Florida AG Sues OpenAI, Says ChatGPT Is Aiding Violence

By David Minsky

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced Monday that his office is suing OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, saying ChatGPT is spurring young people to commit crimes and acts of violence. 

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Justices Won't Hear Challenge To 'Texas Two-Step' Ch. 11

By Rick Archer

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday said it won't hear a challenge by asbestos claimants to the "Texas two-step" bankruptcy of Georgia-Pacific spinoff Bestwall.

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5th Circ. Probes Standing In Challenge To EPA Asbestos Rule

By José Luis Martínez

Fifth Circuit judges Monday questioned whether challengers to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rule that addresses chrysotile asbestos, the only known form of the carcinogen still used and imported in the country, have a legal right to sue over their alleged injuries.

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Albertsons Had Duty To Curb Opioid Diversion, Judge Rules

By Ben Adlin

As providers of controlled substances, pharmacy giants Albertsons and Safeway had legal duties to prevent the diversion of opioid drugs, a Washington state judge ruled on Monday, though whether the companies failed to fulfill those duties will be determined at trial.

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'We Wouldn't Be Alive' If Talc Could Reach Ovaries, Jury Told

By Craig Clough

A University of California San Diego gynecologic oncologist told a California jury Monday in a bellwether trial over claims that Johnson & Johnson's talc products caused three women's deadly ovarian cancer that women and girls "wouldn't be alive" if talc could easily migrate to the ovaries because they'd be dying from sepsis.

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Plaintiffs' Counsel In Tylenol MDL Agree To $50K Donation

By Gianna Ferrarin

A plaintiffs' attorney and law firm sanctioned in multidistrict litigation alleging prenatal exposure to acetaminophen can cause autism agreed to donate $50,000 to maternal health organization March of Dimes in lieu of paying attorney fees, according to a letter filed Monday in New York federal court. 

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Abbott Labs Spinal Cord Device Causes Shocks, Suit Claims

By Emily Field

A New Jersey man said in a suit filed in Garden State federal court on Friday that Abbott Laboratories' spinal cord stimulator system was manufactured with defects that were never truly resolved because of Abbott's mischaracterization of the issue, which caused him painful electric shocks.

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Justices Skip CareDx's Bid To Revive $45M False Ad Award

By Ivan Moreno

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up a challenge to a Third Circuit decision that wiped out a nearly $45 million false advertising award against Natera Inc., preserving a ruling that said proof of actual consumer deception is required to support damages.

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11th Circ. Won't Stop Joint Hearing In Depo-Provera MDL

By Carolina Bolado

A group of Delaware plaintiffs who say Pfizer's hormonal contraceptive Depo-Provera causes brain tumors can't block a joint evidentiary hearing with a Florida federal court overseeing multidistrict litigation over the same claims after the Eleventh Circuit denied their petition Monday.

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Royo Is Healthwashing Keto-Friendly Baked Goods, Suit Says

By Gina Kim

Health-forward baked goods company Royo Bread has been hit with a proposed false advertising class action in New York federal court, accusing it of "health-washing" its line of keto-friendly, low-calorie bread, rolls and bagel products by claiming they contain fewer calories than they actually do. 

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Golf Co. Urges 11th Circ. To Sink Shattered Club Suit

By Mike Curley

A group of golf equipment companies are urging the Eleventh Circuit to leave dismissed a suit by a college baseball player alleging that a defective golf club shattered while he was using it and injured his hand, saying the trial court rightly found that his expert failed to establish any defect.

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Pet Food Co. Says 'Copy-And-Paste' False Ad Suit Fails

By Mike Curley

The maker of Instinct Pet Foods is urging a California federal court to throw out a false advertising suit over alleged artificial preservatives in its products, saying the "serial lawsuit filer" behind the suit failed to properly allege standing or any falsity with "copy-and-paste" claims.

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Ga. Panel Says New Trial Warranted In J&J Talc Cancer Suit

By Y. Peter Kang

A Georgia appellate panel on Monday affirmed a trial judge's decision to grant a new trial in a suit alleging Johnson & Johnson's talc-based baby powder caused a woman's fatal cancer, saying the defense verdict was not supported by sufficient evidence.

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Garmin's Smart Scale Uses Estimates In Readings, Suit Says

By Lauraann Wood

Garmin has been hit with proposed class consumer fraud claims by an Illinois customer who says the company illegally misrepresents that its Index smart scale can accurately measure someone's body composition.  

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GM Investors Seek Cert. In Cruise AV Securities Fraud Suit

By Gina Kim

General Motors investors who alleged the automotive giant misrepresented technological capabilities and commercial readiness of its self-driving unit's robotaxis urged a Michigan federal judge to grant class certification, arguing Friday the merits of their securities fraud case "turn on a common course of misconduct — defendants' public misrepresentations."

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Kidde Smoke Alarms Fail In Common House Fires, Court Told

By Carolina Bolado

A proposed class of consumers who bought what are known as ionization-only smoke detectors made by Kidde filed suit in Florida state court Monday, claiming the smoke alarms are defective because they are incapable of detecting the most common type of residential fire.

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Foreign Drivers Ask Fla. Judge To Hit Brakes On CDL Denials

By Tom Lotshaw

Foreign national truck and bus drivers in Florida asked a federal judge to quickly block a state agency's decision to stop issuing commercial driver's licenses to certain noncitizens based on a challenged federal rule the drivers said is likely unlawful.

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Md. Judge Pauses Shipowner's Baltimore Bridge Civil Trial

By Linda Chiem

A Maryland federal judge has pressed pause on a civil trial that was expected to start Monday to address sweeping liability and damages claims against the owner and the manager of the cargo carrier that slammed into Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge and triggered its collapse.

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Boeing, Rolls-Royce Say Claims Still Fail In Osprey Suit

By Mike Curley

The Boeing Co., Bell Textron Inc. and Rolls-Royce Corp. are again asking a California federal court to throw out breach of contract and fraudulent concealment claims in a suit over the deaths of five Marines in the June 2022 crash of a V-22 Osprey aircraft, saying the latest amended complaint does not save the claims.

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Penske, Family Spar In 5th Circ. Crash Suit After Montgomery

By Linda Chiem

Trucking services giant Penske Logistics LLC and its freight broker affiliate Penske Transportation Management LLC have told the Fifth Circuit that the U.S. Supreme Court's recent Montgomery ruling doesn't support reviving negligence claims from the family of a man killed in a 2018 Texas collision.

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How Gambling Cos. Can Defend 'Addictive Design' Suits

Following the recent wave of addictive design litigation against video game companies and social media platforms, it appears that the gambling industry may soon face similar claims — but operators may have stronger legal defenses available to them, say attorneys at White & Case.

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Ill. Passes Bill To Restrict Outside Investment In Legal Sector

By Emma Cueto

The Illinois state Legislature has passed a bill that aims to stop attorneys from fee sharing with non-lawyer-owned firms in other states and from accepting outside investment via a managed service organization structure.

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Bonus Spotlight

Hueston Hennigan To Pay Summer Bonuses Up To $35K

By Tracey Read

Trial firm Hueston Hennigan is the second boutique to announce it will dole out midyear bonuses to associates.

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As Judicial AI Use Gains Steam, Training Lags

By Emily Sawicki

Court systems around the country are emerging bullish on the use of generative artificial intelligence by judicial officers, but implementation, training, resources and overall regulations remain scattershot, giving rise to concerns that a learning gap could lead to missteps.

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Roundup

The Top In-House Hires Of May

By Michele Gorman

Legal department hires during the past month included high-profile appointments at Chevron, Barclays and Topgolf. Here, Law360 Pulse looks at some of the top in-house announcements from the last full month of spring.

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DOJ Will Obey Order Freezing $1.8B 'Slush Fund'

By Courtney Bublé

The U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday it will abide by a federal judge's decision to temporarily pause the $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund, adding that it disagreed with the ruling.

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Kia, Hyundai Workers' Attys Get $3.45M Fee Award In Visa Suit

By Benjamin Morse

A Georgia federal court on Monday awarded $3.45 million in attorney fees and costs to lawyers for workers who reached an $11.5 million settlement over claims that a Hyundai supplier, a Kia plant and staffing agencies recruited skilled Mexican engineers for production work and underpaid them.

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Roundup

Hub Hires: Foley Hoag, Holland & Knight, Paul Hastings

By Julie Manganis

The rapidly expanding gaming and sports betting industry brought more legal industry players to the table in Massachusetts in May, with two firms beefing up their bench in that area, while other local attorneys made midcareer leaps into new roles.

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Titan Of The Plaintiffs Bar: Labaton Keller's Michael Canty

By Allison Grande

When Labaton Keller Sucharow LLP partner and general counsel Michael Canty decided to pursue a legal career, he had no doubt about what type of lawyer he wanted to be. 

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