Steve Korris News
Peirce firm plans to close shop in W.Va., attorney says
Peirce CHARLESTON -- Robert Peirce of Pittsburgh plans to wrap up his firm's asbestos litigation in West Virginia, his associate Robert Daley said at a Feb. 4 hearing.
Day after settlement, former Daily Mail owner declares bankruptcy
WILMINGTON, Del. -- Former owners of the Charleston Daily Mail who agreed to resume its ownership declared bankruptcy the next day.
Major cigarette liability trial postponed until June
Recht CHARLESTON -- Lawyers starting a giant product liability trial against cigarette makers couldn't find enough open minds to fill the jury box.
State still owes interest on 19-year-old case
Sebelius CHARLESTON – Nineteen years after auditors caught West Virginia pension managers swindling $12 million from federal agencies and 11 years after judgment, state taxpayers still owe the original amount plus a far heavier load of interest.
Some Digitek plaintiffs seek economic damages class action
CHARLESTON – In national litigation over heart medicine Digitek before U.S. District Judge Joseph Goodwin, plaintiffs claiming economic damages seek separate treatment from those claiming personal injuries.
Justice Kennedy: Law that banned 'Hillary' could have banned newspapers and books
WASHINGTON –- Politicians who tried to discourage distribution of the movie, "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," could have simply banned it under campaign finance laws the U.S. Supreme Court recently rejected, according to Justice Anthony Kennedy.
Lawyers behind lame Digitek claims face punishment
Goodwin CHARLESTON – U.S. District Judge Joseph Goodwin plans to punish lawyers who filed worthless claims against Mylan Pharmaceuticals and Actavis Totowa.
Gazette antitrust suit settled
CHARLESTON – Charleston Gazette owners who bought the Daily Mail in order to shut it down will set it free with a shot at success under a Jan. 20 settlement of antitrust charges that the U.S. Department of Justice brought against the Gazette.
Majority went too far in legal malpractice case, dissenters say
Davis CHARLESTON – Three Justices of the Supreme Court of Appeals decided the rights of legal malpractice defendant Douglas Rockwell even though he wasn't a party to the case before them, according to two dissenters.
Judges to evaluate Digitek case experts
Goodwin CHARLESTON – Judges from four states will gather in Charleston to help U.S. District Judge Joseph Goodwin evaluate experts in litigation over heart medicine Digitek.
Using company card to pay escorts no grounds for firing, man claims
CLARKSBURG -– Metso Paper's former safety director in Fairmont claims he shouldn't have lost his job for running up charges for female escorts and other comforts on a company credit card.
Heparin caused man to lose toes, suit says
CHARLESTON – Charleston Area Medical Center and manufacturers of blood thinner Heparin caused a West Virginia man to lose some toes, a lawsuit alleges.
On bench, fathers and mothers split in child labor ruling
Ketchum CHARLESTON –- Three fathers on the state Supreme Court of Appeals rejected a lawsuit over a 16-year-old roofer's fall, but two mothers protested.
Monroe assessment correct, Justices rule
CHARLESTON – Monroe County assessor Donna Huffman made no mistake in taxing luxury lots at $26,900 per acre, the Supreme Court of Appeals has decided.
Md. judge lets wind out of turbine plan's sails
GREENBELT, Md. -– Wind turbines can kill a few Indiana bats without endangering the species but the owners must ask for permission first, U.S. District Judge Roger Titus ruled on Dec. 8.
Texas lawyers want W.Va. malpractice case severed
WHEELING -– Texas lawyers who packaged 15 CSX Transportation workers together as identical injury victims for litigation in West Virginia are now protesting that the same 15 should not be packaged together as identical victims of legal malpractice.
Federal discrimination suit references MU Perdue scandal
HUNTINGTON – While Marshall University instructors allegedly boosted grades for the daughter of state Treasurer John Perdue, professor Sandra Prunty refused to add a half point for a student whose hearing impairment she ridiculed, a suit in federal court alleges.
Charleston Newspapers again asks for more time
CHARLESTON – Like a reporter begging an editor over and over for a little more time to finish a story, Charleston's daily newspapers once again ask U.S. District Judge John Copenhaver for a little more time to settle a federal antitrust suit.
Man can recover for injury in unusual car rental wreck case
CHARLESTON – Wang-Yu Lin signed a car rental contract that excluded other drivers but he can recover for a head injury he suffered when someone else drove, the Supreme Court of Appeals has ruled.
State collected too much Medicaid tax from CAMC, Justices say
CHARLESTON – Collectors of state Medicaid taxes overcharged Charleston Area Medical Center by $198,269 for 1996 and 1997 and must pay the hospital back, the Supreme Court of Appeals has ruled.