Alex Alvarez delivers his opening statement at trial against R.J. Reynolds over an Oregon woman's lung cancer.

Portland, OR— Attorneys Tuesday sparred over whether R.J. Reynolds bears responsibility for a 46-year-old Oregon woman’s terminal lung cancer, during openings of what is likely the first in-person, state court tobacco jury trial since COVID-19 shuttered courtrooms across the country. Rickman v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., 19CV28636. 

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The coronavirus pandemic’s impact on the legal industry can be particularly hard for solo practitioners and small firms. Court closures and docket backlogs raise the hurdles a small office already faces in managing and clearing cases. That’s why, on Thursday, February 11, CVN will feature two noted attorneys who will share their advice on how to fine tune your solo practice so it successfully navigates the pandemic and thrives in the years ahead. 

During direct exam, the way questions are phrased can often make or break the testimony itself. And in analyzing how he and Dan Huff cleared a pair of doctors in an $8 million med mal trial, Huff Powell & Bailey's Scott Bailey detailed the "mock cross-exam" approach that he uses on direct to build credibility and undercut a cross.

In a California state court trial against Intuitive Surgical Inc. over injuries a woman claims was caused by the company’s surgical robot, Mark Geragos’s closing rebuttal used the medical device giant's own marketing and defense witness testimony to argue it pushed a potentially dangerous surgical system. 

Tallahassee, FL— A Florida state appeals court last week reversed a $15.5 million total award in a case against R.J. Reynolds over the throat cancer death of a long-time smoker.