Chicago Tribune:  “The Illinois Supreme Court struck down the state’s medical malpractice law today, saying it violates separation of powers by allowing lawmakers to interfere with a judge’s ability to reduce verdicts.  The much-anticipated ruling, which challenged the constitutionality of damage caps for doctors and hospitals, is being watched closely by the health care industry and employers that see caps on damages as a way to tame rising health care costs.”

Courthouse News Service:  “Two California Highway Patrol officers who emailed gruesome photos of a decapitated 18-year-old accident victim to their friends on Halloween, ‘for pure shock value,’ must answer to claims brought by the victim’s family after the images ‘were strewn about the Internet and spit back at family members, accompanied by hateful messages,’ a California appeals court ruled.  Justice Richard Aronson revived the family’s privacy claims and chided the officers for their allegedly ‘morally deficient’ behavior.”