The Oregon Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the city of Beaverton, deciding that it is only required to pay $200,000 of the over $1 million in damages initially granted to a woman who was injured after being struck by a police car. The state's highest court agreed to hear the case after Beaverton took the case to a civil appeals court, claiming that the Oregon Tort Claims Act protects it from having to pay more than $200,000 in damages. However, the case has yet to be resolved, as the Supreme Court only forwarded its recommendation, which is not legally binding, to the appeals court.
Oregon bakery fights back against lawsuit threats
An Oregon bakery has filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court in hopes of stopping continuous legal threats from a similarly named out-of-state bakery. Crave Bake Shop has received national attention since its 2011 founding, reaching thousands of TV viewers through the Food Network program "Cupcake Wars." While the exposure has increased traffic to Crave, it has also made the Oregon business a target for potential civil litigation.
Oregon activists ordered to stop attacks on whalers
A three-person judge panel has ordered the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society to stop attacking Japanese whalers in the Antarctic and reinforced an injunction requiring the group to remain 500 yards away from the whalers' ships at all times. The activist group, which is registered in Oregon, is known for harassing whalers in attempt to disrupt the international whaling industry, leading to a civil litigation from a group of Japanese plaintiffs and their Oregon-based attorney.
Oregon fishermen, legislators embroiled in river suit
Oregon's sport fishermen are in an uproar about pending litigation that prevents them from catching wild winter steelhead along the Clackamas River. A program had been developed by state scientists that allowed the fishermen to catch a certain number of the fish in exchange for sperm and eggs for the state's hatchery projects. Now, civil litigation is threatening not only the future of sport fishing in the area, but also the future of Oregon's delicate fish hatcheries.
