Product Liability

  • January 22, 2025

    Benzene Suits Against Retailers Not Covered, Insurer Says

    An insurer doesn't have to cover claims that CVS, Walmart, Walgreens and others sold products linked to a carcinogen, benzene, because the customers making the underlying allegations sought only reimbursement for the products they bought, the carrier told a California state court.

  • January 22, 2025

    Wyden Urges National Standard For Hemp Regulation

    Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., rallied on Wednesday for his bill that would beef up regulation of products with hemp-derived cannabinoids in order to protect consumers, particularly children.

  • January 22, 2025

    Army, SD Tribe Fight For Early Win In Dakota Access Row

    The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers are both asking for early wins in a challenge to shut down the Dakota Access Pipeline over alleged violations of federal environmental laws.

  • January 22, 2025

    Kirkland Adds 5 Skadden Attys As Firm Plans Philly Launch

    National law firm Kirkland & Ellis LLP has announced plans for a new Philadelphia office to be helmed by a civil litigator who is one of five attorneys moving their practices to the firm from Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP.

  • January 21, 2025

    Stanley Tumbler Lead Contamination Suit Gets Shelved

    A Washington federal judge has tossed a proposed class action against the maker of the popular "Stanley" tumbler for selling it without disclosing that it contained lead, saying the claims failed due to overly vague allegations of harm, but allowed the consumers to revise their lawsuit.

  • January 21, 2025

    Amazon Settles Consumer Suit Over Exploding Batteries

    Amazon.com Inc. has entered into a settlement resolving a proposed class action accusing the company of selling thousands of faulty lithium-ion batteries that were prone to explosions, according to a stipulation and order filed in Washington federal court Friday.

  • January 21, 2025

    SoCal Edison Must Hand Over Data In Eaton Fire Suit

    A Los Angeles County judge ordered Southern California Edison Co. on Tuesday to produce data from its distribution circuits in the Altadena, California, neighborhood to a victim of the Eaton Fire, the first step in litigation over this month's deadly and destructive blaze.

  • January 21, 2025

    EPA Tells DC Circ. Its PFAS Superfund Rule Is On Solid Ground

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has claimed that it is perfectly within its authority to label two forever chemicals as "hazardous substances" under the federal Superfund law, urging the D.C. Circuit to toss an industry group's challenge to its designation powers.

  • January 21, 2025

    4 Plaintiffs' Firms Is Too Many, Chrysler Says In EV Class Suit

    Fiat Chrysler slammed an "extremely excessive" bid asking a Michigan federal court to appoint four law firms as plaintiffs' counsel in a suit accusing the automaker of selling electric vehicles with defective batteries, telling the court there was no way that many firms could be efficient.

  • January 21, 2025

    Last Sackler Family Members Join Purdue Draft Deal

    The final holdouts among two branches of Sackler family members are ready to join a settlement in the bankruptcy of OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP, a business owned by the family, according to a report from the co-mediators handling negotiations.

  • January 21, 2025

    NJ Unveils Plans To Retool Congestion-Pricing Fight

    Undeterred by the denial of its bid to temporarily halt New York City's controversial congestion toll pricing plan, the state of New Jersey has notified a federal judge that it plans to drop its Third Circuit appeal and pursue a new plan of attack in district court. 

  • January 21, 2025

    Justices Doubt Retailers Are 'Bystanders' In FDA Challenge

    Several U.S. Supreme Court justices appeared to agree Tuesday that Texas and Mississippi retailers could join a North Carolina e-cigarette manufacturer in challenging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's denial of its marketing application, and Justice Clarence Thomas questioned the agency's motivation to argue otherwise.

  • January 21, 2025

    Firm Slams Beasley Allen's Bid To Nix Suit Over Talc Team-Up

    Smith Law Firm PLLC is urging a Mississippi federal court to reject Beasley Allen Law Firm's bid to dismiss or transfer a defamation and breach of contract lawsuit over their joint venture agreement for talc litigation against Johnson & Johnson, saying the case shouldn't be thrown out in favor of Beasley Allen's Alabama suit.

  • January 21, 2025

    Trump Orders Federal Workers Back To Office

    On his first day back in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump ordered federal workers back to theirs.

  • January 17, 2025

    Law360 Names Practice Groups Of The Year

    Law360 would like to congratulate the winners of its Practice Groups of the Year awards for 2024, which honor the attorney teams behind litigation wins and significant transaction work that resonated throughout the legal industry this past year.

  • January 17, 2025

    Law360 Names Firms Of The Year

    Eight law firms have earned spots as Law360's Firms of the Year, with 54 Practice Group of the Year awards among them, steering some of the largest deals of 2024 and securing high-profile litigation wins, including at the U.S. Supreme Court.

  • January 20, 2025

    Trump, Musk Sued By Nonprofits Over DOGE Transparency

    Public Citizen and other nonprofits hit the Trump administration with multiple lawsuits seeking to shut down the new Department of Government Efficiency in D.C. federal court Monday, alleging the Elon Musk-led advisory committee targeting government waste lacks requisite transparency guardrails to prevent DOGE from solely advancing private interests.

  • January 17, 2025

    Philip Morris' ZYN Nicotine Pouches Are 1st To Get FDA's OK

    Tobacco giant Philip Morris is the first to secure permission from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to sell nicotine pouches, with the agency allowing several flavored variants of the company's popular ZYN brand to hit the market after finding that the products could "benefit" smokers looking to quit cigarettes.

  • January 17, 2025

    No Conflict In Judge's Friendship, John Deere, Farmers Say

    John Deere and the farmers suing it in a right-to-repair suit said they have no concerns about the potential conflict of interest an Illinois federal judge flagged, saying there was "no reason" for the jurist to recuse himself, according to a joint letter filed by the parties.

  • January 17, 2025

    States Ask To Join Suit To Uphold Gun Show Loophole Closure

    Over a dozen states asked a Texas federal judge for permission to join a suit over the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' rule closing the so-called gun show loophole, saying in a motion that the incoming Trump administration wouldn't properly defend the rule.

  • January 17, 2025

    Bayer, J&J Minimized Drug Reaction Data, 3rd Circ. Told

    A doctor urged the Third Circuit on Friday to revive his whistleblower suit against Bayer Corp. and Johnson & Johnson, arguing that the drugmakers' regulatory approval applications played down the side effects of the antibiotics Cipro and Levaquin.

  • January 17, 2025

    MultiPlan Wants Antitrust Claims Over Pricing Tools Tossed

    MultiPlan and several major insurance companies urged an Illinois federal court to toss claims that they schemed to fix reimbursement rates, saying the pricing tools at issue do not hurt the healthcare providers that are bringing the case.

  • January 17, 2025

    Green Groups Defend EPA's Drinking Water PFAS Rule

    Green groups on Friday asked the D.C. Circuit to uphold the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's rule setting the first-ever limits for forever chemicals in the nation's drinking water, which is being challenged by water utility associations and chemical industry players.

  • January 17, 2025

    P&G Accused Of 'Greenwashing' And Making 'Frankenforests'

    Procter & Gamble is greenwashing its Charmin toilet paper by misleading consumers into believing it is ethically sourced and that the multinational consumer goods company is following through with sustainable reforestation promises, a 48-count proposed class action alleges.

  • January 17, 2025

    Up Next At High Court: Forum Shopping & TCPA Definitions

    The U.S. Supreme Court will return to the bench Tuesday for a short argument session, during which the justices will consider the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's bid to limit forum shopping by manufacturers challenging agency decisions and how much deference district courts must give to Federal Communications Commission orders.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Boxing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Boxing has influenced my legal work by enabling me to confidently hone the skills I've learned from the sport, like the ability to remain calm under pressure, evaluate an opponent's weaknesses and recognize when to seize an important opportunity, says Kirsten Soto at Clyde & Co.

  • Purdue Ch. 11 Ruling Reinforces Importance Of D&O Coverage

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Harrington v. Purdue Pharma, holding that a Chapter 11 reorganization cannot discharge claims against a nondebtor without affected claimants' consent, will open new litigation pathways surrounding corporate insolvency and increase the importance of robust directors and officers insurance, says Evan Bolla at Harris St. Laurent.

  • Opinion

    Industry Self-Regulation Will Shine Post-Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's Loper decision will shape the contours of industry self-regulation in the years to come, providing opportunities for this often-misunderstood practice, says Eric Reicin at BBB National Programs.

  • 3 Ways Agencies Will Keep Making Law After Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court clearly thinks it has done something big in overturning the Chevron precedent that had given deference to agencies' statutory interpretations, but regulated parties have to consider how agencies retain significant power to shape the law and its meaning, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • After Chevron

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    Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Chevron deference standard in June, this Expert Analysis series has featured attorneys discussing the potential impact across 37 different rulemaking and litigation areas.

  • Opinion

    Atty Well-Being Efforts Ignore Root Causes Of The Problem

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    The legal industry is engaged in a critical conversation about lawyers' mental health, but current attorney well-being programs primarily focus on helping lawyers cope with the stress of excessive workloads, instead of examining whether this work culture is even fundamentally compatible with lawyer well-being, says Jonathan Baum at Avenir Guild.

  • Parsing Justices' Toss Of Purdue's Controversial Ch. 11 Plan

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent nixing of OxyContin manufacturer Purdue Pharma's Chapter 11 proposal prevents the Sackler family from settling thousands of civil opioid lawsuits without the consent of all of the plaintiffs, and holds profound implications for bankruptcy cases, say attorneys at MoloLamken.

  • Calif. Long-Tail Ruling Continues Policyholder-Friendly Trend

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    The California Supreme Court's recent ruling in Truck Insurance Exchange v. Kaiser Cement & Gypsum, rejecting horizontal policy exhaustion, was the latest in a string of its decisions involving insurance coverage for continuous or progressive injury claims that favor policyholders, say Billie Mandelbaum and David Goodwin at Covington.

  • FTC Focus: Competition And The Right To Repair

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    If the Federal Trade Commission includes commercial and industrial products as part of copyright exemptions that allow consumers to modify or repair products, then businesses and affected rights holders will need to consider copyrights' impact on infringement issues, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • Series

    Skiing And Surfing Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    The skills I’ve learned while riding waves in the ocean and slopes in the mountains have translated to my legal career — developing strong mentor relationships, remaining calm in difficult situations, and being prepared and able to move to a backup plan when needed, says Brian Claassen at Knobbe Martens.

  • Unpacking The Circuit Split Over A Federal Atty Fee Rule

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    Federal circuit courts that have addressed Rule 41(d) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure are split as to whether attorney fees are included as part of the costs of a previously dismissed action, so practitioners aiming to recover or avoid fees should tailor arguments to the appropriate court, says Joseph Myles and Lionel Lavenue at Finnegan.

  • 4 Steps To Repair Defense Credibility In Opening Statements

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    Given the continued rise of record-breaking verdicts, defense counsel need to consider fresh approaches to counteract the factors coloring juror attitudes — starting with a formula for rebuilding credibility at the very beginning of opening statements, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.

  • Del. Bankruptcy Ruling Will Give D&O Insureds Nightmares

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    In Henrich v. XL Specialty Insurance, the Delaware Bankruptcy Court recently found that a never-served qui tam claim had been "brought" before a D&O policy's retroactive date, thereby eliminating coverage, and creating a nightmare scenario for directors and officers policyholders facing whistleblower claims, says David Klein at Pillsbury.

  • Prejudicial Evidence Takeaways From Trump Hush Money Trial

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    The Manhattan District Attorney's Office's prosecution and conviction of former President Donald Trump on 34 felony counts provides a lesson on whether evidence may cause substantial unfair prejudice, or if its prejudicial potential is perfectly fair within the bounds of the law, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Opinion

    No Matter The Purdue Ruling, Mass Tort Reform Is Needed

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    The U.S. Supreme Court will soon issue its opinion in the bankruptcy of Purdue Pharma LP, and regardless of the outcome, it’s clear legal and policy reforms are needed to address the next mass tort, says William Organek at Baruch College.

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