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Product Liability
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July 24, 2024
Daniel Defense, Gun Cos. Get School Shooting Suit Tossed
A Virginia federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a suit by two victims of a 2022 school shooting against Daniel Defense LLC and 14 other gun, accessory and ammunition makers, saying the plaintiffs failed to plead that the companies' actions caused the shooting.
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July 24, 2024
Coal Ash Crusade An Ongoing Battle For The EPA
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has put coal ash enforcement at the forefront of its agenda by making it one of the agency's top enforcement and compliance priorities for the next four years, but some experts say there's still work to be done given that the EPA itself has said the industry has yet to change its ways.
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July 24, 2024
Boulder Wants Suncor Back In Colorado Climate Suit
The city of Boulder, Colorado, and Boulder County have asked a Colorado state judge to certify part of his judgment dismissing Canadian oil and gas company Suncor Energy from the municipalities' climate change lawsuit so they can appeal that decision and bring Suncor back in.
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July 24, 2024
GM Drops 6th Circ. Faulty Fuel Pump Appeal
The Sixth Circuit won't hear an appeal by General Motors, which initially sought to decertify seven state classes of diesel truck drivers who claimed GM sold them faulty fuel pumps, after the automaker voluntarily pulled back its bid as the parties inch closer to a $50 million deal.
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July 24, 2024
LG Unit Seeks Exit From Georgia Exploding Battery Suit
Atlanta-based LG Chem America Inc., a subsidiary of Korean company LG Chem Ltd., is asking a Georgia state judge to end its involvement in litigation by a man who claims he was injured when a lithium-ion battery cell exploded in his pocket.
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July 24, 2024
EV Co. Scores Initial OK On $13M Deal To End Investor Suits
A Colorado federal judge has granted preliminary approval to a $13.3 million settlement resolving shareholder lawsuits against commercial electric-vehicle company Lightning eMotors, whose executives and directors had been accused of touting unrealistic growth projections in the lead-up to a 2021 merger.
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July 24, 2024
Liberty Mutual Gets $2.4M Oil Contamination Row Trimmed
A New York federal judge trimmed a $2.4 million coverage dispute between Liberty Mutual and an oil and gas trader over losses related to a contaminated oil shipment, finding that although the trader met its burden to make a case for recovery, certain contaminated product was excluded from coverage.
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July 24, 2024
Home Depot Truck Rental Keeps Win In Ramp Injury Suit
A New Jersey appeals court won't upend a midtrial win for Tool & Truck Rental at the Home Depot in a suit from a man who alleges he was injured because of a faulty ramp.
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July 24, 2024
Peanut Allergy Death Suit Returns To Conn. State Court
Settling accusations of procedural "gamesmanship," a federal judge has approved an agreement to return to Connecticut state court a lawsuit against the Stew Leonard's grocery store chain by the estate of an Ailey School-trained ballet dancer who allegedly died from eating mislabeled peanut-laden cookies manufactured by another company.
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July 24, 2024
Insurers Get Hyundai, Kia Engine Claim Suits Remanded
A California federal court has remanded to state court four suits by insurers claiming that Hyundai and Kia are on the hook for 829 engine failure and engine fire claims totaling over $7.7 million in damages, saying the automakers' snap removals violated the forum defendant rule.
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July 24, 2024
EPA Moving Toward New Regulations For 5 Chemicals
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday kicked off the process to fast-track new health risk evaluations for five chemicals, including vinyl chloride, a substance that raised alarm after the Norfolk Southern train wreck in East Palestine, Ohio, last year.
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July 23, 2024
Knives Out For Another Pro-Agency Landmark After Chevron
Only weeks after U.S. Supreme Court conservatives took a hatchet to the judicial deference shown to federal agencies, right-leaning lawyers are imploring the justices to rock the administrative law realm again by gutting a New Deal-era precedent at the heart of the modern regulatory system.
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July 23, 2024
Meet The Lead Ozempic Lawyers
The recently deceased U.S. District Judge Gene E.K. Pratter this past spring appointed plaintiff leadership in litigation over Ozempic and similar drugs over allegations that the medications cause gastrointestinal issues. Here's who's who in the list of plaintiffs' leaders.
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July 23, 2024
Cannabis Industry Stakeholders Weigh In On Rescheduling
As the period for public comment on the Biden administration's proposal to reclassify marijuana came to a close Monday, anti-legalization activists, marijuana industry advocates and state cannabis regulators each submitted their thoughts on the potential policy shift.
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July 23, 2024
X's Tesla Ties Could Require Judge's Recusal, Watchdog Says
Elon Musk's X Corp. wants to avoid disclosing its financial links with Tesla in the social media company's defamation lawsuit against Media Matters for America because the Texas federal judge overseeing the case likely holds Tesla stock and would need to recuse himself, the progressive media watchdog said.
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July 23, 2024
EPA Must Ban PFAS In Pesticides, Environmental Groups Say
Farmer advocacy groups and environmentalists urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to flex its regulatory muscles and prohibit the use of pesticide formulas and containers made with so-called forever chemicals, according to a petition that says the agency is doing little to address the issue.
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July 23, 2024
Aviation Co. Sheds Claims In Conn. Cessna Crash Suit
A Connecticut state court judge has struck numerous product liability claims against two individuals and Interstate Aviation Inc., a Plainville company that employed the pilots of a Cessna that crashed into a factory in 2021, but kept alive the same allegations against the Florida company that owned the plane and arranged the flight.
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July 23, 2024
Laser Sights Not 'Arms,' Judge Rules, Backing Chicago Ban
An Illinois federal judge Monday upheld the constitutionality of Chicago's laser sight ban and refused to entertain a resident's "eleventh-hour request" to pursue nominal damages, ending the 14-year-old case.
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July 23, 2024
EPA Tells 5th Circ. Louisiana Can't Stall Chemical Regulation
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says the Fifth Circuit cannot decide whether a Louisiana regulator can give a neoprene maker an extra two years to comply with a federal chemical rule because the issue is already before the D.C. Circuit.
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July 23, 2024
Yamaha Sinks Defective WaveRunner Watercraft Suit
An Illinois federal judge on Tuesday threw out a proposed class action alleging Yamaha Motor Corp. USA sold WaveRunner-brand personal watercraft with defective fuel gauges and trip computers, saying the complaint fails to properly allege a breach of warranty or fraud.
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July 23, 2024
Mercedes-Benz Wants Defective Wheel Suit Tossed
Mercedes-Benz USA LLC is asking a Georgia federal judge to scrap a proposed class action over an allegedly defective wheel configuration on S580 sedans, arguing that a Nevada man's two punctured tires on a cross-country road trip aren't enough to support his claims.
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July 23, 2024
House Panel Weighs New Rail Safety Regs After East Palestine
The fiery Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, last year has created new urgency for strengthening federal standards for tank car designs, rail safety technology, track inspection protocols and classifying hazardous materials-carrying trains, industry experts told a House subcommittee Tuesday.
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July 23, 2024
4th Circ. Says Bad Jury Instructions Gave J&J Win In Mesh Suit
The Fourth Circuit has vacated a judgment in Ethicon Inc. and Johnson & Johnson's favor in a suit from a woman alleging Ethicon's pelvic mesh was defective, saying a federal judge was wrong to limit her expert's opinion based on the so-called elimination mandate.
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July 23, 2024
Tesla Crash Victim's Parents Urge Fla. Top Court To Allow Depos
The father of a Florida teenager killed in a Tesla Model S crash in 2018 has urged the state's high court to review a lower court's orders quashing depositions of company CEO Elon Musk and another executive, saying the orders directly conflict with Florida case law.
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July 23, 2024
Fiat Chrysler Escapes Damages, But Defect Finding Stands
Fiat Chrysler doesn't owe anything to consumers who sued it over allegedly faulty automatic head restraints in its vehicles, a Florida federal judge ruled, affirming a Fort Lauderdale jury's determination, but he declined to give the automaker a total win because it did violate the state's unfair trade law.
Expert Analysis
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Considering CGL Defense For Social Media Addiction Claims
A recent lawsuit filed in California state court against Meta seeks damages from technology companies for the costs of treating children allegedly suffering from social media addiction, but the prospects of defense coverage under commercial general liability insurance policies for a potential new wave of claims look promising, say Craig Hirsch and Tae Andrews at Pasich.
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4 Ways To Refresh Your Law Firm's Marketing Strategy
With many BigLaw firms relying on an increasingly obsolete marketing approach that prioritizes stiff professionalism over authentic connection, adopting a few key communications strategies to better connect with today's clients and prospects can make all the difference, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law.
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Cos. Must Prepare For Calif. Legislation That Would Ban PFAS
Pending California legislation that would ban the sale or distribution of new products containing intentionally added per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances could affect thousands of businesses — and given the bill's expected passage, and its draconian enforcement regime, companies must act now to prepare for it, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.
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FDA Warning Letter Tightens Reins On 'Research Only' Labels
A recent warning letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to Agena Bioscience alleged the company’s diagnostic devices were labeled for research use only, but improperly promoted for human clinical purposes, signifying a reinforcement — and a potential narrowing — of the agency's policy on products labeled “research only,” say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.
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Assigning Liability In Key Bridge Collapse May Be Challenging
In the wake of a cargo ship's collision with Baltimore's Key Bridge last month, claimants may focus on the vessel's owners and the agencies responsible for the design and maintenance of the bridge — but allocating legal liability to either private or governmental entities may be difficult under applicable state and federal laws, says Clay Robbins at Wisner Baum.
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Strategies For Challenging A Fla. Grand Jury Report's Release
A Florida grand jury’s recent report on potential wrongdoing related to COVID-19 vaccines should serve as a reminder to attorneys to review the myriad legal mechanisms available to challenge the lawfulness of a grand jury report’s publication and expunge the names of their clients, says Cary Aronovitz at Holland & Knight.
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NC Rulings Show Bankruptcy Isn't Only For Insolvent Debtors
Two recent rulings from a North Carolina bankruptcy court show that lack of financial distress is not a requirement for bankruptcy protection, particularly in the Fourth Circuit, but these types of cases can still be dismissed for other reasons, say Stuart Gordon and Alexandria Vath at Rivkin Radler.
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Series
Whitewater Kayaking Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Whether it's seeing clients and their issues from a new perspective, or staying nimble in a moment of intense challenge, the lessons learned from whitewater kayaking transcend the rapids of a river and prepare attorneys for the courtroom and beyond, says Matthew Kent at Alston & Bird.
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AI In The Operating Room: Liability Issues For Device Makers
As healthcare providers consider medical devices that use artificial intelligence — including systems to help surgeons make decisions in the operating room — and lobby to shift liability to device manufacturers, companies making these products must review potential product liability risks and important design considerations for such equipment, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.
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3 Lessons From Family Dollar's Record $41.7M Guilty Plea
Family Dollar's recent plea deal in connection with a rodent infestation at one of its distribution facilities — resulting in the largest ever monetary criminal penalty in a food safety case — offers key takeaways for those practicing in the interconnected fields of compliance, internal investigations and white collar defense, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.
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This Earth Day, Consider How Your Firm Can Go Greener
As Earth Day approaches, law firms and attorneys should consider adopting more sustainable practices to reduce their carbon footprint — from minimizing single-use plastics to purchasing carbon offsets for air travel — which ultimately can also reduce costs for clients, say M’Lynn Phillips and Lisa Walters at IMS Legal Strategies.
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Circumstantial Evidence Requires A Pointillist Approach
Because complex cases with sophisticated defendants are unlikely to reveal much, if any, direct evidence, attorneys must aggregate many pieces of circumstantial evidence into a cohesive narrative — much like the painting technique of pointillism, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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Benzene Contamination Concerns: Drugmakers' Next Steps
After a citizen petition to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and a flurry of class actions over benzene contamination in benzoyl peroxide acne products, affected manufacturers should consider a thoughtful approach that includes assembling internal data and possibly contacting the FDA for product-specific discussions, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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Opinion
States Should Follow Federal Lead On Expert Evidence Rules
The recently amended Federal Rule of Evidence 702 will help ensure expert testimony in federal courts reflects adequate data and reliable methods properly applied to a given case, and state courts — home to the overwhelming majority of U.S. litigation — should adopt similar changes, says retired attorney Michael Harrington.
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Back Labels In False Ad Cases Get Some Clarity In 9th Circ.
Courts in the Ninth Circuit have recently delivered a series of wins to advertisers, making clear that any ambiguity on the front of a product's package can be resolved by reference to the back label — which guarantees defendants a powerful tool to combat deceptive labeling claims, say attorneys at Patterson Belknap.