Product Liability

  • October 28, 2024

    Apple's $20M Watch Defect Deal Gets OK With More Details

    A California federal judge gave his blessing Friday to Apple's $20 million settlement to resolve a proposed class action alleging certain Apple Watches have a battery defect that can cause serious injuries, after telling counsel earlier this month to submit additional information about the deal's value.

  • October 28, 2024

    Feds Defend DEI Monitor Provision In Boeing Plea Deal

    The U.S. Department of Justice said it will consider diversity and inclusion when it picks an independent compliance monitor for The Boeing Co. under a proposed plea agreement in the company's criminal conspiracy case, reassuring a Texas federal judge that the selection process will be rigorous.

  • October 28, 2024

    Amazon, Google Accuse Website Of Selling Fake Reviews

    Amazon and Google filed parallel lawsuits Monday in federal court against the entities behind a website they say facilitates fake product and business reviews, saying in an announcement that the two tech giants teamed up to "take action against bad actors attempting to deceive customers."

  • October 28, 2024

    Calif.'s 2018 Fire Reimbursement Suit Meets Skeptical Judge

    A Los Angeles judge appeared dubious Monday that the state of California can use litigation against Southern California Edison to recover emergency funds distributed to local agencies that responded to the destructive Woolsey Fire in 2018.

  • October 28, 2024

    CrowdStrike Fires Back At Delta In IT Outage Blame Game

    CrowdStrike filed a federal lawsuit against Delta Air Lines on Friday, the same day the airline filed a $500 million complaint in Georgia state court blaming the cybersecurity firm for implementing "untested and faulty updates" to its software that knocked out computers with Microsoft Windows operating systems worldwide.

  • October 28, 2024

    Stellantis Must Face Door-Defect Claims In Mich. For Now

    Car manufacturer Stellantis NV cannot escape a putative class action over allegedly weak interior panels in certain Dodge and Chrysler vehicles just yet, a Michigan federal judge determined on Monday, explaining he would defer judgment until the record is more fully developed.

  • October 28, 2024

    Tesla Atty Faces Sanctions Bid Over Mediation Appearance

    Tesla and an in-house attorney are facing a sanctions bid in California federal court for reportedly appearing at a mediation in a wrongful death case despite lacking settlement authority, causing "delay and unnecessary expense" to the widow of a man who died when his Tesla allegedly ran off the road, crashed and ignited.

  • October 25, 2024

    Delta Says CrowdStrike Must Pay For Catastrophic IT Outage

    When cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike implemented "untested and faulty updates" to its software, knocking out computers with Microsoft Windows operating systems worldwide, Delta Air Lines' operations were crippled, costing it $500 million as thousands of flights were canceled, according to the airline's lawsuit lodged Friday in Georgia state court.

  • October 25, 2024

    Jury In Formula Trial Told Baby's Condition Likely Genetic

    An expert witness for Abbott and Mead Johnson in the first joint trial against the baby formula makers told a St. Louis jury Friday he believes the child at the center of the case has a genetic condition that's responsible for most of his intellectual impairment.

  • October 25, 2024

    Social Media MDL Judge Rips Meta, AGs' Agency Doc Fight

    A California federal judge Friday slammed counsel for Meta and dozens of state attorneys general during a contentious hearing in multidistrict litigation over claims social media is addictive for not reaching agreements on Meta's demands for documents from 275 state agencies, telling both sides' attorneys, "we should've never gotten here."

  • October 25, 2024

    Jury Mostly Sides With Woodland Tools On False Ad Claims

    A Wisconsin federal jury has largely found in favor of gardening toolmaker Woodland Tools on allegations that competitor Fiskars Brands made false claims about the design origin and cutting power of Fiskars products including pruners and shears.

  • October 25, 2024

    At Home Settles Suit Over 'Luxury' Sheets' Thread Count

    Home decor chain At Home has escaped a proposed class action accusing it of exaggerating the thread count of its high-end sheet sets, after the lead plaintiffs withdrew their complaint in Illinois federal court.

  • October 25, 2024

    Dental Exec Flees Ahead Of Possible 7-Year Fraud Sentence

    An arrest warrant was issued Friday for the former CEO of a dental device company who pled guilty to defrauding investors out of $10.7 million after he did not show up for his sentencing hearing, where Washington federal prosecutors were asking for seven years in prison.

  • October 25, 2024

    FDA Says Tattoo Ink Makers Should Keep It Clean

    After receiving reports of tainted ink causing people to fall ill after getting tattoos, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is telling pigment makers and distributors they "should" update their cleaning processes.

  • October 24, 2024

    Meta, TikTok Can't Ditch Schools' Social Media Addiction Suit

    Meta Platforms and other social media giants must face most of the claims brought by school districts and local government entities alleging the companies designed their platforms to addict children, a California federal judge ruled Thursday.

  • October 24, 2024

    Bell Says Vendor Shouldn't Get $127M In Trade Secret Suit

    Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. told a Texas jury that a third-party vendor took the aerospace company's tech and "slapped their name on it," saying during closing arguments Thursday that jurors should reject California-based digital avionics equipment supplier Rogerson Aircraft Corp.'s ask of $127 million.

  • October 24, 2024

    4th Circ. Backs Sanctioning Firm $1M For 'Defiance' Of Court

    The Fourth Circuit on Thursday upheld a roughly $1 million sanction against the law firm of New York plaintiffs attorney Paul J. Napoli for its purportedly frivolous filings in a battle with another firm over asbestos litigation client referrals, saying the firm's misconduct was in "direct defiance" of a Maryland federal court's authority.

  • October 24, 2024

    Mich. AG Claims Express Scripts, Optum Fueled Opioid Crisis

    The state of Michigan has taken aim at Express Scripts and OptumRx for their role in the opioid crisis in a complaint filed in state court Thursday, the latest state to claim the companies for years boosted sales of opioids by giving them favorable placement on drug lists in exchange for rebates.

  • October 24, 2024

    2nd Circ. Largely OKs Gun Control Law After High Court Order

    The Second Circuit on Thursday stood by its previous decision that largely vacated an order enjoining several of New York's gun restrictions, saying a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling the high court told it to consider on remand had "little direct bearing" on its prior conclusions.

  • October 24, 2024

    Walmart Sued Over Deceptively Marketed Avocado Oil

    A Florida woman filed a proposed class action accusing Walmart Inc. of falsely advertising its avocado oil, deceiving consumers into thinking it was pure when it was actually cut with cheaper oils.

  • October 24, 2024

    McDonald's Customers File First Suits Over E. Coli Outbreak

    A Colorado man and Nebraska woman have lodged the first lawsuits against McDonald's Corp. in the wake of the E. coli outbreak tied to its Quarter Pounder hamburgers, according to a pair of complaints filed in Illinois state court on Wednesday and Thursday.

  • October 24, 2024

    DOJ Reaches $102M Deal In Baltimore Bridge Collapse Suit

    The owner and the manager of the cargo ship that slammed into Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge in March has agreed to pay $102 million to settle the U.S. Department of Justice's civil lawsuit alleging gross negligence on their part killed six people and destroyed a vital transportation corridor.

  • October 24, 2024

    Berkshire Hathaway Unit's RV Recall Doesn't End Defect Suit

    A Montana federal judge won't let a Berkshire Hathaway unit escape a suit alleging that its RVs had a dangerous wiring defect by pointing to a 2024 recall, saying the recall doesn't offer a complete remedy for the plaintiff's claims.

  • October 24, 2024

    Bayer Hit With False-Ad Suit Over Malic Acid In Vitamins

    Bayer is falsely advertising its Flintstones sour gummy vitamins as being free of artificial flavors, a California woman alleged in a proposed class action filed Wednesday in state court, saying the multivitamin supplement meant for children actually gets its sour flavor from synthetic malic acid.

  • October 24, 2024

    Texas Says ATF 'Flouts' Its Function With Loophole Rule

    A Texas-led group of states has asked an Amarillo federal judge for a pretrial win in its lawsuit challenging a Biden administration rule that would close what's known as the "gun show loophole," writing that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives "flout[ed] its limited function" by attempting to rewrite federal gun laws.

Expert Analysis

  • Replacing The Stigma Of Menopause With Law Firm Support

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    A large proportion of the workforce is forced to pull the brakes on their career aspirations because of the taboo surrounding menopause and a lack of consistent support, but law firms can initiate the cultural shift needed by formulating thoughtful workplace policies, says Barbara Hamilton-Bruce at Simmons & Simmons.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: August Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy considers certification cases touching on classwide evidence of injury from debt collection practices, defining coupon settlements under the Class Action Fairness Act, proper approaches for evaluating attorney fee awards in class action settlements, and more.

  • Planning Law Firm Content Calendars: What, When, Where

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    During the slower month of August, law firms should begin working on their 2025 content calendars, planning out a content creation and distribution framework that aligns with the firm’s objectives and maintains audience engagement throughout the year, says Jessica Kaplan at Legally Penned.

  • Series

    Playing Golf Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Golf can positively affect your personal and professional life well beyond the final putt, and it’s helped enrich my legal practice by improving my ability to build lasting relationships, study and apply the rules, face adversity with grace, and maintain my mental and physical well-being, says Adam Kelly at Venable.

  • Law Firms Should Move From Reactive To Proactive Marketing

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    Most law firm marketing and business development teams operate in silos, leading to an ad hoc, reactive approach, but shifting to a culture of proactive planning — beginning with comprehensive campaigns — can help firms effectively execute their broader business strategy, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

  • From Muppet Heads To OJ's Glove: How To Use Props At Trial

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    Demonstrative graphics have become so commonplace in the courtroom that jurors may start to find them boring, but attorneys can keep jurors engaged and improve their recall by effectively using physical props at trial, says Clint Townson at Townson Consulting.

  • Opinion

    The Big Issues A BigLaw Associates' Union Could Address

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    A BigLaw associates’ union could address a number of issues that have the potential to meaningfully improve working conditions, diversity and attorney well-being — from restructured billable hour requirements to origination credit allocation, return-to-office mandates and more, says Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea.

  • Opinion

    It's Time For A BigLaw Associates' Union

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    As BigLaw faces a steady stream of criticism about its employment policies and practices, an associates union could effect real change — and it could start with law students organizing around opposition to recent recruiting trends, says Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea.

  • How Justices Upended The Administrative Procedure Act

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    In its recent Loper Bright, Corner Post and Jarkesy decisions, the U.S. Supreme Court fundamentally changed the Administrative Procedure Act in ways that undermine Congress and the executive branch, shift power to the judiciary, curtail public and business input, and create great uncertainty, say Alene Taber and Beth Hummer at Hanson Bridgett.

  • How Courts Split On Damages Analysis In Automotive Suits

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    As high-profile vehicle recalls and lawsuits alleging vehicle defects surge, many plaintiffs are turning to choice-based conjoint analysis to calculate damages, but a review of federal district court decisions reveals a range of views on the validity of this methodology, say Joshua Hochberg and Shireen Meer at Berkeley Research.

  • 2 Vital Trial Principles Endure Amid Tech Advances

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    Progress in trial technologies in the last 10 years has been transformative for courtroom presentations, but two core communication axioms are still relevant in today's world of drone footage evidence and 3D animations, say Adam Bloomberg and Lisa Walters at IMS Legal Strategies.

  • Classwide Calculations May Get Price Premium Damages Wrong

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    In many consumer class actions, plaintiffs assert that they overpaid for a product because of a misrepresented or defective product feature, and that a single price premium estimate can be applied classwide — but failure to account for differences in price premiums across a putative class may lead to improper damage awards, say economists at Ankura Consulting.

  • Mirror, Mirror On The Wall, Is My Counterclaim Bound To Fall?

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    A Pennsylvania federal court’s recent dismissal of the defendants’ counterclaims in Morgan v. Noss should remind attorneys to avoid the temptation to repackage a claim’s facts and law into a mirror-image counterclaim, as this approach will often result in a waste of time and resources, says Matthew Selmasska at Kaufman Dolowich.

  • 6 Factors That Can Make For A 'Nuclear' Juror

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    Drawing from recent research that examines the rise in nuclear verdicts, Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies identifies a few juror characteristics most likely to matter in assessing case risk and preparing for jury selection — some of which are long-known, and others that are emerging post-pandemic.

  • Series

    Playing Dungeons & Dragons Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing Dungeons & Dragons – a tabletop role-playing game – helped pave the way for my legal career by providing me with foundational skills such as persuasion and team building, says Derrick Carman at Robins Kaplan.

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