In The Courts
Trial Opens For Suit Against Costner Over BP Deal
June 4, 2012 9:21 am | by Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe federal lawsuit claims Kevin Costner and a business partner duped Stephen Baldwin out of an $18 million deal for BP to buy oil-separating centrifuges.
Jury: $181M To 3 Hurt In Ill. Grain Elevator Blast
June 1, 2012 2:48 pm | News | CommentsThe lawsuit alleged the men were removing equipment from a grain bin in April 2010 at the ConAgra-owned site in Chester when it exploded into flames.
Fla. Jury Awards $75M To Family Of Dead Smoker
June 1, 2012 9:31 am | News | CommentsA man's widow and daughter sued Philip Morris, R.J. Reynolds, Lorillard and Liggett, blaming his death on an unbreakable cigarette habit.
Oracle Gets Another Setback In Dispute With Google
June 1, 2012 9:11 am | by Anick Jesdanun, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsOracle received another setback as a judge undermined a central part of the company's multimillion dollar case against Google over its Android software.
Google Files Patent Claim Against Microsoft, Nokia
June 1, 2012 9:08 am | by Michael Liedtke, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsGoogle accuses them of illegally feeding mobile patents to a technology troll scavenging for billions of dollars in licensing fees.
Judge Gives Preliminary OK To Herbicide Settlement
May 31, 2012 2:20 pm | by Jim Suhr, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsThe $100M agreement could help reimburse nearly 2,000 community water systems that had to filter their water of Syngenta's agricultural herbicides.
Ky. Residents Sue Distilleries Over Whiskey Fungus
May 31, 2012 11:41 am | by Brett Barrouquere, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe lawsuit claims ethanol emissions produced by making booze has caused a black, soot-like growth to bloom on cars and houses.
Whirlpool Advances In Fight Over Korean Imports
May 31, 2012 9:26 am | News | CommentsFederal regulators will now try to determine if the imports from South Korea, which are subsidized but their government, threaten the U.S. appliance industry.
Lawsuits Slam 'Natural' Claims From OJ To Chips
May 31, 2012 9:10 am | by Jessica Gresko, Associated Press | News | CommentsA series of new lawsuits nationwide claim Tropicana's juice is so heavily processed it shouldn't be called "natural" by FDA standards.
Indictments Dropped Against Former Eaton Engineers
May 31, 2012 9:08 am | by Jeff Amy, Associated Press | News | CommentsFederal prosecutors in Mississippi have dropped criminal cases against five aerospace engineers who had been accused of stealing trade secrets.
Illinois AG Sues Over Refinery's Alleged Pollution
May 30, 2012 2:54 pm | News | CommentsIllinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan claims that oil, gasoline and other toxins were allowed to spread beyond WRB Refining's property.
Olympus, Whistleblower Reach Settlement In Britain
May 30, 2012 9:34 am | by Yuri Kageyama, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsMichael Woodford was fired in October after he blew the whistle on a cover-up of $1.5 billion in investment losses dating back to the 1990s.
FEMA Trailer Class-Action Litigation Nears Settlement
May 29, 2012 9:20 am | by Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press | News | CommentsNearly two dozen trailer makers agreed last month to pay a total of $14.8 million to resolve claims over elevated formaldehyde levels following hurricane Katrina.
Syngenta Offers $105M To Settle Litigation
May 25, 2012 9:00 am | News | CommentsSwiss chemicals maker says it is offering $105 million to settle a U.S. lawsuit over one of its herbicides entering water supplies.
Jury Says Google Didn't Infringe On Oracle Patents
May 24, 2012 8:58 am | by Paul Elias, Associated Press | News | CommentsFederal jury ruled that Google didn't infringe on Oracle's patents when the Internet search leader developed its popular Android software for mobile devices.
OH Docs Can't Reveal Drilling Chemicals To Public
May 23, 2012 2:29 pm | by Julie Carr Smyth, Associated Press | News | CommentsDoctors given new access to the proprietary chemical recipes that oil and gas drillers use to crack into Ohio shale would be prohibited from sharing the information with the public under an energy proposal moving through the Ohio House.
Lawsuit Alleges Toxic Exposure At Prison E-Recycler
May 23, 2012 11:33 am | by Bill Kaczor, Associated Press | News | CommentsMore than 160 people say they are suffering from memory loss and internal bleeding after working as guards or managers at a penitentiary in the Florida Panhandle.
Employee Charged With Illegal Exports To China
May 23, 2012 9:33 am | News | CommentsQiang "Johnson" Hu, of MKS Instruments Inc., is accused of equipment into China that can be used to enrich and produce weapons-grade uranium.
Kansas Workers Sue Meat Packing Plant
May 22, 2012 8:31 pm | by Roxana Hegeman, Associated Press | News | CommentsAt issue is the practice of paying meat-processing workers based on so-called gang time, which counts only the time the production line is running.
Feds: SC Businessman Illegally Exported To Iran
May 22, 2012 1:59 pm | by Meg Kinnard, Associated Press | News | CommentsMarkos Baghdasarian, the president of Delfin Group USA, is accused of lying to agents about his practice of secretly exporting motor oils.
Tebow Lawyers Threatening To Sue T-shirt Makers
May 21, 2012 9:47 am | News | CommentsCubbyTees.com created a green shirt that says "My Jesus" in a design that resembles the Jets' logo, which lawyers say is illegal.
Judge Recuses Herself From BP Engineer's Case
May 17, 2012 11:59 am | News | CommentsJudge has recused herself from the criminal case against a former BP engineer charged with deleting text messages about BP's response to the 2010 oil spill.
Judge: Apple Statements Damage Lawsuit Position
May 16, 2012 8:59 am | by Larry Neumeister, Associated Press | News | CommentsJudge cited the confident voice of Steve Jobs as she refused to toss out lawsuits alleging Apple and various publishers conspired to drive up the price of e-books.
Kentucky Court To Hear Diet Drug Suit In June
May 14, 2012 11:11 am | News | CommentsCourt will hear an appeal from a group of people who say that a $42 million judgment awarded to them from their one-time attorneys should be reinstated.
Man Pleads Guilty To Stealing Company's Formulas
May 14, 2012 9:24 am | News | CommentsAn Indian scientist accused of stealing secret formulas from a Utah chemistry company has pleaded guilty to a federal computer charge.
