Product Liability

  • August 20, 2024

    Mesh Was Implanted After Serious FDA Alert, Jury Hears

    A surgery patient went to trial Tuesday against an Oregon hospital and surgeon over an implant of prolapse mesh almost two weeks after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ordered its maker to stop selling it.

  • August 20, 2024

    Disney Made Right Move Dropping Arbitration Bid, Attys Say

    Disney agreed Tuesday to drop its attempt to use a Disney+ app agreement to arbitrate claims over a woman's food allergy death at a Walt Disney World restaurant, a move that attorneys say quells what was turning into a public relations disaster and preserves the validity of the arbitration agreement in other cases.

  • August 20, 2024

    Ariz. Tribe Wins Pause Of Lithium Project Construction

    An Arizona federal judge has granted the Hualapai Indian Tribe's bid for a temporary restraining order in its lawsuit seeking to halt U.S. government approval of a lithium exploration project that it says threatens the life of a sacred medical spring used for cultural and religious purposes.

  • August 20, 2024

    USDOT Floats Vehicle-To-Everything Deployment Plan

    The U.S. Department of Transportation is setting out an aspirational timeline for vehicle-to-everything infrastructure deployment, saying it wants to see the technology deployed on 50% of the nation's highways by 2031.

  • August 20, 2024

    SF Police Can't Sue Navy Over Toxic Shipyard, 9th Circ. Says

    A group of San Francisco police officers cannot pursue their suit alleging the U.S. Navy misled the city into leasing a former naval shipyard that was not properly decontaminated following its use during the Cold War, which led to the officers suffering health problems, the Ninth Circuit ruled Tuesday.

  • August 20, 2024

    Fireball Maker Fights Class Cert. In Malt Labeling Suit

    The makers of Fireball have urged a California federal judge not to grant class certification to buyers who claim the single-serving Fireball malt beverages mislead consumers into thinking they're buying Fireball's Cinnamon Whisky product, saying their experts' proposed surveys don't show wide-ranging deception.

  • August 20, 2024

    Energy Department Says Dishwasher Case Lacks Jurisdiction

    The U.S. Department of Energy says anyone who wants to challenge a new rule governing how efficiently household appliances need to manage water usage must do so in a circuit court, claiming a Texas federal court lacks jurisdiction to hear the case.

  • August 20, 2024

    Wash. Judges Won't Upend Tobacco Payout Ruling

    A Washington appellate court on Monday rejected attempts by Philip Morris and other tobacco companies to pay the state less under a 1998 master settlement agreement, upholding an arbitrator's determination that the state was enforcing a law covering payment.

  • August 20, 2024

    Boat-Maker Sued Over Anchor Issue Stranding Owner

    A Tennessee boat-maker, Malibu Boats Inc., was hit with a proposed class action claiming its anchor systems are poorly designed, causing one boater to become stranded and require rescue by the U.S. Coast Guard.

  • August 20, 2024

    US Sanctions Ex-Haitian President Over Drug Trafficking

    The Biden administration on Tuesday sanctioned a former president of Haiti, claiming he abused his position to facilitate drug trafficking.

  • August 20, 2024

    Estates Say BNSF, Zurich Delayed Settling Asbestos Claims

    BNSF Railway Co. and its Zurich insurer breached their claim handling duties owed to asbestos claimants, the estates of two claimants told a Montana federal court, saying the companies turned insurance protection into "an investment in accrued and ongoing human suffering."

  • August 20, 2024

    Fed Circ. Finds No Fault In Denial Of Flu Vaccine Claim

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday affirmed the denial of a family's petition for compensation alleging their child developed narcolepsy as a result of the FluMist vaccine, saying the special master's determination that the family hasn't properly established the link was not arbitrary.

  • August 20, 2024

    LOT Polish Airlines Objects To DOJ-Boeing 737 Max Plea Deal

    LOT Polish Airlines has urged a Texas federal judge to reject Boeing's plea agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, saying the deal deprives restitution to airline customers that incurred millions in losses because Boeing defrauded regulators about the 737 Max 8's development.

  • August 20, 2024

    Ex-Execs Defend $59.7M Transfer Amid Asbestos Suits

    A Chapter 7 bankruptcy trustee's lawsuit claiming that former engineering company executives improperly transferred $59.7 million amid high-dollar asbestos claims is fatally flawed and the defendants did not do anything wrong, according to a filing in Connecticut federal court.

  • August 20, 2024

    EPA Finalizes Herbicide Strategy To Protect Listed Species

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday released a final strategy to protect nearly 1,000 threatened and endangered species and crucial habitat from herbicides, outlining measures to reduce their exposures to the chemicals.

  • August 20, 2024

    A Deep Dive Into Law360 Pulse's 2024 Women In Law Report

    The legal industry continues to see incremental gains for female lawyers in private practice in the U.S., according to a Law360 Pulse analysis, with women now representing 40.6% of all attorneys and 51% of all associates.

  • August 20, 2024

    These Firms Have The Most Women In Equity Partnerships

    The legal industry still has a long way to go before it can achieve gender parity at its upper levels. But these law firms are performing better than others in breaking the proverbial glass ceiling that prevents women from attaining leadership roles.

  • August 19, 2024

    9th Circ. Told Psilocybin Petition Is Backed By Precedent

    A Ninth Circuit panel on Monday dissected opposing arguments from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and a Seattle doctor over whether there is precedent to allow the dispensing of psilocybin — a psychedelic compound — to treat terminally ill patients.

  • August 19, 2024

    Groups Urge EPA To Ban Dispersants Used In Deepwater Spill

    Two advocacy groups on Monday petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to immediately stop using two chemical dispersants that were used after the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil disaster and that they say cause a variety of health problems including cancer.

  • August 19, 2024

    3M Wants Conn. Firefighters' PFAS Case Paused For MDL

    3M has asked a Connecticut federal court to stay a proposed class action by firefighters who wore technical gear containing so-called forever chemicals until there's a decision on whether to transfer the suit to a multidistrict litigation in South Carolina.

  • August 19, 2024

    Monsanto Faces Jury In 5th Philadelphia Roundup Trial

    For the fifth time in a Philadelphia courtroom, jurors were told Monday by plaintiffs' attorneys that Bayer AG unit Monsanto sold its flagship weedkiller Roundup knowing it had cancer-causing properties, but failed to warn consumers about the potential danger so it could make a profit.

  • August 19, 2024

    Insurer Blames Panda Express Grease For $176K Water Leak

    An insurer demanded Chinese fast food chain Panda Express Inc. repay it more than $176,000 for damages allegedly caused when the restaurant's grease-filled pipes backed up, leaking water into a clothing store covered by the insurer, in a case the eatery moved to Washington federal court.

  • August 19, 2024

    Feds Want E-Cig Importers To Give More Info At Time Of Entry

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of the Treasury are looking to require e-cigarette importers to hand over the unique identifier assigned to their product by the FDA as a condition of import.

  • August 19, 2024

    Pennsylvania Litigation Highlights Of 2024: A Midyear Report

    Pennsylvania courts have been the scene of several explosive cases in the first half of 2024, including one that produced an astronomical $2.25 billion verdict against Bayer AG unit Monsanto in the Roundup mass tort unfolding in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas.

  • August 19, 2024

    5th Circ. Won't Upend BP Win In Deepwater Cleanup Suit

    The Fifth Circuit won't grant an extension on discovery deadlines to a worker who alleges he was harmed by exposure to toxins during the cleanup of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, saying the discovery he seeks wouldn't be enough to save his suit against BP Exploration & Production Inc. and BP America Production Co.

Expert Analysis

  • 15 Quick Tips For Uncovering And Mitigating Juror Biases

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    As highlighted by the recent jury selection process in the criminal hush money trial against former President Donald Trump, juror bias presents formidable challenges for defendants, and attorneys must employ proactive strategies — both new and old — to blunt its impact, say Monica Delgado and Jonathan Harris at Harris St. Laurent.

  • Car Apps, Abuse Survivor Safety And The FCC: Key Questions

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    A recent request for comment from the Federal Communications Commission, concerning how to protect the privacy of domestic violence survivors who use connected car services, raises key questions, including whether the FCC has the legal authority to limit access to a vehicle's connected features to survivors only, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

  • Insurance Types That May Help Cos. After Key Bridge Collapse

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    Following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, businesses that depend on the bridge, the Port of Baltimore and related infrastructure for shipment and distribution of cargo should understand which common types of first-party insurance coverage may provide recoveries for financial losses, say Bert Wells and Richard Lewis at Reed Smith.

  • Lessons On Challenging Class Plaintiffs' Expert Testimony

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    In class actions seeking damages, plaintiffs are increasingly using expert opinions to establish predominance, but several recent rulings from California federal courts shed light on how defendants can respond, say Jennifer Romano and Raija Horstman at Crowell & Moring.

  • Exploring An Alternative Model Of Litigation Finance

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    A new model of litigation finance, most aptly described as insurance-backed litigation funding, differs from traditional funding in two key ways, and the process of securing it involves three primary steps, say Bob Koneck, Christopher Le Neve Foster and Richard Butters at Atlantic Global Risk LLC.

  • Trump Hush Money Case Offers Master Class In Trial Strategy

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    The New York criminal hush money trial of former President Donald Trump typifies some of the greatest challenges that lawyers face in crafting persuasive presentations, providing lessons on how to handle bad facts, craft a simple story that withstands attack, and cross-examine with that story in mind, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Series

    Teaching Yoga Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Being a yoga instructor has helped me develop my confidence and authenticity, as well as stress management and people skills — all of which have crossed over into my career as an attorney, says Laura Gongaware at Clyde & Co.

  • A Vision For Economic Clerkships In The Legal System

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    As courts handle increasingly complex damages analyses involving vast amounts of data, an economic clerkship program — integrating early-career economists into the judicial system — could improve legal outcomes and provide essential training to clerks, say Mona Birjandi at Data for Decisions and Matt Farber at Secretariat.

  • When The Platform Is A Product, Strict Liability Can Attach

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    A New York state court's recent ruling in Patterson v. Meta, holding that social media platforms can be considered products, appears to be the first of its kind — but if it is upheld and adopted by other courts, the liability implications for internet companies could be incredibly far-reaching, say attorneys at Patterson Belknap.

  • Opinion

    State-Regulated Cannabis Can Thrive Without Section 280E

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    Marijauna's reclassification as a Schedule III-controlled substance comes at a critical juncture, as removing marijuana from being subjected to Section 280E of the Internal Revenue Code is the only path forward for the state-regulated cannabis industry to survive and thrive, say Andrew Kline at Perkins Coie and Sammy Markland at FTI Consulting.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Text Message Data

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    Electronically stored information on cellphones, and in particular text messages, can present unique litigation challenges, and recent court decisions demonstrate that counsel must carefully balance what data should be preserved, collected, reviewed and produced, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Keeping Up With Class Actions: A New Era Of Higher Stakes

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    Corporate defendants saw unprecedented settlement numbers across all areas of class action litigation in 2022 and 2023, and this year has kept pace so far, with three settlements that stand out for the nature of the claims and for their high dollar amounts, says Gerald Maatman at Duane Morris.

  • 5 Climate Change Regulatory Issues Insurers Should Follow

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    The climate change landscape for insurers has changed dramatically recently — and not just because of the controversy over the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's climate-related risk disclosure rules, says Thomas Dawson at McDermott.

  • Series

    Swimming Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Years of participation in swimming events, especially in the open water, have proven to be ideal preparation for appellate arguments in court — just as you must put your trust in the ocean when competing in a swim event, you must do the same with the judicial process, says John Kulewicz at Vorys.

  • What 100 Federal Cases Suggest About Changes To Chevron

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    With the U.S. Supreme Court poised to overturn or narrow its 40-year-old doctrine of Chevron deference, a review of 100 recent federal district court decisions confirm that changes to the Chevron framework will have broad ramifications — but the magnitude of the impact will depend on the details of the high court's ruling, say Kali Schellenberg and Jon Cochran at LeVan Stapleton.

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