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Product Liability
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May 15, 2024
Tesla Must Face Trimmed 'Full Self-Driving' False Ad Suit
Tesla can escape warranty claims in an amended proposed class action alleging the electric automotive giant deceived drivers into falsely believing that its cars can fully pilot themselves, a California federal judge ruled Wednesday, but it must face fraud- and negligence-based claims related to representations made about the vehicles' hardware.
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May 15, 2024
House Panel Weighs Baltimore Bridge Rebuilding Costs
Rebuilding Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge may cost up to $1.9 billion and take at least four years, as accident investigators continue to examine how a cargo ship slammed into the bridge in March and knocked it down, officials told a House panel Wednesday.
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May 15, 2024
Media Coverage Not Enough To Move Flint Water Case
A water engineering company accused by the Michigan attorney general of prolonging Flint residents' lead exposure cannot move its eventual trial out of the region, a Michigan state judge ruled Wednesday, saying the company could not assume the entire jury pool was biased.
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May 15, 2024
Monsanto's $23M False Ad Deal Challenged At 9th Circ.
Counsel representing a certified class of Missouri consumers urged the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday to reverse Monsanto's nationwide $23 million settlement resolving consumer false ad claims over risks associated with its Roundup weedkiller, arguing that Monsanto hid the settlement from the Missouri plaintiffs and that the class is effectively "getting absolutely nothing."
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May 15, 2024
House-Passed FAA Reauthorization Bill Now Heads To Biden
The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday approved multiyear legislation reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration's safety and airport improvement programs, sending to President Joe Biden a package that would hire more air traffic controllers and enhance passenger protections amid high-profile aviation industry mishaps.
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May 15, 2024
Senators Release 'Road Map' For Crafting Federal AI Policy
A bipartisan group of senators on Wednesday laid out a "road map" for artificial intelligence policy that calls for increased AI innovation funding, testing of potential harms posed by AI and consideration of the technology's workforce implications.
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May 14, 2024
Bedsheet Buyer Attys Clinch $3.5M Fee For Macy's Deal
Lawyers representing a class of consumers that accused Macy's of lying about the thread count of its sheets will get $3.5 million as part of a $10.5 million settlement with the retailer, an Ohio federal judge ruled, but gave the lead plaintiffs a pittance, saying they did not work hard enough to get more.
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May 14, 2024
DOJ Says Boeing Violated 737 Max Deferred Prosecution Deal
Boeing breached its deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice stemming from the deadly 737 Max 8 crashes, but the government hasn't yet decided whether it will criminally prosecute the American aerospace giant for defrauding regulators, the DOJ said in a Texas federal court filing Tuesday.
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May 14, 2024
Fighters Likely Killed Victims In Chiquita Case, Academic Says
A Colorado professor took the stand Tuesday in Chiquita's trial over accusations that it financed a right-wing Colombian paramilitary group that committed war crimes against civilians, testifying in Florida federal court that it was "extremely likely" the militants killed several men whose deaths family members blame on the banana company.
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May 14, 2024
NC State Fights Cancer Patient's Presuit Building Access
North Carolina State University is pressing the state appeals court to find it is insulated from an "unusual" order allowing a former graduate student worker diagnosed with cancer to inspect a campus building that tested high for levels of carcinogens.
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May 14, 2024
Ship Had Blackouts Day Before Baltimore Bridge Crash, NTSB Says
A container carrier that slammed into Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge and caused its collapse in March experienced two electrical outages during maintenance the day before it even left port, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a preliminary report Tuesday.
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May 14, 2024
Calif. City Sues Dow, Shell Over TCP-Tainted Water
Dow Chemical and Shell USA are facing a negligence suit in California federal court by the city of Pomona, alleging the companies are responsible for manufacturing commercial products containing the toxic 1,2,3-trichloropropane that has migrated into the city's water supply and seeking to recoup costs over response efforts.
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May 14, 2024
Insurer Wants Tainted Wine Coverage Suit Axed For Good
A Nationwide unit asked a California federal court to permanently toss a wine bottling company's suit seeking reimbursement for costs incurred in defending and settling an underlying suit claiming the bottler damaged nearly $1.2 million of wine, saying the company failed to allege facts that would trigger coverage.
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May 14, 2024
Tesla Sued By Enviro Group Over Air Pollution At Calif. Plant
An environmental justice organization filed a citizen action against Tesla on Monday in California federal court alleging that the electric-car maker's plant in Northern California has spewed dangerous pollutants into the air for years and has failed to take sufficient precautions to prevent the emissions.
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May 14, 2024
Mich. AG Says Eli Lilly 'Cherry-Picking' Enforcement Data
Michigan's attorney general has hit back against Eli Lilly's arguments that recent consumer protection law recoveries show her office is not being hampered in its investigations, as she seeks subpoenas in a probe of the pharmaceutical giant's pricing for an insulin drug.
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May 14, 2024
Mother Sues American Airlines Over Son's In-Flight Death
A mother has hit American Airlines with a wrongful death lawsuit, claiming its flight crew members were ill trained and poorly equipped to deal with a medical emergency her teenage son suffered during a flight, according to the complaint filed in Texas federal court.
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May 14, 2024
Firms Escape Malpractice Suit Over Chicken Plant Pollution
Baird Mandalas Brockstedt & Federico LLC and Schochor Staton Goldberg and Cardea PA have escaped a malpractice suit filed in Delaware Superior Court by parents who hired the firms to pursue claims alleging contamination from a Mountaire Corp. chicken plant caused "catastrophic injuries" to their child.
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May 14, 2024
Chinese Drug Co. Sanctioned After 'Tortuous' 3-Year Info Fight
Chinese drug firm Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. has been hit with sanctions after its chief executive officer failed to sit for a court-ordered deposition in sprawling multidistrict litigation taking place in New Jersey over generic drugs that U.S. authorities say were contaminated with carcinogens.
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May 14, 2024
What's Behind 'Nuclear' Verdicts? Skeptical Juries, Attys Say
Jurors becoming more skeptical of corporations are handing down sky-high verdicts, and trial attorneys say it's forcing a shift in the strategies they employ as they aim to score — or prevent — so-called nuclear verdicts.
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May 13, 2024
Whirlpool Service Plans Don't Guarantee Repairs, Suit Says
Whirlpool Corp. violates Washington consumer protection laws by selling extended service plans that give the company the option to buy back broken appliances instead of fixing them, according to a proposed class action filed in federal court.
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May 13, 2024
Flint Judge Threatens Sanctions After Water Firm's PR Stunt
The Michigan federal judge overseeing Flint, Michigan, water crisis cases excoriated a water engineering firm and its PR agency for apparently running a smear campaign targeting a lawyer for Flint children, saying Monday she will sanction the firm if it doesn't turn over documents about the campaign by next week.
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May 13, 2024
Zuckerberg Challenges Basis Of Personal Claims In Meta MDL
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is asking a California federal court to throw out claims against him in multidistrict litigation over social media platforms' allegedly addictive design, saying the personal injury plaintiffs haven't shown he took affirmative actions that would make him personally liable.
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May 13, 2024
Philips Wants Cleaner Co. To Chip In For $1B CPAP Deal
Koninklijke Philips NV has filed a third-party complaint in Pennsylvania federal court against SoClean Inc., which sells cleaning products for breathing devices, claiming SoClean and its parent should contribute to Philips' $1 billion settlement because its cleaners allegedly exacerbated the foam breakdown at the heart of the litigation.
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May 13, 2024
EPA Wrongly Approved New Chevron Chemicals, Group Says
A Mississippi community group has asked the D.C. Circuit to revoke the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's authorization for Chevron Corp. to produce 18 new chemicals derived from plastic waste "despite their extreme health risks."
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May 13, 2024
Camp Lejeune Plaintiffs Can't Appeal Jury Trial Denial Order
The North Carolina federal court overseeing litigation over water contamination at the Camp Lejeune military base on Monday denied the service members' attempt to appeal an order that struck down their bid for jury trials, saying that it's not an issue that warrants appeal.
Expert Analysis
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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.
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Auto Defect Damages Should Factor In Supply Conditions
Automotive defect class action plaintiffs commonly seek damages based on the theory that an undisclosed defect made a vehicle worth less than its purchase price — but the methods that plaintiff experts commonly use to calculate such damages are insufficient, because they do not incorporate supply conditions, says Jon Tomlin at Ankura Consulting.
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5th Circ. Ruling Reminds Attys That CBP Can Search Devices
The Fifth Circuit’s recent Malik v. Department of Homeland Security decision adds to the chorus of federal courts holding that border agents don’t need a warrant to search travelers’ electronic devices, so attorneys should consider certain special precautions to secure privileged information when reentering the U.S., says Jennifer Freel at Jackson Walker.
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Pesticide Labeling Bill, 9th Circ. Case Could Cut Prop 65 Suits
Both a pending bill in the U.S. House of Representatives and a case currently on appeal before the Ninth Circuit could constrain California's ability to require Proposition 65 warnings on pesticide products — thus potentially preventing numerous lawsuits and bringing relief to businesses across the country, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.
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The Likable Witness: 6 Personality Archetypes To Cultivate
During pretrial witness preparation sessions, a few key methods can help identify the likable personality type a witness intuitively expresses, which can then be amplified at trial to create an emotional connection with jurors, says Gillian Drake at On Trial Associates.
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Greenwashing And 'Greenhushing': Lessons For Fashion Cos.
While fashion companies continue to pursue improvements in the environmental impacts of the clothing they produce, they might be wise to note how businesses in other industries have attracted litigation over alleged greenwashing, and consider playing down environmental claims — a phenomenon known as "greenhushing," says Christopher Cole at Katten.
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Avoiding The Ethical Pitfalls Of Crowdfunded Legal Fees
The crowdfunding of legal fees has become increasingly common, providing a new way for people to afford legal services, but attorneys who accept crowdsourced funds must remember several key ethical obligations to mitigate their risks, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.
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The Likable Witness: Key Traits And Psychological Concepts
Though witnesses must appear credible to juries, they should also be likable in order to make an emotional connection, and certain gestural, behavioral and psychological aspects of their testimony can be modified to improve their perceived likability, says Gillian Drake at On Trial Associates.
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And Now A Word From The Panel: A One-State MDL?
As the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation prepares for its September hearing session where it will consider a petition in which the two constituent actions are both pending in Pennsylvania, but in different districts, Alan Rothman at Sidley points out that the presence of actions in a single state does not preclude the filing of an MDL petition.
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What Large Language Models Mean For Document Review
Courts often subject parties using technology assisted review to greater scrutiny than parties conducting linear, manual document review, so parties using large language models for document review should expect even more attention, along with a corresponding need for quality control and validation, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Tips For Camp Lejeune Attorneys To Mitigate TCPA Suit Risks
To retain and assist Camp Lejeune clients, it is vital to understand best practices to avoid violating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, which has been at the center of recent lawsuits against attorneys seeking to reach veterans and their families affected by the toxic water exposure at the Marine Corps base, says Libby Vish at SimplyConvert.
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Series
Participating In Living History Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My role as a baron in a living history group, and my work as volunteer corporate counsel for a book series fan association, has provided me several opportunities to practice in unexpected areas of law — opening doors to experiences that have nurtured invaluable personal and professional skills, says Matthew Parker at the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.
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How Attys Can Weather The Next Disaster Litigation Crisis
On the heels of a number of damage catastrophes and ensuing litigation this summer alone, attorneys must recognize that it’s a matter of when, not if, the next disaster — whether natural or artificial — will strike, and formulate plans to minimize risks, including consolidating significant claims and taking remedial measures, says Mark Goldberg at Cosmich Simmons.