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Product Liability
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April 02, 2024
Alaska Judge Tosses Opioid Nuisance Case Against Pharmacies
Retail pharmacies including Walgreens Co. and Walmart Inc. have escaped a suit brought by Alaska in state court over their role in the opioid epidemic after a judge found the state's public nuisance claims were a "bridge too far."
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April 02, 2024
9th Circ. To Hear Ex-Theranos Execs' Criminal Appeals In June
The Ninth Circuit has set oral arguments in former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes' high-stakes appeal of her criminal securities fraud conviction and 11-year prison sentence for June 11 — the same day the panel is scheduled to hear arguments in convicted ex-Theranos executive Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani's appeal.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Expert Analysis
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Tips For Litigating Against Pro Se Parties In Complex Disputes
Litigating against self-represented parties in complex cases can pose unique challenges for attorneys, but for the most part, it requires the same skills that are useful in other cases — from documenting everything to understanding one’s ethical duties, says Bryan Ketroser at Alto Litigation.
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Opinion
Test Results Signal Poor Odds For Lead Cables Litigation
After sites in New York and New Jersey allegedly contaminated with lead by telecommunications cables were found by state and federal agencies to present no imminent threats to public health, it seems unlikely that mass litigation over this issue by plaintiffs firms or state attorneys general will succeed, says Andrew Ketterer at Ketterer & Ketterer.
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Ga. Ruling A Win For Plaintiffs Injured By Older Products
The Georgia Supreme Court's recent opinion in Ford Motor Co. v. Cosper gives plaintiffs the assurance that even if they are injured by older products, they can still bring claims under state law if the manufacturer used a design that it knew, or should have known, created a risk of substantial harm, says Rob Snyder at Cannella Snyder.
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Class Action Defense: Don't Give Up On Bristol-Myers Squibb
Federal appellate court decisions in the six years since the U.S. Supreme Court decided Bristol-Myers Squibb show that it's anyone's ballgame in class action jurisdictional arguments, so defendants are encouraged to consider carefully whether, where and when arguing lack of specific personal jurisdiction may be advantageous, say attorneys at K&L Gates.
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Pro Bono Work Is Powerful Self-Help For Attorneys
Oct. 22-28 is Pro Bono Week, serving as a useful reminder that offering free legal help to the public can help attorneys expand their legal toolbox, forge community relationships and create human connections, despite the challenges of this kind of work, says Orlando Lopez at Culhane Meadows.
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Series
Playing In A Rock Cover Band Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Performing in a classic rock cover band has driven me to hone several skills — including focus, organization and networking — that have benefited my professional development, demonstrating that taking time to follow your muse outside of work can be a boon to your career, says Michael Gambro at Cadwalader.
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How To Advertise Carbon Reductions Under New Calif. Law
As more companies advertise their efforts to reach the status of carbon neutral or net zero, California's recently enacted Voluntary Carbon Market Disclosures Act aims to force companies to more clearly disclose the basis for such claims — and there's not a lot of time to comply, say Gonzalo Mon and Katie Rogers at Kelley Drye.
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Series
The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Espinosa On 'Lincoln Lawyer'
The murder trials in Netflix’s “The Lincoln Lawyer” illustrate the stark contrast between the ethical high ground that fosters and maintains the criminal justice system's integrity, and the ethical abyss that can undermine it, with an important reminder for all legal practitioners, say Judge Adam Espinosa and Andrew Howard at the Colorado 2nd Judicial District Court.
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Calif. Right To Repair Law Highlights A Growing Movement
New legislation in California is a comprehensive victory for the "right to repair" movement — signaling that this push for legal reform represents a multifaceted challenge to the status quo not only on the consumer rights front, but also in the fields of copyright, software, antitrust and warranty law, says Courtney Sarnow at Culhane Meadows.
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Teach Your Witness About 'Good' And 'Bad' Testimony Words
To ensure honest and accurate testimony in trials and depositions, attorneys must take care to educate their witnesses about the problematic words opposing counsel may use, such as “always” and “must,” and the effective words they can use in response, like “potentially” and “depends,” say Steve Wood and Bill Kanasky at Courtroom Sciences.
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Balancing Justice And Accountability In Opioid Bankruptcies
As Rite Aid joins other pharmaceutical companies in pursuing bankruptcy following the onslaught of state and federal litigation related to the opioid epidemic, courts and the country will have to reconcile the ideals of economic justice and accountability against the U.S. Constitution’s promise of a fresh start through bankruptcy, says Monique Hayes at DGIM Law.
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Opinion
Newman Suspension Shows Need For Judicial Reform
The recent suspension of U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman following her alleged refusal to participate in a disability inquiry reveals the need for judicial misconduct reforms to ensure that judges step down when they can no longer serve effectively, says Aliza Shatzman at The Legal Accountability Project.
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Lessons From Verizon's Cybersecurity FCA Self-Disclosure
A Verizon unit’s recent agreement to settle allegations of cyber-related False Claims Act violations illustrates the interplay between the government's prioritization of cybersecurity enforcement and the potential benefits of voluntarily disclosing cybersecurity failures, says Denise Barnes at Honigman.
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EPA's Final PFAS Rule Greatly Expands Cos.' Reporting Duties
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recently released final regulation requiring reporting by entities that have manufactured or imported products containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances will require considerable time and attention from affected companies — including many that have not previously faced such obligations, say Lawrence Culleen and Judah Prero at Arnold & Porter.
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How And Why Your Firm Should Implement Fixed-Fee Billing
Amid rising burnout in the legal industry and client efforts to curtail spending, pivoting to a fixed-fee billing model may improve client-attorney relationships and offer lawyers financial, logistical and stress relief — while still maintaining profit margins, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.