Product Liability

  • February 24, 2025

    Feds Say Tribe's 'Vague' Claims Won't Save Pipeline Suit

    The federal government on Monday doubled down on its attempt to dismiss the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's suit seeking to block an energy company from operating part of the Dakota Access Pipeline, saying the D.C. federal court can't grant the relief requested.

  • February 24, 2025

    Weight-Loss Spa's 'Sauna Pod' Caused Severe Burns, Suit Says

    A Pittsburgh-area woman claims that an infrared "sauna pod" at a weight-loss spa burned her, leaving permanent scarring and disfigurement, according to a lawsuit filed in Pennsylvania state court Monday that seeks to hold the Chinese manufacturer liable.

  • February 24, 2025

    Baby Bottle Cos. Get Parts Of Microplastics Suit Tossed

    Parents who sued Philips over allegations that microplastics leach from its "BPA free" baby bottles and sippy cups saw their lawsuit partially trimmed, after a California federal judge said that the company's label isn't misleading because it doesn't promise the products are "devoid of all harmful plastic."

  • February 24, 2025

    Norfolk Southern's Tank Car Co. Liability Claims Head To Trial

    An Ohio federal judge said that Norfolk Southern can pursue its claims seeking to have tank car companies pay at least some of the damages over 2023's East Palestine derailment, teeing up for trial key questions of liability concerning the tank cars' maintenance and transport of toxic chemicals.

  • February 24, 2025

    Vape Interests Urge 6th Circ. To Halt Kentucky E-Cig Law

    A coalition of e-cigarette interests is urging the Sixth Circuit to halt enforcement of a new Kentucky law regulating vaping products while their appeal plays out.

  • February 24, 2025

    Insurer Sues Valve Co. To Recoup Payout To Ohio School

    The "catastrophic" flooding of a Cincinnati school was due to a faulty water stop valve, according to a federal lawsuit filed Monday by an insurance provider that seeks to hold building products manufacturer Masco Corp. and its plumbing subsidiary liable for the nearly $225,000 in damages.

  • February 24, 2025

    FCA Didn't Forfeit Arbitration Rights In Defect Suit, Judge Says

    An arbitrator must decide whether some drivers alleging Fiat Chrysler sold them vehicles with defective engines that shut off during use can pursue their claims, a Michigan federal judge said, finding the automaker didn't waive its right to seek arbitration by attacking the claims' merits before seeing if the drivers' purchase agreements had an arbitration clause.

  • February 24, 2025

    Chinese E-Cig Maker Removes Explosion Suit On Eve Of Trial

    A Chinese electronic cigarette maker has removed to federal court a suit alleging that the battery in one of its products exploded, just days before trial was set to start in Texas state court.

  • February 24, 2025

    Boehringer Ingelheim Wins Illinois Zantac Cancer Retrial

    An Illinois state jury swiftly sided with Boehringer Ingelheim on Monday over two men's claims that taking the company's over-the-counter Zantac for decades contributed to their prostate cancer diagnoses, handing each of the men a trial loss after juries in their previous trials had deadlocked.

  • February 24, 2025

    Elizabeth Holmes Loses 9th Circ. Appeal Over Theranos Fraud

    A Ninth Circuit panel on Monday affirmed the criminal fraud convictions of former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes and former Theranos executive Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani along with their respective 11-year and nearly 13-year prison sentences, rejecting arguments that the lower court made multiple evidentiary errors that unfairly swayed jurors.

  • February 24, 2025

    Justices Nix Whistleblower Suit Over Arbitral Vacatur Limits

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to review a petition that raised questions about the standards under which courts can vacate or enforce arbitral awards, in a case brought by a whistleblower who sought to challenge an arbitral award favoring his former employer.

  • February 22, 2025

    NY Judge Extends Block On DOGE's Treasury Access

    A New York federal judge on Friday barred Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency from accessing U.S. Treasury Department data, handing a win to 19 state attorneys general who claimed giving the new entity access to citizens' personal information posed a massive cybersecurity risk.

  • February 21, 2025

    Quinn Emanuel-Backed Clients Join Eaton Fire Litigation Fray

    Southern California Edison on Friday was hit with yet another lawsuit over the destructive Eaton Fire, this time by an Altadena family represented by Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP, the largest firm yet to get involved in the litigation.

  • February 21, 2025

    Colo. Woman Tells Jury Sterilization Plant Caused Cancer

    A woman claiming medical sterilization company Terumo caused a cancer cluster in her Colorado community took the stand Friday and told a state jury that her lymphoma gave her debilitating fatigue and self-doubt.

  • February 21, 2025

    Calif. Lawmakers Unveil 'Polluters Pay' Superfund Legislation

    A pair of California lawmakers on Friday introduced legislation that would require the biggest polluters to pitch in and put a portion of their profits toward climate-related disaster mitigation, a measure they said aims to relieve the burden on taxpayers in the wake of catastrophes such as wildfires.

  • February 21, 2025

    Unilever Settles Class Suit Over Benzene In Shampoo

    Unilever has reached a deal in principle that should end a proposed class action accusing the consumer goods giant and its suppliers of selling carcinogen-tainted dry shampoo, according to a joint notice filed Thursday in Connecticut federal court.

  • February 21, 2025

    Delta Hit With First Negligence Suits Over Toronto Crash

    Delta Air Lines was hit with the first pair of negligence suits in Georgia and Minnesota federal court over a harrowing crash in Toronto during which the plane caught fire, skidded across the runway with its wings broken off and flipped upside down.

  • February 21, 2025

    FanDuel Demands Arbitration For Ex-Jaguars Employee Suit

    The former NFL team administrator now imprisoned for embezzlement is bound by an arbitration clause in his FanDuel contract, the betting platform argued Friday in its motion to send a $250 million New York federal lawsuit to arbitration.

  • February 21, 2025

    Exxon Can't Dodge RICO Claims In Puerto Rico Federal Court

    A U.S. magistrate judge said Puerto Rican municipalities should be allowed to pursue racketeering and antitrust claims against energy companies including Exxon Mobil Corp. that they allege misrepresented the climate dangers of fossil fuel products.

  • February 21, 2025

    Dispute Over FDA Menthol Cigarette Ban Paused Until August

    A California federal judge has agreed to pause a lawsuit alleging that federal health regulators slow-walked implementing a ban on menthol cigarettes while new leadership assumes control of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

  • February 21, 2025

    Alcon Hit With Suit Over Allegedly Contaminated Eye Drops

    Alcon Laboratories Inc. has been hit with a proposed class action in Colorado federal court alleging that its eye drops are contaminated by fungus, in a case brought by a woman who says she was injured by using the drops for months.

  • February 21, 2025

    Weight Loss Drug Patient Drops Appeal In Cancer Risk Suit

    Days after arguing her case before a skeptical Third Circuit panel, a woman who alleges she suffered financial harm by buying a weight loss drug that purportedly causes cancer — which she said she has not been diagnosed with — has voluntarily dismissed the case.

  • February 21, 2025

    Nuke Plant Renewal Rules Ignore Climate Risks, DC Circ. Told

    Anti-nuclear power groups told the D.C. Circuit that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission unlawfully ignored accident risks due to aging equipment and climate change when it crafted new nuclear power plant license renewal rules.

  • February 21, 2025

    Veolia Ends One Of Few Remaining Flint Water Suits For $53M

    A water engineering firm on Friday said it will pay $53 million to settle claims from the state of Michigan and thousands of Flint residents who allege the company failed to properly identify corrosion control treatment issues or alert officials to the dangers of the city's water, prolonging the water crisis.

  • February 21, 2025

    Product Liability Group Of The Year: Lieff Cabraser

    Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein LLP helped obtain a $600 million settlement from Norfolk Southern over a train derailment and secured an early win in a social media addiction case against Silicon Valley heavyweights, earning it a spot among the 2024 Law360 Product Liability Groups of the Year.

Expert Analysis

  • Complying With Seasonal Product Labeling Requirements

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    Though the holiday season is in the rearview, many seasonal alcohol products remain in the market, and producers should ensure that their labels comply with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau's additional requirements for such products, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • How Trial Attys Can Wield Amended Federal Evidence Rules

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    Trial lawyers should assess recent amendments to four Federal Rules of Evidence and a newly enacted rule on illustrative aids to determine how to best use the rules to enhance pretrial discovery and trial strategy, says Stewart Edelstein, former litigation chair at Cohen & Wolf.

  • Series

    Exercising On My Peloton Bike Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While I originally came to the Peloton bike for exercise, one cycling instructor’s teachings have come to serve as a road map for practicing law thoughtfully and mindfully, which has opened opportunities for growth and change in my career, says Andrea Kirshenbaum at Littler.

  • 5 Drug And Device Developments That Shaped 2024

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    The last year saw significant legal developments affecting drug and device manufacturers, with landmark decisions and regulatory changes that require vigilance and agility from the industry, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • Opinion

    Aviation Watch: How Court Nixed Boeing Plea Deal Over DEI

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    A Texas federal court's rejection of the plea agreement between the U.S. Department of Justice and Boeing over the 737 Max aircraft gratuitously injected the court's views on diversity, equity and inclusion into a case that shouldn't have been a criminal matter in the first place, says Alan Hoffman, a retired attorney and aviation expert.

  • Top 10 Legal Issues This Year For Transportation Industry GCs

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    General counsel must carefully consider numerous legal and policy challenges facing the automotive and transportation industry in the year to come, especially while navigating new technologies, regulations and global markets, says Francesco Liberatore at Squire Patton.

  • Exploring Venue Strategy For Trump-Era Regulatory Litigation

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    Litigation will likely play a prominent role in shaping policy outcomes during the second Trump administration, and stakeholders have several tools at their disposal to steer regulatory litigation toward more favorable venues, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Consultants Should Be Aware Of DOJ's Potential New Reach

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's recent first-of-its-kind settlement with McKinsey & Co. indicates not only the DOJ's more aggressive stance toward businesses' potential criminal wrongdoings, but also the benefits of self-disclosure and cooperation when wrongdoing becomes apparent, says Dom Caamano at Kibler Fowler.

  • Product Safety Issues In 2024 Highlight Need For Vigilance

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    A look at some of the medications and foods that led to significant class actions last year demonstrates the need for robust regulatory systems and proactive measures to protect consumers from defective and harmful products, says Jennifer Taylor at the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin.

  • Series

    Playing Esports Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Competing in a global esports tournament at Wimbledon last year not only fulfilled my childhood dream, but also sharpened skills that are essential to my day job, including strategic thinking, confidence and networking, says AJ Schuyler at Jackson Lewis.

  • Identifying Deepfakes During Evidence Collection, Discovery

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Attorneys must familiarize themselves with the tools used to create and detect deepfakes — media manipulated by artificial intelligence to convincingly mimic real people and events — as well as best practices for keeping this fabricated evidence out of court, says Bijan Ghom at Saxton & Stump.

  • An Associate's Guide To Career Development In 2025

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    As the new year begins, associates at all levels should consider establishing career metrics, fostering key relationships and employing other specific strategies to help move through the complexities of the legal profession with confidence and emerge as trailblazers, say EJ Stern and Amanda George at Fractional Law Firm.

  • Series

    Fixing Up Cars Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    From problem-solving to patience and adaptability to organization, the skills developed working under the hood of a car directly translate to being a more effective lawyer, says Christopher Mdeway at Kaufman Dolowich.

  • 2024's Most Notable FTC Actions Against Dark Patterns And AI

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    In 2024 the Federal Trade Commission ramped up enforcement actions related to dark patterns, loudly signaling its concern that advertisers will use AI to manipulate consumer habits and its intention to curb businesses' use and marketing of AI to prevent alleged consumer deception, say attorneys at Goodwin.

  • Making The Pitch To Grow Your Company's Legal Team

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    In a compressed economy, convincing the C-suite to invest in additional legal talent can be a herculean task, but a convincing pitch — supported by metrics and cost analyses — may help in-house counsel justify the growth of their team, say Elizabeth Smith and Roger Garceau at Major Lindsey.

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