It started with an idea among a group of Portland lawyers. We took oaths to support the Constitution. And that means supporting Black lives and supporting the rights of protesters. Portland protesters put their bodies on the line to stand for Black Lives Matter. Donald Trump and Chad Wolf chose… Continue Reading →
The Oregon Qarmat Ali Vets’ case, Bixby v. KBR, continues. A group of 12 of these veterans won a stunning $85 million verdict against KBR for toxic harms suffered in Iraq at a KBR- contaminated site. After the verdict, and while the case was on KBR’s slow-track appeal, the… Continue Reading →
On Friday, January 31, 2014, the jury returned its verdict in favor of BP Oregon ARCO and am-pm minimarket gas purchasers. The jury found that BP recklessly violated the Oregon Unlawful Trade Practices Act. The 2.9 million class members are each entitled to make claims for $200. Media reports are… Continue Reading →
Nice piece here at Blue Oregon from Economic Fairness of Oregon relating to the need to end the consumer fraud exemption for insurance companies. Disclosure: When it comes to EFO, I’ve long been an unabashed fanboy–they do tremendous pro-consumer work. HB 3160-A is pending in the Oregon… Continue Reading →
It happens every election cycle that non-law friends and others may be casting about on races on which they may not be familiar. Sometimes I weigh in–especially when bad ballot measures or obvious choices make me speak. I wear my biases on my sleeve. I represent consumers in hard, complicated… Continue Reading →
My sleepy Monday started with full-on Twitter commentary emanating from a courtroom in Brooklyn. It seems that Ryan J. Davis (@RyanNewYork), a Brooklyn social media-active guy had gotten pulled into court for jury duty. Mr. Davis was live-tweeting voir dire–AKA jury selection–from the court room. That’s to say, he was… Continue Reading →
I’ve heard so much about the Santorum surge and how he is a man of principle–a values candidate, a different kind of politician. Senator Santorum has been part of the echo chamber for caps on damages in medical injury lawsuits. He hits all the rhetoric about how caps are necessary… Continue Reading →
So here is what is happening in my law office today, Veteran’s Day, 2011: Kevin Stanger is giving a deposition in Bixby v. KBR, the case in U.S. District Court here in Oregon where veterans dare to call corporate giant KBR to account. Mr. Stanger is one of the vets… Continue Reading →
News today that West Coast Bank reached an agreement with the FDIC relating to its “courtesy coverage” overdraft protection. According to Brent Hunsberger’s report in The Oregonian, the issue was ineffective opt outs. But there is a bigger problem with Oregon banks ordering transactions in a way that triggers… Continue Reading →
Last night’s HBO premier of Hot Coffee, The Movie provided a great summary of all the ways in which the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, large foreign corporations, and political operatives have banded together to end the right to trial by jury. Filmmaker Susan Saladoff did a masterful job of… Continue Reading →