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Verdicts & Settlements

Former George Mason University law prof says he’s ‘fully vindicated’ after ‘relatively modest’ defamation suit settlement

By Debra Cassens Weiss

March 12, 2025, 2:59 pm CDT

A former professor at the George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School has reached a settlement in his defamation lawsuit against two former students who alleged that he abused his power to initiate sexual relationships with them when they were law students.

Professor Joshua D. Wright settled with Elyse Dorsey and dropped his claim against Freshfields counsel Angela Landry, report Law.com, Law360 and Reuters.

His suit, filed in Fairfax County, Virginia, circuit court, had sought $108 million in damages.

The articles identify Dorsey as a Kirkland & Ellis partner, but the law firm’s website page for her appears to have been removed.

Dorsey’s settlement “provides Wright with a relatively modest amount of compensation and allows Dorsey to continue speaking out,” Law.com reports. Wright filed a motion to end the litigation last week.

Wright had maintained that the relationships were consensual, and the two women were “scorned former lovers.” In a statement released to Law360, he said he is “relieved to have been fully vindicated. The evidence has made it undeniably clear that the relationships in question were consensual from the start. I remain fully committed to defending my reputation and will not hesitate to take further legal action if necessary to hold accountable those responsible for false accusations.”

The two defendants said they were pleased with the development.

A statement by Dorsey’s lawyer said the settlement will exclusively be paid from insurance “and constituted less than 0.3% of the damages professor Wright sought in the litigation,” according to Law.com.

“Settling this case was a difficult decision, but it allows me to continue my advocacy work without the distraction or continued trauma of ongoing litigation,” Dorsey said in a statement cited by Law.com.

Wright has the option of refiling his claim within six months against Landry. Her lawyer, Stacey Rose Harris, told Law.com that the dismissal “obviously speaks for itself.”

“Parties ‘vindicated’ in litigation don’t voluntarily dismiss their own claims on the eve of trial,” Harris said.

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3. Lawyer arrested at state bar meeting for…

First Amendment

Lawyer arrested at state bar meeting for carrying petitions reaches settlement

By Debra Cassens Weiss

January 22, 2025, 2:58 pm CST

An Arkansas lawyer who was arrested for carrying ballot petitions at a state bar meeting in June 2024 has reached an out-of-court settlement that calls for payment of $200,000 to her lawyers.

Lawyer Jennifer Standerfer of Bentonville, Arkansas, settled with the Arkansas Bar Association; the city of Hot Springs, Arkansas; its police department and a city commission that owns the convention center where Standerfer was arrested for solicitation, the Arkansas Times reports. The settlement followed a mediation.

A joint statement by the parties said they “regret the fact of Ms. Standerfer’s arrest,” and they acknowledge that the lawyer had a constitutional right to carry the petitions.

Standerfer had argued that the First Amendment protected her. She had carried the petitions into the Hot Springs Convention Center, at first in a small wagon with a sign and on a second day by clipboards. She didn’t seek signatures but made the petitions available to anyone who wanted to sign them, she told KARK.com and the Arkansas Advocate after the meeting.

One proposed ballot measure would broaden the reach of the state’s Freedom of Information Act and stiffen penalties for violations, according to the Arkansas Advocate. The other would amend the Arkansas Constitution to create a government obligation to share information.

Standerfer was a committee member of the group sponsoring the petition drive, Arkansas Citizens for Transparency. After Standerfer’s arrest, the group obtained materials about the arrest through the state’s Freedom of Information Act, KARK.com reported.

Video obtained by the group showed officers telling Standerfer that she was being asked to leave. When she refused, officers handcuffed the lawyer and removed her from the event. She was not formally charged.

A state bar representative had texted the convention center asking staff members to ask Standerfer to leave because of the petitions, documents indicated. The bar had said after Standerfer’s arrest, no one authorized to speak for the association had sought Standerfer’s removal.

Standerfer had explained why she backed greater transparency in an April 2024 opinion column for theNorthwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

“The FOIA is how we know what our government is doing,” she wrote. “It is how we hold politicians accountable, and we should do a whole lot more than question any politician who says that we should sacrifice our rights under the FOIA in the name of ‘efficiency.’”

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3. Judge gives final OK to $8M settlement in…

Cybersecurity

Judge gives final OK to $8M settlement in Orrick data breach

By Debra Cassens Weiss

November 12, 2024, 1:51 pm CST

A federal judge in California approved an $8 million settlement Friday in consolidated cases brought against Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe over a 2023 data breach that may have compromised the personal information of more than 638,000 people.

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston of the Northern District of California said after a hearing Friday she would give final approval to the settlement but was holding off on a $2 million request for attorney fees to be paid out of the settlement money.

Law360, Bloomberg Law and Law.com have coverage.

Orrick initially reported that the data breach affected nearly 153,000 people but later said the number of people affected was higher. More than 638,000 people received notices that personally identifiable information may have been obtained, according to an Oct. 4 motion for final settlement approval.

The hack exposed names, home addresses, birth dates and Social Security numbers, plaintiffs said.

The settlement allows class members to receive an “alternative cash payment” of $75 without supplying documentation, according to the Oct. 4 motion.

Those who submit documentation can seek up to $2,500 for out-of-pocket expenses, up to $7,500 for extraordinary losses, up to $125 for time spent (amounting to $25 per hour), and, for Californians, an extra $150 for privacy act claims, the motion says.

Orrick agreed to the settlement but denied liability and did not concede the factual basis for claims.

Illston’s approval of the Orrick settlement follows an agreement by Florida midsize law firm Gunster to pay $8.5 million to plaintiffs suing over a 2022 data breach, according to Law.com.

Being injured in an accident is stressful enough, but dealing with the financial aftermath can make things even harder. Between medical bills, missed work, and the toll it takes on your life, it’s natural to wonder what kind of compensation you might be entitled to.

Now, here’s the multi-million dollar question: how do you go about calculating a fair personal injury settlement? The truth is, there’s no one-size-fits-all formula. Simply put, it’s handled on a case-by-case basis. What you can do is look at multiple aspects of the injury and its impact on your life. Let’s go into it:

Understand the Types of Personal Injury Cases

Personal injury cases cover a wide range of situations. The specifics of your case will play a big role in how your settlement is determined. You might be dealing with:

Motor Vehicle Accident

Car accidents are one of the most common personal injury claims. Settlement depends heavily on fault and insurance coverage. Typically, the at-fault party’s insurance covers the damages, but the amount you receive depends on the severity of your injuries.

Slip and Fall

These accidents usually happen on someone else’s property due to negligence, such as wet floors with no sign or broken stairs. Proving liability is critical here; you’ll need to show that the property owner knew about the hazard and didn’t take action to fix it.

In these situations, your medical records and any evidence of negligence can be pivotal. The total costs of medical treatment, rehabilitation, and lost wages will help determine your settlement.

Workplace Injuries

Workplace injuries can arise from various scenarios—falls, equipment malfunctions, or exposure to harmful substances. These cases usually involve worker’s compensation claims, which provide financial support to employees injured on the job.

In these cases, calculating settlements often consider medical expenses, lost wages, and disability. If your injuries affect your long-term ability to work, that can significantly increase your settlement value.

This is just the start of calculating your claims, so finding the best personal injury lawyer for your case in Queens, such as Davidoff Law or one in your local area, should be a top priority. Law experts will help you navigate the legal maze and give you an estimate of what your settlement might look like. Their main goal is to have your back and look out for your best interests every step of the way!

Assess Your Damages

Next up is figuring out exactly what your damages are. Essentially, they’re generally divided into economic and non-economic categories. Let’s take a closer look at them:

Economic Damages

These are the tangible, out-of-pocket costs associated with your injury. They’re easier and straightforward to calculate because they come with receipts and clear financial records.

Economic damages include:

• Medical cost: This includes all the expenses related to your injury, from the initial hospital visit to ongoing treatments like physical therapy or medication. If you’ve had surgery or expect to need long-term care, those future expenses also count. It’s also best to consider any potential complications that might arise from your injury as well.
• Lost salary: If your injury caused you to miss work, you can claim the income you would have earned during that time. This covers the days, weeks, or even months you’ve been unable to work. If you’re still recovering, your settlement might also account for future lost wages.
• Property damage: If your personal property was damaged in an accident, like your vehicle, you can include repair or replacement costs in your settlement. This is often overlooked but can make a significant difference.

Make sure you’ve compiled all the documents and evidence related to these economic damages to support your claim effectively.

Non-Economic Damages

Now, here’s where things get a little more subjective. Non-economic damages cover the emotional and physical impact the injury has had on your life. Here are some examples:

• Pain and suffering: This refers to the physical pain or discomfort you may have endured due to your injury. Unlike medical bills, there’s no set number attached to this, so it’s often calculated using a multiplier method (more on that in a bit).
• Loss of enjoyment of life: If your injury has limited your ability to enjoy hobbies or activities, this can be considered in your settlement. For instance, if you’re an avid runner but are now unable to jog due to an accident, that loss can be compensated.
• Disfigurement: If your injury has caused visible scars or amputations, you may be entitled to damages for the emotional and social effects. The psychological burden of living with a disfigurement could deeply impact self-esteem.

Non-economic damages have so much weight on your living experience. They truly capture how the injury has affected your well-being beyond just the financial aspects.

As you can see, recognizing the tangible costs and the emotional toll your injury has taken will better equip you to negotiate a fair settlement.

Know How Fault Impacts Your Settlement

Not every accident is cut and dry, and sometimes, both parties share some degree of blame. This is where comparative negligence comes in. In many states, the amount you receive in your settlement could be reduced depending on the percentage of fault you hold.

For example, if you were 20% at fault for a car accident, your total settlement might be reduced by 20%. So, if the final compensation were initially USD$50,000, you’d walk away with USD$40,000.

Just take note that different states handle faults differently. So, it’s best to know how your state’s laws work in case you’re partially responsible.

Takeaway

Calculating a personal injury settlement isn’t an exact science. Every case has its unique circumstances that can influence the outcome. What you need to do is to work with a lawyer who knows the ins and outs of the legal process. With the right help, you can get through this and come out okay on the other side.

Members of the editorial and news staff of Law&Crime were not involved in the creation of this content.

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3. Client’s employees seek approval of data…

Cybersecurity

Client’s employees seek approval of data breach settlement after BigLaw firm hack

By Debra Cassens Weiss

October 11, 2024, 9:20 am CDT

Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner and its client Mondelez Global have agreed to pay $750,000 to settle claims by Mondelez employees whose private information may have been compromised in a hack of the law firm’s network.

A class of about 53,000 current and former Mondelez employees asked U.S. District Judge Jorge L. Alonso to preliminarily approve the settlement in an Oct. 4 memorandum of law.

Reuters and Law360 have coverage.

Attorney fees of up to $250,000 for class counsel would come from the settlement fund. Individual plaintiffs could seek money for time spent responding to the breach, reimbursement of up to $7,000 for out-of-pocket losses and free credit monitoring. Class members could elect instead to seek a pro rata cash payment from the settlement fund.

Bryan Cave and Mondelez have both implemented security improvements to protect against another security breach, the plaintiffs said in the request.