The Law Offices of Samuel S. Reidy Blog

UPDATE on Lawsuit Alleging False Advertising in Movie Trailer

by Samuel S. Reidy, Esq.

September 6, 2023

Universal will not have to face a lawsuit which accused the studio of tricking people into watching the movie Yesterday by featuring Ana de Armas in trailers, even though she did not actually appear in the movie.  A U.S.
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There is never a good time to get injured in an accident.  However, accidents are a fact of life.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration determined that in the year 2000 there were a total of 35,766 fatal car accidents on the roadways across the United States with another 1,593,390 crashes resulting in injuries and 3,621,681 caused property damage. That means a total of at least 5,250,837 collisions happened over the course of a single year. 

To be successful in a personal injury claim, there are three things that you need to have on your side: liability, damages, and coverage.
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Last week, cyclists came to Westfield, Massachusetts to take part in a “Ride of Silence” to honor the memories of those who have been injured or killed on public roadways while cycling.  Earlier this year, in an effort to address the increasing number of injured or killed cyclists (not to mention walkers and runners), past Governor Charlie Baker entered the safe passing law.   This law recently went into effect and is applicable to all motorists driving on public roadways in Massachusetts and was made in an attempt to reduce road deaths, which spiked to an 11-year high in 2021 with an estimated 400 road deaths (a number that does not include injuries). 

The law requires drivers to provide at least four feet of space between their vehicle and "vulnerable road users.”  Such vulnerable road users include people walking or running, bicyclists, roadside workers, horse riders and horse-drawn carriages, farm equipment, people using wheelchairs, people using motorized scooters, skateboarders, roller-skaters, and any other similar pedestrian situation.
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Last week, the Massachusetts Appeals Court heard a dispute as to whether or not a Middlesex Superior Court judge acted within his discretion by admitting photographs of damaged vehicles into evidence at trial and allowing defense counsel to argue a correlation between the property damage from the accident with the extent of the plaintiff’s alleged injuries.  In the matter of Kristina Laccetti v. Steven G. Ellis, the Appeals Court found that the trial judge acted within his discretion in admitting photographs of the damaged vehicles on the basis that the photographs were relevant to the extent of the plaintiff’s physical injuries sustained in the collision.

While the plaintiff’s counsel tried to argue that an expert witness would be needed to make such a connection between the physical damage to the car and the personal injuries of the person inside the vehicle, the Court found differently.
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There is always a sense of relief and peace of mind for a Client once he or she has executed their Last Will and Testament.  Estate Planning often ends up getting delayed for one reason or another so it can be extremely satisfying once that will is signed and put away with other important documents.  However, one very common question is “when do I have to look at my will again?”  Despite some attorneys suggesting anywhere between three to five to ten years as a benchmark, there truly no one definitive answer to when a will should be updated.  Here are ten life events that could impact the decision to update or change your Will.

1.
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On January 5, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced a proposed regulation that would completely prohibit non-competition agreements in the workplace.  A non-compete clause is a contractual term between an employer and worker that prevents the worker from seeking or accepting certain employment, or operating certain businesses, after the worker’s employment ends.  Previously, the FTC issued a statement in November 2022 in which it declared its intention to exercise authority under Section 5 of the FTC Act which would be in line with President Biden’s Executive Order from July 2021 urging the FTC to promulgate new rules governing non-competes.  If this were to happen, the consequences for both employers and employees would be significant.

With certain exceptions, the proposed rule would make it illegal to (1) enter into or attempt to enter into a noncompete with a worker, (2) maintain a noncompete with a worker, and (3) represent to a worker that the worker is subject to a noncompete agreement.
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Even if you are a fan of actress Ana de Armas, it is probably a safe bet to say you are not as big a fan as the two fans of the Blonde, Knives Out, and No Time to Die actress who sued Universal for false advertising when Ana de Armas did not appear in the 2019 film Yesterday despite appearing in the movie’s trailer.  On December 20^, 2023, a California judge allowed parts of a lawsuit accusing Universal of false advertising to proceed, ruling that a movie trailer "constitutes commercial speech" and is not entitled to broad protection under the First Amendment.

 

As background, in 2019, Universal released a trailer for its romantic comedy Yesterday, a film that involved a musician waking up one morning to discover no one had ever heard of The Beatles.  He becomes rich and famous by introducing the music of The Beatles into the world and claiming to be its own.  He, of course, has a love interest in the film, but the trailer also showed actress Ana de Armas playing a character who would complicate that relationship.
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Not all personal injury claims are created equal and sometimes an accident really just is an accident.  This lesson was just learned by a Plaintiff in Middlesex Superior Court after a four-day trial resulted in a defense verdict and no recovery for the Plaintiff.  The claim involved an injury to a seven year old girl who suffered a fall at a school playground.

In the matter of Ozkan v. City of Malden, seven year old Nihal Ozkan was a student at the Linden Steam Academy in Malden, Massachusetts.
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While we typically think of car accidents and slip and falls as the stereotypical personal injury cases, there are actually quite a few other types of situations that lead to personal injury cases.  One such type of personal injury case involves physical assault caused by an intoxicated person.  Many times, liability will extend beyond the actual individual responsible for another’s injuries to the person or establishment who served the liquor.  Massachusetts and many other states have enacted a “Dram Shop law” in an effort to deal with these types of cases.

Pursuant to Massachusetts General Laws chapter 138 § 69, someone suffering from physical injury, property damage, or other damage may sue the licensed liquor provider who served an intoxicated person.
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For a long time in the legal world, there has been a bias that juries in certain counties in Massachusetts will not award verdicts of higher amounts.  Several of these counties are located in the South Coast and Cape Cod area.  Insurance companies and defense counsel have used this bias (which, to be fair, is sometimes a reality) in making unreasonable settlement offers to personal injury plaintiffs.  A jury in Plymouth Superior Court recently made a big statement that these counties may be willing to award the big verdict by awarding a trip and fall victim in Plymouth County a verdict of $1,437,314.00.
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While a parent’s job may never be done, things get more complicated when that child begins his or her college career.  Parents often understand the importance of having a healthcare power of attorney in place for a spouse or aging parent, but often do not think about how crucial this document is for a recent high school graduate or young adult child.  Most college freshmen are eighteen years old which means they are legal adults and parents are no longer entitled to make decisions on their behalf.  This can cause a problem if there is a medical emergency.

Once a child turns eighteen, his or her parents no longer have any legal say over medical or financial decisions involving the child.
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