Product Liability

  • January 02, 2025

    Toyota Can't Be Sanctioned For Not Translating Discovery Docs

    A North Carolina state appeals court ruled that Toyota Motor Corp. and Subaru Corp. cannot be ordered to create English translations of Japanese documents to fulfill discovery requests in a wrongful death suit alleging that a driver died because of a purportedly faulty car design on which the companies collaborated, vacating some of the discovery sanctions entered against the automakers.

  • January 02, 2025

    Sig Sauer Wants Other Firings Kept Out Of Gun Defect Trial

    A police officer who claims her pistol fired into her leg without warning should not be allowed to "distract" a jury with dozens of allegations from across the country involving unintentional firings by the same model, gunmaker Sig Sauer Inc. has told a Massachusetts federal court, saying it would "swamp" the trial.

  • January 02, 2025

    NJ Panel Tosses Honda CR-V Product Defect Suit

    A 2016 Honda CR-V was not defectively designed because it lacked some available driver-assistance technologies, which were not mandated by state or federal law, a New Jersey appellate panel said Thursday in dismissing with prejudice a plaintiff's product liability and negligence claims arising from a fatal crash.

  • January 02, 2025

    Beasley Allen Aims To Toss Suit From Ex-Ally Firm

    Beasley Allen has called on a Mississippi federal court to dismiss or transfer a defamation and breach of contract lawsuit from The Smith Law Firm PLLC over their joint venture agreement for talc litigation against Johnson & Johnson, arguing the case should be tossed in favor of its own suit filed earlier in Alabama.

  • January 02, 2025

    Ga. County Sues 3M, Daikin To Remove PFAS From Landfill

    A Georgia county has filed a lawsuit against 3M Co., Daikin America Inc. and several other manufacturers and users of so-called forever chemicals, alleging the sale and use of the toxic chemicals in carpet manufacturing has caused a "public-health crisis" across the northwestern part of the state.

  • January 01, 2025

    Five Massachusetts Cases To Watch In 2025

    Massachusetts will be at the forefront of significant litigation on multiple fronts, including a landmark gun case before the nation's top court, antisemitism claims on the campus of the nation's oldest university, and an executive fighting back after largely defeating charges in the "Varsity Blues" college admissions scandal.

  • January 01, 2025

    The Top 5 High Court Cases To Watch This Spring

    The U.S. Supreme Court justices will return from the winter holidays to tackle major First Amendment questions and several administrative law disputes — all arising from the Fifth Circuit — that could further change how federal agencies promulgate rules and defend them.

  • January 01, 2025

    Personal Injury, Medical Malpractice Cases To Watch In 2025

    A pending U.S. Supreme Court ruling over the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' rule on so-called ghost guns and Pennsylvania's top court's possible invalidation of a government injury damages cap are among the cases injury and malpractice attorneys will be following in 2025.

  • January 01, 2025

    Healthcare And Life Science Policies To Watch In 2025

    Healthcare and life sciences attorneys will have their eyes on Washington, D.C., in the next few months. They will be keen to understand how a new presidential administration and a new Congress with razor-thin GOP control will approach a bevy of fraught issues.

  • January 01, 2025

    Georgia Cases To Watch In 2025

    The fate of a prosecution of President-elect Donald Trump, Ford's ongoing fight over claims it hid the rollover dangers of its Super Duty trucks, and a feeding frenzy of class actions after a major metro Atlanta industrial fire are among the cases that will take center stage in Georgia's courts this year.

  • January 01, 2025

    Product Liability Cases To Watch In 2025

    Cases that attorneys will be keeping an eye on in the coming year involve Monsanto and a circuit rift over preemption regarding Roundup cancer claims, as well as mass torts over claims that social media harm minors' mental health.

  • January 01, 2025

    Top Personal Injury, Med Mal Rulings Of 2024

    A federal appellate panel's ruling in a "blackout challenge" death suit against TikTok's owner and a U.S. Supreme Court decision over whether bump stocks can be considered machine guns under a federal agency's rule were among Law360's top personal injury and medical malpractice rulings in 2024.

  • January 01, 2025

    2025 Michigan Cases To Watch

    Attorneys predict the new five-justice Democratic majority on the Michigan Supreme Court this year could put teeth into a once-strong consumer protection statute, continue to tweak the state's premises liability law and could take on a federally posed question of the constitutionality of medical malpractice caps.

  • January 01, 2025

    Native American Cases To Watch In 2025

    2024 brought lawsuits and rulings in state, federal district and appellate courts that will play out into 2025 with some uncertainties for Native American tribes on voting rights, protections for historical worship sites and land trust decisions.

  • January 01, 2025

    Transportation Cases To Watch In 2025

    The Boeing Co.'s 737 Max criminal conspiracy case, consolidated D.C. Circuit litigation targeting new vehicle fuel-economy standards, and a Texas high court battle over a massive trucking accident verdict are among the cases that transportation attorneys are watching closely in 2025.

  • January 01, 2025

    Washington Cases To Watch In 2025

    Washington's highest court will take a closer look this year at a Monsanto toxic tort verdict worth $185 million, a pay disclosure requirement that's triggered a wave of lawsuits against employers, and a new state gun law, while federal regulators forge ahead in district court with landmark antitrust litigation against Amazon.

  • January 01, 2025

    Trials To Watch In 2025

    The coming year will bring the first bellwether trials in the closely watched federal baby formula mass litigation, the first courtroom battle over a COVID-19 vaccine patent and six major retailers' case against Visa and Mastercard over card swipe fees.

  • January 01, 2025

    California Legislation And Regulations To Watch In 2025

    California legal experts anticipate a busy 2025 in regulatory and legislative affairs, particularly as lawmakers and regulators ready the Golden State for potential attacks from the incoming Trump administration on a number of issues including reproductive care, LGBTQ rights and environmental protections.

  • January 01, 2025

    California Cases To Watch In 2025

    Legal experts following Golden State courts in 2025 are tracking high-stakes antitrust and personal injury cases against Big Tech companies along with NFL subscribers' $4.7 billion antitrust appeal, as well as IP litigation against artificial intelligence developers and precedent-setting cases that will likely clarify environmental laws and the repercussions of unpaid arbitrateon fees.

  • January 01, 2025

    Food & Beverage Cases To Watch In 2025

    Food and beverage attorneys have no shortage of interesting issues to follow in 2025, from Albertsons turning on Kroger after their proposed $25 billion merger was blocked, to new state laws covering the life cycle of single-use packaging, and claims over heavy metals and "forever chemicals" contaminating food.

  • January 01, 2025

    Pa. Cases To Watch In 2025: Climate Change And Skill Games

    President-elect Donald Trump's impending return to the White House casts a new light on certain pending cases in Pennsylvania courts with federal implications, such as a suburban Philadelphia county's climate change claims against oil companies that contend the suits are preempted and the U.S. Department of Justice's entrance into monopoly allegations against University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

  • January 01, 2025

    Transportation Regulation & Legislation To Watch In 2025

    The Trump administration's expected rollback of rules intended to slash vehicle emissions and accelerate electric vehicle adoption, alongside a spate of new tariffs impacting the supply chain, are just some of the transportation industry's top regulatory priorities to watch in 2025.

  • December 23, 2024

    NY Judge Won't Halt State's Congestion Pricing Model

    A New York federal judge Monday upheld the Empire State's congestion pricing tolls, finding that the levies fairly reflect each type of vehicle's contribution to traffic congestion and environmental harm, rejecting injunction bids lobbed in four anti-congestion pricing lawsuits.

  • December 23, 2024

    Altria Unit Convinces Calif. Court To Ban Retail Elf Bar Sales

    The e-cigarette unit of tobacco giant Altria Group scored a legal victory against the highly popular flavored vape brand Elf Bar after it convinced a California federal judge to block a number of smoke shops from selling the Chinese made products.

  • December 20, 2024

    High Court Bar's Future: Williams & Connolly's Sarah Harris

    Sarah M. Harris of Williams & Connolly LLP never planned on being a U.S. Supreme Court advocate, or even an appellate one. She stumbled upon that career path after realizing her initial goal of becoming a national security or government lawyer wasn't the right fit.

Expert Analysis

  • Useful Product Doctrine May Not Shield Against PFAS Liability

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    Courts have recognized that companies transferring hazardous recycled materials can defeat liability under environmental laws by showing they were selling a useful product — but new laws in California and elsewhere restricting the sale of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances may change the legal landscape, says Kyle Girouard at Dickinson Wright.

  • Opinion

    Legal Institutions Must Warn Against Phony Election Suits

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    With two weeks until the election, bar associations and courts have an urgent responsibility to warn lawyers about the consequences of filing unsubstantiated lawsuits claiming election fraud, says Elise Bean at the Carl Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy.

  • How Cos. Can Build A Strong In-House Pro Bono Program

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    During this year’s pro bono celebration week, companies should consider some key pointers to grow and maintain a vibrant in-house program for attorneys to provide free legal services for the public good, says Mary Benton at Alston & Bird.

  • Series

    Home Canning Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Making my own pickles and jams requires seeing a process through from start to finish, as does representing clients from the start of a dispute at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board through any appeals to the Federal Circuit, says attorney Kevin McNish.

  • Navigating The Bankruptcy Terrain After Purdue Pharma

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s June ruling in Harrington v. Purdue Pharma is having a significant impact on bankruptcies, with recent cases addressing nonconsensual third-party releases and opt-out mechanisms, and highlighting strategies practitioners can employ to avoid running afoul of the decision, say Brett Axelrod and Agostino Zammiello at Fox Rothschild.

  • Use The Right Kind Of Feedback To Help Gen Z Attorneys

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    Generation Z associates bring unique perspectives and expectations to the workplace, so it’s imperative that supervising attorneys adapt their feedback approach in order to help young lawyers learn and grow — which is good for law firms, too, says Rachael Bosch at Fringe Professional Development.

  • Opinion

    Congress Can And Must Enact A Supreme Court Ethics Code

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    As public confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court dips to historic lows following reports raising conflict of interest concerns, Congress must exercise its constitutional power to enact a mandatory and enforceable code of ethics for the high court, says Muhammad Faridi, president of the New York City Bar Association.

  • Series

    The Pop Culture Docket: Justice Lebovits On Gilbert And Sullivan

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    Characters in the 19th century comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan break the rules of good lawyering by shamelessly throwing responsible critical thought to the wind, providing hilarious lessons for lawyers and judges on how to avoid a surfeit of traps and tribulations, say acting New York Supreme Court Justice Gerald Lebovits and law student Tara Scown.

  • California's AI Safety Bill Veto: The Path Forward

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    California Gov. Gavin Newsom's veto of a bill that sought to impose stringent regulations on advanced artificial intelligence model development has sparked a renewed debate on how best to balance innovation with safety in the rapidly evolving AI landscape, say Bobby Malhotra and Carson Swope at Winston & Strawn.

  • Deadline Extension Highlights PFAS Reporting Complexities

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    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent extension of reporting and recordkeeping timelines for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances under the Toxic Substances Control Act offers relief to the regulated community, but the unprecedented volume of data required means that businesses must remain diligent in their data collection efforts, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • 6th Circ. Preemption Ruling Adds Uncertainty For Car Cos.

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    Automakers and their suppliers need uniformity under the law to create sufficient scale and viable markets — but the Sixth Circuit's recent decision in Fenner v. General Motors creates more uncertainty around the question of when state law consumer claims related to violations of federal vehicle emissions and fuel economy standards are preempted, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • State Of The States' AI Legal Ethics Landscape

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    Over the past year, several state bar associations, as well as the American Bar Association, have released guidance on the ethical use of artificial intelligence in legal practice, all of which share overarching themes and some nuanced differences, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law Group.

  • Cos. Face Increasing Risk From Environmental Citizen Suits

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    Environmental citizen suits stepping in to fill the regulatory vacuum concerning consumer goods waste may soon become more common, and the evolving procedural landscape and changes to environmental law may contribute to companies' increased exposure, say J. Michael Showalter and Bradley Rochlen at ArentFox Schiff.

  • Defining All-Risk: Despite $30M Loss, Loose Bolt Not 'Damage'

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    A Massachusetts federal court’s recent ruling in AMAG Pharmaceuticals v. American Guarantee and Liability Insurance Co., denying coverage for $30 million in damages claimed when a loose bolt caused an air leak, highlights an ongoing debate over the definition of “direct physical loss or damage,” say Josh Tumen and Paul Ferland at Cozen O'Connor.

  • 8 Childhood Lessons That Can Help You Be A Better Attorney

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    A new school year is underway, marking a fitting time for attorneys to reflect on some fundamental life lessons from early childhood that offer a framework for problems that no legal textbook can solve, say Chris Gismondi and Chris Campbell at DLA Piper.

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