The Products Liability Blog

More today from the Lying Times, which just published this opinion piece suggesting that joint and several liability should return as the default rule in tort cases: Bring Back Joint and Several Liability. We may have a response to that view in an upcoming commentary.

The Lying Times has this interesting story: Machine Bites Annoying Dog, Dog Sues. If the machine needs counsel, we know someone who can do the job.

In Beatles v. Elvis, the California Supreme Court tackled what happens when a rock icon makes a wager but doesn’t pay up. Apparently, Elvis once made a bet with John Lennon. Elvis said he would remake a Beatles original better than the Beatles did it themselves. Lennon accepted. Elvis then passed away without achieving the feat. Elvis’s estate argued that Lennon lacked authority to accept the bet on the band’s behalf, but a jury disagreed and the California Supreme Court upheld the result.

A Florida jury awarded $20 million to a law firm partner who claimed that Microsoft’s Windows operating system was defective because you can’t actually see through it. The software giant defended on grounds that “windows” are a software concept, but a jury disagreed. We wonder how this will fare on appeal.