Product Liability

  • July 29, 2025

    Seeger Weiss Named Lead Negotiation Counsel In J&J MDL

    A New Jersey federal judge overseeing long-running multidistrict federal litigation against Johnson & Johnson over its talcum powder products has appointed Christopher A. Seeger of Seeger Weiss LLP to lead a negotiation team to guide plaintiffs through settlement talks.

  • July 29, 2025

    Rising Star: Wilkinson Stekloff's Cali Arat

    Wilkinson Stekloff LLP partner Cali Arat helped secure Monsanto's first jury trial win that changed the tide in high-stakes litigation alleging that the company's Roundup herbicide caused cancer, earning her a spot among the product liability law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • July 29, 2025

    Another Pot Co. Targeted In Potency Suit By Plaintiff Firm

    Attorneys with plaintiff firm Luisi Holz Law have hit another cannabis vape company with a suit alleging that it misrepresents its vapable oils as concentrates to get around Illinois's limits on sale and possession of THC-containing products.

  • July 28, 2025

    Patent Damages Explode As Practice Areas See Wild Swings

    Damages in plaintiff-won federal patent cases have soared in the past decade while those in environmental cases and some other types of civil litigation have plummeted, a new report from Lex Machina shows.

  • July 28, 2025

    Apache Women Look To Block Arizona Site's Destruction

    A group of Apache women are looking to block the federal government from transferring their Arizona worship site to a copper mining company, telling a D.C. federal court they will be unable to practice and pass down their religion if the site is destroyed.

  • July 28, 2025

    Tesla Defends Autopilot Technology At Trial Over Fatal Crash

    Tesla vehicles with autopilot engaged reported fewer crashes than those without, a Tesla corporate representative told jurors Monday in a trial over a fatal Florida Keys crash.

  • July 28, 2025

    PBMs Can't Escape NY State Law Claims In Opioid MDL

    Two UnitedHealth subsidiaries cannot escape claims that they exacerbated the opioid crisis by providing data analytics and consulting services to drugmakers, a federal judge overseeing the multidistrict litigation ruled on Monday, saying the New York state municipalities have adequately alleged RICO by claiming they were part of the same criminal conspiracy.

  • July 28, 2025

    Hawaii Fights Back Against US Bid To Block Climate Suit

    Hawaii on Monday asked a federal judge to throw out the Trump administration's "extraordinary and unprecedented" effort to block the state's climate change lawsuit against major energy companies.

  • July 28, 2025

    Amazon Looks To Ax Claims Of Heavy Metals In Rice Products

    Amazon urged a Washington federal court to dismiss proposed class litigation seeking to hold the company responsible for rice products sold through its online store that contain toxic metals such as lead and mercury, saying there's no allegation the levels are "above any applicable legal or regulatory thresholds."

  • July 28, 2025

    Splenda-Maker Says Emails Show NC Scientist Ignored Data

    The makers of Splenda said new emails and documents unearthed in discovery for its defamation lawsuit against a scientist show that she ignored and manipulated experiment data to suggest that the artificial sweetener is dangerous for humans.

  • July 28, 2025

    Coca-Cola Looks To Drain '100% Natural Flavors' False Ad Suit

    Coca-Cola urged a California federal judge to drain a proposed class action alleging it deceptively labels its Sprite sodas as made with "100% natural flavors" despite containing citric acid, arguing Friday the plaintiff doesn't plausibly allege the citric acid is artificial, and that her claims are preempted by federal law.

  • July 28, 2025

    Widow Asks 4th Circ. To Revive Freight Broker Claim

    A woman whose husband was killed in a 2022 South Carolina trucking accident told the Fourth Circuit on Monday that freight brokers cannot evade state-based requirements to exercise reasonable care in selecting safe motor carriers to transport shipments.

  • July 28, 2025

    Electrolux Range's Defect Led To Fire, Insurer Tells Court

    Three Electrolux companies manufactured ranges with a foreseeable defect that allowed the products to unintentionally activate, a property insurer told a Connecticut federal court as it sought to recover the claim payout for a homeowner's kitchen fire.

  • July 28, 2025

    2nd Abbott Baby Formula Bellwether Falls Before Trial

    An Illinois federal judge handed Abbott Laboratories summary judgment on Monday in the second bellwether that had been set for trial in multidistrict litigation over allegations its cow's milk-based formula can cause severe gastrointestinal illness in premature babies, while saying she will leave the door open to revive and later try the case.

  • July 28, 2025

    Eli Lilly Alleges Pharmacy Sells Knockoff Weight-Loss Drugs

    Eli Lilly and Company is accusing a Houston pharmacy of selling knockoff versions of two of its Ozempic-like weight-loss drugs.

  • July 28, 2025

    Peloton Looks To Snuff Out Investors' Recall Suit Again

    Peloton hopes to extinguish a second attempt by investors at finding the company and its executives at fault for the way the company handled a recall of its defective bicycle seats, telling a New York federal judge Monday that the amended complaint does not cure deficiencies that led to the lawsuit's initial dismissal.

  • July 28, 2025

    Rising Star: Goldman Ismail's Allyson Miller Julien

    Allyson Miller Julien of Goldman Ismail Tomaselli Brennan & Baum LLP helped Merck win a major victory in multidistrict litigation over its Gardasil HPV vaccine, earning her a spot among the product liability law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • July 28, 2025

    J&J Loses Bid To Probe Beasley Allen Talc Litigation Funding

    A special master found Monday there is no reason to believe third-party funders are influencing Beasley Allen Law Firm's decisions in a massive talc litigation in New Jersey, defeating a subpoena from Johnson & Johnson digging into alleged third-party litigation funding.

  • July 28, 2025

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    A Delaware vice chancellor last week sent several coordinated derivative suits seeking millions of dollars in damages from AT&T to trial and also chose a boutique firm to lead a potential "blockbuster" suit challenging a take-private deal of a sports and entertainment group after "heated" attacks between competing counsel.

  • July 28, 2025

    Novo Nordisk Faces Possible Mass Tort Over Ozempic In NJ

    Over 20 plaintiffs who have sued Novo Nordisk in New Jersey state court alleging its popular weight loss drugs caused them to lose their vision have filed an application to designate their cases as multicounty litigation, according to a notice to the bar posted on Monday.

  • July 25, 2025

    Social Media Cos. Score Toss Of 2022 Mass Shooting Suit

    A divided New York state appeals court on Friday dismissed a lawsuit that sought to hold Meta, Google and other social media companies liable for a fatal 2022 mass shooting that targeted Black people in Buffalo, New York, saying federal law shielded the companies from liability for the shooter's acts.

  • July 25, 2025

    ​In New Twist, W.Va. Judges Suddenly At Odds In Opioid Suits

    A new ruling in West Virginia opioid crisis litigation is revealing sharp divisions among the Mountain State's federal judges regarding a pivotal legal theory, potentially boosting a Fourth Circuit appeal by beleaguered municipalities aiming to erase a landmark win for drug distributors.

  • July 25, 2025

    4th Circ. Revives Kraft Heinz Suit Over Safety Complaints

    The Fourth Circuit on Friday overturned a win for Kraft Heinz Inc. in a suit by a former worker at a meatpacking plant who alleged that he'd been fired for reporting safety issues, saying the district court wrongly concluded that a separate disciplinary investigation was the sole reason he was terminated.

  • July 25, 2025

    Calif. Air Board Faces New Suit Over Carbon Fuel Standard

    Environmental and public interest groups hit the California Air Resources Board with another lawsuit in Golden State court Friday, alleging that the state's recent amendments to the Low Carbon Fuel Standard will have the perverse effect of incentivizing large-scale factory farms, which pose significant environmental and public health risks.

  • July 25, 2025

    Drivers Ask 9th Circ. To Revive Fiat Chrysler Gear Shift Suit

    Chrysler drivers are asking the Ninth Circuit to revive their proposed class action alleging defective gear shifters in Fiat Chrysler vehicles, in a bid to overcome a California federal court's finding that the injury is hypothetical.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Playing Mah-Jongg Makes Me A Better Mediator

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    Mah-jongg rewards patience, pattern recognition, adaptability and keen observation, all skills that are invaluable to my role as a mediator, and to all mediating parties, says Marina Corodemus.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Navigating Client Trauma

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    Law schools don't train students to handle repeated exposure to clients' traumatic experiences, but for litigators practicing in areas like civil rights and personal injury, success depends on the ability to view cases clinically and to recognize when you may need to seek help, says Katie Bennett at Robins Kaplan.

  • Challenging A Class Representative's Adequacy And Typicality

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    Recent cases highlight that a named plaintiff cannot certify a putative class action unless they can meet all the applicable requirements of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, so defendants should consider challenging a plaintiff's ability to meet typicality and adequacy requirements early and often, say attorneys at Womble Bond.

  • Opinion

    Juries Are Key In Protecting The Rule Of Law

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    Absent from the recent discourse about U.S. rule of law is the crucial role of impartial jurors in protecting the equitable administration of justice, and attorneys and judges should take affirmative steps to reverse the yearslong decline of jury trials at this critical moment, says consultant Clint Townson.

  • Opinion

    4 Former Justices Would Likely Frown On Litigation Funding

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    As courts increasingly confront cases involving hidden litigation finance contracts, the jurisprudence of four former U.S. Supreme Court justices establishes a constitutional framework that risks erosion by undisclosed financial interests, says Roland Eisenhuth at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.

  • State Law Challenges In Enforcing Arbitration Clauses

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    In recent cases, state courts in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and New Jersey have considered or endorsed heightened standards for arbitration agreements, which can mean the difference between a bilateral arbitration and a full-blown class action in court, says Fabien Thayamballi at Shapiro Arato.

  • How Attys Can Use AI To Surface Narratives In E-Discovery

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    E-discovery has reached a turning point where document review is no longer just about procedural tasks like identifying relevance and redacting privilege — rather, generative artificial intelligence tools now allow attorneys to draw connections, extract meaning and tell a coherent story, says Rose Jones at Hilgers Graben.

  • Series

    Playing The Violin Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing violin in a string quartet reminds me that flexibility, ambition, strong listening skills, thoughtful leadership and intentional collaboration are all keys to a successful legal practice, says Julie Park at MoFo.

  • Federal Regs Order May Spell Harsher FDCA Enforcement

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    A recent executive order aimed at reducing criminal prosecutions of those who unknowingly violate complex federal regulations may actually lead to more aggressive felony indictments under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, but companies and executives can mitigate risks by following several key principals, say attorneys at McGuireWoods.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practicing Self-Care

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    Law schools don’t teach the mental, physical and emotional health maintenance tools necessary to deal with the profession's many demands, but practicing self-care is an important key to success that can help to improve focus, manage stress and reduce burnout, says Rachel Leonard​​​​​​​ at MG+M.

  • Forensic Challenges In Lithium-Ion Battery Fire Cases

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    Lawsuits over lithium-ion battery fires and explosions often center on the core question of whether the battery was defective or combusted due to some other external factor — so both plaintiff and defense attorneys litigating these cases must understand the forensic issues involved, says Drew LaFramboise at Joseph Greenwald.

  • ABA Opinion Makes It A Bit Easier To Drop A 'Hot Potato'

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    The American Bar Association's recent ethics opinion clarifies when attorneys may terminate clients without good cause, though courts may still disqualify a lawyer who drops a client like a hot potato, so sending a closeout letter is always a best practice, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

  • Canadian Suit Offers Disclosure Lesson For US Cannabis Cos.

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    A Canadian class action asserting that Aurora Cannabis failed to warn consumers about the risk of developing cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome may spawn copycat filings in the U.S., and is a cautionary tale for cannabis and hemp industries to prioritize risk disclosure, says Ian Stewart at Wilson Elser.

  • Tesla's Robotaxi Push Exposes Gaps In Product Liability Law

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    As Tesla's deployment of robotaxis on public roads in Austin, Texas, faces regulatory scrutiny and legislative pushback, the legal community confronts an unprecedented challenge: how to apply traditional fault principles, product liability laws and insurance practices to vehicles that operate as rolling computers, says Don Fountain at Clark Fountain.

  • Series

    My Opera And Baseball Careers Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Though participating in opera and the world of professional baseball often pulls me away from the office, my avocations improve my legal career by helping me perform under scrutiny, prioritize team success, and maintain joy and perspective at work, says Adam Unger at Herrick Feinstein.

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