invest rather than distribute to partners, will be better-positioned coming out of this high-flying market than the firms that chose to give all of the money to their partners."
WHO GOT THE WORK?℠ - Michael E. McCarthy of Greenberg Traurig has entered an appearance for Samsung Electronics America Inc. in a pending consumer class action over the company's "water resistance" marketing of its Galaxy Watch Active 2v smart watch. The suit, filed March 4 in California Central District Court by Borison Law; Sheehan & Associates and The Keeton Firm LLC, contends that the watch is not water resistant and when used in water the product becomes damaged. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge John W. Holcomb, is 5:22-cv-00402, Nic Dahlquist v. Samsung Electronics America, Inc. >> Read the filing on Law.com Radar. and check out the most recent edition of Law.com's Who Got the Work?℠ column to find out which law firms and lawyers are being brought in to handle key cases and close major deals for their clients.
UNSAFETY FEATURES? - Major car manufacturers were hit with a product liability class action Tuesday in California Northern District Court. The complaint centers on the use of ammonium nitrate, a volatile and unstable chemical, as the propellant for gas-hybrid airbag inflators manufactured by co-defendant ARC Automotive. The court case was brought by Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy; Levin Papantonio; Newsome Melton PA; and Davenport Law Firm. Counsel have not yet appeared for the defendants. The case is 3:22-cv-03053, Britton et al v. Arc Automotive, Inc. et al. Stay up on the latest deals and litigation with the new Law.com Radar.
|
EDITOR'S PICKS
Legal Malpractice Payouts Reach 'All-Time High,' Firm Insurers Planning Premium Hikes By Andrew Maloney |
How Johnny Depp's Brown Rudnick Lawyer Moved Into the Spotlight By Bruce Love |
Boies Schiller Downplays Departure of White-Collar Head, Says Recruiting in Line With Firm Goals By Patrick Smith and Bruce Love |
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllDrugmaker Wins $70.5M After Fed Judge Says Generic Sales Were Blocked
4 minute readThe Week in Data Nov. 10: A Look at Legal Industry Trends By the Numbers
'Innovation Over Regulation': Tech Litigators and Experts Share Insights on the Future of AI, Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Under Trump
US Judge Rejects Morgan Stanley Reconsideration Bid in Deferred Compensation Litigation
Law Firms Mentioned
Trending Stories
- 1Cravath Elevates 7 to Partnership, Up From Last Year
- 2Kline & Specter Hit With Lawsuit From Another Former Associate
- 3USPTO Director Kathi Vidal Announces Resignation Ahead of Administration Change
- 4As Gen AI Acceptance Grows, Lawyers Race to Mitigate Risks
- 5Decisions Have 'Real-Life Consequences': Juvenile Court Judge Considered for Appellate Bench
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250