A selection of the need-to-know civil justice news for November 25-December 1.
Reaping the Jurisdictional Whirlwind
Bexis | Drug & Device Law Blog
Literally for decades plaintiffs in mass torts have employed the business model of flooding jurisdictions seen as friendly to them with more solicited plaintiffs than any court system can possibly handle. They have employed every forum-shopping trick in the book to trap defendants in these jurisdictions, which usually have no relationship to any party. After swamping the courts, they finish the job by advocating procedural shortcuts, such as abbreviated discovery and consolidated trials, that make it virtually impossible for defendants to undertake anything approaching an effective defense.
Emails Went to ‘Electronic Ether,’ Not New Jersey, Judge Rules
David Gialanella | New Jersey Law Journal
Offering some guidance on the minimum contacts requirement in the digital age, a federal judge has declined to exercise jurisdiction over a contract dispute where messages that went “into the electronic ether” were about the only thing connecting the defendant with New Jersey.
Robot Patrols Grocery Store to Prevent Slip-and-Falls
Walter Olson | Overlawyered
Marty, a robot, patrols the aisles in a Giant food store in Pennsylvania, part of a test program of a technology developed by a Kentucky company. “The robot is equipped with scanners so he doesn’t bump into displays or shoppers. He also has several internal cameras that reach about three fourths of the way down aisles,” a manager for Ahold USA said. “The robot’s main job right now is to scan for trip or slip hazards on the floor,” which can reduce liability payouts not only by aiding rapid cleanup of spills, but also by documenting that the site of a spill had not been the scene of a slip hazard for very long, reducing the chance of a finding of liability.
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