Supreme

Oregon Supreme Court Reduces $20.3 Million Jury Award to $5.3 Million in Landlord Negligence Case

by

Portland, Oregon – The Oregon Supreme Court has overturned a jury’s decision to award a Portland man $20.3 million in a lawsuit against his apartment complex. Robert Trebelhorn sued the complex after he injured his knee when it punched through a rotten wooden walkway. The high court deemed the jury’s award to be “grossly excessive” and instead reduced it to about $5.3 million in punitive damages and $300,000 in compensatory damages. State law mandates that 70% of punitive damages go towards crime victims compensation and courthouse funds. The ruling by the Supreme Court reflects a … Read more

Supreme Court to Determine Legality of Punishing Homeless for Sleeping Outside Without Shelter

by

Grants Pass, Oregon – The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case that will determine whether local governments can penalize homeless individuals for sleeping or camping in public when shelter beds are not available. This raises the question of whether such laws violate the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. The case stems from a complaint filed by three homeless individuals in Grants Pass, an Oregon city with a higher number of homeless people than available shelter beds. The city has ordinances that prohibit individuals from sleeping on the streets or … Read more

Alaska Supreme Court Overturns $2.3 Million Jury Award in Controversial Social Worker Retaliation Case

by

An Alaska Supreme Court ruling has invalidated a $2.3 million jury award granted to a former state social worker who had sued her employer for retaliation and wrongful termination. The court upheld the lower court’s decision to deny a motion for a new trial on liability filed by the Office of Children’s Services, while overturning the employee’s award. The agency argued that the jury award duplicated the compensation the plaintiff had already received in workers’ compensation benefits. The Supreme Court determined that there wasn’t enough evidence in the trial record to settle the matter. The … Read more

Supreme Court Considers Reversal of Colorado’s Ruling, Allowing Trump to Participate in Republican Presidential Primary

by

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court seems poised to reverse the Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling that former President Donald Trump is ineligible to run in the state’s Republican Party Presidential primary. The ruling disqualifies him under Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment, which states that anyone who engaged in insurrection or rebellion is ineligible for office. While the official decision has yet to be announced, legal experts predict that the U.S. Supreme Court will allow Trump’s name to appear on the ballot, according to widespread observer views. During the oral arguments for Trump v. Anderson, … Read more