Heeding Haslip; states review punitive awards

Article Abstract:

The US Supreme Court's 1991 ruling in Pacific Mutual Life Insurance Co v Haslip, declining to make a strict rule for deciding if punitive damages are constitutional, may be influencing state courts to take a hard line on such damages. Tort reformers feel this is the case, but research by the BNA Product Liability and Safety Reporter found that most appeals inspired by the Haslip case have not succeeded. Twelve cases have been remanded since Haslip and at last report, the punitive damages were set aside in two actions and held up in four.

Exemplary damages, Punitive damages, Limitation of damages, Limitations of damages

---

Rand-ly criticized: Congressional court fix had little effect on cost and delay

Article Abstract:

A study by the Rand Institute for Civil Justice shows that federal District Court efforts to improve court costs and delays have had mixed or no success. These efforts were implementations of the 1990 Civil Justice Reform Act. Rand studied 10 courts over five years, and found some success in cutting delays by the use of four procedures for case management. The only improvement in costs resulted from lowering discovery times.

United States, Management, Reports, Federal courts, Court congestion and delay, Court delay, District courts

---

In-house counsel; can they sue employers?

Article Abstract:

The Illinois and Minnesota state supreme courts both had Dec 1991 cases regarding the wrongful and retaliatory discharge of in-house counsel. In Balla v Gambro Inc, the Illinois court denied the right of a whistleblowing corporate attorney to sue for retaliatory discharge. The Minnesota court, in Nordling v Northern States Power Co, denied a retaliatory discharge claim, but allowed a wrongful discharge claim.

Corporate counsel, Employee dismissals, Employment terminations, Employment at will

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: Sexual harassment; state and federal courts decide standards, scope of tort. The British go global: and sometimes head-to-head with Americans
• Abstracts: ALJ loss; whistleblower claims rejected. Whistleblower wins appeal; N.Y. court rules attorney can't be fired for reporting dishonest colleague
• Abstracts: Extradition reopened; Justice denies it withheld evidence about Ivan the Terrible. Final justice; limiting death row appeals
• Abstracts: Nobody's victim: Sarah Buel left an abusive partner to save her life. Since then, she's been saving others. No baby, no jail; creative sentencing has gone overboard, a California court rules

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.