Riley Brennan

February 17, 2023 | Law.com

"Leighton contends that, by filing a defamation lawsuit, the Dentists implicitly agreed to cooperate in discovery, and, therefore, their subsequent refusal to do so was an abuse of that process," Justice Catherine R. Connors wrote on behalf of the unanimous SJC. "The Dentists' failure to act, to their own detriment, however, is insufficient to sustain the cause of action because they did not invoke the authority of the court or cause process to issue. The Dentists' refusal to properly respond to Leighton's discovery requests—although sanctionable—is not actionable."

By Riley Brennan

5 minute read

February 17, 2023 | Law.com

"After the November 2018 inspection, defense counsel did not take any steps to set a second inspection date to download the Kia's EDR nor did they communicate a further interest to inspect the Kia before its destruction, which occurred in April 2019," said U.S. District Judge Norman K. Moon of the Western District of Virginia.

By Riley Brennan

5 minute read

February 17, 2023 | Law.com

The Virginia Court of Appeals ruled that a circulating petition to remove a homeowner's association president lacked the sufficient "sting" to effectively harm the plaintiff's professional reputation as a licensed attorney/business owner in order to support a defamation claim.

By Riley Brennan

5 minute read

February 17, 2023 | The Legal Intelligencer

Pennsylvania law firm Kang Haggerty may continue to pursue several former clients for unpaid legal work, a federal judge in Pennsylvania has ruled. In a Feb. 9 opinion, U.S. District Judge John Padova of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania granted in part and denied in part the defendants' motion for partial summary judgment.

By Riley Brennan

5 minute read

February 17, 2023 | The Legal Intelligencer

A federal judge in Pennsylvania shot down a plaintiff's motor vehicle accident case after he was caught lying under oath and presenting falsified documents.

By Riley Brennan

3 minute read

February 16, 2023 | The Legal Intelligencer

While concluding that the lower court had abused its discretion in sanctioning the attorney, the court made sure to emphasize that its ruling did not condone the lawyer's "boorish" and "unacceptable" behavior.

By Riley Brennan

6 minute read

February 14, 2023 | Connecticut Law Tribune

A federal judge in Connecticut dismissed a lawsuit alleging that law firm Bendett & McHugh, two loan-servicing companies and others violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act in a foreclosure proceeding.

By Riley Brennan

6 minute read

February 13, 2023 | Law.com

A Massachusetts attorney was publicly reprimanded for failing to prepare for a divorce trial, as well as for leaving sensitive documents in the lobby of her client's apartment building and improperly disclosing confidential information about that same client in a court filing.

By Riley Brennan

2 minute read

February 13, 2023 | The Legal Intelligencer

The defendants argued that under the two statutes, they didn't have to—and, in fact, couldn't—produce certain records.

By Riley Brennan

4 minute read

February 13, 2023 | Law.com

A Missouri appeals court shot down claims against a school district in a sexual assault suit, determining that the district was protected by sovereign immunity.

By Riley Brennan

4 minute read