Product Liability

  • November 29, 2023

    No Evidence Defunct Co.'s Policy Ever Existed, Insurer Says

    An insurer told a Texas federal court it owes no coverage to a defunct Houston-based engineering firm for asbestos exposure-related claims, contending that the policy supposedly tying it to the company never actually existed.

  • November 29, 2023

    DuPont, Corteva Ink $110M Deal To End Ohio PFAS Claims

    DuPont de Nemours, Corteva and the Chemours Co. said Wednesday they agreed to pay the state of Ohio $110 million to end claims over 70 years worth of "forever chemical" contamination tied to a Teflon facility in bordering West Virginia.

  • November 29, 2023

    New York Electric Utility Escapes Insurer's $3.7M Lab Fire Suit

    A New York federal judge allowed an electric utility to escape a Zurich unit's subrogation suit over $3.7 million in coverage for a laboratory fire, ruling Wednesday that the insurer failed to prove the company caused the 2018 blaze.

  • November 29, 2023

    How New Expert-Witness Rules Put Science Front And Center

    New rules taking effect Friday are set to revamp how courts accept or reject expert witnesses, with a focus on the science underpinning their opinions. Law360 spoke to a lawyer whose article helped spur the changes.

  • November 29, 2023

    Special Master Says Jones Day VW Docs Should Be Disclosed

    A court-appointed special master has recommended that the U.S. Department of Justice release potentially millions of confidential Volkswagen documents that were part of a Jones Day investigation into the automaker's 2015 emissions-cheating scandal, saying the secrecy of grand jury proceedings doesn't shield all documents from public disclosure.

  • November 29, 2023

    Fiat Chrysler Wants Supplier To Foot Bill For Pacifica Recall

    Fiat Chrysler has asked a Michigan judge to restart an idled lawsuit against a supplier, seeking to force the automotive parts company to pay for a safety recall Fiat blamed on an allegedly faulty part design.

  • November 28, 2023

    Court Dismisses Insurer's Suit Over FreeFall Rider's Death

    An insurance company that wanted to avoid defending a company that inspected and certified an amusement park drop tower ride that fatally ejected a 14-year-old boy failed to prove that it had served the defendants with notice of its suit, putting an early end to its case, a Florida federal judge decided Tuesday.

  • November 28, 2023

    11th Circ. Won't Undo Mercedes 'Mars Red' Peeling Paint Deal

    The Eleventh Circuit has upheld a Georgia federal judge's approval of a driver class settlement with Mercedes-Benz USA LLC and Daimler AG over an alleged paint defect, rejecting objectors' argument that the deal leaves most of the class without any benefits.

  • November 28, 2023

    NetChoice Seeks Win In Suit Targeting Ark. Social Media Law

    Internet trade group NetChoice LLC is asking a federal judge to permanently block a challenged Arkansas law aimed at limiting minors' access to social media sites for being unconstitutionally vague and violating the First Amendment.

  • November 28, 2023

    Barretts Minerals Wants To Keep Its Ch. 11 Case In Texas

    Barretts Minerals Inc. told a Texas bankruptcy judge that its case should remain in Texas rather than be transferred to Montana because it is more convenient for major witnesses and the company's ties to Texas are significant and legitimate.

  • November 28, 2023

    Woman Bit Into Finger In Chopt Eatery Salad, Suit Claims

    A Connecticut woman sued the Chopt Creative Salad Co. eatery chain in New York state court alleging she bit into part of a severed human finger in her salad. 

  • November 28, 2023

    DC Court Skeptical Of Coca-Cola 'Greenwashing' Suit

    The D.C. Court of Appeals reached for — but didn't necessarily find — a limiting principle on Tuesday morning as it heard arguments over whether it should revive a lawsuit accusing Coca-Cola of making misleading statements to consumers about its sustainability efforts in order to "greenwash" its products.

  • November 28, 2023

    Boeing Must Offer Settlements, Soon, In Ethiopian Air Cases

    An Illinois federal judge gave Boeing a week to offer settlements in every remaining lawsuit over a 2019 Ethiopian Airlines crash and said he would wait to set more trials after the aerospace giant pleaded Tuesday for "a chance" to negotiate without a trial date lurking in the shadows.

  • November 28, 2023

    Law Firm Leaders Cautiously Optimistic Heading Into 2024

    Major U.S. law firms are steadfast in their commitment to the pursuit of further growth despite ongoing economic uncertainty. Here’s what the leaders of four Leaderboard firms have to say about how the legal industry is preparing for next year.

  • November 28, 2023

    The 2023 Law360 Pulse Leaderboard

    Check out the Law360 Pulse Leaderboard to see which first-in-class firms made the list this year.

  • November 27, 2023

    Zuckerberg Nixed Proposal Aimed At Mental Health, AGs Say

    Meta Platforms Inc. knows its platforms are used by millions of underage children and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg personally shot down a proposed policy to ban image filters found to be harmful to social media users' mental health, according to a newly unsealed version of states' lawsuit filed last week.

  • November 27, 2023

    3M, Other Cos. Beat 11 Million-Member PFAS Class At 6th Circ.

    The Sixth Circuit on Monday vacated a district court's order certifying a class of 11 million Ohio residents who claim 3M, Chemours and other companies put their health at risk by manufacturing and selling products with "forever chemicals," instructing the lower court to toss the "ambitious" case.

  • November 27, 2023

    Target's 'Reef-Conscious' Sunscreen Is A Lie, Suit Alleges

    Target was hit with a proposed class action on Monday in Florida federal court accusing the retailer of selling sunscreen that is falsely labeled as containing a "reef-conscious formula" when it actually uses ingredients that are harmful to coral reef ecosystems.

  • November 27, 2023

    Gaming Patent Trial Paused Amid Criminal Probe Of Bot Fraud

    A California federal judge has pushed mobile game-maker Skillz's December patent infringement trial against rival AviaGames to February after Skillz alleged AviaGames used bots to "cheat the public," which sparked a criminal grand jury investigation.

  • November 27, 2023

    Rail Group Wants Calif. Locomotive Regulations Derailed

    The Association of American Railroads says train emissions regulations adopted by the California Air Resources Board are preempted by the Interstate Commerce Commission's Termination Act of 1995, arguing in litigation over the state's authority that the ICC law broadly keeps state and local authority from regulating rail transportation.

  • November 27, 2023

    Amicus Groups Tell High Court To End Chevron Deference

    Six groups, including the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and several former state supreme court judges, filed friend-of-the-court briefs on Monday urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a decades-old legal doctrine stating that courts must defer to federal agencies' interpretation of ambiguous laws.

  • November 27, 2023

    Barretts Minerals Pressured To Move Ch. 11 Case To Montana

    The Texas bankruptcy case of Barretts Minerals Inc. should be moved to Montana because the company's ties to Texas are tenuous, the Future Claimants Representative for asbestos victims told the court Monday.

  • November 27, 2023

    John Deere Can't Avoid Trial In Right-To-Repair Monopoly Suit

    John Deere must face a proposed class action alleging that it limits competition for farm equipment repairs by preventing unaffiliated repair shops from acquiring necessary tools, an Illinois federal judge ruled Monday, saying the proposed class has sufficiently shown that it exercises monopoly power.

  • November 27, 2023

    GM Drivers Ask 6th Circ. To Revive Truck Emissions Suit

    Drivers urged the Sixth Circuit on Monday to revive their consolidated proposed class action accusing General Motors of rigging certain Chevrolet Silverado and Sierra vehicles with emissions-cheating software, saying their state law deceptive marketing claims don't conflict with federal law.

  • November 27, 2023

    Shell, BP Can't Nab Fed. Venue In Climate Row, 9th Circ. Says

    The Ninth Circuit on Monday rejected five of the world's largest oil and gas companies' attempt to remove climate change litigation spearheaded by San Francisco and Oakland to California federal court, citing numerous prior rulings answering the same jurisdictional question.

Expert Analysis

  • Navigating Discovery Of Generative AI Information

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    As generative artificial intelligence tools become increasingly ubiquitous, companies must make sure to preserve generative AI data when there is reasonable expectation of litigation, and to include transcripts in litigation hold notices, as they may be relevant to discovery requests, say Nick Peterson and Corey Hauser at Wiley.

  • Finding Focus: Strategies For Attorneys With ADHD

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    Given the prevalence of ADHD among attorneys, it is imperative that the legal community gain a better understanding of how ADHD affects well-being, and that resources and strategies exist for attorneys with this disability to manage their symptoms and achieve success, say Casey Dixon at Dixon Life Coaching and Krista Larson at Stinson.

  • Opinion

    Time To Ban Deferred Prosecution For Fatal Corporate Crime

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    As illustrated by prosecutors’ deals with Boeing and other companies, deferred prosecution agreements have strayed far from their original purpose, and Congress must ban the use of this tool in cases where corporate misconduct has led to fatalities, says Peter Reilly at Texas A&M University School of Law.

  • Why Hemp-Synthesized Intoxicants Need Uniform Regs

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    State laws regulating hemp-synthesized intoxicants are a patchwork with little consistency between any given state, and without the adoption of a uniform regulatory framework, producers and consumers alike will need to be very cautious, say Dylan Anderson and Seth Goldberg at Duane Morris.

  • Attorneys, Law Schools Must Adapt To New Era Of Evidence

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    Technological advancements mean more direct evidence is being created than ever before, and attorneys as well as law schools must modify their methods to account for new challenges in how this evidence is collected and used to try cases, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Analyzing The Legal Ripples Of The EPA's PFAS Regulation

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    As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency makes major moves on its pledge to regulate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, the developing body of PFAS regulation will lead to an increase in litigation, and personal injury and product liability claims, say attorneys at Gordon & Rees.

  • Boeing Opinion Strikes Blow Against Overpayment Theory

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    The Fifth Circuit's decision in Earl v. Boeing Co. casts doubt on consumers' standing to bring claims of overpayment for products later revealed to have defects — and suggests that it's more likely that those products would have been removed from the market, driving up the price of alternatives, say attorneys at Bush Seyferth.

  • Tips For Litigating Against Pro Se Parties In Complex Disputes

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    Litigating against self-represented parties in complex cases can pose unique challenges for attorneys, but for the most part, it requires the same skills that are useful in other cases — from documenting everything to understanding one’s ethical duties, says Bryan Ketroser at Alto Litigation.

  • Opinion

    Test Results Signal Poor Odds For Lead Cables Litigation

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    After sites in New York and New Jersey allegedly contaminated with lead by telecommunications cables were found by state and federal agencies to present no imminent threats to public health, it seems unlikely that mass litigation over this issue by plaintiffs firms or state attorneys general will succeed, says Andrew Ketterer at Ketterer & Ketterer.

  • Ga. Ruling A Win For Plaintiffs Injured By Older Products

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    The Georgia Supreme Court's recent opinion in Ford Motor Co. v. Cosper gives plaintiffs the assurance that even if they are injured by older products, they can still bring claims under state law if the manufacturer used a design that it knew, or should have known, created a risk of substantial harm, says Rob Snyder at Cannella Snyder.

  • Class Action Defense: Don't Give Up On Bristol-Myers Squibb

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    Federal appellate court decisions in the six years since the U.S. Supreme Court decided Bristol-Myers Squibb show that it's anyone's ballgame in class action jurisdictional arguments, so defendants are encouraged to consider carefully whether, where and when arguing lack of specific personal jurisdiction may be advantageous, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • Pro Bono Work Is Powerful Self-Help For Attorneys

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    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.

  • Series

    Playing In A Rock Cover Band Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    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.

  • How To Advertise Carbon Reductions Under New Calif. Law

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    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.

  • Series

    The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Espinosa On 'Lincoln Lawyer'

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    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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