Product Liability

  • October 15, 2024

    $5M Alcoa Unit Deal Ends EPA's Smelter Foul-Air Suit

    A Washington federal judge on Tuesday approved an Alcoa Corp. subsidiary's $5.25 million settlement with the federal government over the alleged release of illegal levels of pollutants at a now-shuttered Washington aluminum smelting plant.

  • October 15, 2024

    Justices Mull RICO's Scope In Trucker's CBD Case

    U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday appeared conflicted whether to sanction a commercial trucker's attempt to bring a racketeering claim against CBD companies, whose allegedly mislabeled products the trucker claims led to his firing.

  • October 15, 2024

    Judge Rejects Firm's 'Support' Framing In Racetrack Flaw Suit

    A Florida state judge on Tuesday denied an attempt by a British racetrack consultant to define its role as merely providing "support" to the construction of a track that failed during the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix race in 2022.

  • October 15, 2024

    J&J Hit With $15M Verdict In Builder's Mesothelioma Suit

    A Connecticut state court jury on Tuesday slammed Johnson & Johnson and several subsidiaries with a $15 million compensatory damages verdict for a real estate developer who sought to hold the companies liable for his mesothelioma diagnosis.

  • October 15, 2024

    Lit Funder-Backed Co. Says NJ Judicial Privacy Law Is Valid

    A New Jersey judicial privacy law is not unconstitutional since it requires that defendants act negligently by knowingly violating the law, a data privacy company said in seeking to prevent the dismissal of dozens of lawsuits, which the company also acknowledged are being funded by third-party litigation funder Parabellum Capital LLC.

  • October 15, 2024

    Insurer Asks Court To Weigh In On Damaged Embryo Suit

    An insurer for a fertility clinic asked a Texas federal court to determine whether it owes coverage for an underlying suit accusing the clinic of knowingly transferring damaged or destroyed embryos into patients.

  • October 15, 2024

    EPA Pitches Deal For Endocrine-Disruptor Screening Suit

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing a plan to settle a lawsuit that farmworker and environmental health groups brought over its alleged inaction on an Endocrine-Disruptor Screening Program meant to consider how pesticide chemicals may harm people's hormone systems.

  • October 15, 2024

    Law Firms Diverge As Anti-ESG Pushback Continues

    A continuing onslaught of legislation and litigation opposing corporate environmental, social and governance actions has created a fork in the road for law firms, with some choosing to scale back efforts and others pushing ahead with their internal ESG and diversity, equity and inclusion goals.

  • October 15, 2024

    The 2024 Law360 Pulse Social Impact Leaders

    Check out our Social Impact Leaders ranking, analysis and interactive graphics to see which firms stand out for their engagement with social responsibility and commitment to pro bono service.

  • October 11, 2024

    Pharmacist Gets Up To 15 Years In Mich. For Fatal Outbreak

    A pharmacist charged for the deaths in a 2012 fatal fungal meningitis outbreak was sentenced Friday afternoon in Michigan state court to 7½ to 15 years in prison, concluding the state's case that had been pending for six years, the pharmacist's attorney has announced.

  • October 11, 2024

    Ill. Judge Trims Labeling Suit Over Coca-Cola's Soda Water

    An Illinois federal judge essentially halved on Friday two consumers' false advertising suit targeting artificial sweeteners allegedly found in Coca-Cola's Fresca soda water, cutting one plaintiff and one focus of their consumer fraud claims from the case. 

  • October 11, 2024

    Up Next At High Court: CBD Injuries & The Clean Water Act

    The U.S. Supreme Court will be closed Monday, but the justices will return to the bench Tuesday to hear arguments over whether the federal Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act allows litigants to pursue claims of economic harm tied to personal injuries, and how specific pollutant discharge limits have to be under the Clean Water Act.

  • October 11, 2024

    Monsanto Inks $35M Deal With LA For Waterway Cleanup

    Los Angeles announced Friday it inked a $35 million settlement with Bayer AG's Monsanto Co. and two other companies over their alleged contamination of the city's bodies of water with toxic chemicals, ending the 2½-year-old lawsuit, with the companies agreeing to various cleanup efforts and reimbursement for previous costs.

  • October 11, 2024

    Sleep Machine Maker Sued Over Recalled Baby Devices

    A New Yorker hit a California-based sleep product manufacturer with a proposed class action alleging that one of the company's products for babies — which has been recalled — has a defective power adapter that can cause shocks.

  • October 11, 2024

    Court Allows Calif. Hemp Ban To Remain In Effect

    A California state judge on Friday ruled that the Golden State's new ban on hemp products with THC will remain in effect, rejecting a bid by a leading hemp industry trade organization and the cannabis brand fronted by stoner comedians Cheech and Chong to halt the emergency rules.

  • October 11, 2024

    Bellwether Plaintiffs Let Halliburton Escape Pollution Dispute

    Two bellwether plaintiffs in litigation seeking to hold the owners and operators of a former pipe manufacturing facility liable for contamination have agreed to permanently drop their claims against Halliburton Energy Services.

  • October 11, 2024

    J&J Should Pay $30M For Developer's Cancer, Conn. Jury Told

    Attorneys for a western Massachusetts real estate developer on Friday urged a Connecticut jury to award $30 million for past and future suffering to a lifelong Johnson & Johnson baby powder user diagnosed with mesothelioma, but the company's attorneys suggested $4 million was a more reasonable figure while contesting liability whatsoever.

  • October 11, 2024

    Justices Will Evaluate RICO Scope In Trucker's CBD Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday will hear a case brought by a trio of CBD companies asking the justices to establish whether a trucker can bring a personal injury claim under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO.

  • October 11, 2024

    Asbestos Claimants Say Kaiser Ch. 11 Plan Should Stand

    Asbestos injury claimants in Kaiser Gypsum Co.'s bankruptcy case have asked the Fourth Circuit to uphold the company's Chapter 11 plan, saying the arguments against it by Kaiser's primary insurer are based on speculative harms.

  • October 11, 2024

    Lyft Algorithm Defect Claim Dismissed In Sex Assault Suit

    A Pennsylvania federal judge has thrown out a products liability claim in a woman's suit against Lyft Inc. over a sexual assault by a man posing as one of its drivers, saying she didn't seek leave from the court to add the claim and it was filed too late.

  • October 11, 2024

    Stellantis Defeats Utah Class Cert Bid In Gearshift MDL

    A Michigan federal judge declined to certify a class of Utah drivers seeking to hold Stellantis North America liable for defective gearshifts in certain Dodges, Chryslers and Jeeps, reasoning that each of the claims would have to be evaluated to determine if drivers noticed issues in the vehicles but purchased or leased them nonetheless.

  • October 11, 2024

    DOJ Tells Judge Boeing Plea Is 'The Best The Gov't Could Do'

    The federal government told a Texas federal judge Friday that its proposed deal with The Boeing Co. over allegations that it lied to safety regulators about the 737 Max 8's development is "the best the government could do," pushing back against vehement objection from crash victims' families, who called the deal "rotten" and "morally reprehensible."

  • October 11, 2024

    Nintendo, Epic Games Dropped From Addictive Gaming Suit

    Nintendo of America Inc. and Epic Games Inc. have been dropped from a lawsuit filed against them and other well-known companies by a gamer who alleged they intentionally got users addicted to boost profits.

  • October 11, 2024

    More Ga. PFAS Suits Are Coming. Here's How Attys Prepare

    Leading attorneys in PFAS litigation say new regulations and ever-increasing lawsuits require attorneys to think carefully about proactive measures clients can take to limit PFAS use, and about the latest scientific research into how the so-called forever chemicals impact humans and the environment.

  • October 10, 2024

    Social Media Apps Don't Need User Warnings, MDL Judge Told

    A lawyer for TikTok urged a California state judge on Thursday to cut failure-to-warn claims from multidistrict litigation over social media's alleged effects on youth mental health, saying this theory is akin to suing newspapers for "not including a warning that reading the news could put you in a bad mood."

Expert Analysis

  • How Attorneys Can Reduce Bad Behavior At Deposition

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    To minimize unprofessional behavior by opposing counsel and witnesses, and take charge of the room at deposition, attorneys should lay out some key ground rules at the outset — and be sure to model good behavior themselves, says John Farrell at Fish & Richardson.

  • Series

    Solving Puzzles Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Tackling daily puzzles — like Wordle, KenKen and Connections — has bolstered my intellectual property litigation practice by helping me to exercise different mental skills, acknowledge minor but important details, and build and reinforce good habits, says Roy Wepner at Kaplan Breyer.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Environmental Law May Face Hurdles

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling overturning Chevron deference could prove to be as influential as the original 1984 decision, with far-reaching implications for U.S. environmental laws, including rendering recently promulgated regulations more vulnerable to challenges, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Texas Ethics Opinion Flags Hazards Of Unauthorized Practice

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    The Texas Professional Ethics Committee's recently issued proposed opinion finding that in-house counsel providing legal services to the company's clients constitutes the unauthorized practice of law is a valuable clarification given that a UPL violation — a misdemeanor in most states — carries high stakes, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.

  • 2 Options For Sackler Family After High Court Purdue Ruling

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court recently blocked Purdue Pharma's plan to shield the family that owns the company from bankruptcy lawsuits, the Sacklers face the choice to either continue litigation, or return to the bargaining table for a settlement that doesn't eliminate creditor claims, says Gregory Germain at Syracuse University.

  • In Memoriam: The Modern Administrative State

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    On June 28, the modern administrative state, where courts deferred to agency interpretations of ambiguous statutes, died when the U.S. Supreme Court overruled its previous decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council — but it is survived by many cases decided under the Chevron framework, say Joseph Schaeffer and Jessica Deyoe at Babst Calland.

  • Revisiting Scalia's 'What's It To You?' After Kaiser Ruling

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    While the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Truck Insurance Exchange v. Kaiser allows insurers to be considered "parties in interest" in Chapter 11 cases, they still need to show they would face an injury in fact, answering the late Justice Antonin Scalia's "what's it to you?" question, say Brent Weisenberg and Jeff Prol at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • How To Clean Up Your Generative AI-Produced Legal Drafts

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    As law firms increasingly rely on generative artificial intelligence tools to produce legal text, attorneys should be on guard for the overuse of cohesive devices in initial drafts, and consider a few editing pointers to clean up AI’s repetitive and choppy outputs, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.

  • Calif. Ruling Heightens Medical Product Maker Liability

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    The California Supreme Court's decision in Himes v. Somatics last month articulates a new causation standard for medical product manufacturer liability that may lead to stronger product disclosures nationwide and greater friction between manufacturers and physicians, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • Series

    Boxing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Boxing has influenced my legal work by enabling me to confidently hone the skills I've learned from the sport, like the ability to remain calm under pressure, evaluate an opponent's weaknesses and recognize when to seize an important opportunity, says Kirsten Soto at Clyde & Co.

  • Purdue Ch. 11 Ruling Reinforces Importance Of D&O Coverage

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Harrington v. Purdue Pharma, holding that a Chapter 11 reorganization cannot discharge claims against a nondebtor without affected claimants' consent, will open new litigation pathways surrounding corporate insolvency and increase the importance of robust directors and officers insurance, says Evan Bolla at Harris St. Laurent.

  • Opinion

    Industry Self-Regulation Will Shine Post-Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's Loper decision will shape the contours of industry self-regulation in the years to come, providing opportunities for this often-misunderstood practice, says Eric Reicin at BBB National Programs.

  • 3 Ways Agencies Will Keep Making Law After Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court clearly thinks it has done something big in overturning the Chevron precedent that had given deference to agencies' statutory interpretations, but regulated parties have to consider how agencies retain significant power to shape the law and its meaning, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • Roundup

    After Chevron

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    Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Chevron deference standard in June, this Expert Analysis series has featured attorneys discussing the potential impact across 36 different rulemaking and litigation areas.

  • Opinion

    Atty Well-Being Efforts Ignore Root Causes Of The Problem

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    The legal industry is engaged in a critical conversation about lawyers' mental health, but current attorney well-being programs primarily focus on helping lawyers cope with the stress of excessive workloads, instead of examining whether this work culture is even fundamentally compatible with lawyer well-being, says Jonathan Baum at Avenir Guild.

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