Product Liability

  • September 27, 2024

    Claims Trimmed In Delaware Jeep Hybrid Defect Class Action

    A Delaware federal judge threw out a number of claims Friday from a proposed class action against automaker FCA US LLC alleging it sold Jeep Wrangler and Grand Cherokee plug-in hybrid vehicles with a defective feature that renders electric driving unavailable, adopting the bulk of a magistrate judge's report filed in July.

  • September 27, 2024

    9th Circ. Says Stem Cell Treatment Not Exempt From FDA Rule

    Two California clinics' experimental stem cell treatments are "drugs" subject to Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act regulations, the Ninth Circuit ruled Friday, reviving the federal government's bid to stop the clinic from marketing the products as cures for certain diseases without U.S. Food and Drug Administration review.

  • September 27, 2024

    NJ Town Urges Court To Keep $1B DuPont Pollution Suit Alive

    Carneys Point Township urged a New Jersey state judge Friday to keep alive its billion dollar lawsuit over pollution from the former Dupont Chambers Works facility, arguing its complaint and the Garden State environmental regulator's enforcement action seeking the remediation of the same site have nothing to do with each other.

  • September 27, 2024

    Hemp Org., Cheech & Chong Take Aim At New Calif. THC Ban

    A leading hemp industry trade organization has teamed up with the cannabis brand fronted by stoner comedians Cheech and Chong to challenge new emergency regulations in California that ban the sale of hemp products containing the psychoactive cannabinoid THC.

  • September 27, 2024

    GM, LG Get Go-Ahead On $150M EV Battery Settlement

    A Michigan federal judge has given preliminary approval to a $150 million settlement to resolve claims that General Motors LLC sold Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicles with faulty batteries made by LG units, finding the deal to be fair and reasonable in resolving the claims.

  • September 27, 2024

    Philip Morris Says Nicotine Pouch Suit Is Preempted

    Philip Morris International Inc. and a subsidiary are urging a Connecticut federal judge to throw out claims that they falsely advertised nicotine pouches as safe and healthy and marketed them to adolescents, saying the claims are preempted by federal law.

  • September 27, 2024

    EPA, Ohio Refinery Ink $169M Wastewater Cleanup Deal

    A Cenovus Energy unit has reached a $169 million deal to resolve the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's complaint over pollution from a petroleum refinery in Lima, Ohio, the U.S. Department of Justice and the EPA announced Friday.

  • September 26, 2024

    Texas Supreme Court Leaves State Fair Gun Ban Intact

    The state's high court rejected Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's attempt to toss out the State Fair of Texas' new policy prohibiting fairgoers from carrying handguns, with three justices finding in a late Thursday opinion that, as a private entity, the State Fair has the right to determine if people carry guns at the fair.

  • September 26, 2024

    Nestlé Customers Win Class Cert. In Child Labor Labeling Suit

    A California federal judge on Thursday granted class certification in litigation alleging Nestle USA misleads the public with "sustainably sourced" chocolate labels when its cocoa is produced through child labor and deforestation, rejecting the company's contention that classes can't be lumped together for different labels on different products.

  • September 26, 2024

    General Mills Seeks To Ax Suit Claiming Cocoa Puffs Has Lead

    General Mills urged a California federal court to toss a proposed consumer class action claiming its Cocoa Puffs cereal contains undisclosed and high levels of lead, saying the suit is based on a "flawed and implausible theory" that doesn't show lead is present in the cereal at unsafe levels.

  • September 26, 2024

    Feds Rip Railroads' 11th Circ. Bid To Void Train Crew Size Rule

    The U.S. Department of Transportation has told the Eleventh Circuit that its new train crew size rule is intended to promote rail safety, yet railroads have misconstrued the requirement and overblown their purported cost burdens in an effort to torpedo the rule.

  • September 26, 2024

    Helicopter-Maker Claims Supplier Had 'Reliability Issues'

    A former Fort Worth, Texas-based Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. engineer claimed a supplier at the center of a $100 million trade secrets lawsuit delivered parts that had "reliability issues," saying Thursday during a trial in Texas state court that the supplier had long-standing problems.

  • September 26, 2024

    Walgreens Struggles To Exit 'Non-Drowsy' Label Suit In Wash.

    The Washington State Supreme Court questioned Thursday whether Walgreens could avoid state consumer protection claims over its "non-drowsy" cough medicine label by pointing to a lack of federal labeling requirements for the drug, with one justice calling the argument a non sequitur.

  • September 26, 2024

    Chancery Tosses Carvana Suit Alleging Faulty Sales

    Delaware's chancellor has dismissed a stockholder derivative case against online used-car dealer Carvana Inc. that sought damages for alleged insider trading and legal complaince monitoring failures, a case that defense attorneys had branded "repackaged" from past or pending federal securities actions.

  • September 26, 2024

    EPA Cleared Of Allegations Of Mishandling Ohio Derailment

    An Ohio federal judge has dismissed allegations that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency mishandled its response to the 2023 East Palestine train derailment, finding little evidence that government officials wrongly cleared air and water quality as safe enough for residents to return home.

  • September 26, 2024

    Ford Says $1.7B Ga. Verdict No Excuse For Delayed Claims

    Lawyers for Ford Motor Co. said Thursday it strains credulity that Super Duty truck drivers didn't learn about their allegedly weak roofs until a billion-dollar jury verdict in Georgia, arguing in Michigan that decades of other suits and government documents could have clued in the plaintiffs sooner.

  • September 26, 2024

    Conn. PFAS Water Pollution Suit Returned To State Court

    A Connecticut federal judge has sent back to state court a proposed class action accusing the Connecticut Water Co. of knowingly selling water contaminated with dangerous levels of PFAS and failing to take steps to remove the pollutants, saying the water supply system's arguments are "fatally flawed."

  • September 26, 2024

    6th Circ. Upholds Philips' Win In Glass Plant Pollution Suit

    The Sixth Circuit on Wednesday stood by a Kentucky federal jury's verdict clearing Philips Electronics of proposed class claims brought by Bluegrass State property owners over pollution, agreeing with the jurors and the lower court that the claims over the company's former glass plant were filed too late.

  • September 26, 2024

    11th Circ. Wary Of Ineffective-Counsel Claim In Salmonella Case

    Peanut Corp. of America's former president and a food broker convicted for their roles in a salmonella outbreak that killed nine people and sickened more than 700 in 2008 and 2009 urged the Eleventh Circuit on Thursday to overturn a district court order refusing to vacate their prison sentences.

  • September 26, 2024

    Atty Sheehan Owes $144K Fees For 'Frivolous' Big Lots Suit

    Prolific New York-based consumer advocate attorney Spencer Sheehan of Sheehan & Associates PC must cover the approximately $144,000 tab for attorney fees incurred amid the "frivolous" coffee labeling suit he brought against national retailer Big Lots Inc., a Florida federal judge has ordered.

  • September 25, 2024

    Ohio Train Derailment Plaintiffs Win Final OK Of $600M Deal

    An Ohio federal judge on Wednesday gave her final blessing to a $600 million settlement resolving claims brought by residents and others affected by the Norfolk Southern train derailment and toxic chemical spill in East Palestine, Ohio, last year.

  • September 25, 2024

    Wash. Judge Says Co., Firm Seem To Share Sanctions Blame

    A Washington appeals court judge said Wednesday that a climbing equipment manufacturer and its former trial counsel, Sinars Slowikowski Tomaska LLC, appear to share blame for discovery violations in a product liability lawsuit and that a trial court appeared to have the authority to issue sanctions.

  • September 25, 2024

    Target Can't Escape Claims Over Deceptive 'Clean' Label

    A California federal judge on Wednesday said that Target Corp. still has to face class claims that its Target Clean range of beauty products actually contain chemicals that harm humans and the environment, saying the allegations are a bit "unique" and are not typical product liability claims.

  • September 25, 2024

    Paxton Asks Texas Justices To Reverse State Fair Gun Ban

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton asked the state's highest court for emergency relief to prohibit a new State Fair of Texas rule that bans fairgoers from carrying handguns, saying in a Wednesday appeal that the Fifteenth Court of Appeals abused its discretion by denying relief.

  • September 25, 2024

    Baltimore Bridge Wreck: 6 Months Later, Claims Mount

    A court deadline to challenge liability limits over Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse shows an intense legal battle brewing as the U.S. government, Maryland and private plaintiffs sharpen their claims for damages against the owner and manager of the cargo ship that slammed into the bridge six months ago.

Expert Analysis

  • Gilead Drug Ruling Creates Corporate Governance Dilemma

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    If upheld, a California state appellate court's decision — finding that Gilead is liable for delaying commercialization of a safer HIV drug to maximize profits on another drug — threatens to undermine long-standing rules of corporate law and exposes companies to liability for decisions based on sound business judgment, says Shireen Barday at Pallas.

  • 3 Leadership Practices For A More Supportive Firm Culture

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    Traditional leadership styles frequently amplify the inherent pressures of legal work, but a few simple, time-neutral strategies can strengthen the skills and confidence of employees and foster a more collaborative culture, while supporting individual growth and contribution to organizational goals, says Benjamin Grimes at BKG Leadership.

  • Rebuttal

    Cancer Research Org. Is Right To Avoid Corporate Influence

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    While a previous Law360 guest article criticizes the International Agency for Research on Cancer's processes, its reliance on peer-reviewed literature is proper and its refusal to allow corporate influence is sound science, say Lance Oliver and Ridge Mazingo at Motley Rice.

  • Attorneys Can Benefit From Reverse-Engineering Their Cases

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    Trial advocacy programs often teach lawyers to loosely track the progression of a lawsuit during preparation — case analysis, then direct examination, then cross-examination, openings and closings — but reverse-engineering cases by working backward from opening and closing statements can streamline the process and also improve case strategy, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • How Courts' Differing Views On Standing Affect PFAS Claims

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    Two recent opinions from New York federal courts — in Lurenz v. Coca-Cola, and Winans v. Ornua Foods North America — illustrate how pivotal the differing views on standing held by different courts will be for product liability litigation involving per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, particularly consumer claims, say attorneys at Hollingsworth.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Hyperlinked Documents

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    Recent rulings show that counsel should engage in early discussions with clients regarding the potential of hyperlinked documents in electronically stored information, which will allow for more deliberate negotiation of any agreements regarding the scope of discovery, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Loper Bright Limits Federal Agencies' Ability To Alter Course

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to dismantle Chevron deference also effectively overrules its 2005 decision in National Cable & Telecommunications Association v. Brand X, greatly diminishing agencies' ability to change regulatory course from one administration to the next, says Steven Gordon at Holland & Knight.

  • Series

    Teaching Scuba Diving Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    As a master scuba instructor, I’ve learned how to prepare for the unexpected, overcome fears and practice patience, and each of these skills – among the many others I’ve developed – has profoundly enhanced my work as a lawyer, says Ron Raether at Troutman Pepper.

  • Lawyers Can Take Action To Honor The Voting Rights Act

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    As the Voting Rights Act reaches its 59th anniversary Tuesday, it must urgently be reinforced against recent efforts to dismantle voter protections, and lawyers can pitch in immediately by volunteering and taking on pro bono work to directly help safeguard the right to vote, says Anna Chu at We The Action.

  • 3rd Circ. Ruling Shows Benefits Of IP Licenses In Bankruptcy

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    The Third Circuit’s recent ruling in Mallinckrodt’s Chapter 11 filing, which held that Mallinckrodt could sever its obligations to pay Sanofi royalties on sales of an autoimmune disease drug, highlights the advantages of structuring transactions as nonexclusive licenses for developers of intellectual property, say Gregory Hesse and Kaleb Bailey at Hunton.

  • How 3rd Circ. Raised Bar For Constitutional Case Injunctions

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    The Third Circuit's decision in Delaware State Sportsmen's Association v. Delaware Department of Safety & Homeland Security, rejecting the relaxed preliminary injunction standards many courts have used when plaintiffs allege constitutional harms, could portend a shift in such cases in at least four ways, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • Opinion

    Expert Witness Standards Must Consider Peer Review Crisis

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    For nearly two decades, the so-called replication crisis has upended how the scientific community views the reliability of peer-reviewed studies, and it’s time for courts to reevaluate whether peer review is a trustworthy proxy for expert witness reliability, say Jeffrey Gross and Robert LaCroix at Reid Collins.

  • How To Grow Marketing, Biz Dev Teams In A Tight Market

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    Faced with fierce competition and rising operating costs, firms are feeling the pressure to build a well-oiled marketing and business development team that supports strategic priorities, but they’ll need to be flexible and creative given a tight talent market, says Ben Curle at Ambition.

  • Series

    Rock Climbing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Rock climbing requires problem-solving, focus, risk management and resilience, skills that are also invaluable assets in my role as a finance lawyer, says Mei Zhang at Haynes and Boone.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Dance The Legal Standard Two-Step

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    From rookie brief writers to Chief Justice John Roberts, lawyers should master the legal standard two-step — framing the governing standard at the outset, and clarifying why they meet that standard — which has benefits for both the drafter and reader, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

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