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Product Liability
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June 10, 2024
Coca-Cola Beats False Ad Claims Of PFAS In Juice, For Now
Coca-Cola defeated, for now, a proposed false advertising class action alleging its line of Simply Tropical fruit juice contains "forever chemicals," when a New York federal judge said Monday the customer lacks standing because his complaint relies on a single allegation of testing without linking the test result to his purchase.
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June 10, 2024
DOJ, FDA Form Task Force To Crack Down On Illegal E-Cigs
The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday said that a federal multi-agency task force has been founded to stop illegal sales of e-cigarettes.
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June 10, 2024
Ill. Judge Hangs Gain False Labeling Claims Out To Dry
An Illinois consumer who washes clothes with Gain detergent cannot pursue fraud claims targeting a bottle's purported load capacity because she hasn't shown that reasonable customers believe the label refers to large rather than medium loads, a federal judge said Monday.
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June 10, 2024
NY Lawmakers Pass Kids Social Media Addiction Bill
New York lawmakers have passed a bill that will rein in social media algorithms from delivering addictive content to minors and sent it to Gov. Kathy Hochul's desk for approval, which is widely expected.
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June 10, 2024
Baltimore Lands $45M Deal With Allergan In Opioid Litigation
Baltimore has put to rest its claims that Allergan played a part in the opioid crisis, reaching a $45 million settlement with the pharmaceutical company, an amount the city called "unprecedented" in an announcement on Monday.
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June 10, 2024
Triumph Motorcycles Hit With Complaint Over Defective Brakes
An Iowa resident has accused a Georgia-based motorcycle company of putting defective brakes on a bike that caused him to sustain permanent brain injuries after he was unexpectedly thrown from the vehicle, in a complaint filed in North Carolina federal court.
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June 10, 2024
Emory Settles With Student Accused Of Cheating With AI Tool
Emory University has reached a settlement with a student who received a $10,000 prize for developing an artificially intelligent study program before being suspended when the school decided the program violated its academic honor code, according to court filings Monday.
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June 10, 2024
Split 4th Circ. Tosses Suit Over 'Forever Chemicals' In NC
The Fourth Circuit ruled Monday that environmental groups couldn't challenge in district court the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's selection of particular so-called forever chemicals for testing after the agency agreed, at the groups' request, to research the chemicals' effects in North Carolina.
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June 10, 2024
Judge Orders Site Worker To Film Drone Video In Cancer MDL
A state judge said Monday that additional drone video of cleanup efforts at a contaminated rail yard sought by Houston residents living near the site must be taken by a Union Pacific Railroad Co. employee following a dispute over allegedly improper drone videos filmed over the site last month.
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June 10, 2024
Calif. Cannabis Co. Stiiizy Wants Delta-8 Product Suit Tossed
A California cannabis company urged an Illinois federal judge to toss a consumer-led false advertising lawsuit alleging it put higher levels of THC in its vape pens than federally allowed, saying the buyers didn't even purchase the one product that was allegedly tested.
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June 10, 2024
Juul Ends FOIA Suit Over FDA E-Cig Decisions
Vaping company Juul Labs Inc. has agreed to drop its Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that sought to obtain documents related to the agency's order requiring its e-cigarettes to be pulled off the market.
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June 10, 2024
Victims Of Chiquita-Funded Paramilitaries Win $38M Award
The first bellwether trial in multidistrict litigation against Chiquita over its funding of right-wing paramilitaries in Colombia's banana-producing region ended with a victory Monday afternoon for nearly all the plaintiffs, as a Florida federal jury awarded them $38.3 million in damages for the losses of their loved ones killed by paramilitaries.
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June 10, 2024
9th Circ. To Hear Args In Psilocybin Right-To-Try Case
A Ninth Circuit panel will hear oral arguments in August in an appeal brought by a Seattle doctor seeking to administer psilocybin to terminal cancer patients under state and federal right-to-try laws.
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June 10, 2024
Snap Slams Connecticut Girl's Renewed Sex Assault Suit
A renewed lawsuit alleging that Snapchat's Bitmoji avatars make it easier for sexual predators and other malicious individuals to groom minors must be dismissed again, Snap Inc. told a Connecticut state court, because the new complaint retreads the same allegations the court already tossed out.
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June 10, 2024
Justices To Hear Meta Investor Suit Over Risk Disclosures
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear Meta Platforms' petition regarding the Ninth Circuit's decision to partially revive investors' claims over the Cambridge Analytica data abuse scandal, after the tech giant argued the appellate panel adopted "extreme outlier positions."
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June 10, 2024
Justices Seek Solicitor General View On Climate Change Torts
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday asked the U.S. solicitor general to weigh in on a bid to end a suit brought by Honolulu seeking to put fossil fuel companies on the hook for climate change-related damages.
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June 07, 2024
Motley Rice Allocated Biggest Share Of $2B Opioid Fees
A panel directed with allocating $2.13 billion in attorney fees stemming from opioid settlements has recommended awarding the largest shares of the pot to Motley Rice LLC, Simmons Hanly Conroy LLC and Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, according to a report filed Friday in Ohio federal court.
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June 07, 2024
Public Schools Tossed From Calif. Social Media Injury Case
Four public school districts cannot pursue their claims against Meta Platforms, Snap, Google, YouTube and TikTok that their allegedly addictive social media platforms fueling a mental health crisis among children have had a ripple effect on schools, a California state judge ruled Friday.
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June 07, 2024
Talc User With Cancer Had 2nd Exposure Path, Jury Hears
A pulmonologist helping make the case that a Texas man got mesothelioma from using Johnson & Johnson talcum powder was pressed Friday as to why he failed to tell jurors that medical records reflect the man had a separate type of asbestos exposure.
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June 07, 2024
Uber Targets Most Calif., Texas Claims In Driver Assault MDL
Uber urged a California federal judge Friday to toss the majority of claims from plaintiffs in California and Texas in multidistrict litigation seeking to hold the ride-hailing company liable for drivers' sexual assaults, saying it can't be held responsible for the actions of individual drivers under those state's laws.
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June 07, 2024
Ozempic MDL Gets New Judge After Judge Pratter's Death
The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation on Thursday reassigned sprawling litigation over Ozempic and similar drugs in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania following the sudden death of U.S. District Judge Gene E.K. Pratter, who'd been overseeing the MDL.
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June 07, 2024
Ill. Panel Revives Contribution Claim Over Tainted Cilantro
An Illinois state appellate panel has revived a bid by a distributor of contaminated cilantro to have wholesalers contribute to any liability in litigation over the tainted product, saying the distributor did not have to comply with pre-suit notice requirements that would otherwise have applied to the case.
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June 07, 2024
Split 9th Circ. Revives LA Schools Vaccine Policy Row
A split Ninth Circuit panel on Friday reversed a California federal court's dismissal of a proposed class action challenging a recently rescinded Los Angeles Unified School District policy requiring employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine to keep their jobs, ruling that the district still has the potential to reinstate it.
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June 07, 2024
'Why Are You Even Here?' Judge Prods Big Tobacco
A Washington state appellate panel on Friday criticized Philip Morris USA Inc. and other tobacco companies for attempting to pay the state less under a 1998 master settlement agreement, with one judge asking a Big Tobacco attorney why they were in court in the first place.
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June 07, 2024
Texas Farmers Sue EPA For 'Forever Chemical' Contamination
Five Texas farmers have told a D.C. federal court that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency should have done more to stop "forever chemicals" from contaminating their farmland, claiming that they've suffered medical problems from the exposure.
Expert Analysis
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Pro Bono Work Is Powerful Self-Help For Attorneys
Oct. 22-28 is Pro Bono Week, serving as a useful reminder that offering free legal help to the public can help attorneys expand their legal toolbox, forge community relationships and create human connections, despite the challenges of this kind of work, says Orlando Lopez at Culhane Meadows.
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Series
Playing In A Rock Cover Band Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Performing in a classic rock cover band has driven me to hone several skills — including focus, organization and networking — that have benefited my professional development, demonstrating that taking time to follow your muse outside of work can be a boon to your career, says Michael Gambro at Cadwalader.
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How To Advertise Carbon Reductions Under New Calif. Law
As more companies advertise their efforts to reach the status of carbon neutral or net zero, California's recently enacted Voluntary Carbon Market Disclosures Act aims to force companies to more clearly disclose the basis for such claims — and there's not a lot of time to comply, say Gonzalo Mon and Katie Rogers at Kelley Drye.
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Series
The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Espinosa On 'Lincoln Lawyer'
The murder trials in Netflix’s “The Lincoln Lawyer” illustrate the stark contrast between the ethical high ground that fosters and maintains the criminal justice system's integrity, and the ethical abyss that can undermine it, with an important reminder for all legal practitioners, say Judge Adam Espinosa and Andrew Howard at the Colorado 2nd Judicial District Court.
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Calif. Right To Repair Law Highlights A Growing Movement
New legislation in California is a comprehensive victory for the "right to repair" movement — signaling that this push for legal reform represents a multifaceted challenge to the status quo not only on the consumer rights front, but also in the fields of copyright, software, antitrust and warranty law, says Courtney Sarnow at Culhane Meadows.
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Teach Your Witness About 'Good' And 'Bad' Testimony Words
To ensure honest and accurate testimony in trials and depositions, attorneys must take care to educate their witnesses about the problematic words opposing counsel may use, such as “always” and “must,” and the effective words they can use in response, like “potentially” and “depends,” say Steve Wood and Bill Kanasky at Courtroom Sciences.
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Balancing Justice And Accountability In Opioid Bankruptcies
As Rite Aid joins other pharmaceutical companies in pursuing bankruptcy following the onslaught of state and federal litigation related to the opioid epidemic, courts and the country will have to reconcile the ideals of economic justice and accountability against the U.S. Constitution’s promise of a fresh start through bankruptcy, says Monique Hayes at DGIM Law.
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Opinion
Newman Suspension Shows Need For Judicial Reform
The recent suspension of U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman following her alleged refusal to participate in a disability inquiry reveals the need for judicial misconduct reforms to ensure that judges step down when they can no longer serve effectively, says Aliza Shatzman at The Legal Accountability Project.
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Lessons From Verizon's Cybersecurity FCA Self-Disclosure
A Verizon unit’s recent agreement to settle allegations of cyber-related False Claims Act violations illustrates the interplay between the government's prioritization of cybersecurity enforcement and the potential benefits of voluntarily disclosing cybersecurity failures, says Denise Barnes at Honigman.
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EPA's Final PFAS Rule Greatly Expands Cos.' Reporting Duties
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recently released final regulation requiring reporting by entities that have manufactured or imported products containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances will require considerable time and attention from affected companies — including many that have not previously faced such obligations, say Lawrence Culleen and Judah Prero at Arnold & Porter.
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How And Why Your Firm Should Implement Fixed-Fee Billing
Amid rising burnout in the legal industry and client efforts to curtail spending, pivoting to a fixed-fee billing model may improve client-attorney relationships and offer lawyers financial, logistical and stress relief — while still maintaining profit margins, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.
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New Calif. Hemp, CBD Rules Affect Nationwide Compliance
Because of its huge market share, it is imperative that operators in every state understand the nuances of California's hemp and CBD regulatory regime, including policies refined over the past year and pending legislation that would allow cannabis licensees to sell, manufacture and distribute hemp and CBD products, say Alexis Lazzeri and Meital Manzuri at Manzuri Law.
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Opinion
Judicial Independence Needs Defense Amid Political Threats
Amid recent and historic challenges to the judiciary from political forces, safeguarding judicial independence and maintaining the integrity of the legal system is increasingly urgent, says Robert Peck at the Center for Constitutional Litigation.
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How Law Firms Can Use Account-Based Marketing Strategies
Amid several evolving legal industry trends, account-based marketing can help law firms uncover additional revenue-generating opportunities with existing clients, with key considerations ranging from data analytics to relationship building, say Jennifer Ramsey at stage LLC and consultant Gina Sponzilli.
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Opinion
Science On Human Health Effects Of PFAS Is Still Inconsistent
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances have soared to the top of environmental regulatory agendas, and dominated environmental news headlines — but scientific research into causal relationships between PFAS exposure and adverse human health effects is still unclear and inconsistent, say Jeffrey Dintzer and Samantha Van Winter at Alston & Bird.