Monthly Archives: December 2012

A boy who was molested as a fifth grader by his teacher won a $23 million verdict against the Los Angeles school district and the teacher. The victim was a 10-year-old student at Queen Anne Elementary School when his teacher, Forrest Stobbe, molested him. He was caught and arrested after molesting the young student from October 2008 to July 2009. Stobbe was charged with rape and oral copulation on a minor and pled no contest to two counts of a …

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments next year on whether lawsuits against defective generic drugs can proceed in state court if they are not in violation of federal law. In Mutual Pharmaceutical Co v. Bartlett, the court will decide if federal law protecting generic drugs trumps state consumer protection laws, or if both can exist in harmony. If the court finds the laws to be in conflict, consumers will not be able to bring lawsuits over injuries they suffered …

A beauty queen who said the Miss USA contest was fixed must pay the pageant $5 million for defamation. Miss Pennsylvania USA, Sheena Monnin, said on Facebook and on the “Today” show that the five Miss USA finalists were already picked before the pageant aired on live TV. The pageant organization sued for defamation, claiming that those comments caused a sponsor to pull out of paying a $5 million fee. The case went to arbitration, based on an arbitration provision …

L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling has been ordered by a jury to pay $17.3 million to an actress who lived in a building owned by Sterling that caught fire. Actress Robyn Cohen, who has had roles in “The Life Aquatic” with Steve Zissou and, ironically, the thriller “Burned,” claimed the fire in the West Hollywood apartment caused emotional turmoil that hurt her career. The fire was reportedly caused by an electrical problem. Cohen claims she was in the middle of …

    Hours after the National Rifle Association conference, more than 50 celebrities launched a public service announcement, “Demand a Plan to End Gun Violence.” A wide swath of big name entertainers such as the cast members of “Parks & Recreation,” Will Ferrell, Chris Rock, Paul Rudd, Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, Julianne Moore, Ellen DeGeneres, Jeremy Renner, John Hamm and Gwyneth Paltrow recorded the message. It advocates the immediate need for laws providing stricter gun control. The campaign of 750 …