Product Liability

  • September 13, 2024

    UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

    This past week in London has seen a football agent sue Chelsea FC after being cleared of allegations he threatened the club’s former director, an ongoing patent dispute between Amgen and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, and a private school in Edinburgh suing Riverstone Insurance over compensation claims tied to historical abuse allegations made by former pupils. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • September 13, 2024

    SBSB Adds Liability Litigator From Kelley Kronenberg In Fla.

    A former Kelley Kronenberg litigator with a focus on third-party insurance defense is heading to the Boca Raton, Florida, office of SBSB Eastham.

  • September 13, 2024

    FCA Faces Pressure Over Pricey Monthly Insurance Premiums

    A consumer advocacy group urged the British financial regulator on Friday to step in after it found that insurers were still charging up to 45% in interest for consumers who choose monthly payment plans for their annual premiums.

  • September 13, 2024

    Brokers Seek Insurance Tax Cut In Budget For At-Risk Housing

    A trade body for insurance brokers has urged the U.K. government to exempt policyholders in apartment buildings with flammable cladding from a tax on premiums, as it seeks to avoid a jump in the price of cover.

  • September 12, 2024

    DLA Piper Adds Product Liability Pro To Austin Office

    In yet another notable BigLaw litigator lateral move in Texas this week, DLA Piper has added to its Austin office a product liability and mass torts expert from King & Spalding LLP.

  • September 12, 2024

    UK Says Illicit Cigarette Crackdown Halves Tobacco Tax Gap

    HM Revenue & Customs said Thursday it has slashed the tax gap on cigarettes and other tobacco products by more than half since 2005.

  • September 12, 2024

    Feds Eye Nixing Girardi's Ill. Case After Calif. Theft Conviction

    The federal government might drop its criminal charges in Illinois against disbarred attorney Tom Girardi following his recent conviction in California on similar charges of stealing millions from clients, a prosecutor indicated Thursday during a status hearing in the Prairie State matter.

  • September 12, 2024

    Beasley Sues Fellow Talc Firms Over Joint Venture Gone Awry

    Beasley Allen is going after its law firm partner in a joint venture that has represented thousands in talcum powder litigation against Johnson & Johnson, claiming in a new federal lawsuit that the firm is partially responsible for more than $1 million in owed expenses and, driven by its own financial woes, has unilaterally been negotiating with the pharmaceutical giant to the detriment of clients.

  • September 12, 2024

    Mass Tort Boutique Leader On Sizing Up With Anapol Weiss

    Nearly four years after leaving the corporate defense world to launch her own five-attorney plaintiffs' boutique, former Wilkinson Stekloff LLP founding partner Alexandra Walsh says she's looking forward to spending more time in the courtroom as her firm is absorbed by Philadelphia-based mass tort and personal injury firm Anapol Weiss. Here, Law360 Pulse speaks with Walsh about the decision to merge and about her move from the defense to the plaintiffs' bar.

  • September 12, 2024

    Greenberg Traurig Grows Health Team With Ex-NY Official

    A former New York State Department of Health official has moved to the private sector with Greenberg Traurig LLP as the firm expands its healthcare and U.S. Food and Drug Administration practice.

  • September 11, 2024

    Litigation Spending To Rise As Cases Grow More Aggressive

    A substantial number of large companies are expecting to increase their litigation spending by double digits next year in the face of more complex and hard-fought cases — and they are more open to bringing in new legal talent to navigate the matters, according to a report released Thursday. 

  • September 11, 2024

    Utah Social Media Law Blocked Amid 1st Amendment Fight

    A Utah federal judge has blocked the state from enforcing a new law requiring social media companies to verify the ages of minor users and impose restrictions on their accounts, saying the state law likely violates tech companies' First Amendment rights.

  • September 11, 2024

    Norfolk Southern Fires CEO, CLO Over Relationship

    Norfolk Southern Corp. fired CEO Alan Shaw and chief legal officer Nabanita Nag after it found in an investigation that they'd had a consensual relationship that violated company policy, the Atlanta-based transportation giant said Wednesday evening.

  • September 11, 2024

    Philadelphia Jury Clears Monsanto In City's 5th Roundup Trial

    A Philadelphia jury on Wednesday cleared Bayer AG unit Monsanto of liability in a man's case alleging the company sold its flagship weedkiller Roundup despite knowing about its cancer-causing properties, marking the agrochemical giant's second trial win in a spate of massive plaintiffs' verdicts in the city.

  • September 11, 2024

    Sprout Foods Can't Get 9th Circ. Redo In Baby Food Label Suit

    A split Ninth Circuit panel declined Tuesday to rethink its decision that federal law doesn't preempt a couple's California state law claim over allegedly misleading nutrition labels on Sprout Foods baby food labels.

  • September 11, 2024

    Top Calif. Biz Bills Sitting On Gov. Newsom's Desk

    Among the hundreds of bills awaiting California Governor Gavin Newsom's signature are a number that would create new guidelines for Golden State employers, healthcare industry players, as well as artificial intelligence labeling, textile recycling and increasing criminal penalties for corporate malfeasance by tens of millions of dollars.

  • September 11, 2024

    San Diego Utility Hit With Suit Over Wood Waste Runoff

    San Diego Gas & Electric is using a wood treatment mixture on its power poles and in its facilities that includes toxic chemicals that poison the environment and pose a danger to humans and animals nearby, according to a suit filed in California federal court Tuesday.

  • September 11, 2024

    Indivior, Reckitt Benckiser Units Freed From Suboxone MDL

    An Ohio federal judge cut Indivior PLC and two Reckitt Benckiser entities loose from multidistrict litigation alleging opioid addiction treatment Suboxone caused dental decay, formalizing an agreement the parties forged in recent weeks.

  • September 11, 2024

    King & Spalding Adds 4 Attys To Mass Torts Practice In Texas

    King & Spalding LLP continues to grow its Texas presence, announcing Wednesday that it has added four partners from Butler Snow LLP to its product liability and mass torts practice group.

  • September 11, 2024

    Phelps Dunbar Recruits 6 Litigators In Raleigh

    Phelps Dunbar LLP has hired six lawyers in Raleigh to serve the business and litigation needs of companies in North and South Carolina, adding strength in health care, construction, employment and intellectual property.

  • September 11, 2024

    Mars Can't Claim For Contaminated Ice Cream, Supplier Says

    A food supplier has denied owing confectionery giant Mars Wrigley £1.1 million ($1.4 million) after ice cream became contaminated with an allegedly hazardous pesticide, claiming it didn't need to check for the substance.

  • September 11, 2024

    NC Car Parts Biz Racks Up $10M In Fines For Cheat Devices

    A North Carolina automotive components business will pay a $2.4 million criminal penalty on top of a $7 million civil fine for dealing devices used to skirt federal vehicle emissions controls, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.

  • September 10, 2024

    1st Lyondell Leak Bellwether Settles On Eve Of Trial

    The first bellwether case in a multidistrict litigation created to handle claims stemming from a 2021 gas leak at a LyondellBasell facility in La Porte, Texas, reached a confidential settlement on the eve of trial, a defense attorney confirmed Tuesday.

  • September 10, 2024

    Ky. Breeder Not Covered For Horse's Death, Court Says

    A horse breeder has no coverage for the death of a stallion that occurred after he was given an injection to increase his libido as the injection triggered an exclusion for unauthorized medications, a Kentucky federal court said Tuesday.

  • September 10, 2024

    Whole Foods, Hain Denied Full 5th Circ. Review In Baby Food Case

    The Fifth Circuit on Monday shut down a bid from grocery store chain Whole Foods and international food company Hain Celestial Group for a rehearing of a panel's decision remanding to state court a suit alleging Hain's baby food caused the mental and physical decline of a toddler.

Expert Analysis

  • How Law Firms Can Avoid 'Collaboration Drag'

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    Law firm decision making can be stifled by “collaboration drag” — characterized by too many pointless meetings, too much peer feedback and too little dissent — but a few strategies can help stakeholders improve decision-making processes and build consensus, says Steve Groom at Miles Mediation.

  • When The Supreme Court Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade

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    Instead of grousing about the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decisions overturning long-standing precedents, attorneys should look to history for examples of how enterprising legal minds molded difficult decisions to their advantage, and figure out how to work with the cards they’ve been dealt, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Opinion

    Litigation Funding Disclosure Key To Open, Impartial Process

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    Blanket investor and funding agreement disclosures should be required in all civil cases where the investor has a financial interest in the outcome in order to address issues ranging from potential conflicts of interest to national security concerns, says Bob Goodlatte, former U.S. House Representative for Virginia.

  • What NFL Draft Picks Have In Common With Lateral Law Hires

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    Nearly half of law firm lateral hires leave within a few years — a failure rate that is strikingly similar to the performance of NFL quarterbacks drafted in the first round — in part because evaluators focus too heavily on quantifiable metrics and not enough on a prospect's character traits, says Howard Rosenberg at Baretz+Brunelle.

  • Opinion

    Toxic Water Case Shows Need For Labeling To Protect Kids

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    A recent case involving contaminated alkaline water that inflicted severe liver damage on children underscores the risks that children can face from products not specifically targeted to them, and points to the need for stricter labeling standards for all bottled water, says Vineet Dubey at Custodio & Dubey.

  • 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.

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