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Product Liability
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July 29, 2024
Railroads Ask 11th Circ. To Void New Train Crew Size Rule
Rail giants have told the Eleventh Circuit that the Federal Railroad Administration overstepped with its new two-person train crew rule, saying rail labor costs would surge if "one of the most consequential rulemakings in the history of American railroading" were allowed to stand.
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July 29, 2024
Subcontractor Partially Nixes Claims Over Defense Of MDL
A subcontractor facing consolidated personal injury claims over a chemical leak at a LyondellBasell facility in La Porte, Texas, voluntarily tossed its coverage claims against one of its insurers in Texas federal court, while noting it's still pursuing its coverage demands against two other insurers.
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July 29, 2024
4 Takeaways After Courts Block ERISA Advice Regs
Two Texas federal judges' takedowns of the U.S. Department of Labor's recently expanded definition of a fiduciary under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act has limited the agency's authority to oversee certain kinds of retirement investment advice, attorneys say, including some rollover situations. Here, Law360 looks at four things benefits lawyers have taken away from the decisions.
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July 29, 2024
EPA, Army Reveal Joint PFAS Sampling Project
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army unveiled a joint national project to test private drinking water wells near Army installations for per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, identifying 235 locations where they will carry out their more in-depth investigation.
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July 29, 2024
Magistrate Eyes Cuts To Norfolk Southern Investors' Suit
A New York federal magistrate judge has recommended tossing a portion of a securities suit filed against Norfolk Southern Corp. in the wake of the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment, reasoning that the retirement funds serving as lead plaintiffs fell short of pleading standards.
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July 29, 2024
Senate To Vote On Bills To Protect Kids Online
The Senate is poised to vote on Tuesday on a package of two major bipartisan bills to protect children online that could represent a watershed moment in technology regulation.
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July 29, 2024
Gun Owner Says He Legally Carried When Sig Sauer Shot Him
A gun owner suing Sig Sauer Inc. alleging a faulty pistol went off in his holster and shot him in the leg is asking a North Carolina federal court to reject the gun company's bid to add a defense that he was breaking the law when it went off by concealing the weapon.
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July 29, 2024
Legalization Org Taps Cannabis Atty As New Treasurer
The pro-legalization advocacy organization Marijuana Policy Project announced Monday that a preeminent member of the cannabis bar had been tapped as the group's newest treasurer.
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July 29, 2024
GSK Settles Ill. Zantac Cancer Suit
GlaxoSmithKline said Monday it has settled a lawsuit brought by an Illinois man who took the heartburn medication Zantac or its generic counterpart for more than 20 years and claimed the drug caused his prostate cancer.
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July 29, 2024
Law Firm Can't Nix $2.9M Judgment Over Concussion Fees
A law firm that represented National Football League players in a multidistrict litigation over the league's handling of concussions can't avoid a litigation funding agency's $2.9 million judgment against it, after a Pennsylvania federal judge shot down Mitnick Law Office's arguments that the fees being garnished fell under various exceptions.
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July 29, 2024
NC Attys Dismissed From Malpractice Suit Over Missed Filing
A pair of North Carolina-based attorneys involved in a legal malpractice suit filed by the parents of two children who died in a car fire were voluntarily dismissed from the family's suit against their former firm.
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July 29, 2024
6th Circ. Revives Challenge Of Clean Water Rule
Just 11 days after oral arguments, the Sixth Circuit on Monday revived Kentucky and industry groups' challenges to a federal government rule defining the scope of the Clean Water Act, finding a district court judge had improperly dismissed the case.
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July 26, 2024
Product Liability Cases To Watch 2024: A Midyear Report
Litigation over claims that social media addict children and harm mental health continues to hold attorneys' attention, along with claims that "forever chemicals" are a source of cancer.
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July 26, 2024
Abbott Owes $495M In Baby Formula Bellwether Trial
A Missouri jury awarded $95 million in compensatory damages and $400 million in punitive damages Friday over bellwether claims that Abbott Laboratories' baby formula caused a premature baby to suffer a fully disabling condition.
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July 26, 2024
EV Group Seeks To Defend Fuel Economy Rule In 6th Circ.
A coalition of electric vehicle manufacturers and suppliers want in on a consolidated challenge in the Sixth Circuit to the U.S. Department of Transportation's new fuel economy standards for passenger cars and light trucks, saying the EV industry's future viability banks on the stringent new standards.
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July 26, 2024
Indivior To Pay $86M To Settle Opioid Claims By 5 States
Indivior will pay $86 million to settle claims by a group of state attorneys general over the drugmaker's alleged contributions to the American opioid crisis.
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July 26, 2024
Tyco Inks Deal With Insurer Over Foam MDL Coverage
Firefighting foam maker Tyco Fire Products LP told a South Carolina federal judge Friday that it reached a tentative settlement with one of several of its insurers to resolve its fight to score coverage in sprawling multidistrict litigation over pollution from so-called forever chemicals.
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July 26, 2024
Hearing Set Over Bid To Recuse Judge In Philly Zantac Cases
A Philadelphia judge will hear arguments next month over a recusal motion filed by plaintiffs' counsel in the city's Zantac mass tort program that argues the judge should remove himself from the proceedings after he disclosed his wife is a partner at Reed Smith, which represents GlaxoSmithKline, a manufacturer of the drug.
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July 26, 2024
Washington Cases To Watch 2024: A Midyear Report
Two Washington tribes are testing whether they can hold Big Oil companies accountable in state court for climate change-related catastrophes, the attorney general is defending a ban on large-capacity gun magazines, and a key test of the state's anti-patent troll law is set for trial.
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July 25, 2024
3rd Circ. Again Tosses J&J Talc Unit's 'Texas Two-Step' Ch. 11
The Third Circuit on Thursday affirmed the dismissal of the reworked Chapter 11 case of Johnson & Johnson's talc unit that used a controversial "Texas two-step" maneuver, saying the company still hasn't displayed the financial distress required to justify bankruptcy protection.
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July 25, 2024
Seattle, Monsanto Ink $160M Deal Over PCBs In Duwamish
Bayer AG's Monsanto Co. has agreed to pay $160 million to resolve allegations that it contaminated Seattle's stormwater and drainage systems as well as the Lower Duwamish Waterway with polychlorinated biphenyls, the city attorney's office announced Thursday.
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July 25, 2024
Monsanto Says Appellate Win Should Stave Off Next PCB Trial
Monsanto told a Washington state court its recent appellate victory left another set of chemical poisoning plaintiffs without key testimony tying their health conditions to polychlorinated biphenyls, hoping to avoid the next trial in a group of cases involving a single school site.
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July 25, 2024
Boeing's 737 Max Plea Deal: Monitorship, Gov't Contracts
Boeing will be branded with a felony criminal conviction after pleading guilty to conspiring to defraud U.S. regulators over the 737 Max 8's development, an ignominious distinction with fresh complications for the embattled American aerospace titan as it overhauls its corporate culture under a compliance monitorship.
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July 25, 2024
NC High Court Signals End To College Building Access Row
The Tar Heel State's Supreme Court this week unpaused a legal battle between North Carolina State University and a cancer-stricken professor after the two said they had resolved a dispute over testing for carcinogens in a campus building.
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July 25, 2024
CSX Gets Trial Win In NY Railroad Switch Injury
A New York federal jury has sided with CSX Transportation Inc. in a suit by a man who alleged he was injured when a railroad switch closed on his foot, finding the company was not negligent on the day of the man's injury.
Expert Analysis
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Series
Whitewater Kayaking Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Whether it's seeing clients and their issues from a new perspective, or staying nimble in a moment of intense challenge, the lessons learned from whitewater kayaking transcend the rapids of a river and prepare attorneys for the courtroom and beyond, says Matthew Kent at Alston & Bird.
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AI In The Operating Room: Liability Issues For Device Makers
As healthcare providers consider medical devices that use artificial intelligence — including systems to help surgeons make decisions in the operating room — and lobby to shift liability to device manufacturers, companies making these products must review potential product liability risks and important design considerations for such equipment, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.
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3 Lessons From Family Dollar's Record $41.7M Guilty Plea
Family Dollar's recent plea deal in connection with a rodent infestation at one of its distribution facilities — resulting in the largest ever monetary criminal penalty in a food safety case — offers key takeaways for those practicing in the interconnected fields of compliance, internal investigations and white collar defense, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.
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This Earth Day, Consider How Your Firm Can Go Greener
As Earth Day approaches, law firms and attorneys should consider adopting more sustainable practices to reduce their carbon footprint — from minimizing single-use plastics to purchasing carbon offsets for air travel — which ultimately can also reduce costs for clients, say M’Lynn Phillips and Lisa Walters at IMS Legal Strategies.
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Circumstantial Evidence Requires A Pointillist Approach
Because complex cases with sophisticated defendants are unlikely to reveal much, if any, direct evidence, attorneys must aggregate many pieces of circumstantial evidence into a cohesive narrative — much like the painting technique of pointillism, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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Benzene Contamination Concerns: Drugmakers' Next Steps
After a citizen petition to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and a flurry of class actions over benzene contamination in benzoyl peroxide acne products, affected manufacturers should consider a thoughtful approach that includes assembling internal data and possibly contacting the FDA for product-specific discussions, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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Opinion
States Should Follow Federal Lead On Expert Evidence Rules
The recently amended Federal Rule of Evidence 702 will help ensure expert testimony in federal courts reflects adequate data and reliable methods properly applied to a given case, and state courts — home to the overwhelming majority of U.S. litigation — should adopt similar changes, says retired attorney Michael Harrington.
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Back Labels In False Ad Cases Get Some Clarity In 9th Circ.
Courts in the Ninth Circuit have recently delivered a series of wins to advertisers, making clear that any ambiguity on the front of a product's package can be resolved by reference to the back label — which guarantees defendants a powerful tool to combat deceptive labeling claims, say attorneys at Patterson Belknap.
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Opinion
Federal MDL Rule Benefits From Public Comments
The new Federal Rule of Civil Procedure concerning multidistrict litigation that was approved this week by the Advisory Committee on Civil Rules incorporates ideas from public comments that will aid both plaintiffs and defense attorneys — and if ultimately adopted, the rule should promote efficient, merits-driven MDL case management, say Robert Johnston and Gary Feldon at Hollingsworth.
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Practicing Law With Parkinson's Disease
This Parkinson’s Awareness Month, Adam Siegler at Greenberg Traurig discusses his experience working as a lawyer with Parkinson’s disease, sharing both lessons on how to cope with a diagnosis and advice for supporting colleagues who live with the disease.
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Series
Playing Hockey Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Nearly a lifetime of playing hockey taught me the importance of avoiding burnout in all aspects of life, and the game ultimately ended up providing me with the balance I needed to maintain success in my legal career, says John Riccione at Taft.
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For Lawyers, Pessimism Should Be A Job Skill, Not A Life Skill
A pessimistic mindset allows attorneys to be effective advocates for their clients, but it can come with serious costs for their personal well-being, so it’s crucial to exercise strategies that produce flexible optimism and connect lawyers with their core values, says Krista Larson at Stinson.
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5th Circ. Clarifies What Is And Isn't A 'New Use' Of PFAS
The Fifth Circuit's March 21 decision in Inhance Technologies v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, preventing the EPA from regulating existing uses of PFAS under "significant new use" provisions of the Toxic Substances Control Act, provides industry with much-needed clarity, say Joseph Schaeffer and Sloane Wildman at Babst Calland.
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Opinion
Requiring Leave To File Amicus Briefs Is A Bad Idea
A proposal to amend the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure that would require parties to get court permission before filing federal amicus briefs would eliminate the long-standing practice of consent filing and thereby make the process less open and democratic, says Lawrence Ebner at the Atlantic Legal Foundation and DRI Center.
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4 Ways To Motivate Junior Attorneys To Bring Their Best
As Gen Z and younger millennial attorneys increasingly express dissatisfaction with their work and head for the exits, the lawyers who manage them must understand and attend to their needs and priorities to boost engagement and increase retention, says Stacey Schwartz at Katten.