Product Liability

  • August 14, 2024

    Michigan's Airport PFAS Pollution Suit Escapes Foam MDL

    A Michigan federal judge has agreed to disentangle state regulators' PFAS pollution claims against an airport from claims against manufacturers of the chemicals, a move that prevents the state's case from being absorbed into multidistrict litigation over firefighting foam.

  • August 14, 2024

    CPSC Foes Widen Assault On New Deal-Era Precedent

    A maker of child care products is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to decide the constitutionality of protections barring the president from firing U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission members without good cause, telling the justices that the powerful agency doesn't fit the narrow exceptions to the White House's otherwise unrestricted removal authority.

  • August 14, 2024

    Suit Claims Giant Uses Banned, Toxic Oil In Orange Soda

    A proposed class of soda drinkers is suing The Giant Co. LLC in Pennsylvania federal court, alleging that it makes and sells orange soda made with a kind of vegetable oil that federal regulators banned for its negative effects on the thyroid gland.

  • August 14, 2024

    Zantac Judge Won't Step Aside Over Wife's Reed Smith Role

    A Pennsylvania state judge overseeing the Zantac mass tort litigation against GlaxoSmithKline denied a motion to recuse himself Wednesday after expressing skepticism about the plaintiffs' contention that he could be unconsciously partial because his wife works for a firm defending the drugmaker in other jurisdictions.

  • August 14, 2024

    Rising Star: King & Spalding's TaCara Harris

    King & Spalding LLP's TaCara Harris' work investigating allegations of sexual assault by coaches in the National Women's Soccer League, as well as her work on the litigation over claims that Zantac causes cancer, is why she won a spot on the 2024 list of product liability Law360 Rising Stars.

  • August 14, 2024

    Santa Monica Sues 3M, DuPont Over PFAS Contamination

    The city of Santa Monica, California, has hit 3M, DuPont de Nemours Inc., RTX Corp., formerly known as Raytheon, and more than a dozen other companies with a suit over PFAS contamination stemming from the use of aqueous film-forming firefighting foams.

  • August 13, 2024

    Jury Awards $51M To Family In Carbon Monoxide Leak

    A Texas jury awarded a woman and her two children $51 million after they suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning in their apartment in 2015, finding in a Tuesday verdict that their apartment complex was responsible for the leak that allegedly left the children with serious brain injuries.

  • August 13, 2024

    8th Circ. Finds ATF's Braced Pistol Rule Arbitrary, Capricious

    An Eighth Circuit panel has reversed an order denying a preliminary injunction to block enforcement of a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives rule regulating pistols with stabilizing braces as short-barreled rifles, finding that aspects of the rule were arbitrary and capricious.

  • August 13, 2024

    Full 7th Circ. Asked To Review Tossing Of Protein Pouch Fight

    A Florida-based protein powder maker is asking the Seventh Circuit to reconsider its upholding of a Wisconsin federal court's decision to toss its claims over allegedly defective plastic zipper pouches on the grounds that they were filed too late.

  • August 13, 2024

    Campbell Soup Co. Defends V8 Splash Labeling As Accurate

    Campbell Soup Co. has urged a New Jersey federal judge to toss a putative class action alleging it duped consumers into thinking its V8 Splash beverages are naturally flavored and healthy, saying the drinks' labels never claimed the drinks were free of artificial flavors.

  • August 13, 2024

    Parts Maker Can't Escape Goya Death Suit

    A machine manufacturer must face claims that a negligent inspection at a Texas-based Goya food distribution center led to a forklift operator burning to death after crashing into a pipe carrying hot beans, a federal judge has ruled, saying a jury could still find the company liable for failing to warn of the low hanging pipe.

  • August 13, 2024

    HP Inks Deal To End Claims Printer Update Locked Out Rivals

    HP Inc. and a certified class of consumers told a California magistrate judge Monday that they have reached a settlement in principle to resolve a class action alleging the printer maker illegally forced customers to purchase overpriced HP-branded ink and toner supply cartridges by making alternative products incompatible with their printers.

  • August 13, 2024

    Mother Can't Revive Suit Against GE For Child's Brain Damage

    A Pennsylvania appeals panel won't reinstate a mother's suit against General Electric Co. and subsidiary Datex-Ohmeda Inc. alleging that a faulty anesthesia machine caused her child permanent brain damage, finding the trial court rightly found that the state doesn't have jurisdiction over the claims.

  • August 13, 2024

    Riders Renew Bid To Sue Segway Over Pa. Scooter Injuries

    Two riders who were injured and the estate of a rider who was killed while using the now-defunct Spin electric scooter service in Pittsburgh have renewed their request to split their lawsuit against the city and Spin's bankrupt parent company so they can move ahead with claims against scooter maker Segway and the service's nonprofit partners.

  • August 13, 2024

    Janssen Wants New FCA Trial As Relators Seek $1.85B Win

    Janssen has urged a New Jersey federal judge to toss a jury's $150 million False Claims Act verdict that found the pharmaceutical company illegally profited from the off-label marketing of popular HIV medications, while whistleblowers have asked the court for a whopping $1.85 billion judgment consisting of trebled damages and statutory penalties.

  • August 13, 2024

    Tort Report: Disney Blasted For 'Absurd' Arbitration Bid

    A Disney unit's unconventional bid to arbitrate a wrongful death suit and a hefty crash suit verdict out of California lead Law360's Tort Report, which compiles recent personal injury and medical malpractice news that may have flown under the radar.

  • August 13, 2024

    United Customer's Greenwashing Suit Preempted, Judge Says

    A Maryland federal judge ruled Tuesday that federal law preempts a proposed class action alleging United Airlines misled customers by deceptively marketing its use of sustainable aviation fuels and its efforts to be green and carbon-neutral.

  • August 13, 2024

    DC Circ. Backs EPA's Ethylene Oxide Cancer Risk Value

    The D.C. Circuit on Tuesday upheld federal environmental regulators' assessment of the cancer risk from exposure to certain chemical manufacturers' ethylene oxide emissions, rejecting a challenge from a chemical company and two chemical associations that argued the risk assessment was arbitrary and capricious.

  • August 13, 2024

    Eversource Hit With $450M Suit Over Fatal Gas Explosion

    The family of a Massachusetts man who died in a 2021 natural gas explosion caused by a corroded and leaking pipe says utility provider Eversource put profits ahead of public safety, according to a wrongful death suit filed Tuesday that seeks $450 million in damages.

  • August 13, 2024

    'Clever' Scheme Is Concealing Talc Litigation Funding, J&J Says

    The Beasley Allen Law Firm needs to disclose alleged litigation funding fueling its litigation over Johnson & Johnson's talcum powder even if that funding was not given directly to the firm since the disclosure rules apply to "parties" and not "law firms," J&J has told a New Jersey federal court.

  • August 13, 2024

    Rising Star: Lieff Cabraser's Andrew Kaufman

    Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein LLP's Andrew Kaufman has helped lead cases in multidistrict litigation against Juul Labs Inc. over its marketing of vapes and Uber Technologies Inc. over allegations of sexual assault of passengers, earning him a spot among product liability attorneys under age 40 recognized by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • August 13, 2024

    Talc Claims Land Cosmetics Giant Avon In Ch. 11

    Avon Products filed for Chapter 11 protection in Delaware, saying it needs to address more than $1 billion in liabilities and allegations of injuries caused by talc in its products.

  • August 12, 2024

    Groups Call On IHS To End Amalgam Use On Tribal Lands

    A consortium of groups, including Consumers for Dental Choice and the International Indian Treaty Council, are calling on the U.S. Indian Health Service and other governments to immediately stop using mercury-containing dental fillings on Native Americans.

  • August 12, 2024

    Gun Rights Group Drops Suit Challenging Colo. Magazine Ban

    A Colorado federal judge dismissed a gun rights group's lawsuit challenging a state ban on "large capacity" magazines after the parties agreed to walk away from the suit on Monday.

  • August 12, 2024

    Navy Federal, Recording Software Co. Want Privacy Suit Nixed

    Navy Federal Credit Union customers can't bring an invasion of privacy class action over the credit union's use of artificial intelligence software to analyze and record customer calls, in part because its recording practices were appropriately disclosed, the nation's largest credit union has argued.

Expert Analysis

  • How Attys Can Avoid Pitfalls When Withdrawing From A Case

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    The Trump campaign's recent scuffle over its bid to replace its counsel in a pregnancy retaliation suit offers a chance to remind attorneys that many troubles inherent in withdrawing from a case can be mitigated or entirely avoided by communicating with clients openly and frequently, says Christopher Konneker at Orsinger Nelson.

  • Using A Children's Book Approach In Firm Marketing Content

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    From “The Giving Tree” to “Where the Wild Things Are,” most children’s books are easy to remember because they use simple words and numbers to tell stories with a human impact — a formula law firms should emulate in their marketing content to stay front of mind for potential clients, says Seema Desai Maglio at The Found Word.

  • Opioid Suits Offer Case Study In Abatement Expert Testimony

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    Settlements in the opioid multidistrict litigation provide useful insight into leveraging expert discovery on abatement in public nuisance cases, and would not have been successful without testimony on the costs necessary to lessen the harms of the opioid crisis, says David Burnett at DiCello Levitt.

  • How To Use Exhibits Strategically Throughout Your Case

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    Exhibits, and documents in particular, are the lifeblood of legal advocacy, so attorneys must understand how to wield them effectively throughout different stages of a case to help build strategy, elevate witness preparation and effectively persuade the fact-finders, say Allison Rocker at Baker McKenzie and Colorado prosecutor Adam Kendall.

  • Series

    Being An EMT Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While some of my experiences as an emergency medical technician have been unusually painful and searing, the skills I’ve learned — such as triage, empathy and preparedness — are just as useful in my work as a restructuring lawyer, says Marshall Huebner at Davis Polk.

  • 15 Quick Tips For Uncovering And Mitigating Juror Biases

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    As highlighted by the recent jury selection process in the criminal hush money trial against former President Donald Trump, juror bias presents formidable challenges for defendants, and attorneys must employ proactive strategies — both new and old — to blunt its impact, say Monica Delgado and Jonathan Harris at Harris St. Laurent.

  • Car Apps, Abuse Survivor Safety And The FCC: Key Questions

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    A recent request for comment from the Federal Communications Commission, concerning how to protect the privacy of domestic violence survivors who use connected car services, raises key questions, including whether the FCC has the legal authority to limit access to a vehicle's connected features to survivors only, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

  • Insurance Types That May Help Cos. After Key Bridge Collapse

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    Following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, businesses that depend on the bridge, the Port of Baltimore and related infrastructure for shipment and distribution of cargo should understand which common types of first-party insurance coverage may provide recoveries for financial losses, say Bert Wells and Richard Lewis at Reed Smith.

  • Lessons On Challenging Class Plaintiffs' Expert Testimony

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    In class actions seeking damages, plaintiffs are increasingly using expert opinions to establish predominance, but several recent rulings from California federal courts shed light on how defendants can respond, say Jennifer Romano and Raija Horstman at Crowell & Moring.

  • Exploring An Alternative Model Of Litigation Finance

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    A new model of litigation finance, most aptly described as insurance-backed litigation funding, differs from traditional funding in two key ways, and the process of securing it involves three primary steps, say Bob Koneck, Christopher Le Neve Foster and Richard Butters at Atlantic Global Risk LLC.

  • Trump Hush Money Case Offers Master Class In Trial Strategy

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    The New York criminal hush money trial of former President Donald Trump typifies some of the greatest challenges that lawyers face in crafting persuasive presentations, providing lessons on how to handle bad facts, craft a simple story that withstands attack, and cross-examine with that story in mind, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Series

    Teaching Yoga Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Being a yoga instructor has helped me develop my confidence and authenticity, as well as stress management and people skills — all of which have crossed over into my career as an attorney, says Laura Gongaware at Clyde & Co.

  • A Vision For Economic Clerkships In The Legal System

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    As courts handle increasingly complex damages analyses involving vast amounts of data, an economic clerkship program — integrating early-career economists into the judicial system — could improve legal outcomes and provide essential training to clerks, say Mona Birjandi at Data for Decisions and Matt Farber at Secretariat.

  • When The Platform Is A Product, Strict Liability Can Attach

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    A New York state court's recent ruling in Patterson v. Meta, holding that social media platforms can be considered products, appears to be the first of its kind — but if it is upheld and adopted by other courts, the liability implications for internet companies could be incredibly far-reaching, say attorneys at Patterson Belknap.

  • Opinion

    State-Regulated Cannabis Can Thrive Without Section 280E

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    Marijauna's reclassification as a Schedule III-controlled substance comes at a critical juncture, as removing marijuana from being subjected to Section 280E of the Internal Revenue Code is the only path forward for the state-regulated cannabis industry to survive and thrive, say Andrew Kline at Perkins Coie and Sammy Markland at FTI Consulting.

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