LJN Newsletters

Recent developments in entertainment law.

Depending on the circumstances and the law, parties on either side of an entertainment suit may ask a court for an award of attorney fees. Following are court rulings from recent months that deal with this and related concerns. In future issues, Entertainment Law & Finance will report on such relevant rulings in Attorney-Fee Updates.

Entertainment attorneys spend a significant part of their time putting deals together and creating agreements reflecting those deals. But these lawyers may occasionally be called on to terminate ' in an amicable fashion ' an agreement that they or someone else has prepared.

Highlights of the latest product liability cases from around the country.

Until recently American manufacturers were not likely to be sued in Europe. Now, however, with legislation enacted by European Union Member States, an American manufacturer may be found strictly liable for a defective product.

In order to recover for any injury caused by a product, the product must be proven to have been defective. Yet many product injuries are caused by defects that are not readily ascertainable. Does that mean you should reject the case or discontinue?

If you are involved in litigation concerning a substance regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the agency has a Web site where you can review dockets and documents: http://cascade.epa.gov/RightSite/dk_public_home.htm. EPA Dockets (EDOCKET) is an online public docket and comment system designed to expand access to documents in the EPA's major dockets. Dockets contain Federal Register notices, support documents, and public comments for regulations the Agency publishes and various nonregulatory activities.

Psychologists, psychiatrists, and licensed social workers routinely testify as experts in both criminal and civil cases in which the mental condition of an individual is at issue. While the credentials and qualifications of such experts may not always be subject to challenge, the reliability and relevance of their proffered testimony should be examined closely. Regardless of the conclusion generated, the inquiry into a mental health professional's opinion must be one that looks to the principles and methods used, not the ultimate conclusion reached. Daubert v. Merrill Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 509 U.S. 579, 595 (1993).