Product Liability

  • March 05, 2025

    Insurer Wants Out Of Covering Ill. Pot Potency Suit

    Admiral Insurance Co. is asking an Illinois federal court to clear it of any duty to cover a Shelbyville dispensary in a suit alleging that it mislabeled its products to get around the state's limits on THC.

  • March 05, 2025

    Airplane Parts Makers Say Fatal Crash Order Invites 'Chaos'

    A pair of airplane parts makers have urged the North Carolina Supreme Court to reverse the dismissal of their appeal in a fatal crash case, arguing that the lower appellate court "usurped" the justices' authority by tossing the appeal despite an active stay order from the high court.

  • March 04, 2025

    Rite Aid Agrees To Pay $6.8M In Deal Over 2024 Data Breach

    Rite Aid has agreed to a $6.8 million settlement to resolve proposed class action claims it failed to prevent a cyberattack that compromised over 2 million customers' highly sensitive information, offering up to $10,000 per claimant for documented losses, a preliminary approval order filed Tuesday in Pennsylvania federal court states.

  • March 04, 2025

    Agencies Have 'Ultimate' Authority Over Firings, OPM Says

    The Office of Personnel Management on Tuesday issued a revised version of its January memo directing agency heads to identify all probationary employees, adding a disclaimer that OPM "is not directing agencies to take any specific performance-based actions" and that agencies "have ultimate decision-making authority."

  • March 04, 2025

    House Aviation Panel Weighs Air Traffic Control Fixes

    Aviation workers' unions and industry stakeholders told lawmakers on Tuesday that years of political inertia and more recent tumult related to the federal workforce firings are impacting efforts to hire more air traffic controllers and overhaul the nation's outdated and overburdened ATC system.

  • March 04, 2025

    Fla. Med Mal Damages Loophole Facing Lawmaker Scrutiny

    With the new legislative session now underway in the Florida Legislature, state lawmakers are once again considering doing away with a statute that plaintiffs attorneys say unfairly and arbitrarily limits pain-and-suffering damages in fatal medical malpractice cases, but healthcare providers are saying not so fast.

  • March 04, 2025

    Health Providers Fight To Keep MultiPlan Pricing MDL Alive

    Healthcare providers targeting MultiPlan and several major insurers with horizontal price-fixing claims argued Monday an Illinois federal judge should let their multidistrict litigation proceed because the defendants simply constructed a "strawman" to convince him to toss it.

  • March 04, 2025

    Pool-Maker Hit With $25M Defect Verdict In Child's Drowning

    A St. Louis federal jury has hit inflatables company Bestway USA Inc. with a $25 million verdict after finding its defectively designed above-ground pool was largely responsible for the drowning of a 2-year-old girl.

  • March 04, 2025

    Volkswagen Settling Drivers' Suit Over Turbocharger

    Volkswagen and Audi drivers who claim their cars contained defective turbochargers have asked a New Jersey federal judge to preliminarily approve a proposed class settlement that would have the automaker cover as much as half of certain out-of-pocket expenses the vehicle owners paid during the first 85,000 miles.

  • March 04, 2025

    Ruger Must Face Colorado Shooting Suits In Connecticut

    Connecticut-based gunmaker Sturm Ruger & Co. Inc. must face two lawsuits in its home state over a 2021 mass shooting in a Boulder, Colorado, supermarket, a Connecticut judge has ruled, citing the state's interest in policing harms its businesses may cause in other jurisdictions.

  • March 04, 2025

    Reynolds Wrap Maker Must Face 'Made In The USA' Case

    A New York federal judge declined to dismiss a proposed class action accusing the maker of Reynolds Wrap of misleading consumers with its "Made in U.S.A" label, saying the plaintiff properly alleged the statement led her to pay a premium price for the product.

  • March 04, 2025

    American Airlines Seeks Win In Suit Over In-Flight Death

    American Airlines on Monday told a Texas federal judge that a suit brought by a woman over her son's death from a medical emergency on a flight should be denied because the teenager's death was not caused by an accident.

  • March 04, 2025

    Ga. PFAS Liability Bill Faces Debate Ahead Of Key Deadline

    A Georgia bill to reduce corporate liability for PFAS contamination on Tuesday received strong industry backing and intense pushback from North Georgia residents and communities who warned state lawmakers against handing "a get-out-of-jail-free card" to carpet manufacturers accused of polluting waterways.

  • March 04, 2025

    Freezer Co. Drops Supplier Suit Over $15M Embryo Loss

    Freezer maker Chart Inc. has dropped its lawsuit alleging one of its suppliers should pay part of a $15 million verdict stemming from an implosion of Chart's cryopreservation tanks in 2018, which destroyed human eggs and embryos, according to an order Monday.

  • March 04, 2025

    FCA Hit With Suit Alleging Power-Steering Pump Fire Risk

    Automaker Fiat Chrysler was hit with a new proposed class action on Monday alleging it sold Jeep vehicles with defective power-steering pump electrical connectors that increase the risk of spontaneous fires, adding that the issue has led to at least one death.

  • March 04, 2025

    Lead Testing Operations Chief To Admit Misbranding Charge

    The former chief operating officer of Magellan Diagnostics will admit to defrauding the public by hiding flaws in the company's lead testing devices for years, according to a filing in Massachusetts federal court.

  • March 04, 2025

    Justices Doubt Mexico Can Pin Cartel Deaths On US Gun Cos.

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday appeared highly skeptical of a suit by the Mexican government that seeks to hold Smith & Wesson and other American gunmakers liable for cartel violence, with justices from both sides of the ideological spectrum suggesting that the claims are too speculative.

  • March 03, 2025

    Wrongful Death Claims Go Ahead In Social Media MDL

    A California federal judge overseeing the multidistrict litigation over claims Facebook and other social media companies purposefully addict minors to their platforms has allowed certain allegations, including negligence and wrongful death claims, to go forward in a final ruling.

  • March 03, 2025

    Fiji Beats Ill. Microplastics Suit Over Lack Of Testing

    An Illinois federal judge has tossed out proposed class claims that the company behind Fiji Water illegally labels the product as "natural" artesian water knowing it contains microplastics, saying Monday the consumers haven't pointed to scientific evidence directly tying the product to their claims.  

  • March 03, 2025

    Jaguar Can't Shirk Warranty Claims In EV Battery Fire Suit

    Jaguar can't evade claims it sold thousands of electric vehicles with batteries prone to catching fire, a New Jersey federal judge ruled Monday, saying the argument that buyers expect and even price in these kinds of issues at the time of purchase "defies everyday experience."

  • March 03, 2025

    National Gaming Chair Gets Pause In Alaskan Casino Suit

    A federal judge has paused litigation against acting National Indian Gaming Commission Chairwoman Sharon M. Avery until the court can determine if an Alaskan Native village is a required party in the dispute that looks to block plans for a 58,000-square-foot casino in Anchorage.

  • March 03, 2025

    Chamber Leads Group Challenging NY Climate Superfund Bill

    A U.S. Chamber of Commerce-led coalition asked a New York federal judge to block a "plainly unconstitutional" Empire State law that promises to impose $75 billion in cost-recovery demands on fossil fuel companies to help pay for climate adaptation projects.

  • March 03, 2025

    Ex-Jaguars Worker Tells FanDuel Arbitration Isn't Enforceable

    A former Jacksonville Jaguars employee urged a New York federal court to deny FanDuel's bid to arbitrate his claims in a lawsuit that alleges the company facilitated a gambling addiction, saying the company aggressively lured him with predatory tactics and must be held accountable.

  • March 03, 2025

    Countertop Co. Demands Insurer Cover Over 100 Injury Suits

    A distributor of countertops and flooring accused a Liberty Mutual unit in New York federal court of reversing its coverage position on nearly 130 underlying personal injury lawsuits in bad faith, arguing that each underlying plaintiff's alleged injuries should constitute separate occurrences.

  • March 03, 2025

    10th Circ. Backs CPSC In Challenge To New Magnet Rule

    The Tenth Circuit on Monday denied a petition challenging a new Consumer Product Safety Commission rule regulating the sale of small, high-powered magnets, finding that the evidence the CPSC provided supports the rule and the commission's structure is constitutional.

Expert Analysis

  • Litigation Funding Disclosure Debate: Strategy Considerations

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    In the ongoing debate over whether courts should require disclosure of litigation funding, funders and plaintiffs tend to argue against such mandates, but voluntarily disclosing limited details about a funding arrangement can actually confer certain benefits to plaintiffs in some scenarios, say Andrew Stulce and Marc Cavan at Longford Capital.

  • FDA's Red No. 3 Ban Reshapes Food Safety Legal Landscape

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    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recent ban on Red No. 3 represents more than the end of a controversial dye — it signals a shift in regulatory priorities, consumer expectations, intellectual property strategy, compliance considerations and litigation risk, says Dino Haloulos at Foley Mansfield.

  • The Implications Of E-Cigarette Cos. Taking Suits To 5th Circ.

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    The U.S. Supreme Court recently heard oral arguments in U.S. Food and Drug Administration v. R.J. Reynolds over the definition of an "adversely affected" person under the Tobacco Control Act, and the justices' ruling will have important and potentially wide-ranging implications for forum shopping claims, says Trillium Chang at Zuckerman Spaeder.

  • Series

    Adventure Photography Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Photographing nature everywhere from Siberia to Cuba and Iceland to Rwanda provides me with a constant reminder to refresh, refocus and rethink the legal issues that my clients face, says Richard Birmingham at Davis Wright.

  • What Vinyl Acetate's Prop 65 Listing Means For Cos.

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    California's recent move to add vinyl acetate to the Proposition 65 list of carcinogens, with enforcement starting later this year, will have sweeping compliance and risk implications for businesses in the retail, food and beverage, paint, adhesive, industrial manufacturing, and personal care product industries, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • 5 Ways To Create Effective Mock Assignments For Associates

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    In order to effectively develop associates’ critical thinking skills, firms should design mock assignments that contain a few key ingredients, from messy fact patterns to actionable feedback, says Abdi Shayesteh at AltaClaro.

  • More Environmental Claims, More Greenwashing Challenges

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    As companies prepare for the 2025 greenwashing landscape, they should take heed of a D.C. appellate decision that shows that environmental claims are increasingly subject to attack and provides plaintiffs with a playbook for challenging corporate claims of sustainability, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • And Now A Word From The Panel: How MDLs Fared In 2024

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    A significant highlight of the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation's practice during 2024 was the increase in the percentage of new MDL petitions granted by the panel, with 25 granted and only eight denied — one of the highest grant rates in years, says Alan Rothman at Sidley.

  • What Public View Of CEO's Killing Means For Corporate Trials

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    Given the proliferation of anti-corporate sentiments following recent charges against Luigi Mangione in connection with the killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO, attorneys who represent corporate clients and executives will need to adapt their trial strategy to account for juror anger, says Clint Townson at Townson Litigation Consulting.

  • Opinion

    IVF Suits Highlight Need For Better Legal Frameworks

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    The high number of in vitro fertilization embryo losses underscores the need for more cohesive legal and regulatory guidance related to human errors, property versus personhood, and liability, says Jeff Korek at Gersowitz Libo.

  • Royal Canin Ruling Won't Transform Removal Jurisdiction

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Royal Canin USA v. Wullschleger means that federal district courts must now remand whenever an amended complaint excises grounds for federal jurisdiction — but given existing litigation strategy and case law trends, this may ultimately preserve, rather than alter, the status quo, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • Artfully Conceding Liability Can Offer Defendants 3 Benefits

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    In the rare case that a company makes the strategic decision to admit liability, it’s important to do so clearly and consistently in order to benefit from the various forms of armor that come from an honest acknowledgment, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.

  • Mentorship Resolutions For The New Year

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    Attorneys tend to focus on personal achievements or career milestones when they set yearly goals, but one important area often gets overlooked in this process — mentoring relationships, which are some of the most effective tools for professional growth, say Kelly Galligan at Rutan & Tucker and Andra Greene at Phillips ADR.

  • Key Trends In PFAS Regulation And Litigation For 2025

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    The critical policy milestones for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances expected in 2025 will not only shape the trajectory of PFAS regulation, but also set key precedents for environmental accountability, potentially reshaping the corporate approach to these "forever chemicals" for decades to come, say attorneys at MG+M.

  • Series

    Coaching Little League Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While coaching poorly played Little League Baseball early in the morning doesn't sound like a good time, I love it — and the experience has taught me valuable lessons about imperfection, compassion and acceptance that have helped me grow as a person and as a lawyer, says Alex Barnett at DiCello Levitt.

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