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Product Liability
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March 07, 2024
'Hatchet Wielding' Killer Has No Part In Netflix Suit, Court Told
A Kentucky man who accused Netflix of wrongfully using his image in a true-crime documentary titled "The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker" has asked a Texas federal judge to keep the real hatchet-wielding hitchhiker out of his lawsuit, saying the convicted murderer has nothing to do with his litigation against the streaming giant.
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March 07, 2024
Feds Look To Douse $48M Washington Ranch Wildfire Claim
The federal government wants a Washington ranch's $48 million negligence suit alleging that the Bureau of Indian Affairs is liable for damages from a 2020 forest fire dismissed, saying that the plaintiff cannot argue that a smoldering pile of leaves and ash warrant jurisdiction under the Federal Tort Claims Act.
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March 07, 2024
Asbestos Claimants Refuel Bid To Chuck Bestwall Ch. 11
Mesothelioma victims seeking recompense for asbestos exposure are taking another stab at throwing out the bankruptcy case of Georgia-Pacific unit Bestwall LLC, telling a North Carolina federal judge that the papermaker has abused the bankruptcy process to shield itself from liability.
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March 07, 2024
Sens. Tell Stores To Get Illegal E-Cigs Off Their Shelves
Five U.S. senators on Thursday told the heads of major convenience store and gas station chains to stop sales of unauthorized flavored e-cigarette products, saying that their illegal sales pose a major threat to public health, especially children's.
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March 07, 2024
Dog Owner, Co. Can't Drop Claim From Pet Food Labels Trial
A Washington federal judge won't let a dog owner and Champion Petfoods LP defer an unjust enrichment claim until after a trial scheduled to begin in April over allegations that the company misled consumers about the ingredients in its food.
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March 07, 2024
NM Residents Sue 3M, DuPont For PFAS-Contaminated Water
New Mexico residents are seeking to hold a slew of major chemical companies liable for allegedly contaminating the aquifer supplying water to their private household wells with forever chemicals stemming from the companies' sale and manufacture of firefighting foam.
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March 07, 2024
Equity Concerns Follow Mass Torts' March Into Bankruptcy
After decades of suffering and waiting, a group of more than 82,000 childhood sexual abuse survivors recently reached a $2.5 billion bankruptcy settlement with the Boy Scouts of America and related groups. Yet the survivors may once again be in suspense.
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March 07, 2024
Monsanto, Seattle Spar Over Guardrails For Possible PCB Trial
Monsanto Co. and Seattle are wrangling over evidentiary matters in the city's suit over PCB pollution in the Lower Duwamish Waterway, with each side asking a Washington federal judge to impose limits for a possible trial that's currently set for September.
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March 07, 2024
Nissan Cooling Fans Defective, Class Suit Claims
A proposed class of car buyers is suing Nissan North America Inc. in Tennessee federal court, alleging the automaker made and sold Pathfinder and Infiniti vehicles with defective radiator fans, leading to engines overheating and shutting down.
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March 06, 2024
Juul MDL Judge Asks Feds To Probe AI Fraud In $45.5M Deal
A California federal judge Wednesday approved e-cigarette Juul investor Altria's $45.5 million settlement and counsel's $13.65 million fee request to resolve consumer claims in Altria's broader $235 million multidistrict settlement agreement, but said fraudulent claims submitted by AI and "click farms" are a "real problem" prosecutors should investigate.
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March 06, 2024
6th Circ. Orders Do-Over For Insurer's $3.3M Recoupment Row
A Sixth Circuit panel on Tuesday revived a Chubb unit's bid to recoup costs from two other insurers after it helped windshield repair company Safelite pay for its defense against a competitor's suit, saying the lower court must conduct an analysis to determine whether the other carriers were prejudiced by late notice.
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March 06, 2024
Norfolk Southern Can't Shift Cleanup Costs To Tank Car Cos.
Norfolk Southern cannot dump environmental cleanup costs on seven tank car owners and shipping customers with rail cars transporting chemicals and hazardous materials on the train that derailed in East Palestine last year, an Ohio federal judge said Wednesday.
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March 06, 2024
5th Circ. Weighs 'Very Complex' Chemo Hair Loss Dispute
The Fifth Circuit is weighing whether two drug manufacturers had an obligation to expedite changing the label on their chemotherapy medications to warn of permanent hair loss in a case one justice describes as "a very complex situation" that will have far-reaching consequences for drugmakers and patients.
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March 06, 2024
Ford Settles Georgia Auto Crash Death Suit Days Before Trial
Ford Motor Co. has reached a settlement less than a week before a jury trial was set to begin in a suit alleging it was liable for a rollover crash that killed a teenage motorist, the parties told a Georgia federal judge Wednesday.
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March 06, 2024
Judge May Sit In On Depos In Abbott Formula MDL
An Illinois federal judge overseeing multidistrict litigation in which Abbott Laboratories' Similac infant formula is alleged to have caused a deadly illness in premature babies said Wednesday she would hold off on appointing a special master following claims of improper deposition conduct, offering to tune in to depositions to help move things along.
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March 06, 2024
NTSB Chief Says Boeing Isn't Sharing Info In Blowout Probe
The National Transportation Safety Board's chief told a Senate panel Wednesday that The Boeing Co. still hasn't provided information about the door plug that blew off a 737 Max 9 jet two months ago, fueling troubling new questions as Boeing faces multiple probes into its safety culture and quality control.
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March 06, 2024
NY Gets $7.8M Default Win Against Seller Of 'Ghost Gun' Kits
A New York federal judge on Monday awarded the state $7.8 million in a default judgment against Indie Guns LLC, which was accused of selling "ghost guns," noting the company has been without an attorney for a year.
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March 06, 2024
Fla. Law Blocks Punitive Damages In Smoker Death Suit
A Florida appeals panel on Wednesday denied a woman's bid for punitive damages against Philip Morris USA Inc. in a wrongful death suit, saying the trial court properly found that a state law blocks the damages.
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March 06, 2024
PacifiCorp Must Pay $42.4M To Oregon Fire Victims, Jury Says
A Portland jury said Tuesday that electric power company PacifiCorp must pay $42.4 million to compensate another 10 victims of devastating Labor Day fires that burned in Oregon in 2020, with thousands more class members awaiting potential trials.
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March 06, 2024
Otterbourg Formalizes Bankruptcy, Mass Torts Practice Group
As many BigLaw firms continue chasing bankruptcy talent, Otterbourg PC announced the formalization of a cross-departmental mass tort bankruptcy practice group under the leadership of a recently hired restructuring attorney and a longtime Otterbourg litigator.
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March 06, 2024
Power Co. Can't Escape Explosion Fraud Claim
An infrastructure supply company can't toss a fraud claim brought by an industrial company's insurers in a suit seeking to recoup $18.7 million in damages for a manufacturing facility explosion, an Ohio federal court ruled, finding that the carriers can bring both a breach of contract claim and a fraud claim.
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March 05, 2024
Poland Springs Sued Over Microplastics In 'Natural' Water
Poland Springs is being falsely marketed as "100% natural spring water," a description that isn't accurate thanks to the "dangerous levels of microplastics" found in the bottled water, according to a proposed class action filed Tuesday in New York federal court.
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March 05, 2024
Tank Car Cos. Can Inspect Derailed Train Parts, Judge Says
An Ohio federal magistrate judge said Tuesday that the National Transportation Safety Board must allow rail tank car owners facing claims in sprawling consolidated litigation to inspect crucial components from the Norfolk Southern train that derailed in East Palestine last year.
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March 05, 2024
Gibson Dunn AI Leader On Weathering The AI Policy Blizzard
Like a mountaineer leading a team through a snowstorm, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP's artificial intelligence co-chair Cassandra L. Gaedt-Sheckter is guiding companies developing and using artificial intelligence through a blizzard of new laws and regulations coming online in Europe and the U.S., saying that assessing AI risks is the North Star to mitigating them.
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March 05, 2024
Pharmacist Takes Deal In Mich. Over Fatal Meningitis Outbreak
The founder of a Massachusetts drug compounding center that was the source of a deadly meningitis outbreak has pled no contest to 11 counts of manslaughter brought by Michigan state prosecutors, the latter state's Department of Attorney General announced Tuesday.
Expert Analysis
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Operant Conditioning: Tactics That Can Derail Your Witness
There are many ways opposing counsel may use operant conditioning principles, including rewards and punishments, to obtain damaging testimony from your witnesses, so understanding this psychological theory is key, say Steve Wood and Bill Kanasky at Courtroom Sciences.
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Perspectives
Mallory Gives Plaintiffs A Better Shot At Justice
Critics of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Mallory v. Norfolk Southern claim it opens the door to litigation tourism, but the ruling simply gives plaintiffs more options — enabling them to seek justice against major corporations in the best possible court, say Rayna Kessler and Ethan Seidenberg at Robins Kaplan.
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And Now A Word From The Panel: 55 Years Of The JPML
As the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation marks its 55th birthday, Alan Rothman at Sidley looks back at its history and finds that, while some features of MDL jurisprudence have changed over the decades, the most remarkable aspect of the panel's practice has been its consistency.
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Cannabis Cos. Must Heed PFAS Risks In Products, Packaging
Cannabis businesses and ancillary service providers will have to grapple with evolving PFAS enforcement, litigation and regulations – most recently enacted in Minnesota – and take steps to mitigate risks posed by forever chemicals in their products and packaging, say Malina Dumas and Amy Rubenstein at Dentons.
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Insurance Insights From 5th Circ. Blue Bell Coverage Ruling
The Fifth Circuit's recent ruling that denied Blue Bell insurance coverage for the defense costs incurred from a shareholder lawsuit underscores the importance of coordination of different coverages and policies across programs, and the potential perils of seeking recovery for losses under nontraditional policies, say Geoffrey Fehling and Casey Coffey at Hunton.
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Courts Can Overturn Deficient State Regulations, Too
While suits challenging federal regulations have become commonplace, such cases against state agencies are virtually nonexistent, but many states have provisions that allow litigants to bring suit for regulations with inadequate cost-benefit analyses, says Reeve Bull at the Virginia Office of Regulatory Management.
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Micromobility Can Lead To Macro Liability For Cities, Cos.
E-bike and scooter manufacturers and rental operators, as well as the cities that host such services, must be aware of the major litigation risk associated with the growing number of serious accidents and injuries involving such micromobility devices — and should track emerging regulations in this area, says Arturo Aviles at Segal McCambridge.
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Tales From The Trenches Of Remote Depositions
As practitioners continue to conduct depositions remotely in the post-pandemic world, these virtual environments are rife with opportunities for improper behavior such as witness coaching, scripted testimony and a general lack of civility — but there are methods to prevent and combat these behaviors, say Jennifer Gibbs and Bennett Moss at Zelle.
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Time For Courts, Attorneys To Use Amended Evidence Rule
Though recent amendments to Federal Rule of Evidence 702, clarifying courts’ gatekeeping role in admitting expert witness testimony, will not formally go into effect until Dec. 1, practitioners should use the amendments now to weed out flawed jurisprudence of the past and prevent it moving forward, say Eric Lasker at Hollingsworth and Lawrence Ebner at the Atlantic Legal Foundation.
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Tide May Be Turning On Texas Two-Step Bankruptcy Strategy
Recent developments in several high-profile bankruptcy cases suggest that the use of the Texas Two-Step to shield solvent companies from tort claims may be falling out of favor, but until the U.S. Supreme Court hears one of these cases the strategy will remain divisive and the subject of increased scrutiny, say attorneys at Rivkin Radler.
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Level Up Lawyers' Business Development With Gamification
With employee engagement at a 10-year low in the U.S., there are several gamification techniques marketing and business development teams at law firms can use to make generating new clients and matters more appealing to lawyers, says Heather McCullough at Society 54.
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Mallory Ruling Leaves Personal Jurisdiction Deeply Unsettled
In Mallory v. Norfolk Southern Railway, a closely divided U.S. Supreme Court recently rolled back key aspects of its 2017 opinion in Daimler AG v. Bauman that limited personal jurisdiction, leaving as many questions for businesses as it answers, say John Cerreta and James Rotondo at Day Pitney.
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Handling Hostile Depositions: Keep Calm And Make A Record
When depositions turn contentious, attorneys should, among other strategies, maintain a professional demeanor and note any objectionable conduct on the record, thereby increasing chances of a favorable outcome for the client while preserving the integrity of the legal process, say attorneys at Steptoe & Johnson.
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EPA Draft Plastic Pollution Plan Offers Opportunities For Cos.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recently released draft national strategy to prevent plastic pollution, if implemented as is, will have serious implications for waste collection and processing businesses, but also highlights growth opportunities for companies seeking to capitalize on the emerging circular economy, say attorneys at DLA Piper.
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Using Counterfactuals To Shift Jurors' Hindsight Bias
Counterfactuals can reduce or increase jurors’ hindsight bias by helping them imagine how events could have unfolded differently, but before attorneys make use of this key tool at trial, they should keep several important principles in mind, say Merrie Jo Pitera and David Metz at IMS Consulting, and John Ursu at Faegre Drinker.