Mason Lawlor

Mason Lawlor

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December 30, 2024 | Law.com

North Carolina Courts Switch to Digital, Face Extreme Weather in 2024

Coupled with court closures, the state continued its piecemeal launch of electronic case filing through eCourts. Eleven stages are planned for transitioning from paper to digital filing, with the next batch of counties to come online Feb. 3. That includes 13 counties in the southeastern region of North Carolina.

By Mason Lawlor

4 minute read

December 26, 2024 | Law.com

Insurer Not Required to Cover $29M Wrongful Death Judgment, Appeals Court Rules

The judge had awarded $9.6 million as compensatory damages, and then trebled the total to more than $29 million against Penn National.

By Mason Lawlor

4 minute read

December 20, 2024 | Daily Report Online

Atlanta Attorneys Rely on Google Earth, YouTube for Evidence in $6M Faulty Guardrail Settlement

When a mother fatally fell over a guardrail at an Atlanta train station in February 2020, an initial police report was used as a basis to charge her boyfriend with murder for supposedly pushing her off an overpass. However, attorneys representing her daughter knew there was more to the story.

By Mason Lawlor

6 minute read

December 18, 2024 | Law.com

State High Court Bucks Trend Favoring Insurers, Sides With Restaurants Seeking COVID-19 Coverage

In more than 800 cases nationwide, federal and state courts have interpreted the phrase "direct physical loss" as requiring some physical alteration or damage to property. The North Carolina opinion's author, Justice Anita Earls, put the onus on the insurance companies to clearly indicate what is covered and excluded.

By Mason Lawlor

5 minute read

December 17, 2024 | Law.com

'It's Got to Be a Wake-Up Call:' Atlanta Attorney Hopes $16M Verdict Spurs Training Changes at Hotels

"It's still shocking how often this happens," L. Chris Stewart of Stewart Miller Simmons Trial Attorneys in Atlanta said. "Key card security should be the number one measure if you work at that front desk, above anything else. The key cards are the priority, and it's not being taken as seriously as it should."

By Mason Lawlor

5 minute read

December 16, 2024 | Daily Report Online

$6.8M Awarded to Electrocuted Employee for Improperly Marked Utilities

The verdict is believed to be the second largest personal injury verdict in Houston County history, behind a $20.5 million verdict against a pharmaceutical company in 2017.

By Mason Lawlor

3 minute read

December 13, 2024 | Law.com

Former Cleveland Meteorologist Sues TV Station for Alcohol Use Disorder Discrimination Claims

This case was surfaced by Law.com Radar, ALM's source for immediate alerting on just-filed cases in federal and state courts. Law.com Radar now offers state court coverage nationwide. Sign up today and be among the first to know about new suits in your region, practice area or client sector.

By Mason Lawlor

3 minute read

December 13, 2024 | Law.com

'A Horrible Reputation for Bad Verdicts': Plaintiffs Attorney Breaks Down $129M Wrongful-Death Verdict From Conservative Venue

"It's got a horrible reputation for bad verdicts and it's a very antilawsuit place, but this case just transcended all of that," plaintiffs attorney Frank Swarr said of the wrongful-death case handled in St. Tammany Parish court in Louisiana.

By Mason Lawlor

5 minute read

December 11, 2024 | Law.com

State Appellate Court Relies on 'Cancellation Rule' for Expert's Conflicting Testimony

"Dr. Sherri Studstill indicated that damages were a possibility but that she had not made any determination that Mr. Simmons had suffered any actual damages," Tennessee Court of Appeals Judge Jeffrey Usman wrote in a Dec. 3 opinion.

By Mason Lawlor

5 minute read

December 09, 2024 | Law.com

Pop-Up Window Does Not Prove 'Clearly Communicated' Arbitration Clause, 8th Circuit Says

The Eighth Circuit noted several problems with the defendants' reliance on a pop-up window during contract signing, including a lack of information on where an agreement's arbitration clause may be, how many clicks were needed to find it, and whether their website changed.

By Mason Lawlor

4 minute read