In a week of scattered legal blows and unexpected settlements, courts across the country wrestled with tech liability, workplace deaths, and the messy boundaries of insurance coverage.
A California appeals court delivered a win for state regulators, ordering Uber to hand over documents related to the death of an Uber Eats driver. The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health is investigating whether the worker could be considered an employee, a status that would dramatically change the company’s safety obligations.
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Social Media Under Fire
YouTube urged a Seattle judge to dismiss a complaint from a woman who says she was bullied over a secretly recorded viral dashcam video of her texting while driving. The platform argues she can’t get around its legal protections under Section 230 by framing the claim as wiretapping.
The fight over children’s safety online also moved to Congress, where a bipartisan House bill drew immediate fire from a leading Senate counterpart who called it a “toothless and tepid capitulation” to tech companies. The criticism highlights the uphill battle any such legislation faces.
From Courtroom to Slip-and-Fall
A New Jersey appeals court affirmed a jury verdict for U-Haul, rejecting an attorney’s attempt to overturn it after he slipped exiting a moving truck, breaking bones and teeth. The panel found the lower court was right to deny his bid for a pretrial win.
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A Question of Coverage
Insurance disputes dominated several high-profile cases.
The Fourth Circuit ruled a man paralyzed in a crash linked to alcohol at a “Beer Olympics” party cannot collect from the host homeowners’ insurer, citing a motor vehicle exclusion in the policy.
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In North Carolina, a federal jury will decide whether a Chubb unit was wrong to refuse to pay $10 million toward a wrongful death settlement. The matter stems from a fatal crash involving a Lowe’s employee, and the judge found disputed facts made a trial necessary.
A group of plaintiffs is asking the Eleventh Circuit to lift a stay on proceedings against Royal Caribbean Cruises. They allege a crew member covertly filmed them for his own gratification and are fighting its push to compel arbitration.