A Massachusetts federal jury awarded $88 million Tuesday to a man who claimed he was injured by a Covidien LP-made hernia mesh, in the first case to reach a verdict of thousands pending against the Medtronic unit.
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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2026 Law360 iOS App Law360 Android App Follow Law360 on Facebook Follow Law360 on LinkedIn Follow Law360 on Twitter

TOP NEWS

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Bellwether Jury Awards $88M In Covidien Hernia Mesh Trial

By Carolyn Muyskens

A Massachusetts federal jury awarded $88 million Tuesday to a man who claimed he was injured by a Covidien LP-made hernia mesh, in the first case to reach a verdict of thousands pending against the Medtronic unit.

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TikTok Settles 3 Teen Addiction Suits Before Bellwether Trials

By Craig Clough

The company behind TikTok settled three lawsuits brought by young people alleging the social media platform caused them mental health harm, a lawyer for the plaintiffs said Tuesday, although three other social media companies are still scheduled to go to trial in Los Angeles on the claims in October.

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Edison Equip. Sparked Eaton Fire, LA County Report Finds

By Rae Ann Varona

Los Angeles County fire authorities on Tuesday released an investigation report on the origins of the January 2025 Eaton Fire, finding that the devastating fire ignited after a "glowing material" fell from an electrical event on Southern California Edison transmission towers into a dry fuel bed.

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DRUGS & DEVICES

3rd Circ. Won't Give Ex-Olympus Exec Another Go At FCA Suit

By Gina Kim

The Third Circuit has declined to revive a whistleblower suit by Olympus Corp.'s former employee who claimed he was fired after reporting FDA regulatory violations, ruling Tuesday that he failed to state a retaliation claim under the False Claims Act since he didn't link his concerns to a reasonable belief that Olympus defrauded the government.

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FOOD & BEVERAGE

US Beekeepers Say USDA Mislabels 'Organic' Foreign Honey

By Ben Adlin

Federal regulations wrongly allow foreign honey producers to describe their products as "organic" while at the same time barring large-scale production of organic honey domestically, a group of commercial beekeepers claimed Monday in a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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CONSUMER GOODS

Callaway Must Face Rival Golf Co.'s False Ad Suit, Judge Says

By Gina Kim

TaylorMade Golf can proceed with a suit alleging TopGolf Callaway tricked customers into thinking it had superior golf balls through misleading UV light demonstrations and misinformation campaigns, a California federal judge said Tuesday, finding TaylorMade sufficiently alleged TopGolf engaged in dishonest advertising that instilled false product quality information.

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TOBACCO

RJR Urges Fla. Appeals Court To Toss $34M Smoker Verdict

By Carolina Bolado

R.J. Reynolds asked a Florida appeals court Tuesday to undo a $34.5 million verdict for the death of a 38-year-old smoker, arguing the smoker's widow never showed at trial that he relied on allegedly fraudulent statements by the tobacco company about the danger of cigarettes.

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AUTOMOTIVE

Ford Asks 9th Circ. To Revive Lemon Law Fake-Billing Suit

By Linda Chiem

Ford Motor Co. has asked the Ninth Circuit to revive its racketeering lawsuit accusing three attorneys affiliated with Knight Law Group LLP of orchestrating a massive fraudulent billing scheme, saying First Amendment protections don't immunize the attorneys' underlying conduct in California lemon law litigation against the automaker.

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Land Rover Renews Bid To Arbitrate Brake Defect Suit

By Jonathan Capriel

Jaguar Land Rover is urging a New Jersey federal judge to end or stay a proposed class action over claims Range Rover brakes have a defect that causes premature wear, arguing that the drivers all agreed to arbitration.

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CONSTRUCTION

Developer Sunk $10.5M Into Contaminated Land, NC Suit Says

By Hayley Fowler

An environmental consulting company allegedly failed to warn a real estate developer that property in North Carolina was contaminated with dry-cleaning chemicals until after the developer sunk $10.5 million into trying to develop the land, according to a state Business Court lawsuit.

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TRANSPORTATION

5th Circ. Revives Penske Vicarious Liability Suit

By Linda Chiem

The Fifth Circuit Tuesday revived a lawsuit alleging trucking services giant Penske Logistics LLC and its freight broker affiliate Penske Transportation Management LLC are vicariously liable for a fatal 2018 Texas collision, after the U.S. Supreme Court's recent Montgomery ruling reshaped brokers' liability exposure.

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TECHNOLOGY

5th Circ. Hints Texas App Age-Check Law Needs More Review

By Spencer Brewer

A Fifth Circuit panel wanted to know whether the lower court should have gone "provision by provision" before halting a Texas law that requires app store owners to block minors from downloading apps without parental consent, suggesting the lower court needed to do more while weighing the legislation's constitutionality.

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CANNABIS

Judge Undoes Default Order Against Hemp Co. In CBD Oil Suit

By Jonathan Capriel

A federal judge set aside a default order against a Washington cannabis grower that failed to timely answer counterclaims in a dispute over a multimillion-dollar hemp biomass purchase agreement, finding the company's late filing was due to attorney and staff error rather than willful misconduct.

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ENERGY

Climate Crisis Costs Top $8B In Indian Country, Justices Told

By Crystal Owens

More than a dozen Indigenous nations, federal Indian law professors and tribal organizations are backing Boulder County, Colorado, in the Supreme Court, telling the justices that climate change has already caused roughly $8 billion in disruptions across Indian Country, yet the federal government provides only $400 million to mitigate them.

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Corps, Enbridge Seek Win In Tribe's Line 5 Reroute Permit Suit

By Crystal Owens

The federal government and Enbridge Energy are looking to dismiss a challenge to a permit that allows 41 miles of pipeline to be rerouted around a Wisconsin tribe's lands, arguing that any attempts to find flaws in an environmental analysis for the plan are hasty and lack merit.

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EXPERT ANALYSIS

Key Compliance Insights From Calif.'s Volvo Diesel Deal

While the future of California's vehicle emissions standards under the Clean Air Act is uncertain, the state's recent settlement with Volvo over diesel emissions hinges on the truthfulness of manufacturer representations to state regulators, and offers important lessons for companies on compliance and recordkeeping, says Thierry Montoya at FBT Gibbons.

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LEGAL INDUSTRY

How Does In-House Pay Compare? Take The Law360 Survey

How do in-house salaries vary across industries, roles, and organizational revenue? What compensation tools are companies using to lure top talent? Help Law360 Pulse answer these questions and more in this year's In-House Compensation Survey.

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Exclusive

Tyson & Mendes In Talks For Possible PE-Backed MSO Deal

By Emma Cueto

Insurance litigation defense firm Tyson & Mendes LLP confirmed to Law360 Pulse Tuesday that it is in "preliminary discussions" about taking private equity investment via a managed service organization.

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Fla. AG Requests Impeachment Probe Into 11th Circ. Judge

By Carolina Bolado

Florida's Attorney General said Monday he is asking Congress to open an impeachment inquiry into U.S. Circuit Judge Nancy Abudu because of work she did before ascending to the Eleventh Circuit bench for the Southern Poverty Law Center.

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Analysis

These Firms Are Landing The Most Patent Litigation Work

By Dani Kass

Rabicoff Law and Ramey LLP have maintained their roles as top patent suit filers, while Fish & Richardson PC and Gillam & Smith LP have remained leaders on defense teams, according to Lex Machina's annual patent litigation report.

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Approach The Bench: Judge Rakoff Doesn't Hide His Views

By Cara Bayles and Steven Trader

During his decades on the bench, U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff has witnessed a slew of changes, particularly as technology has brought a rise in cybercrimes, as well as novel questions like whether AI-generated legal advice is privileged. But perhaps the biggest shift was in Rakoff's own views.

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ABA Gives Symbolic Support For Law School DEI Standards

By Emily Sawicki

In a split vote, American Bar Association House of Delegates members on Tuesday elected to uphold a rule requiring law schools to demonstrate DEI standards, but then followed up with a vote allowing another path to removing the standards, in an effort to avoid the Trump administration's threat to strip the ABA of accreditation authority.

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Simpson Thacher Highlights PIPE Client's Financial Troubles

By Madison Arnold

The founder of Patriot National Inc. was likely short millions of dollars when it finalized a private investment in public equity transaction at the center of his malpractice case against Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, according to defense testimony on Tuesday at a Florida state trial.

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ABA Seeks Bar Exam Reform Following Tech Failures

By Emily Sawicki

Over the course of its two-day annual meeting, the American Bar Association's policymaking body, the House of Delegates, approved measures to urge further bar exam oversight and backed measures to support law schools at accredited historically Black colleges and universities.

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Blanche Advances After GOP Sens. Win Written Assurances

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's nomination for the permanent position Tuesday, after Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, said they would support him.

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Day Pitney Dropped From Suit Over Ex-Justice's Involvement

By Brian Steele

A Connecticut state court judge allowed Day Pitney LLP to withdraw from a $1.3 million corporate windup feud after the involvement of one of its partners, a former chief justice on the state Supreme Court, came to light, negating the defendants' call for an evidentiary hearing on a motion to disqualify the firm.

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Fried Frank Data Breach Class Action Voluntarily Dismissed

By Matt Perez

A proposed class action data security suit against Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP was voluntarily dismissed on Thursday following a joint motion to stay the case in April to undergo mediation.

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Ashurst Perkins, Nail Co. Lose Doc Bids In Malpractice Suit

By Rachel Riley

Ashurst Perkins Coie won't have to turn over documents related to its predecessor firm's work for an Omani screw and nail manufacturer in international trade proceedings that are now the subject of a legal malpractice case, a Washington court has ruled, while also denying a discovery request from the firm. 

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Analysis

New Patent Suits Surge As PTAB Challenges Get Tougher

By Ryan Davis

More patent suits were filed in 2025 than in any year in the past decade, according to a new report, an increase attorneys said is likely tied to new U.S. Patent and Trademark Office policies that have made it harder to challenge patents.

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NC Judge Who Upheld Voter ID Law To Take Senior Status

By Courtney Bublé

Judge Thomas Schroeder of the Middle District of North Carolina has informed the president he will take semi-retired status at a date later in the future.

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Bronx Union Says Striking Atty Faced 'Impossible' Choice

By Andrea Keckley

An attorney with the Bronx Defenders felt she had no other choice but to cross the picket line on Tuesday after an immigration judge ordered her to appear in court and the organization's managers did not commit to covering the proceedings without her, a union representative has told Law360.

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Neighborhood Defender Service Of Harlem Union Ends Strike

By Andrea Keckley

The Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem union announced it was returning to work with a tentative deal after more than a week on the picket line.

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LAW FIRMS IN TODAY'S NEWS

Ahmad Zavitsanos

Ashurst LLP

Ashurst Perkins

Avera & Smith

Axinn

Baker Botts

Beasley Allen

Beck Redden

Brannock Berman

Bricker Graydon

Burns Charest

Butler Snow LLP

Conrad & Scherer

Cooley LLP

Covington & Burling

Curtis Mallet-Prevost

DLA Piper

DNL Zito

Dacus Law Firm

Dann Law Firm

Davis Polk

Davis Wright Tremaine

Day Pitney

Debevoise & Plimpton

Drummond Woodsum

Duane Morris

Elzer Law Firm

FBT Gibbons

Fish & Richardson

Foley & Lardner

Foster Garvey

Fried Frank

Garteiser Honea

Gillam Smith

Hamilton Stephens Steele & Martin

Hecker Fink

Hogan Lovells

Holland & Knight

Hunton Andrews

K&L Gates

Kiesel Law

King & Spalding

Kirkland & Ellis

Knight Law Group

Kopelowitz Ostrow

Lanier Law Firm

Law Offices of Garrett S. Flynn

Levin Papantonio

Marshall Dennehey

McDermott Will & Schulte

McNaul Ebel

Meyer Fluegge

Milbank LLP

Miller Fair

Milton Leach

Morgan & Morgan PA

Morris Nichols

Morrison & Foerster

Munger Tolles

Neal Gerber

Nelson Mullins

Paul Hastings

Paul Weiss

Penn Law Firm

Pillsbury Winthrop

Quinn Emanuel

Rabicoff Law

Ramey LLP

Rebar Kelly

Saltz Mongeluzzi

Schouest Bamdas

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett

Singleton Schreiber

Stearns Weaver

Steptoe LLP

Tyson & Mendes

Webber & Thies

Wheeler Trigg

Williams & Connolly

Wilson Sonsini

Wirtz Law APC

Ziontz Chestnut

COMPANIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

AB Volvo

APC

Adient PLC

American Bar Association

Apple Inc.

Brooklyn Defender Services

ByteDance Ltd.

Computer & Communications Industry Association

Costco Wholesale Corp.

Covidien PLC

Earthjustice

Enbridge Energy Partners LP

Ennis Inc.

Exxon Mobil Corp.

Ford Motor Co.

Fort Point Capital

Google LLC

Grant Thornton LLP

Instagram Inc.

Jaguar Land Rover Ltd.

Lex Machina Inc.

LexisNexis Legal & Professional

Liggett Group LLC

Line 5 LLC

Makah Tribe

Medtronic PLC

Meta Platforms Inc.

Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem

Olympus Corp.

Patriot National Inc.

Penske Automotive Group Inc.

Peraton Corp.

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. Inc.

RELX PLC

Snap Inc.

Southern California Edison Co.

Southern Poverty Law Center Inc.

Spotify Technology SA

Stanford University

Suncor Energy Inc.

TaylorMade Golf Co. Inc.

The Bronx Defenders

The Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

TikTok Inc.

United Auto Workers

Walmart Inc.

YouTube Inc.

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Tribe

Bay Mills Indian Community

Bureau of Indian Affairs

California Air Resources Board

Colorado Supreme Court

Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation

Federal Aviation Administration

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Federal Emergency Management Agency

Florida Court of Appeal, First District

Florida Supreme Court

Food and Drug Administration

Internal Revenue Service

Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe

Los Angeles Superior Court

Michigan Supreme Court

National Institutes of Health

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians

Patent Trial and Appeal Board

Texas Legislature

U.S. Army

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

U.S. Department of Agriculture

U.S. Department of Commerce

U.S. Department of Education

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. District Court for the Central District of California

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware

U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts

U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

U.S. Senate

U.S. Supreme Court

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington