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A San Francisco judge popped the balloon on a $250 million punitive damages award against Monsanto, but affirmed a jury verdict that found the company’s weedkiller caused cancer in a former groundskeeper. According to evidence at trial, the plaintiff contracted non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma by repeatedly spraying high concentrations of Roundup. Judge Suzanne Bolanos upheld a $39.2 million compensatory damages award, and reduced punitive damages to $39.2 million. The judge could still order a new trial if DeWayne “Lee” Johnson refuses the reduced award in Johnson v....

Kim Kardashian, Old Navy; two names you might never have thought to find in the same sentence, until now. Ms. Kardashian filed a right of publicity lawsuit against Old Navy and its parent company, Gap, Inc., in Los Angeles federal court last week in response to the Old Navy advertisement that featured a Kim Kardashian look-alike. The Kardashian lawsuit claims that Old Navy’s advertising campaign was “purposefully designed and intended to confuse, to cause mistake, and to deceive the public” into believing the reality TV diva was appearing in the commercials, reports The Los Angeles Times....

There is no perfect path to success in law school. You will not experience nirvana at graduation when all the suffering of legal study ends. No, that moment of nirvana comes only to those who follow the path of pain. For many law students, it is the path of the perfectionist. Perfectionism Hurts Kerriann Stout, writing of her experience for Above the Law, says most law students are perfectionists. She said that attribute can help and it can hurt....

The Law School Admissions Council is in some serious hot water with the law right now as a federal judge in California just held the organization in contempt. Shockingly, the contempt order came as a result of LSAC’s failure to abide by a consent decree that implemented major changes to the testing accommodations process for disabled test takers. Upon review of the matter, on motion by the DFEH, the court found that the LSAC, and its appointed monitor, were in violation of the consent decree setting forth particular requirements....

Last week, a California woman was arrested, ‘Whip-it’ in hand, inhaling laughing gas in front of a police officer. The woman was in her car, in a hospital parking lot, when an officer arrived at the scene due to a report of a woman in a car with a handgun. In addition to charges related to drug use, she may also be charged with carrying a concealed weapon, which was found in her car....

Keeping a pet deer is a common childhood fantasy, and apparently, not everyone outgrows that dream. A couple in Michigan is filing a lawsuit to keep their real-life Bambi, reports Business Insider. No, seriously, it really is like “Bambi.” Once upon a time, a family in Genesee County, Michigan, adopted a deer. This was five years ago, after her mother was killed by a car. (OK, so the deer here is a female and the mom in “Bambi” was hunted, but close enough....

Defendant’s capital murder conviction is affirmed where: 1) the trial court did not abuse its discretion in finding that joining Defendant’s case with an unrelated jailhouse murder charge against Defendant would create unnecessary complexity; and 2) there was no merit in Defendant’s complaint that the jury would be surprised if it learned about the jailhouse killing at the penalty phase. Read the full decision in People v. Butler, No. S055501....

In an action arising from a conviction of a defendant for possessing more than 28.5 grams of marijuana, court of appeals judgment determining the validity of Health & Safety Code section 11362.77 which prescribes the amount of marijuana that a qualified patient may possess or cultivate is affirmed in part and reversed in part where: 1) insofar as section 11362.77 burdens a defense under the CUA to a criminal charge of possessing or cultivating marijuana, it impermissibly amends the Compassionate Use Act (CUA) and in that respect is invalid under California Constitution article II, section 10(c); and 2) the Court of Appeals erred in concluding that section 11362....

Convicted of murder, Frank Dryman was a fugitive for 38 years, apparently running a wedding chapel in Arizona instead of serving out his life sentence in a Montana Prison. Dryman, who was living under an assumed name as Victor Houston in Arizona skipped out on parole and was operating a notary and chapel business in Arizona City, CNN reports. A hitchhiker, Dryman was originally sentenced to be executed for the 1951 killing of Clarence Pellett, who picked him up during a blizzard....

To many, the NFL stands for the “No Fun League.” And that certainly applies when it comes to Super Bowl XLVII and its associated legal liability waivers. The NFL wants nothing to do with potential lawsuits related to Super Bowl Sunday, so league lawyers have slapped liability waivers onto just about everything. Same goes for other companies hoping to get in on some Super Bowl-related action. Here’s a look at three examples of superfluously worded Super Bowl liability waivers:...

It seems like every day brings another story of a new immigration law or policy, increased deportation efforts, or, yes, a wall. And with all that news can come quite a bit of misinformation. So, how do you separate fact from fiction when it comes to immigration law? Here are some of the most common misconceptions about U.S. immigration and naturalization law and policy, and where you can go for the truth....

Is there anyone who thinks that women rule the legal world? It’s certainly not the boys club that it was back in the day when Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg were graduating from law school and trying to break through the glass ceiling. O’Connor graduated at the top of her class at Stanford Law School and only received legal secretary offers from law firms. Ginsburg had to endure Harvard Law Dean Erwin Griswold asking the women of her class what it felt like to occupy places that could have gone to deserving men....

This should cause a bit of a chuckle. We’ve pointed out recently, a couple times, that the massive drop in law school applications has meant a shift in admissions results. Someone destined for a middling school in 2006 might have a shot at a top school today – or better yet, a scholarship! Instead, at least at the University of Michigan Law School, they’re looking at the whole person. A cynic might say, “Hah....

Trading goods and services without the use of money is called bartering. But that’s not exactly the case when it comes to trading your 2 year old child for a gun. Maricopa County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Tanya Nareau for allegedly trying to trade her 2-year-old child for a gun, the Associated Press reports. Nareau, is being held on felony charges of unlawful sale of a child and solicitation of a weapon by a prohibited person....

The cost of metrosexual theft: $5,200. That’s how much a well-groomed man’s theft tallied up to after he stole a variety of bourgie drug-store items. Police are still on the hunt for the well-dressed, prolific shopper in Colorado. Once apprehended, the well-groomed man is likely to face a high-end theft charge. The well-groomed thief stole teeth-whitening strips, weight-loss pills, Rogaine, probiotics, and condoms worth $5,200, Denver’s KMGH-TV reports. That puts him in the Class 4 category, which is a felony....

In property class, things are not always what they seem. American Indians don’t own land, people can steal foxes willy-nilly (but not whales), and a fertile octogenarian will always pop up to spoil your day. 1. Pierson v. Post (New York, 1805). Along with the hairy hands, Pennoyer, cannibalism, and Mrs. Palsgraf, Pierson v. Post stands as the most classic case in its field. Post was hunting foxes with his dogs....

Happy Administrative Professionals Day! This is the day when you appreciate the person in your office who prints, copies, files, types, answers the phone, and handles your calendar logistics. Don’t worry, the actual day isn’t until April 22. If you forgot about it, there’s plenty of time to get a gift for your administrative professional. Gift baskets are great, but who wants flowers? The new hotness is gift baskets full of snacks, from sausages and cheese to crackers, spreads, and California wine....

Podcasts have brought new life back to the radio format, allowing for the creation of a whole new industry of people talking about things. If you’re a lawyer who’s commuting any distance, or even just doing the dishes, you should be listening to podcasts. But which ones? Obviously you’re listening to the “Serial” podcast, but there are actually more out there. Avoiding technical discussion of how the law works, the Life of the Law podcast instead discusses a legal concept and then documents how that concept affects people’s lives....

Your resume is the first impression you make with employers. If it doesn’t grab the employer’s attention, you’ll never get the chance to make your case to them in an interview. CNN reports that, on average, human resource managers receive more than 75 resumes for each open position. How can you stand out from the crowd? Consider these five techniques to elevate your resume: 1. Link to Your LinkedIn Profile. Think of your LinkedIn profile as an extension of your resume....

That first day of 1L year is coming up and that means a whole bunch of new dos and don’ts to learn. Law school is a social universe unto itself complete with stereotypes and status markers. Each 1L class is subdivided into small sections of 100 students or less. During the first year, you’ll spend a lot of time with those people so it’s important to make a good impression....