A selection of the need-to-know civil justice news for the week of March 28-April 2.

 

March Madness Pools Are Fun, Ubiquitous and Totally Legal

New Jersey Law Journal

Gather around the water cooler. Email all. Post it on Facebook. Start tweeting. Get out your $10 or $20 bill. Fill out your brackets. March Madness is upon us. The total take from this office pool will exceed several billion dollars.

Full Story.

 

SeaWorld Customers Seek Refunds Over Park’s Treatment of Whales in Newest Class Action

Legal Newsline

A group of SeaWorld customers are suing the marine life theme park in a proposed class action, alleging it has “deliberately concealed” its unethical treatment and conditions of its captive orca whales.

Full Story.

 

Malpractice Fears Lead Most ER Docs to Order Unnecessary Tests

Physicians News | Dennis Thompson

Nearly all emergency room doctors surveyed order pricey MRIs or CT scans their patients may not need, mainly because they fear malpractice lawsuits, according to a new report.

Full Story.

 

When Science Is Lost in a Legal Maze

George Johnson | New York Times

In a saner world, where science and the law meshed more precisely, a case like Firstenberg v. Monribot would have been dead on arrival in court. But that is not what happened.

Full Story.

 

Landmark Asbestos Verdict Over Cosmetic Talc Survives Appeal

Mary Pat Gallagher | New Jersey Law Journal

A $1.6 million New Jersey asbestos verdict involving cosmetic talc that is believed to be the first of its kind has been upheld on appeal.

Full Story.

 

Rutgers Board to Vote on Merging Camden, Newark Law Schools

Adam Clark | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Rutgers University’s two law schools may be reunited after more than four decades as separate programs.

Full Story.

 

The Case Against Robert Menendez

David A. Graham | The Atlantic

“Politics as usual”—it’s a phrase that’s rooted in a cynical view of how our elected officials operate. The assumption is that even if what they’re doing isn’t exactly illegal, it’s probably untoward.

Full Story.

 

Christie Wants State Supreme Court to Intervene in $1.6B Pension Case

Meir Rinde | NJ Spotlight

Administration argues there’s no time for appellate division to rule on earlier decision, wants to move ahead to state’s top court immediately

Full Story.

 

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