Miscellaneous

• Internet Defamation Can Carry A Big Price Tag

  Bob Carroll | October 06, 2006 5:23 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  The internet is not entirely a free fire zone. Defamation on the internet can be the basis for a lawsuit and for the award of significant damages. A Florida courtroom was the scene of this litigation.Jury Awards Woman $11.3M in Internet Defamation SuitA Weston, Fla., woman who spoke out publicly against a Utah-based company affiliated with a controversial chain of boarding schools for troubled...

• Candidate Sues Construction Company For Leaving Mold In Hospital

  Bob Carroll | October 05, 2006 7:55 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  Sometimes a man's got to file a "far fetched" lawsuit to get justice. Limit 'far-fetched' lawsuits? Crist running mate has one of his own, critics say[Jeff] Kottkamp, a trial lawyer and now the running mate of Republican governor candidate Charlie Crist, is embroiled in a lawsuit against two companies whose negligence he contends almost killed him.Kottkamp was close to death two years ago,...

• Anti-Hazing Prosecution In Tallahassee

  Bob Carroll | September 28, 2006 6:26 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  College campuses should not be centers of hazing. I applaud the Tallahassee prosecutor who is doing his part to end the practice in our state.The Associated Press has the story:Trial Puts Fla. Anti-Hazing Law to TestTALLAHASSEE, Fla. --In the first major courtroom test of the state's anti-hazing law, a prosecutor Wednesday described for jurors how an aspiring Florida A&M University fraternity...

• "Baloney" Is A No-No In Appellate Briefs

  Bob Carroll | September 25, 2006 11:51 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  In Florida baloney is not a legal term.First District: You Can't Say That If you are thinking about filing -- or if a client, a colleague, or anyone else encourages you to file -- an appellate brief that uses grandiose insulting characterizations of the proceeding below, the opposition's position, or the opposition's attorneys, stop. Don't do it. Instead, break out a copy of this order.The case...

• Gerry Spence Gives Us A Book To Lean On

  Bob Carroll | September 19, 2006 7:29 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  Out of the West comes a book from a modern gunslinger for liberty and justice.Gerry Spence: Bravery PersonifiedGerry Spence is one of America's finest trial lawyers, a professional of incredible passion, eloquence, conviction and courage. His newest book, titled Bloodthirsty Bitches and Pious Pimps of Power, is a welcome rebuttal against the conservative extremists who seek to demean the legal...

• The Outrageous Conduct Of Health Insurance Carriers

  Bob Carroll | September 19, 2006 3:16 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  Blue Cross of California provides the latest evidence that trial lawyers serve as a valuable line of protection for the average citizen faced with insurance company misconduct. Tort Deform has the story - here are some excerpts:Do You Have a Blue Cross Scorched Earth Policy?For some time I have been following the corrupt business practices of Blue Cross of California and writing about what I...

• Rogue Wave Claims Against Cruise Ship Will Have To Be Litigated Separately

  Bob Carroll | September 16, 2006 3:43 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  The Miami Herald reports that a Miami judge has flattened the 70 foot rogue wave that stuck a cruise ship from class-action status to individual lawsuits. While it is true that each of the passengers would have unique injuries or losses, it appears that all of the potential claims would have the same liability issues to litigate. One advantage of a class action approach to the cases would be...

• An Underground Teaser

  Bob Carroll | September 14, 2006 7:12 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  Today I give you a teaser. You'll need to visit Evan Schaeffer's Legal Underground to get the rest of this story and discover the two blogs he describes. LITIGATION AND POLITICS: THE YIN AND YANG OF THE WEBLOGS Would you like to be introduced to two litigation-and-politics weblogs you've probably never heard of? They're such opposites, you might call them the yin and yang of...

• Electrical Safety When Hurricanes Arrive

  Bob Carroll | September 13, 2006 5:50 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  We have been spared severe weather for the first half of the hurricane season. But, it is still likely one or more major storms will visit Tampa Bay. With that in mind, the following safety items:Weather Related Electrical Safety Tips* If power goes out, unplug such major electrical appliances as refrigerators, freezers and washing machines to avoid both electrocution and the potential for a...

• Have Another Cup Of McDonald's Coffee

  Bob Carroll | September 11, 2006 1:52 PM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  In 1992 Stella Liebeck became the poster child of "frivolous" lawsuits when she sued McDonald's after spilling hot coffee on herself while in a car after stopping at a McDonald's drive-through.Tort Deform provides a provocative title for its well-written debunking of the myth of the McDonald's coffee spill case.Why You Should be Able to Sue McDonald's if You Spill Coffee on YourselfWhile you are...