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Product Liability
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June 07, 2024
Public Schools Tossed From Calif. Social Media Injury Case
Four public school districts cannot pursue their claims against Meta Platforms, Snap, Google, YouTube and TikTok that their allegedly addictive social media platforms fueling a mental health crisis among children have had a ripple effect on schools, a California state judge ruled Friday.
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June 07, 2024
Talc User With Cancer Had 2nd Exposure Path, Jury Hears
A pulmonologist helping make the case that a Texas man got mesothelioma from using Johnson & Johnson talcum powder was pressed Friday as to why he failed to tell jurors that medical records reflect the man had a separate type of asbestos exposure.
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June 07, 2024
Uber Targets Most Calif., Texas Claims In Driver Assault MDL
Uber urged a California federal judge Friday to toss the majority of claims from plaintiffs in California and Texas in multidistrict litigation seeking to hold the ride-hailing company liable for drivers' sexual assaults, saying it can't be held responsible for the actions of individual drivers under those state's laws.
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June 07, 2024
Ozempic MDL Gets New Judge After Judge Pratter's Death
The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation on Thursday reassigned sprawling litigation over Ozempic and similar drugs in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania following the sudden death of U.S. District Judge Gene E.K. Pratter, who'd been overseeing the MDL.
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June 07, 2024
Ill. Panel Revives Contribution Claim Over Tainted Cilantro
An Illinois state appellate panel has revived a bid by a distributor of contaminated cilantro to have wholesalers contribute to any liability in litigation over the tainted product, saying the distributor did not have to comply with pre-suit notice requirements that would otherwise have applied to the case.
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June 07, 2024
Split 9th Circ. Revives LA Schools Vaccine Policy Row
A split Ninth Circuit panel on Friday reversed a California federal court's dismissal of a proposed class action challenging a recently rescinded Los Angeles Unified School District policy requiring employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine to keep their jobs, ruling that the district still has the potential to reinstate it.
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June 07, 2024
'Why Are You Even Here?' Judge Prods Big Tobacco
A Washington state appellate panel on Friday criticized Philip Morris USA Inc. and other tobacco companies for attempting to pay the state less under a 1998 master settlement agreement, with one judge asking a Big Tobacco attorney why they were in court in the first place.
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June 07, 2024
Texas Farmers Sue EPA For 'Forever Chemical' Contamination
Five Texas farmers have told a D.C. federal court that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency should have done more to stop "forever chemicals" from contaminating their farmland, claiming that they've suffered medical problems from the exposure.
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June 07, 2024
US Auto Regulator Finalizes New Fuel Economy Standards
The U.S. Department of Transportation on Friday finalized highly anticipated new fuel economy standards for passenger cars and light trucks that envision boosting average efficiency to 50.4 miles per gallon by 2031, marking the Biden administration's latest climate-focused endeavor to curb emissions in the transportation sector.
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June 07, 2024
FCA, Cummins' $6M Engine Defect Deal Gets OK'd
A Michigan federal judge gave the go-ahead Friday to a $6 million settlement to resolve claims that Cummins Inc. made defective engines that went into FCA US LLC's Dodge Ram vehicles. FCA, now part of Stellantis NV, was once better known as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV.
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June 07, 2024
Texas AG, Spirit AeroSystems Duel Over Safety Probe
Spirit AeroSystems Inc. and Texas Attorney General Kenneth Paxton each asked a federal court for an early win in their dispute over the state's probe into Spirit's management, with Spirit arguing the state's Request to Examine statute violates the Fourth Amendment, and Paxton arguing it is a constitutionally compliant subpoena.
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June 07, 2024
Dreamland Falsely Touts Safe Weighted Swaddle, Parent Says
Dreamland Baby Co. "boldly markets" its weighted swaddles and blankets as pediatrician-approved and safe for babies and toddlers, but medical associations and government regulators have condemned these kinds of weighted products as being harmful, according to a proposed class action filed Thursday in California federal court.
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June 07, 2024
Court Software Co., NC Sheriff Fight To Exit Civil Rights Action
Texas-based software company Tyler Technologies and a North Carolina sheriff continued their push this week to escape a proposed class action alleging North Carolina's new digital court system led to wrongful arrests and extended jail time.
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June 07, 2024
Uber Can Arbitrate With Paralyzed Rider, Mass. Justices Rule
Massachusetts' highest court on Friday ruled Uber Technologies Inc. had made its terms of service clear enough to move a paralyzed rider's case to arbitration, despite a dissent from one justice who said the company should spell out the rights that riders surrender when they hail a car.
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June 06, 2024
Roundup MDL Judge Worries Plaintiffs Firms Overstretched
A California federal judge presiding over multidistrict personal injury litigation over Monsanto's Roundup weed killer expressed concerns Thursday that plaintiffs firms may be taking on "a whole bunch of cases" they don't have the ability to prosecute just to settle "on the cheap," calling the prospect "a little bit disturbing."
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June 06, 2024
Real Water Caused 'Devastating' Hospitalizations, Jury Told
A mother whose twin babies were hospitalized with acute liver failure after the family subscribed to water delivery service Real Water told a Nevada state jury Thursday that the experience was "devastating."
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June 06, 2024
Wash. High Court Will Review Gun Magazine Law
The Washington state Supreme Court said Thursday it will review a trial court ruling that the state's ban on sales of large-capacity magazines for firearms is unconstitutional.
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June 06, 2024
Pharma Co. Misled Investors On Seizure Drug Trial, Suit Says
Marinus Pharmaceuticals has been hit with a proposed shareholder class action alleging that the company understated the risks of an epilepsy drug trial and did not warn investors that trial enrollment would be suspended when it failed to meet certain criteria.
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June 06, 2024
Camp Lejeune Deals Worth $14.4M So Far, Government Says
There have been 58 settlements worth a total of $14.4 million so far in a North Carolina federal court alleging injuries caused by decades-long water contamination at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune between February 2023 and June 4, according to a joint status report filed by the two sides.
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June 06, 2024
$25 Million Flint Water Class Deal Gets Early OK
A Michigan federal judge on Thursday gave initial approval for a $25 million settlement between a class of Flint adults and businesses and a water engineering company accused of prolonging the town's water crisis, calling the deal fair and an opportunity to avoid years of "exhausting" litigation.
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June 06, 2024
Victims Say Chiquita Paramilitary Payments Weren't Extortion
Attorneys for the families of people killed by right-wing paramilitaries in Colombia's banana-producing region asked jurors Thursday for an amount totaling tens of millions of dollars in damages as they closed out their Florida federal case against Chiquita, arguing the company willingly funded paramilitary groups.
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June 06, 2024
Alaska Air Passengers Refile Suit Over Boeing Blowout
A group of passengers who were on an Alaska Airlines Inc. flight when a door plug blew out during a Jan. 5 flight have refiled their claims against the airline, Boeing Co. and Spirit AeroSystems Inc. in federal court — days after voluntarily dismissing their state court suit.
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June 06, 2024
Prof Can Test NC State Building For Carcinogens
A split state appeals court has granted a former North Carolina State University employee stricken by cancer access to gather evidence in a campus building that studies showed contained cancer-causing materials.
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June 06, 2024
Co. Won't Face Defect Claims In Suit Over Lost Fingers
A worker who lost her fingers after her right hand was pulled into an industrial laminating machine won't get the chance to add design defect claims to her lawsuit against the manufacturer, a Texas federal judge has ruled, saying she squandered her opportunity to investigate those claims.
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June 06, 2024
5th Circ. Backs Chevron In La. Drilling Contamination Fight
The Fifth Circuit on Thursday reversed a lower court ruling directing Chevron to submit a plan to clean up Louisiana properties allegedly contaminated by oil and gas development, saying that state law only requires the company to look for potential damage.
Expert Analysis
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Opinion
Civil Litigation Against Gun Businesses Can Reduce Violence
With mass shootings skyrocketing, and gun control legislation blocked by powerful interest groups, civil litigation can help obtain justice for victims by targeting parties responsible beyond the immediate perpetrator — including gun manufacturers, dealers and retailers, says Tom D'Amore at D'Amore Law Group.
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Navigating Discovery Of Generative AI Information
As generative artificial intelligence tools become increasingly ubiquitous, companies must make sure to preserve generative AI data when there is reasonable expectation of litigation, and to include transcripts in litigation hold notices, as they may be relevant to discovery requests, say Nick Peterson and Corey Hauser at Wiley.
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Finding Focus: Strategies For Attorneys With ADHD
Given the prevalence of ADHD among attorneys, it is imperative that the legal community gain a better understanding of how ADHD affects well-being, and that resources and strategies exist for attorneys with this disability to manage their symptoms and achieve success, say Casey Dixon at Dixon Life Coaching and Krista Larson at Stinson.
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Opinion
Time To Ban Deferred Prosecution For Fatal Corporate Crime
As illustrated by prosecutors’ deals with Boeing and other companies, deferred prosecution agreements have strayed far from their original purpose, and Congress must ban the use of this tool in cases where corporate misconduct has led to fatalities, says Peter Reilly at Texas A&M University School of Law.
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Why Hemp-Synthesized Intoxicants Need Uniform Regs
State laws regulating hemp-synthesized intoxicants are a patchwork with little consistency between any given state, and without the adoption of a uniform regulatory framework, producers and consumers alike will need to be very cautious, say Dylan Anderson and Seth Goldberg at Duane Morris.
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Attorneys, Law Schools Must Adapt To New Era Of Evidence
Technological advancements mean more direct evidence is being created than ever before, and attorneys as well as law schools must modify their methods to account for new challenges in how this evidence is collected and used to try cases, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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Analyzing The Legal Ripples Of The EPA's PFAS Regulation
As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency makes major moves on its pledge to regulate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, the developing body of PFAS regulation will lead to an increase in litigation, and personal injury and product liability claims, say attorneys at Gordon & Rees.
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Boeing Opinion Strikes Blow Against Overpayment Theory
The Fifth Circuit's decision in Earl v. Boeing Co. casts doubt on consumers' standing to bring claims of overpayment for products later revealed to have defects — and suggests that it's more likely that those products would have been removed from the market, driving up the price of alternatives, say attorneys at Bush Seyferth.
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Tips For Litigating Against Pro Se Parties In Complex Disputes
Litigating against self-represented parties in complex cases can pose unique challenges for attorneys, but for the most part, it requires the same skills that are useful in other cases — from documenting everything to understanding one’s ethical duties, says Bryan Ketroser at Alto Litigation.
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Opinion
Test Results Signal Poor Odds For Lead Cables Litigation
After sites in New York and New Jersey allegedly contaminated with lead by telecommunications cables were found by state and federal agencies to present no imminent threats to public health, it seems unlikely that mass litigation over this issue by plaintiffs firms or state attorneys general will succeed, says Andrew Ketterer at Ketterer & Ketterer.
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Ga. Ruling A Win For Plaintiffs Injured By Older Products
The Georgia Supreme Court's recent opinion in Ford Motor Co. v. Cosper gives plaintiffs the assurance that even if they are injured by older products, they can still bring claims under state law if the manufacturer used a design that it knew, or should have known, created a risk of substantial harm, says Rob Snyder at Cannella Snyder.
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Class Action Defense: Don't Give Up On Bristol-Myers Squibb
Federal appellate court decisions in the six years since the U.S. Supreme Court decided Bristol-Myers Squibb show that it's anyone's ballgame in class action jurisdictional arguments, so defendants are encouraged to consider carefully whether, where and when arguing lack of specific personal jurisdiction may be advantageous, say attorneys at K&L Gates.
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Pro Bono Work Is Powerful Self-Help For Attorneys
Oct. 22-28 is Pro Bono Week, serving as a useful reminder that offering free legal help to the public can help attorneys expand their legal toolbox, forge community relationships and create human connections, despite the challenges of this kind of work, says Orlando Lopez at Culhane Meadows.
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Series
Playing In A Rock Cover Band Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Performing in a classic rock cover band has driven me to hone several skills — including focus, organization and networking — that have benefited my professional development, demonstrating that taking time to follow your muse outside of work can be a boon to your career, says Michael Gambro at Cadwalader.
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How To Advertise Carbon Reductions Under New Calif. Law
As more companies advertise their efforts to reach the status of carbon neutral or net zero, California's recently enacted Voluntary Carbon Market Disclosures Act aims to force companies to more clearly disclose the basis for such claims — and there's not a lot of time to comply, say Gonzalo Mon and Katie Rogers at Kelley Drye.