Out There
Attorney Spots 3-Point Problem

An attorney who attended a NCAA women’s basketball game in Portland, Ore., in late March noticed a problem with the three-point lines.

Seated near the top of the Moda Center, Michael McGrath noticed that one of the lines appeared shorter than the other.

After McGrath pointed out the discrepancy, officials measured the arcs and discovered that one was nine inches short of regulation at the apex.

McGrath, who practices family law, told Willamette Week he spotted the discrepancy because of his attention to detail.

“I do divorce, so half my job is negotiation and half is making sure that whatever we negotiate is accurate,” McGrath said. “That, and I’m probably just a nerd.”

Source: ABA Journal

Out There
1851 Law May Reduce Bridge Damages

The owner of the cargo ship that demolished the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore in March may benefit from a federal law relied on by the Titanic’s owners after the Titanic struck an iceberg and sank in 1912.

An 1851 law limits a ship owner’s liability to the value of the ship after a maritime disaster. The law was enacted so that shipping companies could avoid staggering losses.

Six construction workers, originally from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico, were killed when the bridge collapsed on March 26. It is estimated that insurance claims related to the disaster will reach $1.2 billion.

Under the 1851 law, liability of the ship’s owner might be limited to tens of millions of dollars instead of more than $1 billion.

“It’s not unusual, because ships collide and there’s damage and there’s injury all the time,” said Martin Davies, director of the Maritime Law Center at Tulane Law School.

Source: Insurance Journal

Quotable
“‘We were there, we remember it all too well.’” – California Court of Appeal Justice Maria Stratton, quoting Taylor Swift

A California appellate judge quoted the lyrics to Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well” in an opinion dismissing a lawsuit filed by Metallica.

The heavy metal band filed the lawsuit after its insurer refused to cover $3.23 million in losses incurred when COVID-19 forced the band to cancel six shows in South America in 2020.

The band’s insurance policy excluded any losses caused by a communicable disease.

The band argued that the lawsuit should continue because a jury could find that the losses were caused by something other than the pandemic.

“[It’s] absurd to think that government closures were not the result of COVID-19,” Justice Stratton wrote.

Source: Marshall News Messenger

By the Numbers
$6 billion – Fee sought by attorneys in lawsuit against Elon Musk

The attorneys who nixed Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s $56 billion compensation package are seeking $6 billion in legal fees.

Three law firms filed a lawsuit in Delaware state court in 2018 on behalf of Richard Tornetta, a Tesla shareholder.

Tornetta argued that Musk and Tesla’s board of directors breached their duties to the company by engaging in sham negotiations over the compensation package.

In January, the judge ruled in Tornetta’s favor and nullified Musk’s compensation package.

The hourly rate for the requested $6 billion fee is $288,888.

Source: Reuters, AP

Did You Know?
New Wisconsin Law Requires AI Disclosure

Under a bipartisan bill signed into law by Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers in March, any political ad with content generated by artificial intelligence must include a disclaimer.

Wisconsin becomes the 10th state to enact such a requirement. Other states with similar requirements include California, Texas, Washington, Michigan, and Minnesota.

Under the new law, video or radio ads with AI content must include a written or spoken disclaimer. Violators are subject to a $1,000 fine per violation.

“This will leave it up to voters to determine whether what they are seeing or hearing is fair, but it will give voters the information to know that what they are seeing or hearing may not be real,” said Sen. Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit), one of the bill’s authors.

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel