Author Archives: abfifer

Party Unable to Void Settlement Despite Allegation of Duress

February 21, 2024 – 8:23 pm

The plaintiffs in a medical malpractice suit settled their case after mediation, then tried to get out of the settlement. When they couldn’t, they sued their lawyers for legal malpractice, claiming the lawyers settled for too low an amount and that their attorneys “had caused them to settle under duress.” The Appeals Court of Massachusetts […]

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Soccer Captain Apologizes for Criticizing Fans

February 16, 2024 – 5:37 pm

Lindsey Horan, the captain of the US women’s soccer team, gave an interview to The Athletic, published earlier this month, in which she expressed her frustration with American soccer fans. She observed that most of them “aren’t smart, they don’t know the game, they don’t understand.” Apparently she was widely criticized for those remarks, so […]

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Mark Zuckerberg Apologies to Families Spontaneously

February 1, 2024 – 1:41 pm

I’ve noted in these blogs how difficult it is to make a public apology. Yesterday Mark Zuckerberg offered an apology that was not only public, it was spontaneous – and compelled (at least, I presume he did not see this coming). Mr. Zuckerberg was testifying in a Senate child safety hearing attended by family members […]

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Federal Court Refines Claims Subject to “Ministerial Exception”

January 23, 2024 – 12:49 pm

The “ministerial exception” to laws governing employment relationships in the U.S. prevents courts from considering employment-related legal claims made by church employees, or former employees, who meet the definition of a “minister.” Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru, 140 S. Ct. 2049 (2020); Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. EEOC, 565 U.S. 171 […]

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For Whose Benefit is an Apology?

January 23, 2024 – 12:43 pm

There are two main parties to an apology: the offender (the one who apologizes) and the victim. There may also be a third party, an indirect victim of the offense. So when the offender apologizes, who benefits? In a Pittsburgh court a few years ago, two men were sentenced after pleading guilty for their roles […]

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