Published articles, messages, chats about current legal newshttp://www.lawyers.comhttp://editorial.lawyers.com/common/image/favicon.icohttp://www.lawyers.com1616http://research.lawyers.com/news-headline/Problem-banks-list-is-growing-for-FDIC-l:842638679.html?method=rss The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said its "problem list" of banks increased 30 percent in the second quarter to the highest total in five years as more commercial real-estate loans were overdue. Wed, 27 Aug 2008 12:00:00 -0400 http://research.lawyers.com/news-headline/Mattel-awarded-100-million-in-Bratz-doll-case-l:842638678.html?method=rss Toymaking giant Mattel Inc. was awarded $100 million in copyright-infringement and contract damages for its claims that MGA Entertainment Inc.'s Bratz dolls are based on the work of a former Mattel designer. Wed, 27 Aug 2008 12:00:00 -0400 http://research.lawyers.com/news-headline/In-the-hard-fought-battle-after-Hurricane-Katrina-of...-l:842527453.html?method=rss Initially, the court victories came easily. On the stand, telling their tales of battling to get their insurance claims paid, the homeowners almost always won, often with bad-faith penalties. But on appeal, in both federal and state courts, insurers prevailed, winning key legal precedents and knocking down monetary judgments if the parties had not settled. "For a policyholder in the trial court on factual issues, it's an almost wholesale slaughter," said Soren Gisleson, head of the insurance section at the Louisiana Association for Justice, an association of plaintiff attorneys. "At the appellate level, where you're dealing strictly with legal issues, it's exactly the opposite situation. They have not gone in favor of the homeowners." For the past three years, Louisiana has been snarled in litigation involving Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Observers from both sides say the number of claims that went into litigation was more voluminous than after other natural disasters because of the number of people affected by the 2005 storms and the disputes over what caused the damage. Hurricane wind is covered by a homeowner's insurance policy, but rising water is covered separately by the National Flood Insurance Program. Wed, 27 Aug 2008 12:00:00 -0400