$3.4B Class Action Settlement (and the contest thereof)

The National Law Journal ran a story recently describing the recent appeal of the $3.4B settlement of the contested Native American trust litigation.  (Story here.)  I have not been following the details of this case closely enough to hold any opinion about the merits of this appeal.  But given the magnitude of the settlement and … Continue reading $3.4B Class Action Settlement (and the contest thereof)

DEADLINE TODAY for Submissions to host 2012 WIP conference

We have several great submissions.  If you are interested in adding to our list, please do so by 5 pm today. The WIP host institution is responsible for organizing all of the logistics for the conference, from picking dates, lining up hotels, and scheduling receptions and presentations. The conference host, assisted by the Conference Planning Committee (consisting … Continue reading DEADLINE TODAY for Submissions to host 2012 WIP conference

Such a Joy!

As the LEAPS Panels and website are now in place, I thought it might be interesting to share this experience. Yesterday I had the pleasure of joining a colleague of mine in his first year property class. He was using, for the first time, a commercial lease negotiation exercise in his class. This particular colleague … Continue reading Such a Joy!

Sesame Street Dispute Resolution and the Supreme Court

Jean Sternlight and one of my students sent me this link from Sesame Street in which Justice Sotomayor engages in some “dispute resolution”. Seems more like evaluative mediation to me. Very amusing! Goldilocks Avoids Criminal Sanction When Sotomayor Judges Dispute on Sesame Street http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/goldilocks_avoids_criminal_sanction_when_sotomayor_judges_dispute_on_sesame/

Credit Card Arbitration Antitrust Suit Goes Forward

A federal judge in Manhattan has denied summary judgment in an antitrust suit against Citigroup and Discover Bank alleging that they conspired with other banks to add arbitration clauses to their credit card agreements in order to  curb class actions. The case alleges that the banks formed an “Arbitration Coalition” that met multiple times between … Continue reading Credit Card Arbitration Antitrust Suit Goes Forward

>$3B in Federal Settlements Last Year

The National Law Journal’s online edition ran a story this morning (available here, text pasted below) about the more then $3 billion the federal government paid out in settlements in 2011.  The Departments of Energy, Agriculture, and Interior led the way in settling “mega-cases,” payment for which apparently comes from the Judgment Fund.  I’ve been … Continue reading >$3B in Federal Settlements Last Year