Product Liability

  • December 12, 2024

    AGs Launch Gun Violence Crackdown With Glock Suits

    New Jersey and Minnesota unveiled lawsuits Thursday against Glock Inc. aimed at ending "once and for all" the homemade machine gun industry, marking the start of a crackdown by a coalition of enforcers looking to hold the firearms industry liable for gun violence.

  • December 12, 2024

    Doomed Cessna's Owner, Lessee Dropped From Conn. Suits

    The owner and lessee of a Cessna private jet that crashed into a Connecticut factory, killing all four people on board and injuring others on the ground, have escaped from two lawsuits that sought to hold them liable alongside the aircraft's manufacturer, Textron Aviation Inc.

  • December 12, 2024

    Energy Co. Gets Redo Of $150M Power Plant Explosion Trial

    A California appeals court has ordered a new trial and vacated a $150 million verdict against Diamond Generating Corp. in a suit by the family of a worker killed in a power plant explosion, saying the jury should have been instructed to determine whether DGC retained enough control over the plant's operations to be held liable.

  • December 11, 2024

    MDL Judge Rejects Meta's Claim Discovery Is Burdensome

    A California federal magistrate judge overseeing discovery in multidistrict litigation over social-media platforms' allegedly addictive designs on Wednesday rejected Meta Platforms' arguments additional discovery sought by personal-injury plaintiffs is overly burdensome, noting that Meta's discovery production pales in comparison to the millions of documents that Meta has demanded from plaintiff states.

  • December 11, 2024

    Character.AI Encouraged Child To Kill His Parents, Suit Says

    Two minors and their parents sued Character.AI, its founders and Google in Texas federal court, alleging the "dangerous" technology exposed the children to hypersexualized and violent content, with a chatbot character even encouraging one of the kids to kill his parents because they limited his screen time.

  • December 11, 2024

    LA Fitness Fights To End DOJ's Gym Accessibility Suit

    LA Fitness urged a California federal judge to toss the U.S. Department of Justice's civil enforcement lawsuit alleging the gym chain failed to accommodate patrons with disabilities at its nearly 700 locations across the country, arguing the lawsuit relies on "isolated" incidents and doesn't show "a pattern and practice."

  • December 11, 2024

    Doctors Group Asks DC Circ. To Pause Pot Hearings

    A group of doctors who advise their patients on medical cannabis is asking the D.C. Circuit to put a stay on hearings set for January over whether to reschedule cannabis under the Controlled Substances Act, saying they were unfairly denied the chance to participate in those hearings.

  • December 11, 2024

    Mixed 5th Circ. Backs $14M Exxon Texas Air Pollution Fine

    A mixed Fifth Circuit on Wednesday backed a $14 million fine against ExxonMobil Corp. over air pollution in southeast Texas, with a per curiam opinion stating the court wouldn't have reheard the case if it had known it would take more than 18 months to issue an opinion.

  • December 11, 2024

    Toyota Must Face 'Parasitic Drain' Claims, Ga. Judge Says

    A proposed class action alleging that Toyota's RAV4 SUV suffers from a known defect that drains the car's battery while shut off was largely preserved Wednesday by a Georgia federal judge, who declined to dismiss all but one of the claims against the manufacturer.

  • December 11, 2024

    DC Circ. Lets Pipeline Safety Rule Remain Amid Agency Fix

    The D.C. Circuit has agreed to leave in place one of four new safety standards for gas transmission pipelines while the U.S. Department of Transportation works to amend them, after an industry group said not doing so could cause unnecessary repair costs.

  • December 11, 2024

    Insurer Seeks $900K For Conn. Dehumidifier Fire Damages

    An insurer said it is entitled to recover over $900,000 from a dehumidifier manufacturer and its subsidiaries for costs the carrier incurred in covering a policyholder's house fire, telling a Connecticut federal court that the manufacturer's product was defective and unreasonably dangerous.

  • December 11, 2024

    3M Gets Georgia Man's $850M PFAS Remediation Bid Denied

    A Georgia federal judge has shut down a proposed injunction requiring 3M Co. and other companies to pay $850 million for remediation of water sources in Dalton contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, saying the named plaintiff doesn't have standing to call for the remediation.

  • December 10, 2024

    Major Food Cos. Push 'Addictive' Foods On Kids, Suit Says

    The Kraft Heinz Co., Nestle USA, General Mills and other major food companies are putting profits above all else by making highly addictive ultra-processed foods and aggressively marketing the products to children, leading to skyrocketing levels of chronic disease, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Philadelphia court.

  • December 10, 2024

    Feds Tell Justices To Stay Out Of Climate Change Tort Fights

    U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar on Tuesday urged the U.S. Supreme Court not to weigh in on climate change torts filed against fossil fuel companies, arguing in a pair of briefs that the state court cases aren't the correct vehicles for resolving the issues, at least not yet.

  • December 10, 2024

    Trader Joe's Seller Fumbled Burger Deal, Poultry Co. Says

    Pilgrim's Pride told a federal jury Tuesday it was not ultimately responsible when a grocery supplier used its bony chicken shipments to make burgers, arguing the vendor failed to inspect the meat for excessive bones, leading to eventual recalls and the end of its Trader Joe's deal.

  • December 10, 2024

    7th Circ. Questions Reviving Harley-Davidson Warranty MDL

    The Seventh Circuit on Tuesday flagged issues with not only Harley-Davidson's motorcycle warranty but also its customers' antitrust claims against it as the court considered reviving multidistrict litigation claiming the contract constitutes illegal tying. 

  • December 10, 2024

    5th Circ. Asks ATF Where To 'Draw The Line' In Trigger Ban

    A Fifth Circuit panel has pressed the government on how so-called "forced reset triggers" are different from bump stocks, asking where it was supposed to draw the line to determine whether the triggers turn semiautomatic firearms into federally banned machine guns.

  • December 10, 2024

    Ohio Justices Undo Paint-Maker's Lead Paint Coverage Win

    Insurers for Sherwin-Williams Co. don't have to cover the paint-maker's portion of a $305 million settlement to abate lead paint in California homes, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled Tuesday, finding the payment does not qualify as damages under its commercial general liability policies.

  • December 10, 2024

    Insurer Eyes Dismissal Of Pot Co. Trulieve's Coverage Case

    An insurance company that is a unit of Berkshire Hathaway is arguing that it has no obligation to defend Trulieve Inc., which is being sued over a cannabis worker's death, urging a federal judge to toss the lawsuit brought by the largest medical marijuana operator in Florida.

  • December 10, 2024

    Beasley Allen Told To Give Update On J&J Discovery

    Beasley Allen has until Friday to provide a detailed accounting of what documents it has produced to Johnson & Johnson's latest liability spinoff, Red River Talc, a Texas bankruptcy judge said Tuesday in hopes of speeding up discovery in a dispute over how voting was conducted on the debtor's prepackaged Chapter 11 plan.

  • December 10, 2024

    Eli Lilly Says Tampa Health Biz Can't 'Pass The Buck' In TM Suit

    Eli Lilly and Co. is asking a Florida federal judge not to throw out its claims that a Tampa Bay company falsely advertised that it offered Eli Lilly diabetes and obesity medications, saying it can't "pass the buck" to a co-defendant that owned the website that advertised its services.

  • December 10, 2024

    NY Appealing Judge's Dismissal Of Plastic Pollution Suit

    New York Attorney General Letitia James is appealing a harshly worded ruling that dismissed her suit against PepsiCo Inc. and its Frito-Lay subsidiary over plastic pollution on the Buffalo River.

  • December 10, 2024

    Ohio Justices Reject Opioid Nuisance Claims In $650M Appeal

    The majority of the Ohio Supreme Court on Tuesday held that the state's product liability law doesn't allow for public nuisance claims to be brought over the opioid crisis, in a challenge to a $650 million verdict won by two counties.

  • December 09, 2024

    Calif. Floats Requiring Social Media Warning Labels

    California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Monday introduced a bill that would require a "black box warning" to be displayed on social media platforms to remind users of the risks of prolonged social media use, citing research linking children's and teens' use to health harms like depression.

  • December 09, 2024

    Boeing Supplier Wins Bid To Block Texas Biz Records Inquiry

     A Texas federal judge on Monday adopted a magistrate judge's recommendation granting Spirit AeroSystems Inc.'s bid to permanently enjoin a Texas statute requiring businesses to immediately comply with the state's demand to examine business records.

Expert Analysis

  • Curious Case Of FTC's Amicus Brief In Teva Fed. Circ. Appeal

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    Attorneys at BCLP explore the Federal Trade Commission's backing of Amneal's Orange Book-delisting efforts on Teva ahead of a key Federal Circuit hearing in a case between the two pharmaceutical companies, and wonder if the FTC amicus brief indicates a future trend, especially in the next administration.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Metadata

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    Several recent rulings reflect the competing considerations that arise when parties dispute the form of production for electronically stored information, underscoring that counsel must carefully consider how to produce and request reasonably usable data, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Striking A Balance Between AI Use And Attorney Well-Being

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    As the legal industry increasingly adopts generative artificial intelligence tools to boost efficiency, leaders must note the hidden costs of increased productivity, and work to protect attorneys’ well-being while unlocking AI’s full potential, says Ed Sohn at Factor.

  • Empathy In Mediation Offers A Soft Landing For Disputes

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    Experiencing a crash-landing on a recent flight underscored to me how much difference empathy makes in times of crisis or stress, including during mediation, says Eydith Kaufman at Alternative Resolution Centers.

  • Series

    Being An Artist Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My work as an artist has highlighted how using creativity and precision together — qualities that are equally essential in both art and law — not only improves outcomes, but also leads to more innovative and thoughtful work, says Sarah La Pearl at Segal McCambridge.

  • Consider The Impact Of Election Stress On Potential Jurors

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    For at least the next few months, potential jurors may be working through anger and distrust stemming from the presidential election, and trial attorneys will need to assess whether those jurors are able to leave their political concerns at the door, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.

  • How Judiciary Can Minimize AI Risks In Secondary Sources

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    Because courts’ standing orders on generative artificial intelligence and other safeguards do not address the risk of hallucinations in secondary source materials, the judiciary should consider enlisting legal publishers and database hosts to protect against AI-generated inaccuracies, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.

  • Newly Acquired Information Can Be Key In Drug Label Cases

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    The question of whether federal law preempts state law claims is often central in pharmaceutical labeling cases, like the Fosamax litigation now before the Third Circuit — but parties must also consider whether there is newly acquired information to justify submitting a proposed labeling change in the first place, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • How Attorneys Can Break Free From Career Enmeshment

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    Ambitious attorneys can sometimes experience career enmeshment — when your sense of self-worth becomes unhealthily tangled up in your legal vocation — but taking the time to discover and realign with your core personal values can help you recover your identity, says Janna Koretz at Azimuth Psychological.

  • Lawyers With Disabilities Are Seeking Equity, Not Pity

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    Attorneys living with disabilities face extra challenges — including the need for special accommodations, the fear of stigmatization and the risk of being tokenized — but if given equitable opportunities, they can still rise to the top of their field, says Kate Reder Sheikh, a former attorney and legal recruiter at Major Lindsey & Africa.

  • Opinion

    Judicial Committee Best Venue For Litigation Funding Rules

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    The Advisory Committee on Civil Rules' recent decision to consider developing a rule for litigation funding disclosure is a welcome development, ensuring that the result will be the product of a thorough, inclusive and deliberative process that appropriately balances all interests, says Stewart Ackerly at Statera Capital.

  • Fluoride Ruling Charts Path To Bypass EPA Risk Evaluations

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    A California federal court's recent ruling in Food and Water Watch v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ordering the agency to address the public health risks of fluoridated drinking water, establishes a road map for other citizen petitioners to bypass the EPA's formal risk evaluation process, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • The Strategic Advantages Of Appointing A Law Firm CEO

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    The impact on law firms of the recent CrowdStrike outage underscores that the business of law is no longer merely about providing supplemental support for legal practice — and helps explain why some law firms are appointing dedicated, full-time CEOs to navigate the challenges of the modern legal landscape, says Jennifer Johnson at Calibrate Strategies.

  • 7 Tips To Help Your Witness Be A Cross-Exam Heavyweight

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    Because jurors tend to pay a little more attention to cross-examination, attorneys should train their witnesses to strike a balance — making it tough for opposing counsel to make their side’s case, without coming across as difficult to the jury, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.

  • Series

    Beekeeping Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The practice of patent law and beekeeping are not typically associated, but taking care of honeybees has enriched my legal practice by highlighting the importance of hands-on experience, continuous learning, mentorship and more, says David Longo at Oblon McClelland.

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