The Court of Appeal has reversed a portion of a judgment against the City of Norwalk in an action for catastrophic injuries suffered by a passenger on a bus who hit her head on a metal seat frame and dropped to the floor when the driver suddenly started up while she was walking to the front, holding that a $1.6 million award for future medical costs, stemming in part from expert testimony that was based on three phone calls, cannot stand.

Div. One of the First District Court of Appeal held yesterday that a trial judge erred in finding that the ordinary meaning of “pursuit” applies to a statute providing immunity from liability for collisions caused by suspects fleeing from police if the law enforcement agency has adopted a written policy on safe conduct for vehicular chases, saying that the technical definition provided in the internal plan controls.

(Subscription required) Ford argued for the right to use discovery from its federal RICO suit in related state lemon law cases, but a magistrate judge declined, limiting use and restricting access to confidential documents.

(Subscription required) Civility is often described in the language of manners, including politeness, courtesy or restraint. Not to be naïve, there exists a line of scholarly critique arguing that appeals to "civility" in public discourse are not neutral or benign, but can serve to discipline, silence, or erase minority or dissenting voices.