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Product Liability
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April 22, 2024
4 Biggest Takeaways From New EPA 'Forever Chemicals' Rule
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's new rule listing two "forever chemicals" as hazardous substances under the Superfund law will introduce costly new cleanup requirements at polluted sites — that is, if the rule survives probable legal challenges targeting its novel legal foundation and the accuracy of asserted health risks.
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April 22, 2024
Los Angeles Sues 3M, DuPont Over 'Forever Chemicals'
The city of Los Angeles is the latest to sue 3M, DuPont and other chemical companies over contamination caused by "forever chemicals," saying the substances from firefighting foam leech into the environment and that the companies "should pay to help clean up the mess that they created."
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April 22, 2024
Social Media MDL Attys Ordered To Sort Out Confidentiality
A California federal judge presiding over discovery in multidistrict litigation over whether social media platforms' design is addictive warned parties at a hearing Monday not to ask him to resolve disputes over confidentiality designations, asking repeatedly, "Why do they matter?" and saying, "These are the kinds of things that lawyers should work out."
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April 22, 2024
9th Circ. Backs Class Cert. In Pet Supplement False Ad Suit
The Ninth Circuit on Monday upheld certification of a consumer class accusing health supplement company Nutramax of falsely marketing Cosequin as promoting healthy joints in dogs, saying an economics expert could use a generic and "otherwise reliable" damages model without applying it specifically to the class at this stage.
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April 22, 2024
USW Says EPA Asbestos Ban Doesn't Protect Workers Enough
The United Steelworkers and the nonprofit Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization called on the D.C. Circuit to review the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent ban on the most prevalent variety of asbestos, with the union arguing the ban falls short by failing to provide certain interim protections.
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April 22, 2024
Father Asks Texas High Court To Take Up Gun Suicide Case
The father of a woman who died by suicide has asked the Texas Supreme Court to review the dismissal of his suit against a gun company, saying there were clear signs that his daughter was experiencing mental health problems and should not have been sold a weapon.
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April 22, 2024
J&J Hit With $45M Talc Verdict In Illinois Cancer Trial
An Illinois state jury has awarded $45 million to the estate of a woman who died from mesothelioma after using Johnson & Johnson's talc-based baby powder for years, finding that her exposure to asbestos fibers in the powder led to her cancer.
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April 22, 2024
Opioid Marketer Completes $1.5M Damages Settlement With Del.
Delaware's chancellor signed off Monday on a $1.5 million payment to the state by a company that helped Purdue Pharmaceuticals market its opioid products, the latest step in a $358 million, 50-state damages settlement reached with Publicis Health LLC.
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April 22, 2024
3M Urges Mich. Justices To Ditch PFAS Water Rule Challenge
Manufacturing giant 3M has urged the Michigan Supreme Court to reinforce an invalidation of the state's new limits on so-called forever chemicals in drinking water, telling justices that regulators illegally failed to estimate the full cost of its new restrictions on businesses.
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April 22, 2024
Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court
Last week, Delaware's Chancery Court news included a Tesla announcement about moving to Texas, a midcase appeal of Tripadvisor's move to Nevada, and United Airlines' escape from a stockholder suit. Disputes about board entrenchment, squeeze-out mergers, co-founder fallouts and deadly ice cream moved ahead.
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April 22, 2024
Hyundai, Kia Drivers Want $13M Fees In Car Theft Defect Deal
A consumer class of Hyundai and Kia drivers who claimed that the companies knowingly sold them cars with defects that made them easy to steal asked a California federal judge for final approval of their $145 million deal, with $13.4 million in fees, after an objector said the deal wasn't enough.
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April 22, 2024
Supreme Court Will Hear Feds' Ghost Guns Ban Appeal
The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear an appeal from the federal government seeking to block an injunction excluding two companies from a rule classifying so-called ghost gun kits as firearms.
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April 19, 2024
Meta Faces Uphill Fight To Nix AG Claims In Addiction MDL
A California judge expressed skepticism Friday over Meta's bid to ax the claims of 34 state attorneys general from multidistrict litigation over social media platforms' allegedly addictive design, saying Meta and its co-defendants haven't been transparent about how their platforms work, and it's plausible the states can obtain psychiatric treatment receipts to show economic injuries.
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April 19, 2024
Flint Class Urges Approval Of $25M Water Firm Settlement
A proposed class of 45,000 Flint, Michigan, property owners, businesses and adult residents on Friday urged a Michigan federal court to give the go-ahead to a $25 million settlement with Veolia North America, the last remaining engineering defendant in sprawling litigation over the city's water crisis.
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April 19, 2024
Walgreens Inks $110M Deal To End Philly Opioid Crisis Suit
Walgreens will pay the city of Philadelphia $110 million over the next five years to settle claims that it contributed to the opioid epidemic by ignoring suspicious prescriptions for addictive opioid painkillers, city officials announced Friday.
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April 19, 2024
Shampoo-Maker Can't Wash Away 'Natural' False Ad Suit
An Illinois federal judge on Thursday trimmed but refused to toss a proposed class action alleging Dr. Squatch LLC deceptively labels its shampoo as "natural" even though it contains multiple artificial ingredients, saying the consumers had sufficiently alleged consumer fraud and unjust enrichment.
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April 19, 2024
Defense Firms Say 'Political Question' Dooms Yemeni War Suit
Three defense contractors warned a D.C. federal court that it would be improperly meddling with the executive branch's national security decisions if it didn't toss a lawsuit accusing the companies of supplying weapons used in Yemen's deadly civil war.
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April 19, 2024
J&J Unit Sued Over Defective Knee Replacements
A woman is suing Johnson & Johnson unit DePuy Orthopaedics in New Jersey federal court, alleging it marketed and sold a faulty knee replacement system that's prone to failing, requiring additional surgery to fix the issue.
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April 19, 2024
Nevada Justices Stop Block On State's Ghost Gun Ban
The Nevada Supreme Court has reversed an order blocking enforcement of state laws blocking the sale of so-called ghost gun kits, saying the lower court was wrong in finding the laws were unconstitutionally vague.
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April 19, 2024
Arnold & Porter Atty Returns To Greenberg Traurig In Calif.
Greenberg Traurig LLP has rehired a former associate from Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP whose practice focuses on a range of environmental litigation dealing with cancer-causing chemicals, plastic pollutants and the laws surrounding their regulation.
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April 19, 2024
Pennsylvania Chocolate Factory Sued Over Fatal Explosion
The estate representing another victim of a 2023 fatal explosion at a Pennsylvania R.M. Palmer chocolate factory has filed suit in state court, claiming the candy company, the gas company and the maker of the plastic gas line all contributed to the catastrophe.
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April 19, 2024
EPA Says 2 'Forever Chemicals' Are Hazardous Substances
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday officially declared two "forever chemicals" to be hazardous materials under federal law, which could bring a host of consequences for Superfund site cleanups and development projects.
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April 18, 2024
LG Chem Wants NC Man's Exploding Battery Suit Tossed
LG Chem Ltd. is urging a North Carolina federal court to throw out a man's suit alleging that he was injured when one of the company's lithium batteries exploded in his pocket, saying the court doesn't have jurisdiction over the South Korean company.
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April 18, 2024
NY Fertility Clinic Must Face Lost, Damaged Embryos Suit
A New York appellate panel issued a published opinion Thursday reviving a suit over the loss or damage of embryos due to a fertility clinic's alleged negligence, saying the routine storage and maintenance of frozen embryos can be considered ordinary negligence rather than medical malpractice.
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April 18, 2024
Chancery OKs Case Lead For Blue Bell Creameries Suit
A Delaware vice chancellor on Thursday restored a Blue Bell Creameries Inc. stockholder's widow as lead plaintiff in a derivative suit seeking to hold directors and officers of the ice cream company accountable for deadly food-safety oversight failures in 2015.
Expert Analysis
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Tapping The Full Potential Of The Juror Questionnaire
Most litigators know that questionnaires can reveal biases that potential jurors would never reveal in voir dire, but to maximize this tool’s utility, attorneys must choose the right questions, interpret responses effectively and weigh several other considerations, say George Speckart and Steve Wood at Courtroom Sciences.
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Law Firm Professional Development Steps To Thrive In AI Era
As generative artificial intelligence tools rapidly evolve, professional development leaders are instrumental in preparing law firms for the paradigm shifts ahead, and should consider three strategies to help empower legal talent with the skills required to succeed in an increasingly complex technological landscape, say Steve Gluckman and Anusia Gillespie at SkillBurst Interactive.
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Conn. Regulators Are Coming For Unlawful Cannabis Sales
Regulatory and enforcement efforts against unlicensed cannabis sales in Connecticut have been ramping up this year, so it behooves retailers to prioritize compliance with all relevant statutes, lest they attract unwelcome scrutiny, says Eric Del Pozo at Shipman & Goodwin.
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9th Circ. Kellogg Ruling Offers Protein Claim Defense Tips
The Ninth Circuit's recent opinion dismissing consolidated false advertising class actions against Kellogg and Kashi should be required reading for manufacturers that include protein-related claims on their product labels because it significantly clarifies the viability of state law challenges to those claims, say Olivia Dworkin and Cortlin Lannin at Covington.
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The Basics Of Being A Knowledge Management Attorney
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Michael Lehet at Ogletree Deakins discusses the role of knowledge management attorneys at law firms, the common tasks they perform and practical tips for lawyers who may be considering becoming one.
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Opinion
Purdue Ch. 11 Case Exemplifies Need For 3rd-Party Releases
In the Purdue Pharma Chapter 11 case, the U.S. Supreme Court will eventually decide whether the Bankruptcy Code authorizes a court to approve third-party releases, but removing this powerful tool would be a significant blow to the likelihood of future victims being made whole, says Isaac Marcushamer at DGIM Law.
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Mont. Kids' Climate Decision Reflects 3 Enviro Trends
A Montana district court's recent ruling in Held v. Montana represents a rare win for activist plaintiffs seeking to use rights-based theories to address climate change concerns — and calls attention to three environmental trends that are increasingly influencing climate litigation and policy, says J. Michael Showalter at ArentFox Schiff.
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3 Lessons From Mock Trials That Attys Can Use In Practice
The hordes of data gleaned from mock trial competitions can isolate the methods that maximize persuasion, providing key principles that attorneys in every practice area can incorporate into their real-world trial work, say Spencer Pahlke at Walkup Melodia and Justin Bernstein at UCLA.
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To Hire And Keep Top Talent, Think Beyond Compensation
Firms seeking to appeal to sophisticated clients and top-level partners should promote mentorship, ensure that attorneys from diverse backgrounds feel valued, and clarify policies about at-home work, says Patrick Moya at Quaero Group.
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Retailers Face Compliance Issues As PFAS Regulations Grow
As per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance legislation, and the potential for litigation, continues to evolve and spread nationally, retailers should focus on supply chain management, inventory audits and maintaining strong internal standard operating procedures as a way to manage compliance and minimize risk, say attorneys at Dentons.
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Perspectives
More States Should Join Effort To Close Legal Services Gap
Colorado is the most recent state to allow other types of legal providers, not just attorneys, to offer specific services in certain circumstances — and more states should rethink the century-old assumptions that shape our current regulatory rules, say Natalie Anne Knowlton and Janet Drobinske at the University of Denver.
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Identifying Trends And Tips In Litigation Financing Disclosure
Growing interest and controversy in litigation financing raise several salient concerns, but exploring recent compelled disclosure trends from courts around the country can help practitioners further their clients' interests, say Sean Callagy and Samuel Sokolsky at Arnold & Porter.
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How Jurors' Great Resignation Views Affect Corp. Defendants
With recent surveys finding that many workers expect to leave their jobs in the next year, corporate defendants should consider measuring potential jurors’ attitudes about the "great resignation," which may reveal biases against large corporations and beliefs about personal responsibility, say Jorge Monroy and David Metz at IMS Consulting.
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10 Legal Subject Matters Popping Up In AI Litigation
The past five years have brought judicial opinions addressing artificial intelligence in many different legal areas, so a study of existing case law is an important first step for in-house counsel addressing how to advise on the uncertainty driving many of the AI legal disputes, says Mark Davies at Orrick.
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Steps To Take On AI Operations Amid FTC's ChatGPT Probe
Following the Federal Trade Commission's civil investigative demand for OpenAI, it is foreseeable that many more investigations into artificial intelligence and its impact on consumers are coming, but companies can be prepared, say David Shonka and Benjamin Redgrave at Redgrave.