Product Liability

  • April 02, 2024

    Utility Cos. Must Face Uri MDL Gross Negligence Claims

    Transmission and distribution utility providers can't escape allegations they were grossly negligent in cutting off power to Texans during winter storm Uri, a Texas state appeals court ruled Tuesday in an opinion that keeps intact only two claims against the companies in the multidistrict litigation created to handle consumer actions from the severe weather event.

  • April 02, 2024

    OxyChem Opposes Feds' $150M Lower Passaic Deal

    Occidental Chemical Corp. is fighting the federal government's proposed $150 million consent decree with 82 small companies that share some responsibility for New Jersey's Lower Passaic River pollution, with the businesses filing a brief supporting the deal.

  • April 02, 2024

    Transportation Department Finalizes New Train Crew Size Rule

    The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Railroad Administration on Tuesday finalized a rule requiring freight trains to be operated with at least two people, forging ahead with a mandate long supported by rail workers' unions and safety advocates, but one that major rail carriers have decried as unnecessary and costly.

  • April 02, 2024

    2 Firms Seek To Lead Boeing 737 Max Safety Investor Suit

    Labaton Keller Sucharow LLP and Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP have each asked a Virginia federal judge for a lead role in a securities lawsuit against Boeing over the safety of its 737 Max jets and the role Boeing's top brass allegedly played in diminishing shareholder value.

  • April 02, 2024

    7th Circ. Won't Revive Parents' Claims in Abbott Formula Row

    The Seventh Circuit upheld on Tuesday the dismissal of parents' claims they were economically harmed from buying infant formula that could have been contaminated with bacteria at an Abbott Laboratories plant, saying their alleged injuries aren't enough to prove standing. 

  • April 02, 2024

    4 Mass. Rulings You May Have Missed In March

    A former Harvard Business School professor who was denied tenure after his angry emails to a restaurant went viral was among the winners from a slate of recent Massachusetts state court decisions, which also addressed claims about "forever chemicals" in firefighting gear and a popular gym shut down during the pandemic.

  • April 02, 2024

    Mich. Warns PFAS Ruling Could Fuel More Agency Challenges

    Michigan has warned the state's high court that an appellate decision invalidating PFAS drinking water limits could pave the way for future litigants to attack state regulations by pointing to imperfect cost estimates, urging the court to revive the PFAS rules.

  • April 02, 2024

    Rental Co. Sues Family Of Child Who Drowned On Property

    A North Carolina beach vacation rental company, facing a negligence lawsuit brought by a father whose son died in one of its pools, has in turn filed suit against the deceased child's extended family members, claiming that any blame for the death should be on their shoulders.

  • April 02, 2024

    FDA Sued Again Over Years Of Delays On Menthol Ban

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday was hit with a suit over a yearslong delay on banning menthol cigarettes, the second one brought by public health groups that say the agency's failure has caused thousands of premature deaths.

  • April 02, 2024

    CSX Denies Liability In Backroads Bridge Crash Suit

    Freight railway giant CSX on Monday denied wrongdoing and insisted it can't be held liable for the injuries of two women who blamed the company's shoddy upkeep of a backroads bridge for a 2022 car crash.

  • April 02, 2024

    Kids' Clothier Didn't Deceive By Silence On PFAS, Judge Says

    An Illinois federal judge has thrown out a proposed class suit alleging that The Children's Place Inc. hid the presence of so-called "forever chemicals" in its school uniforms, saying the plaintiffs haven't alleged any duty to disclose or that the company's statements were misleading.

  • April 02, 2024

    Conn. Firm Defends Infant Death Probe In Sanctions Feud

    A Connecticut firm is defending its investigation leading up to a product liability lawsuit against two companies it claims produced and sold an infant lounger linked to a number of baby deaths, asking a Connecticut federal court to quash motions for Rule 11 sanctions accusing it of pursuing frivolous claims.

  • April 02, 2024

    20 Republican-Led States Urge Justices To Ax Climate Suits

    A coalition of 20 Republican-led states and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, along with eight others, have thrown their support behind fossil fuel companies in asking the U.S. Supreme Court to put an end to climate change torts lodged by state and local governments.

  • April 01, 2024

    Nike Defeats Greenwashing Suit Over 'Sustainability' Line

    Nike has defeated a proposed class action alleging it greenwashes its clothing by claiming they're made sustainably while using methods that harm the environment, after a Missouri federal judge concluded the plaintiff doesn't explain how she knows the products aren't made with recycled or organic materials and only provides conclusory statements.

  • April 01, 2024

    Ga., FTC Seek $17M+ Fine And Ban On Doc's Stem Cell Ads

    After securing an early win last week against a Georgia doctor and a series of companies that marketed stem cell therapy as a cure-all miracle treatment, federal regulators and the state of Georgia asked a federal judge Monday for $17.7 million in fines and an injunction barring the defendants from any future endeavors in the medical marketing industry.

  • April 01, 2024

    Pool Co. Seeks $4.36M In Atty Fees After False Ad Verdict

    Attorneys from McCarter & English LLP and Womble Bond Dickinson LLP are seeking more than $4 million in fees following a multimillion-dollar verdict in a North Carolina false advertising and unfair business practices suit involving rival pool supply companies.

  • April 01, 2024

    Swedish Match Sued Over Allegedly Youth Targeted Zyn Ads

    Philip Morris International and its subsidiary Swedish Match North America LLC have been hit with a putative class action from an unnamed California man alleging he became addicted to the company's Zyn smokeless oral nicotine pouches when he was a minor because of the product's marketing campaign.

  • April 01, 2024

    Ex-Pharma Co. Exec Denies Signing Noncompete Deal

    The former director of government sales for a pharmaceutical company asked the North Carolina Business Court on Friday to knock out a breach of contract claim in a lawsuit that alleges he took trade secrets to a competitor, arguing the company has no valid noncompete agreement to back it up.

  • April 01, 2024

    3M Gets Final OK On PFAS Deal Worth Up To $12.5B

    A South Carolina federal judge on Friday gave a final nod on a settlement between 3M and about 12,000 public water systems worth up to $12.5 billion to end claims over so-called forever chemicals in firefighting foam, saying that otherwise it would take years to try the cases.

  • April 01, 2024

    J&J Opted To 'Deny' Talc-Cancer Link, Jury Told

    Johnson & Johnson opted to "deny, deny, deny" evidence linking its baby powder to ovarian cancer and continued to market it as safe to use, an attorney for the widower of a longtime baby powder user who died from cancer told jurors in Sarasota, Florida, on Monday.

  • April 01, 2024

    Gas Cos. Must Face State Law Claims In Contamination Row

    Electricity and natural gas company WEC Energy Group Inc. can't dodge all claims by Illinois residents accusing the company and its subsidiary of conspiring with a public relations firm to hide the extent of natural gas contamination in an aquifer that provides drinking water, an Illinois federal judge ruled Sunday.

  • April 01, 2024

    With Suit, NJ City Looks To Clear The Air About Cops' Pot Use

    A New Jersey city's lawsuit demanding clarity over whether state or federal law governs off-duty pot use for cops could help cannabis and employment lawyers navigate a growing battle between workers' rights and workplace safety.

  • March 29, 2024

    Petition Watch: Off-Label Ads, Retiree Discrimination & PPE

    A Utah attorney has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to determine whether allegedly retaliatory IRS summonses can be quashed, and two former pharmaceutical executives are challenging the constitutionality of their convictions for marketing the off-label use of a drug. Here, Law360 looks at recently filed petitions that you might've missed.

  • March 29, 2024

    Argentine Gunmaker Accused of Hiding Light Trigger Defect

    An Argentine gun manufacturer was hit with a lawsuit by a Georgia man who says that a dangerous defect in the design of a 9 mm pistol got him shot when the gun accidentally discharged.

  • March 29, 2024

    Texas AG Launches Investigation Into Boeing Parts Supplier

    The Texas attorney general has opened an investigation into a company that produces fuselages for Boeing's 737 jets, saying Thursday that apparent manufacturing defects have caused several dangerous events, including midair emergencies.

Expert Analysis

  • Pa. Court's Venue Ruling Is Likely To Worsen Forum Shopping

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    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s recent Hangey v. Husqvarna decision claims to narrowly clarify the standard for evaluating whether a venue is proper, but has broader implications that are likely to exacerbate the forum-shopping problem that already plagues corporate defendants in Pennsylvania, says Stefanie Pitcavage Mekilo and Joseph Schaeffer at Babst Calland.

  • Superfund Site Reopenings Carry Insured Risk, Opportunity

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    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's reported plans to reopen certain Superfund sites citing the presence of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances raise notable liability concerns, but may also present unique opportunities for policyholders under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, say attorneys at Haynes and Boone.

  • Series

    Writing Thriller Novels Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Authoring several thriller novels has enriched my work by providing a fresh perspective on my privacy practice, expanding my knowledge, and keeping me alert to the next wave of issues in an increasingly complex space — a reminder to all lawyers that extracurricular activities can help sharpen professional instincts, says Reece Hirsch at Morgan Lewis.

  • What Lawyers Must Know About Calif. State Bar's AI Guidance

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    Initial recommendations from the State Bar of California regarding use of generative artificial intelligence by lawyers have the potential to become a useful set of guidelines in the industry, covering confidentiality, supervision and training, communications, discrimination and more, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Industry Must Elevate Native American Women Attys' Stories

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    The American Bar Association's recent research study into Native American women attorneys' experiences in the legal industry reveals the glacial pace of progress, and should inform efforts to amplify Native voices in the field, says Mary Smith, president of the ABA.

  • How Color Psychology Can Help Tell Your Trial Narrative

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    Research shows that color is a powerful sensory input that affects memory and perception, so attorneys should understand how, when and why to use certain shades in trial graphics to enhance their narrative and draw jurors’ focus, says Adam Bloomberg at IMS Consulting.

  • And Now A Word From The Panel: Tracking MDL Geography

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    In recent years, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation has predominantly selected states east of the Mississippi River as venues for new MDLs — but with half of the proceedings it has created in recent months venued in Arizona and California, the panel is not neglecting the western part of the country, says Alan Rothman at Sidley.

  • Understanding Discovery Obligations In Era Of Generative AI

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Attorneys and businesses must adapt to the unique discovery challenges presented by generative artificial intelligence, such as chatbot content and prompts, while upholding the principles of fairness, transparency and compliance with legal obligations in federal civil litigation, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • Opinion

    FDA And Companies Must Move Quickly On Drug Recalls

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    When a drug doesn't work as promised — whether it causes harm, like eyedrops recalled last month by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or is merely useless, like a widely used decongestant ingredient recently acknowledged by the agency to be ineffective — the public must be notified in a timely manner, says Vineet Dubey at Custodio & Dubey.

  • The Case For Post-Bar Clerk Training Programs At Law Firms

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    In today's competitive legal hiring market, an intentionally designed training program for law school graduates awaiting bar admission can be an effective way of creating a pipeline of qualified candidates, says Brent Daub at Gilson Daub.

  • Attorneys Have An Ethical Duty To Protect The Judiciary

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    The tenor of public disagreement and debate has become increasingly hostile against judges, and though the legislative branch is trying to ameliorate this safety gap, lawyers have a moral imperative and professional requirement to stand with judges in defusing attacks against them and their rulings, says Deborah Winokur at Cozen O'Connor.

  • AI Can Help Lawyers Overcome The Programming Barrier

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    Legal professionals without programming expertise can use generative artificial intelligence to harness the power of automation and other technology solutions to streamline their work, without the steep learning curve traditionally associated with coding, says George Zalepa at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Transparency And Explainability Are Critical To AI Compliance

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    Although there is not yet a comprehensive law governing artificial intelligence, regulators have tools to hold businesses accountable, and companies need to focus on ensuring that consumers and key stakeholders understand how their AI systems operate and make decisions, say Chanley Howell and Lauren Hudon at Foley & Lardner.

  • Preparing Law Students For A New, AI-Assisted Legal World

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    As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms the legal landscape, law schools must integrate technology and curricula that address AI’s innate challenges — from ethics to data security — to help students stay ahead of the curve, say Daniel Garrie at Law & Forensics, Ryan Abbott at JAMS and Karen Silverman at Cantellus Group.

  • How Social Media Can Affect Trial Outcomes

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    With social media’s ability to seize upon an issue and spin it into a specifically designed narrative, it is more critical than ever that a litigation communications strategy be part of trial planning to manage the impact of legal action on a company's reputation, say Sean Murphy and Steve Wood at Courtroom Sciences.

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