Product Liability

  • March 22, 2024

    Youths Ask 9th Circ. To Allow Climate Trial To Proceed

    Youth plaintiffs called on the Ninth Circuit to once again reject the U.S. government's renewed attempt to block a trial that's set to proceed in Oregon federal court over government policies they claim have exacerbated climate change and imperiled their futures.

  • March 22, 2024

    Social Media MDL Jury Issue Put On Hold For Justices' Ruling

    A California federal judge said Friday that she will await the U.S. Supreme Court's anticipated decision in SEC v. Jarkesy before deciding whether states' claims in multidistrict litigation over social media platforms' allegedly addictive design must go to a jury, after the plaintiffs' counsel argued that the case before the high court could implicate tech companies' Seventh Amendment rights.

  • March 22, 2024

    Apple AirTag Judge Open To Injunctive Cert. In Stalking Suit

    A California federal judge overseeing claims that Apple Inc. failed to safeguard its AirTag tracking device from being abused by stalkers said Friday it's "exceedingly unlikely" a proposed damages class will be certified, but a proposed class seeking injunctive relief is likely to snag certification, at least on some claims.

  • March 22, 2024

    Bestwall Says 'Texas Two-Step' Irrelevant To Asbestos Ch. 11

    Bestwall, the bankrupt asbestos unit of Georgia-Pacific, told the U.S. Supreme Court Friday that a pre-bankruptcy corporate restructuring in Texas that separated its asbestos liability from the parent business should not matter in determining whether a bankruptcy court has jurisdiction over the subsidiary's asbestos injury claims.

  • March 22, 2024

    5th Circ. Axes EPA's PFAS Enforcement Against Plastic Co.

    The Fifth Circuit threw out two enforcement actions against a Texas plastic-container manufacturer that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency accused of creating perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances in its manufacturing process, saying the agency exceeded its statutory authority.

  • March 22, 2024

    Final OK Sought For Economic Loss Deal In CPAP Recall MDL

    Users of Philips' recalled CPAP breathing machines have asked a Pennsylvania federal judge to give her final OK to their $467.5 million settlement with the company to cover economic loss claims, arguing only a few objections to the deal remain.

  • March 22, 2024

    Ill. Justices Won't Stop Exec Email Defamation Suit

    A Chicago software company must face a defamation suit over two anonymous, disparaging emails sent to a competitor's executives, Illinois' top justices have ruled, finding a company's reputation can be harmed even by messages sent only to top-level leaders. 

  • March 22, 2024

    200K Toyota Camry Drivers Ink Deal Over Smelly HVAC

    A certified class of 200,000 Toyota Camry XV50 drivers alleging a defect caused their cars' HVAC systems to emit foul odors asked a California federal judge Thursday to preliminarily approve a settlement which includes up to $100 reimbursement for out-of-pocket costs to replace and install charcoal filters. 

  • March 22, 2024

    Firearms Co. Agrees To Dissolve Amid Conn. 'Ghost Gun' Suit

    One of four firearms companies that the Connecticut attorney general sued in 2023 over the online sale of "ghost gun" parts has stopped operating and agreed to dissolve, according to a stipulated judgment that would release Florida-based Steel Fox Firearms Inc. from the litigation.

  • March 22, 2024

    Feds Can't Explain Away Flawed LNG Rule, DC Circ. Told

    Conservation groups and a dozen-plus states are urging the D.C. Circuit to throw out a rule allowing liquefied natural gas to be transported by rail, saying the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration glossed over safety, environmental justice and climate concerns, and now asks for deference it doesn't deserve.

  • March 22, 2024

    Push For Camp Lejeune Jury Trials Seen As Long Shot

    The legal strategy to secure jury trials in the massive Camp Lejeune water contamination case hangs on a single phrase in a special law stating "nothing" shall impair such trials, but the plaintiffs' gambit is a long shot because Congress didn't go far enough in creating a framework for such trials against the government.

  • March 22, 2024

    Supermarket Chain Can't Flush Class Suit Over Wipes

    A federal judge on Friday declined to toss a Massachusetts man's proposed class action against Stop & Shop that accused the supermarket chain of falsely marketing its store-brand cleansing wipes as "flushable."

  • March 22, 2024

    Ex-Drug Rep Won't Serve More Time After 1st Circ. Victory

    The second sentencing of a former Aegerion Pharmaceuticals Inc. salesman did not add a day in prison to the roughly seven months he served before the First Circuit wiped away his initial conviction on charges he schemed to fraudulently sell the company's cholesterol treatment.

  • March 22, 2024

    LifeCell Cleared Of Liability In NJ Strattice Hernia Mesh Trial

    New Jersey state jurors on Friday cleared LifeCell of liability in a Kentucky woman's suit alleging the design of its Strattice surgical mesh is defective and caused a hernia to reoccur and ultimately resulted in "life-altering" surgery, giving the medical device company the first win in a venue with at least 93 pending cases with tort claims over the mesh.

  • March 21, 2024

    5th Circ. Backs FDA's Vivid Warnings Of Cigarette Dangers

    Government mandated text warnings and graphic images on cigarette packs to advertise the health risks of smoking do not violate the free speech rights of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and other cigarette manufacturers, the Fifth Circuit ruled Thursday, saying the warnings are "factual and uncontroversial" and pass constitutional muster.

  • March 21, 2024

    'Sit Down!' DC Judge Snaps At Atty Over False Ad Defense

    Oral arguments over footwear nearly got an attorney kicked out of court Thursday, as a D.C. federal judge told a defense counselor to "Sit down!" for making "snide remarks" before ultimately denying most of his motion to dismiss a Federal Trade Commission suit alleging deceptive advertising.

  • March 21, 2024

    MDL Claims Over Merck's Gardasil Vax Get Trimmed

    Pharmaceutical giant Merck need not face many of the claims by patients who allege their autoimmune conditions were caused by its HPV vaccine, a North Carolina federal judge overseeing multidistrict litigation ruled, saying the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act bars most claims made in the first two bellwethers.

  • March 21, 2024

    Social Media Cos. 'Can't Hold Back' Execs In MDL, Judge Says

    A California federal magistrate judge warned social media companies Thursday that they must disclose relevant executive witnesses in high-stakes multidistrict litigation over social media's allegedly addictive design after plaintiffs' counsel complained that Meta and Snap's CEOs weren't identified in initial disclosures, telling defense counsel "you can't hold them back."

  • March 21, 2024

    AGs Urge Congress To Address Hemp Intoxicants In Farm Bill

    A bipartisan coalition of 21 attorneys general is urging Congress to address what the state officials call a public health and safety crisis by amending federal hemp policy to clarify that intoxicating products derived from hemp extracts are not legal under federal law.

  • March 21, 2024

    Tribe's Opioid Suit Can Head To State Court, Okla. Judge Says

    An Oklahoma federal magistrate judge has granted the Cherokee Nation's bid to move to state court its suit accusing pharmaceuticals distributor Morris & Dickson of flooding the tribe's communities with opioids, saying the company only fulfilled one of four prongs necessary for establishing federal jurisdiction.

  • March 21, 2024

    Judge Worries Clothing PFAS Theory Could Open Floodgates

    An Illinois federal judge seemed unsure Thursday whether he will allow consumer fraud claims to proceed against a children's clothing store that sells allegedly contaminated uniforms, suggesting the plaintiffs' liability theory could open the door too wide for future suits.

  • March 21, 2024

    Gun Rights Org., Pa. DA Seek To Block Pot Patients' Gun Ban

    A Pennsylvania prosecutor and a gun rights organization have asked a federal judge to block enforcement of policies that prohibit licensed medical marijuana patients from owning firearms, saying the ban violates the patients' Second Amendment rights.

  • March 21, 2024

    Asbestos Claimants Balk At Subpoena For Claims Data

    The asbestos injury claimants in the two Chapter 11 cases of CertainTeed spinoff DBMP LLC and Aldrich Pump LLC have asked a North Carolina judge to reject DBMP's request to access Aldrich Pump's asbestos claims records, saying it is unnecessary and invading the claimants' privacy.

  • March 21, 2024

    Woman Lost Independence Due To Strattice Mesh, Jurors Told

    A Kentucky woman told New Jersey state jurors on Thursday that LifeCell skipped important safety steps while designing its Strattice surgical mesh, and that those skipped steps caused a hernia to reoccur and ultimately resulted in the loss of her independence.

  • March 21, 2024

    Chicago Sues Glock Over Pistols Made Into 'Machine Guns'

    The city of Chicago is suing Glock Inc. in Illinois state court, saying the gunmaker is allowing its consumers to skirt state and federal machine gun bans by selling pistols that can be easily converted to automatic fire.

Expert Analysis

  • 10 Legal Subject Matters Popping Up In AI Litigation

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    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.

  • Steps To Take On AI Operations Amid FTC's ChatGPT Probe

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    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.

  • Insurers, Prepare For Large Exposures From PFAS Claims

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    With thousands of lawsuits concerning per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances pending across the country, several large settlements already reached, and both regulators and the plaintiffs bar increasingly focusing on PFAS, it is becoming clear that these "forever chemicals" present major exposures to insurers and their policyholders, say Scott Seaman and Jennifer Arnold at Hinshaw.

  • What's Notable In Connecticut's New Cannabis Laws

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    The Connecticut Legislature recently passed four bills containing cannabis provisions — ranging from applicable tax credits to labor agreement requirements — that may prove to be a mixed bag for state operators, say Sarah Westby and Deanna McWeeney at Shipman & Goodwin.

  • Series

    The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Elrod On 'Jury Duty'

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    Though the mockumentary series “Jury Duty” features purposely outrageous characters, it offers a solemn lesson about the simple but brilliant design of the right to trial by jury, with an unwitting protagonist who even John Adams may have welcomed as an impartial foreperson, says Fifth Circuit Judge Jennifer Elrod.

  • Aviation Watch: Osprey Aircraft May Face Tort Claims

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    A recent U.S. Marine Corps Command report found that the cause of a 2022 Osprey crash was a problem known to the manufacturer and the military for over 10 years — and the aircraft may now be on its way to a day of reckoning in the tort liability arena, says Alan Hoffman, a retired attorney and aviation expert.

  • 4 Business-Building Strategies For Introvert Attorneys

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Introverted lawyers can build client bases to rival their extroverted peers’ by adapting time-tested strategies for business development that can work for any personality — such as claiming a niche, networking for maximum impact, drawing on existing contacts and more, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.

  • FTC's 'Made in USA' Enforcement Goes Beyond Labeling Rule

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    The Federal Trade Commission's recent enforcement action against a group of businesses for falsely claiming that clothing was made domestically demonstrates that even where the agency's "Made in USA" labeling rule is not violated, other kinds of improper claims about products' origins can get companies in trouble, say Wrede Smith and Kali Yallourakis at McGuireWoods.

  • Opinion

    3 Ways Justices' Disclosure Defenses Miss The Ethical Point

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    The rule-bound interpretation of financial disclosures preferred by U.S. Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas — demonstrated in their respective statements defending their failure to disclose gifts from billionaires — show that they do not understand the ethical aspects of the public's concern, says Jim Moliterno at the Washington and Lee University School of Law.

  • Cannabis Plain Packaging Rules: Examples And Opportunities

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    States that have legalized adult-use cannabis in recent years have adopted stringent requirements for product packaging and labeling in an effort to protect minors, and these rules may provide a vehicle for compromise between proponents and opponents of legalization, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

  • Ohio Rulings Are Cautionary Tales For Attorneys In Crisis

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    Two recent decisions from Ohio state courts provide a sobering reminder that a counsel’s personal emergencies will not always suffice to alter court deadlines or excuse procedural missteps, and that prompt communication and documentation are crucial in the Buckeye State and beyond, says L. Bradfield Hughes at Porter Wright.

  • EPA Focus On Lead Could Heighten Private Litigation Risk

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    As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency continues a series of initiatives aimed at reducing lead exposure, including last month's proposal to strengthen removal requirements for lead-based paint, the risks of private suits from citizens groups over lead contamination grow, say Jonathan Brightbill and Madalyn Brown Feiger at Winston & Strawn.

  • Caregiver Flexibility Is Crucial For Atty Engagement, Retention

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    As the battle for top talent continues post-pandemic, many firms are attempting to attract employees with progressive hybrid working environments — and supporting caregivers before, during and after an extended leave is a critically important way to retain top talent, says Manar Morales at The Diversity & Flexibility Alliance.

  • Can Class Actions Guide AI Risk Mitigation Efforts?

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    The speed at which artificial intelligence is developing will likely outpace the legislative response, and two recently filed class actions naming OpenAI as a defendant raise the question of whether existing laws may be used to place some meaningful guardrails on the development of AI, says Thomas Carey at Sunstein.

  • MoCRA Will Give Cosmetics Litigation A Makeover

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    Many provisions of the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act go into effect at the end of this year — so cosmetics companies must understand how the law presents both benefits and challenges, especially with regard to litigation, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

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