Lawsuit Quickhitters

     I regularly get emails and notifications of lawsuit results around the country. Some are interesting reading. Some are applicable to my practice and some just make me shake my head. Here's three that meet all that criteria.

     Jack Klugman of "Odd Couple" and "Quincy" fame has filed suit against NBC for failure to pay him profits.(Quincy suit)  Klugman alleges that all that nighttime television is showing him no profits. Apparently, the bean counters have somehow figured out that net profit means that alot of the money must be falling through the nets. That's why that's interesting reading. The old restaurateurs used to say, make sure a family member is sitting at the cash register.

     Story number 2. Walmart is trying to stop their old camera man. Apparently,(Camera story) Walmart originally hired a company to videotape its executives giving speeches including one of Sam Walton in 1991, saying that Hilary Clinton is "one of us". When Walmart decided to stop using the camera company, the company offered to sell these videos for several million dollars. Walmart, in true form, offered 500k because they didn't think that anyone would want them. Well, that's where Walmart underestimated and now they are trying to stop the madness.Youtube, here comes some interesting viewing. You'll get a kick out of this article.

     Finally,The US Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal of a punitive damage 112M verdict against Exxon, relating radioactive contamination of a Louisiana property.(Wall Street Article) . This one caught my eye because Exxon's counsel, in their appeal brief, had recited that the Supreme Court should take up their appeal because  this would give an opportunity "to confirm for those Courts that have been unwilling to listen, that the Court meant what it said" when it ruled in the previous case of Phillip Morris v. Williams. By not agreeing to hear the appeal, the punitive damage verdict stands and the only thing that appears to be confirmed is Exxon's blatant disregard for the property of others.