Case over anonymity at Hawaiian school nixed by justices
HONOLULU — The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear a dispute over whether to identify students challenging a private school system’s admissions policy that gives preference to those of Hawaiian ancestry. The court on Monday left in place lower court rulings against four non-Hawaiian students who object to the Kamehameha Schools’ policy. The challengers, […]
Merck, J&J reach deal to end drug rights dispute
Drugmakers Merck & Co. and Johnson & Johnson agreed Friday to split billions of dollars in annual revenue to end a two-year drama of arbitration and verbal wrangling over the rights to two blockbuster biotech medicines. Analysts have been predicting a settlement since the first act, when Merck in March 2009 said it would tie […]
Trial begins over death of off-duty Baltimore officer
The Baltimore jury that will decide whether Sian James murdered Detective Brian Stevenson or acted in self-defense during a dispute over a parking place in Canton last October heard from the eyewitnesses Thursday as trial got under way in Baltimore City Circuit Court. James’ companions that night — his roommate, the roommate’s girlfriend, and her […]
Sinclair, Time Warner Cable talks stretch on
NEW YORK — Sinclair Broadcast Group and Time Warner Cable agreed to another extension in their negotiations over programming fees. The companies are wrangling over how much Time Warner Cable Inc. will pay Sinclair for the rights to include Sinclair’s broadcast stations in Time Warner channel lineups. Their previous contract, which expired at the end […]
Disputes between Sinclair, Hearst, could mean blackouts for some TV viewers
Come Jan. 1, fans of WBAL-TV who watch via satellite provider DirecTV could find themselves without the station in the latest series of spats over fees that have also embroiled Time Warner Cable Systems and Hunt Valley-based Sinclair Broadcast Group. Sinclair said on Tuesday that its latest offer to Time Warner Cable had been rejected […]
Supreme Court rejects lawyer-ad fight
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court will not get involved in a dispute over whether state officials can curb some law firm television commercials. The high court refused to hear an appeal from New York officials who passed rules that would curb some television commercials from local law firms. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals […]
Supreme Court considers ERISA reliance standard
WASHINGTON — If a summary of pension-plan benefits fails to notify employees of a benefit reduction, what relief can those employees seek? And must they prove detrimental reliance? Those were the issues the Supreme Court justices grappled with during Tuesday’s oral arguments in CIGNA Corp. v. Amara. Former Solicitor General Theodore Olson, now a partner […]
Supreme Court will review $290 million patent verdict
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court agreed Monday to referee a $290 million dispute between Microsoft Corp. and a Canadian technology company over complaints that a tool used in the popular Microsoft Word program violated patent protections. The high court on Monday agreed to hear an appeal from the Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft, which wants the multimillion […]
Koppel-Olbermann dispute ignores local picture
Former ABC “Nightline” host Ted Koppel and MSNBC host and pundit Keith Olbermann recently exchanged sharply opposing views about the state of the news business — as they know it. Kicking off the high-level spat, Koppel used a guest column in The Washington Post to slam the current trend toward journalism-as-opinion, naming Olbermann and others. […]
Dispute between exes nears resolution
A long-running dispute between an Eastern Shore woman and her developer ex-boyfriend based on business arrangements made when they were a couple is nearing its conclusion. A Baltimore County Circuit Court judge last week awarded Lora M. Fritschle $300,000 in attorney’s fees stemming from her lawsuit against Michael J. Palmisano and more than $10,000 as […]
American Airlines could pull its tickets off Orbitz
DALLAS — American Airlines could pull its ticket listings from Orbitz on Dec. 1 in a dispute over how the online travel website gets information about flights and prices. The news on Thursday knocked down shares of Orbitz Worldwide Inc. by more than 17 percent. Orbitz CEO Barney Harford said American was trying to force […]
TV viewers ensnared in Fox, Cablevision rate duel
NEW YORK — Negotiators for Cablevision and Fox parent News Corp. resumed talks Monday in an effort to end a dispute that threatens to keep the cable company’s 3 million subscribers in the New York metropolitan area from seeing some of their favorite shows. Cablevision viewers have already missed playoff baseball and Sunday’s New York […]