Product Liability

  • February 19, 2025

    MDL Plaintiffs Misread Blackout Protocols, Texas Justices Told

    Transmission and distribution utility providers told Texas justices Wednesday that the thousands of plaintiffs in the multidistrict litigation stemming from a crippling winter storm in 2021 "misunderstand" how load-shedding protocols work as it pushed the court to free it of the final two claims in the MDL.

  • February 19, 2025

    Parents Fight Riddell's Bid To Move Defective Helmet Lawsuit

    Parents of a high school football player who suffered severe brain injuries due to an allegedly faulty helmet are urging a Texas federal judge to reject sports equipment maker Riddell Inc.'s bid seeking to transfer the litigation to a different court, saying the current location is "far more convenient" for most witnesses.

  • February 19, 2025

    3rd Circ. Doubts Alleged Cancer Risk Devalued Drug

    A Third Circuit panel on Wednesday seemed skeptical that a woman who bought and used a weight loss drug suffered financial harm after she found out it could cause cancer, with the judges aggressively pushing back on her argument that she did not get what she paid for.

  • February 19, 2025

    LA Gardasil Trial Against Merck Bagged After 3 Weeks

    A Los Angeles state court trial over the alleged dangers of Merck & Co. Inc.'s human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil was abruptly called off after three weeks of testimony, with a new panel of jurors slated to hear the case next fall instead.

  • February 19, 2025

    No Coverage For Seller In NY Ghost Gun Suits, Insurer Says

    The insurer for a company suspected of selling components used to make illegal "ghost guns" told a New York federal court that it owed no coverage for three underlying government suits alleging that the company contributed to the sale of weapons that are harder for law enforcement to trace.

  • February 19, 2025

    BP Must Face Contract Claim In Bayer's $12M Benzene Suit

    BP can't escape claims that it breached its contract with a chemical supplier currently defending a $12 million lawsuit from Bayer over alleged benzene contamination in two antifungal sprays, an Illinois federal judge ruled on Tuesday.

  • February 19, 2025

    Calif. Bill Aims To Ban Sale Of Anti-Aging Products To Minors

    A San Francisco Bay Area legislator has introduced a new bill that bans the sale of anti-aging products "that contain potent and harsh ingredients" to people under the age of 18 in the Golden State.

  • February 19, 2025

    Product Liability Group Of The Year: Sullivan & Cromwell

    Sullivan & Cromwell LLP helped Koninklijke Philips negotiate a $1.1 billion settlement agreement ending sprawling litigation related to its recalled sleep breathing machines, causing company stock to jump and landing the firm a spot among the 2024 Law360 Product Liability Groups of the Year.

  • February 19, 2025

    Conn. Trial Firm Split Must Return To Arbitration, Judge Rules

    A dispute over the breakup of a Connecticut personal injury firm known for high-dollar verdicts must for now return to arbitration, a Connecticut judge ruled Wednesday, saying an arbiter, not the court, must decide initial questions about the feud's proper forum.

  • February 18, 2025

    Delta Crash In Toronto, FAA Firings Upend Aviation Industry

    The harrowing crash of a Delta Air Lines passenger jet in Toronto on Monday, during which the plane caught fire, skidded across the runway with its wings broken off and flipped upside down, has upended an industry already rocked by a string of U.S. aviation accidents in the past month.

  • February 18, 2025

    Trump Exec Order Expands Control Over Independent Agencies

    President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday to limit the autonomy of independent agencies such as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Federal Communications Commission by requiring them to submit draft regulations for presidential review.

  • February 18, 2025

    Studies Don't Show Zantac Cancer Risks, Jury Hears

    Taking Zantac does not cause prostate cancer, a Children's Hospital Colorado toxicologist testified Tuesday in two men's Illinois retrial of claims that taking the heartburn medication contributed to their diagnoses.

  • February 18, 2025

    J&J Talc Unit Launches 2-Week $10B Ch. 11 Settlement Trial

    A Johnson & Johnson spinoff began its case Tuesday for a $10 billion Chapter 11 settlement of the company's talc liability before a Texas bankruptcy judge while opponents of the deal questioned the legitimacy of the bankruptcy case and the plan vote.

  • February 18, 2025

    Exxon, Koch Lose Bid To End Minn. Climate Change Suit

    A Minnesota state judge on Friday largely preserved the state's lawsuit alleging Exxon Mobil Corp., Koch Industries Inc. and the American Petroleum Institute concealed the climate change risks of fossil fuels, rejecting arguments that the case was a matter of federal, not state, law.

  • February 18, 2025

    Engine Co. Says Plane Crash Appeal Is Matter For NC Panel

    Aviation companies Avco Corp. and its subsidiary Lycoming Engines are urging a North Carolina appeals court to take up their bid seeking immunity from a civil lawsuit filed by families of victims killed in a 2015 plane crash, arguing that allowing a trial to go forward would cause "irreparable harm."

  • February 18, 2025

    Pa. Justices To Weigh Philly Ban On 3D-Printed Gun Parts

    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will decide whether a state law preempting most local gun restrictions applies to the whole field of firearms regulations, or whether ordinances like Philadelphia's ban on 3D printing gun parts and assembling them are exempted because the parts aren't "firearms" themselves, the court announced Tuesday.

  • February 18, 2025

    Suit Blames Electrolux Burners For Pa. Family's House Fire

    Subsidiaries of Swedish appliance manufacturer Electrolux are facing another design defect lawsuit claiming that its stove knobs are too easily turned on by accident, with the latest suit coming from a Philadelphia-area family whose home burned down.

  • February 18, 2025

    Meta Repeats Push To Halt Social Media Coverage Row In Del.

    Meta urged a Delaware federal court again to stay coverage proceedings over underlying claims it deliberately designed its platforms to be addictive to adolescents, noting the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation may soon transfer the case to California federal court, where the underlying litigation is taking place.

  • February 18, 2025

    Human Rights Atty Sees 'Serious Risks' Of Neural Data Abuse

    International human rights attorney Jared Genser spoke with Law360 Healthcare Authority about the "serious risks of misuse and abuse of neurotechnologies" that have led California and Colorado to expand their state consumer privacy laws in the last year to include neural data, with similar bills pending in Montana, Massachusetts and Illinois.

  • February 18, 2025

    DC Midair Collision Family Brings $250M Claims Against Gov't

    The family of a passenger killed in last month's midair collision between an American Airlines regional jet and a military helicopter put the federal government on notice that they're pursuing $250 million in personal injury and wrongful death claims over the accident, attorneys for the family said Tuesday.

  • February 18, 2025

    Torrent Of Eaton Fire Suits Call For Organization, Judge Says

    A Los Angeles judge said Tuesday that discovery into the cause of last month's devastating Eaton Fire should wait until dozens of related suits against Southern California Edison have been organized and can "proceed efficiently and fairly."

  • February 18, 2025

    Sidley Expands In Calif. With Latham Emerging Cos. Atty

    Sidley Austin LLP is expanding its West Coast team, bringing in a Latham & Watkins LLP emerging companies specialist as a partner in its San Francisco Bay Area offices.

  • February 18, 2025

    Product Liability Group Of The Year: Kline & Specter

    Kline & Specter PC's product liability practice group secured billions of dollars in verdicts in cases against Monsanto over its weedkiller Roundup and has helped to lead mass tort litigation over Elmiron's bladder drugs, earning it a place as one of the 2024 Law360 Product Liability Groups of the Year.

  • February 18, 2025

    Plaintiffs Atty Flags 'Worst' Parts Of Georgia's Tort Reform

    A ban on proposing damages amounts to juries in order to "anchor" them, and easier access to two-phase trials, are the worst parts of a proposed "sweeping" tort reform package being pushed heavily by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, according to a prominent plaintiffs attorney.

  • February 14, 2025

    Judge Slams The Brakes On Peloton Bike Recall Claims

    A New York federal judge threw out, for now, a proposed investor action alleging Peloton overstated the safety of its bikes before 2.2 million products were recalled over a bike seat defect, ruling that the shareholders haven't adequately alleged the exercise company made any misleading statements.

Expert Analysis

  • 3 Ways To Train Junior Lawyers In 30 Minutes Or Less

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    Today’s junior lawyers are experiencing a skills gap due to pandemic-era disruptions, but firms can help bring them up to speed by offering high-impact skill building content in bite-sized, interactive training sessions, say Stacey Schwartz at Katten, Diane Costigan at Winston & Strawn and Lauren Tierney at Freshfields.

  • 8 Tech Tips For Stress-Free Remote Depositions

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    Court reporter Kelly D’Amico shares practical strategies for attorneys to conduct remote depositions with ease and troubleshoot any issues that arise, as it seems deposition-by-Zoom is here to stay after the pandemic.

  • What Cos. Can Learn from Water Microplastics Class Actions

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    Class actions against companies whose bottled spring water allegedly contains microplastics, challenging claims such as "natural" and "100% spring water," seem to be drying up — but these cases serve as a good reminder to other businesses to review regulatory standards, and carefully vet plaintiff allegations at the outset, say attorneys at Keller and Heckman.

  • Navigating Decentralized Clinical Trials With FDA's Guidance

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    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recently finalized guidance on conducting decentralized clinical trials, while not legally binding, can serve as a road map for sponsors, investigators and others to ensure trial integrity and participant safety, say attorneys at Phillips Lytle.

  • 4 Ways Attorneys Can Emotionally Prepare For Trial

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    In the course of litigation, trial lawyers face a number of scenarios that can incite an emotional response, but formulating a mental game plan in advance of trial can help attorneys stay cool, calm and collected in the moment, says Rachel Lary at Lightfoot Franklin.

  • The Bar Needs More Clarity On The Discovery Objection Rule

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    Almost 10 years after Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 34 was amended, attorneys still seem confused about what they should include in objections to discovery requests, and until the rules committee provides additional clarity, practitioners must beware the steep costs of noncompliance, says Tristan Ellis at Shanies Law Office.

  • Key Plaintiff Litigation Strategies For Silicosis Lawsuits

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    A California stone worker's recent $52 million jury award highlights the growing silicosis crisis among employees in the stone fabrication industry — and points to the importance of a strategic approach to litigating silicosis cases against employers and manufacturers, says David Matthews at Matthews & Associates.

  • The AI Consumer Class Action Threat Is Not A Hallucination

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    As regulators scrutinize whether businesses can deliver on claims about their artificial intelligence products and services, the industry faces a wave of consumer fraud class actions — but AI companies can protect themselves by prioritizing fundamental best practices that are often overlooked, say Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein and Richard Torrenzano at the Torrenzano Group.

  • Presidential Campaign Errors Provide Lessons For Trial Attys

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    Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign employed numerous strategies that evidently didn’t land, and trial attorneys should take note, because voters and jurors are both decision-makers who are listening for how one’s case presentation would affect them personally, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • In Terror Case, DC Circ. Must Weigh Justices' Twitter Ruling

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    When the D.C. Circuit hears oral argument in AstraZeneca UK v. Atchley, how the court interprets the U.S. Supreme Court's 2023 ruling in Twitter v. Taamneh will have a significant impact on future claims brought under the Anti-Terrorism Act and Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, say attorneys at Lewis Baach.

  • Series

    Being A Navy Reservist Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Serving this country in uniform has not only been one of the greatest honors of my life, but it has also provided me with opportunities to broaden my legal acumen and interpersonal skills in ways that have indelibly contributed to my civilian practice, says Phillip Smith at Weinberg Wheeler.

  • EPA's New Lead Pipe Rule Leaves Key Questions Unanswered

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    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recently released update to its Lead and Copper Rule is a major step forward in the elimination of lead from drinking water systems, but it lacks meaningful guidance on alternative materials, jurisdictional concerns, cost allocation and other topics, say attorneys at Foley Hoag.

  • So You Want To Move Your Law Practice To Canada, Eh?

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    Google searches for how to move to Canada have surged in the wake of the U.S. presidential election, and if you’re an attorney considering a move to the Great White North, you’ll need to understand how the practice of law differs across the border, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.

  • Trump Rollback Of Biden Enviro Policies: What To Expect

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    Donald Trump's upcoming second presidential term will usher significant shifts in U.S. environmental and natural resource law and policy — and while the Biden administration is racing to secure its legacy, the incoming Trump administration is making plans to dramatically roll back most, if not all, of Biden's environmental initiatives, say attorneys at Beveridge & Diamond.

  • Legislation Most Likely To Pass In Lame Duck Session

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    As Congress begins its five-week post-election lame duck session, attorneys at Greenberg Traurig break down the legislative priorities and which proposals can be expected to pass.

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