A settlement has been reached in a lawsuit over a woman who froze to death in Connecticut in 2009. The lawsuit named a local bar and Democratic Rep. James O’Rourke; on the night of the incident, O’Rourke drove the woman home from the bar, dropping her off about a half-mile from her home on Jan. 21, believing it to be where she lived. No criminal charges have been filed, and the terms of the settlement were undisclosed. Read Article: The Hartford Courant
Man’s Appearance in ‘Gang Book’ Prompts Suit
A Chicago man filed a lawsuit this week against the Chicago Crime Commission after his picture appeared as a local gang leader in a law enforcement book. The suit claims the group’s “Gang Book” falsely identifies him as a “leader in Roselle of the Spanish Gangster Disciples,” of which he has no actual affiliation. The plaintiff says he has suffered damage to his personal and occupational reputation as a result. Read Article: Chicago Tribune
First Suit Filed Over Dark Knight Movie Killings
A man who was at the “Dark Knight Rises” premiere when 12 people were killed and dozens more injured has filed the first lawsuit against the movie theater, the suspect’s doctors and the film studio. The plaintiff, who was not injured in the incident, says his best friend was shot and killed, and accuses all the defendants of various forms of negligence. Many more personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits are assumed to follow. Read Article: Reuters
Labor/Employment
Glass Company Hit with Sexual Harassment Lawsuit
A northern California glass-processing company has been hit with a lawsuit from one of its female employees, alleging the company did not protect her from a “devastating cycle of sexual harassment and abuse.” The plaintiff claims she was sexually harassed and assaulted by three male supervisors over a five-year period; one of the supervisors has been charged with raping her six times. She claims that despite reporting the harassment to company officials, nothing was done to alleviate the situation. Read Article: San Jose Mercury News
Products Liability
Problems with Door Latch Prompt Honda Recall
Honda Motor Co. has issued a recall of more than 172,000 Honda CRVs, model year 2012, and Acura ILX sedans, model year 2013, to fix problems with the door-locking mechanism. The company said that, under certain circumstances, the door may not latch properly and could pop open during an accident. Read Article: WSJ Blogs
Wrongful Death
Lawsuit Filed Over Fatal Wreck That Killed Twins
A widow in upstate New York has filed a lawsuit against a dump truck driver and his employer over the fatal wreck he caused that killed her husband and his twin sister in 2011. The driver, who was allegedly under the influence of synthetic marijuana, drove the truck 500 feet across a median at 55 mph, went airborne and struck the vehicle the twins were in. No criminal charges have been filed as of yet. The suit is seeking unspecified damages. Read Article: Rochester Democrat & Chronicle