A selection of the need-to-know civil justice news for the week of January 21-27.

 

NJ Legislators Move to Bar Out-of-State Arbitration in Consumer Contracts

Michael Booth | New Jersey Law Journal

The New Jersey Assembly has passed legislation that prohibits companies from inserting language in consumer contracts that requires arbitration of disputes in forums outside of the state.

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N.J. Supreme Court Reinstates $25M Verdict In Accutane Case

Salvador Rizzo | The Record

New Jersey’s top court reinstated a $25 million jury award on Tuesday — one of the largest in recent years — for an Alabama man who became seriously ill after taking Accutane, an acne medication.

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The Victims In An Employment Case

Beth Robinson | Above the Law

The other night, on one of my many social-media groups, I heard a fellow employment litigator talk about an unpopular topic: when management suffers in an employment case. I know you are all thinking: what? Those bad people who are listed by name in a complaint as the individuals who caused the loss of income and mental anguish that started it all, they are victims? Sometimes they are.

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$25 Million Accutane Verdict Reinstated by NJ High Court

Michael Booth | New Jersey Law Journal

The New Jersey Supreme Court has reinstated a $25.16 million judgment in favor of an Alabama man who claims he contracted Crohn’s disease after taking Accutane, an acne drug that has been the subject of mass tort litigation in the state for more than a decade.

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True Hero: This Lawyer Will Work Pro Bono For Anyone Suing The Snow Globe Industry

Clickhole (Satire)

If you’re looking for a story to brighten your day, then look no further. He may not own a cape or have x-ray vision, but Jack Wilson of Pittsburgh, PA is nothing short of a hero. Despite working grueling long weeks at his law firm Wilson, Meadows & Bay, he still finds time to do something truly exemplary: This bighearted lawyer will work completely pro bono for anyone suing the snow globe industry.

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Workplace Class Action Forecast: More Cases, Higher Settlements

Sue Reisinger | Corporate Counsel

Private plaintiffs and the government are likely to be aggressive in 2017 in bringing workplace class action litigation, and in-house counsel need to be equally aggressive in identifying and addressing class action vulnerabilities, according to a massive new report from labor and employment firm Seyfarth Shaw.

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