A settlement, an acquittal, a long-overdue divorce, and a surgeon who removed the wrong organ — on the May 9 episode of Radio Law Talk, every case came down to decisions made under pressure, and why people made them.
The nationally syndicated show is hosted by renowned California personal injury attorney Frederick W. Penney, alongside family law attorney Denise Dirks and criminal defense attorney Todd Kuhnen. The panel covered a packed docket — here are the cases that stood out.
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni Settle Before Trial
The Case
Blake Lively sued director Justin Baldoni following the production of It Ends With Us, alleging his production company ran a coordinated campaign to damage her reputation. Baldoni filed counterclaims. Most of Lively’s causes of action were dismissed before trial; the surviving claim involved whether Wayfarer Studios had improperly targeted her career. Both sides settled before a jury was seated.
Why It Settled
The panel had been predicting this for months. Baldoni had already sold his longtime home to cover mounting legal costs. Lively’s business brand and her conduct in earlier press interviews were positioned to become trial evidence — including an interview the panel described as coming across poorly. Penney put it plainly: “I think they’re going to both be okay. I think their attorneys did the right thing.”
The comparison to Depp and Heard came up more than once. Both sides got hurt in that trial, but one side got hurt more. The panel’s view: the same dynamic was in play here, and both parties figured that out before it was too late.
Dirks offered the most optimistic read on the whole saga: “I think the winner was really the movie It Ends With Us. If they would have dragged this through court, it would have taken away from what should be seen as the real message of that movie.”
Stefon Diggs Found Not Guilty
The Allegations
A woman who worked as Diggs’ personal chef alleged he struck her and placed his arm around her neck. When she reported the incident, the responding officer noted no visible injuries. Three people present at the time — a hairstylist, a massage therapist, and a general manager — said they saw her during and after the alleged incident and noticed nothing to suggest she had been hurt. The jury returned a not-guilty verdict quickly.
Why Charges Were Filed at All
The panel’s sharper discussion was about the decision to prosecute in the first place. Kuhnen, a criminal defense attorney, laid out the bind DAs face: “DAs are political positions. That is tantamount to that DA saying, I don’t believe you. From the DA’s standpoint, I’d rather take it to trial and lose than face what I perceive to be political suicide by telling this individual, I’m siding with the star football player.”
Penney didn’t mince words: “What scares me is that they’re worried about the politics and how things look because they’re elected.”
The panel was careful to note that an absence of visible injury doesn’t automatically disprove an assault. The jury heard everything and decided. The concern wasn’t the verdict but what drove the charges.
John Paulson’s $4.7 Billion Divorce
The Case
Hedge fund billionaire John Paulson and his ex-wife Jenny finalized their divorce after years of contentious proceedings. The marital estate was reported at approximately $4.7 billion — built largely on Paulson’s famous bet against the housing market during the 2008 financial crisis, made during their 21-year marriage.
The panel didn’t have much patience for the framing that Jenny Paulson was simply chasing money. “He was married. She is entitled to half of that. I see it being couched as, ‘Oh, she’s just out there to get money.’ She stuck to her guns.”
The shared-risk argument landed just as hard: “She’s saying, I’m going to trust your acumen, your analysis, to essentially bet against the market. She bore just as much risk about her future as he did. Why is it now she’s not entitled to the same payoff?”
Doctor Charged With Manslaughter After Removing the Wrong Organ
The Facts
Bill Bryan, a 70-year-old Alabama man on vacation in Florida, went to the emergency room with abdominal pain. His doctor, Dr. Thomas Shaknovski, reportedly refused to let him seek a second opinion and insisted on immediate surgery. Bryan needed his spleen removed. Dr. Shaknovski removed his liver. Bryan died on the operating table. The cause of death was reportedly listed as a “spleen aneurysm” — an anatomical impossibility, given that the spleen had never been touched.
Dr. Shaknovski has since lost his medical license and faces second-degree manslaughter charges. A civil malpractice claim settled for $400,000 — almost certainly the limit of his insurance coverage.
The Size of the Problem
Listeners first got a brief anatomy lesson: the liver sits on the right side of the body, roughly the size of a large tri-tip. The spleen sits on the left, about the size of an avocado. Different size, different shape, different location, different texture.
Dr. Shaknovski’s explanation for the error: he couldn’t tell the difference because he was “so upset.”
Penney’s response: “Let’s make it all about me, instead of the guy killed.”
What These Cases Show About Legal Outcomes
Four different areas of law, but a common thread: in each case, decisions made away from the courtroom shaped what actually happened. Lively and Baldoni settled because continuing cost more than resolving. Diggs was acquitted, but the more revealing story was why the charges were filed. Jenny Paulson spent years litigating for what the law said she was owed from the start. And Bill Bryan went to an emergency room for help and never came home.
The facts matter. So does everything surrounding them.
Contact Penney & Associates
If you or a family member has been hurt in an accident, early decisions and strong legal representation matter. Penney & Associates focuses on helping injured clients understand their options and pursue recovery under California law. Contact their seasoned team of personal injury lawyers for a free consultation.
