Personal Injury Roundup No. 106 (6/3/11)

It’s been quite a week in western Massachusetts, between the tornadoes earlier in the week (which went across our campus but, thankfully, did relatively little damage to the college) and my daughter’s completion of elementary school (she’s pictured to the right in her graduation dress, which, yes, has historically-significant headlines).  But the world of torts carries on!

New Cases

• Cop charged with extortion after demanding $2,000 from alleged wallet thief sues the alleged thief/extortion victim for intentional infliction of emotional distress.  Get all that?  It’s complicated.  (Newstimes.com)
• South Carolina AG sues Glaxo Smith-Kline over Avandia.  (Business Week)
• A look at Alien Tort Claims appeals involving allegations of US companies aiding state violence overseas. (Thomson Reuters)

Appeals

• GoDaddy loses appeal over wrongful domain transfer, with the court rejecting applicability of economic loss doctrine.  (The Register)
• New York’s Court of Appeals will hear the negligence case brought against the owners of the World Trade Center arising out of the 1993 bombing.  (NJ.com)

Reform, Legislation, Policy

• South Carolina’s Senate adopted caps on punitive damages, with various exceptions.  (TheState.com)
• LA Times editorializes against the deductibility of punitive damages as business expenses.  (LAT)

Miscellaneous

• Heck of a story, involving BigLaw, an effort to discredit the entire judicial system of Madison County, plus the former first lady of Illinois as the PR person suggesting that campaign.  Yeah!  (Chicago Tribune)
• As mentioned above, a tornado went through the campus of Western New England.  This video was shot about a block from the School of Law and shows that the tornado went right over it — remarkably doing very little damage:

–BC