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Product Liability
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May 09, 2024
Man Says LG Chem Can't Duck NC Courts In Battery Suit
A man suing South Korea-based LG Chem Ltd. over an exploding lithium-ion battery is urging a North Carolina federal district court to find that it has jurisdiction over the company, saying LG has sufficient ties to the state through its marketing and selling of the batteries, even if it doesn't sell directly to customers.
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May 09, 2024
Insurer Still Can't Escape Explosion Coverage Row
An insurer cannot yet avoid defending gas companies in personal injury litigation after a subcontractor caused an explosion injuring three people, an Indiana federal court has ruled, reiterating a previous finding that the subcontractor's ultimate release from liability following a settlement has no bearing on the gas companies' additional insured status.
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May 09, 2024
GE Dropped From Louisiana Factory Contamination Suit
A Louisiana federal judge has dropped General Electric from property owners' suit alleging widespread contamination caused by a now-closed manufacturing facility, finding an earlier merger by a subsidiary did not make the company a liable successor.
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May 09, 2024
4th Circ. Mulls Scope Of Farm Bill In Virginia Hemp Fight
A Fourth Circuit panel on Thursday pushed attorneys for the state of Virginia and a group of hemp companies and customers to define precisely how much power states have to restrict the production and sale of intoxicating products derived from federally legal hemp.
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May 09, 2024
11th Circ. Rejects Monsanto's Roundup Suit Redo Request
The full Eleventh Circuit has rejected Monsanto's renewed request for review of a panel's ruling that a Georgia doctor can allege the company failed to warn about cancer risks associated with the use of Roundup weedkiller despite federal pesticide labeling requirements.
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May 09, 2024
Fla. Justices Say Widow Is Surviving Spouse Under The Law
The Florida Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the widow of a mesothelioma victim who married her spouse after his injury can be considered a surviving spouse under the state's Wrongful Death Act.
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May 08, 2024
Kroger Must Keep Fighting Metal-Tainted Baby Food Claims
An Ohio federal judge Wednesday refused to throw out a proposed class action accusing the Kroger Co. and its subsidiaries of selling baby food tainted with toxic metals, ruling that the mothers who sued have plausibly alleged that they wouldn't have purchased the product had they known the truth.
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May 08, 2024
Wash. Families Fight Monsanto's Bid To Split Up PCB Trial
Three families suing Monsanto over alleged PCB contamination at a Washington school pushed back against the company's motion to sever their future toxic tort trial in Washington state court, calling it the defense counsel's latest stunt to protest more than $1 billion in losses thus far in the series of cases.
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May 08, 2024
Biden Signs Law To Protect Children From Online Exploitation
President Joe Biden has signed into law a bipartisan bill aimed at curbing online child sex exploitation by strengthening requirements for social media companies and other service providers to report abuse to the nation's centralized reporting system.
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May 08, 2024
BIA Tells 8th Circ. Energy Co. Can't Revive Lease Suit
The U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs has asked the Eighth Circuit to uphold a North Dakota federal judge's dismissal of Prima Exploration Inc.'s oil and gas lease termination suit, saying the lower court correctly dismissed the case for failure to exhaust administrative remedies.
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May 08, 2024
Hawaii Utility Seeks Exit From Shareholder Suit Over Maui Fire
Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc. has asked a California federal judge to toss an investor suit over a downturn in the company's stock price after a deadly fire broke out on Maui, saying it did not mislead investors about efforts to mitigate fire risk or completely outrule the risk of fire.
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May 08, 2024
Conn. Healthcare Facility Owes $13.4M For Patient's Death
A state trial court judge on Wednesday refused a Connecticut healthcare facility's requests to scuttle a $10 million jury verdict over a patient's death, agreeing to ratchet an estate's victory up to nearly $13.4 million because of interest dating back more than four years.
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May 08, 2024
9th Circ. Says Calif. Can Give Gun Buyer Info To Researchers
The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday declined to revive a constitutional challenge to a California law requiring the state to provide biographical information about firearm purchasers and those with carry-conceal permits to accredited research institutions studying gun violence, saying the information at issue isn't highly personal and doesn't implicate the right to privacy.
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May 08, 2024
Auto Cos. Brace For EV Battery Compliance Hurdles
New federal regulations aimed at shoring up the domestic electric vehicle manufacturing supply chain give automakers a much-needed two-year cushion to navigate a compliance minefield, and to figure out how to reinvigorate the recent waning consumer demand for electric vehicles.
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May 08, 2024
Vape Fluid Co. Urges Justices To Take Up FDA Challenge
Lotus Vaping Technologies LLC is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to hear its appeal of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's denial of its application to market bottled flavored e-cigarette fluids, saying the case provides an appropriate vehicle to examine the FDA's policies.
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May 08, 2024
Kimberly-Clark Blasts 'Illogical' Connecticut PFAS Claims
Kimberly-Clark Corp. is urging a federal judge to toss a proposed class action brought by three Connecticut residents who argued that the company contaminated private property near its New Milford manufacturing plant with toxic "forever chemicals," calling the allegations "illogical," speculative and incomplete.
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May 08, 2024
Mercedes-Benz Hit With Wheel Defect Suit In Ga.
Mercedes-Benz has been slapped with a proposed class action in Georgia federal court by a sedan owner alleging that a wheel configuration defect in certain sedan models can lead to sudden tire blowouts and cracked rims.
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May 08, 2024
NC Court Clerks, Administrators Escape Digital Courts Suit
Plaintiffs in a proposed class action have voluntarily dropped North Carolina court administrators and clerks from a lawsuit alleging that flaws in the state's electronic court filing system led to unlawful arrests and longer jail stays.
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May 07, 2024
DOJ's 'Dr. Doom' Sees AI's Crime-Fighting Abilities, And Risks
The U.S. Department of Justice is using artificial intelligence to bolster its investigations, including into the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, said U.S. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco on Tuesday at a cybersecurity conference at which she dove into the beneficial uses of AI alongside its threats to security and democracy.
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May 07, 2024
AIG Insurers Near Deal With Foam Co. Over MDL Coverage
Firefighting foam company Tyco Fire Products LP and a group of AIG insurers have reached a tentative settlement that would resolve a dispute over coverage of multidistrict litigation involving Tyco over so-called forever chemicals, according to a notice filed Tuesday in South Carolina federal court.
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May 07, 2024
Target Sued Over Citric Acid In Good & Gather Pasta Sauce
Target has been hit with a putative class action in California federal court by a shopper who alleges the retail giant falsely touts that its line of Good & Gather pasta sauces contain no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives despite containing citric acid.
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May 07, 2024
NY Officials Tout Crackdown On Illicit Cannabis Market
New York state cannabis regulators on Tuesday touted new legislative changes empowering them to more swiftly crack down on unregulated marijuana sales, the same day that New York City officials announced a program to step up enforcement against unlicensed retailers.
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May 07, 2024
Boeing Can't Widen Ethiopian Airlines Test Case Pool
An Illinois federal judge chose six cases Tuesday for a November trial over the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash and gave Boeing the power to decide the order in which they'll face a jury, finding a middle road between sides sparring over how to select the bellwether cases.
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May 07, 2024
Contract's 1-Year Limit Doesn't Block NC Mold Claims
A North Carolina appeals court on Tuesday reinstated a couple's suit against a contractor they say failed to remediate water and mold damage in their house, saying the trial court was wrong to find that the contract's one-year limitation on claims applied to the state's Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
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May 07, 2024
Policy Dispute Should Be Heard In Wash., Colo. Judge Says
A Colorado federal court has tossed an insurer's suit seeking a declaration that it doesn't owe $4 million in coverage to a climbing equipment manufacturer and its primary insurer, finding that a related case in Washington state court provides a better opportunity to resolve the parties' dispute.
Expert Analysis
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How And Why Your Firm Should Implement Fixed-Fee Billing
Amid rising burnout in the legal industry and client efforts to curtail spending, pivoting to a fixed-fee billing model may improve client-attorney relationships and offer lawyers financial, logistical and stress relief — while still maintaining profit margins, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.
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New Calif. Hemp, CBD Rules Affect Nationwide Compliance
Because of its huge market share, it is imperative that operators in every state understand the nuances of California's hemp and CBD regulatory regime, including policies refined over the past year and pending legislation that would allow cannabis licensees to sell, manufacture and distribute hemp and CBD products, say Alexis Lazzeri and Meital Manzuri at Manzuri Law.
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Opinion
Judicial Independence Needs Defense Amid Political Threats
Amid recent and historic challenges to the judiciary from political forces, safeguarding judicial independence and maintaining the integrity of the legal system is increasingly urgent, says Robert Peck at the Center for Constitutional Litigation.
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How Law Firms Can Use Account-Based Marketing Strategies
Amid several evolving legal industry trends, account-based marketing can help law firms uncover additional revenue-generating opportunities with existing clients, with key considerations ranging from data analytics to relationship building, say Jennifer Ramsey at stage LLC and consultant Gina Sponzilli.
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Opinion
Science On Human Health Effects Of PFAS Is Still Inconsistent
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances have soared to the top of environmental regulatory agendas, and dominated environmental news headlines — but scientific research into causal relationships between PFAS exposure and adverse human health effects is still unclear and inconsistent, say Jeffrey Dintzer and Samantha Van Winter at Alston & Bird.
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Navigating Over-The-Counter Product Ads After FTC Warning
Attorneys at Hunton examine advertising substantiation requirements under both the Federal Trade Commission Act and Lanham Act, following recent FTC letters informing hundreds of companies that over-the-counter product marketing claims must be corroborated by scientific evidence.
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AGs' Distaste For Food Bill May Signal Other State Issues
States' recent opposition to a proposed federal law that would block them from regulating out-of-state agricultural production could affect issues beyond this narrow debate, such as the balance of state and federal regulatory power, reproductive rights post-Dobbs, and energy production and water use, say Christopher Allen and Stephen Cobb at Cozen O'Connor.
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Strategic Succession Planning At Law Firms Is Crucial
Senior partners' reluctance to retire, the rise of the nonequity partner tier and generational differences in expectations are all contributing to an increasing number of departures from BigLaw, making it imperative for firms to encourage retirement among senior ranks and provide clearer leadership pathways to junior attorneys, says Laura Leopard at Leopard Solutions.
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FDA's Lab-Developed Test Rule Faces High Hurdles
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recently announced plans to explicitly regulate lab-developed tests will likely face resistance from industry stakeholders and congressional actions, and lead to significant litigation, say attorneys at Hogan Lovells.
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Justices Could Use Purdue To Resolve Related Circuit Split
The U.S. Supreme Court will soon hear Harrington v. Purdue Pharma to determine the validity of nonconsensual third-party releases in bankruptcy, but justices should also take the opportunity to resolve a related circuit split over the constitutional authority of bankruptcy judges to issue final rulings on such releases, says Benjamin Feder at Kelley Drye.
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Cases Linking Baby Food, Autism Pose Causation Challenges
Major baby food producers are now in the crosshairs of regulators, consumer advocates and plaintiffs attorneys over allegations their products contain heavy metals that harm children's development — but it will be difficult for plaintiffs to establish causation, as shown by the lengthy court battles over tobacco and talc, says Vineet Dubey at Custodio & Dubey.
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Suits Likely Over Nevada Law Limiting Claimant Injury Exams
A new Nevada law placing barriers on the mental or physical examinations that defendants use to evaluate claimants' injuries will likely spur waves of litigation to reconcile it with existing rules and practice, says Michael Lowry at Wilson Elser.
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Autonomous Vehicles Must Navigate Patchwork Of State Regs
With only modest action by the federal government on the autonomous vehicle regulatory front in 2023, states and localities remain the predominant source of new regulations affecting AVs — but the result is a mix of rules that both help and hinder AV development and adoption, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.
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Maximizing Law Firm Profitability In Uncertain Times
As threats of an economic downturn loom, firms can boost profits by embracing the power of bottom-line management and creating an ecosystem where strategic financial oversight and robust timekeeping practices meet evolved client relations, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.
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Federal Policies Keeping Autonomous Vehicles In Slow Lane
In the first installment of this two-part article, attorneys at Faegre Drinker examine recent federal regulations and programs related to autonomous vehicles — and how the federal government's failure to implement a more comprehensive AV regulatory scheme may be slowing the progress of the industry.