Meta, Uber Verdicts Top Product Liability Trials

By Emily Field

This year has brought major courtroom setbacks for tech platforms and app companies. Juries issued headline-making verdicts against Meta and Google over claims their platforms harm young users, while Uber lost its first federal bellwether trial over driver assaults and now faces a second sexual assault case.

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Wis. Supreme Court Upholds Pabst Asbestos Verdict

By Emily Field

The Wisconsin Supreme Court upheld a verdict in favor of the estate of a steamfitter exposed to asbestos through his work at a Pabst Brewing Co. brewery, saying Wednesday that the company still owed a duty of care to employees of independent contractors, but capped punitive damages to about $4.65 million.

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Conn. Justices Nix Asbestos Widow's 'Double Recovery' Bid

By Aaron Keller

A town and a state agency are entitled to a lien on private asbestos litigation settlements in cases of combined work and home exposures, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled Thursday, blocking a widow from obtaining through lawsuits and worker compensation claims what one justice dubbed a possible "double recovery."

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Carpet Co. Seeks Fast Appeal Of Ruling Sustaining PFAS Suit

By Chart Riggall

Carpet manufacturer Shaw Industries has asked a Georgia state court judge for permission to immediately appeal his refusal to dismiss a suit accusing it of forever-chemicals pollution before the suit goes any further.

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Citizens Group Says 27 States Are Eyeing AI Chatbot Laws

By Joyce Hanson

Twenty-seven U.S. states are looking at passing laws to make artificial intelligence companies face liability claims in civil suits if they fail to protect consumers who interact with chatbots, while another three states have already enacted protections, according to a citizens group's new legislative tracker.

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Feds Can't Block Hawaii's Suit Against Oil, Gas Companies

By Mike Curley

A Hawaii federal judge has dismissed with prejudice a suit from the U.S. government aiming to block the state from suing oil and gas companies on climate change-related claims, finding the government's complaint fails to establish any of the elements of standing.

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Texas Patients Say Defective Sutures Caused Disfigurement

By Spencer Brewer

Four patients who received cosmetic facial procedures told a Texas federal court that sutures used during their procedures caused painful facial bacterial abscesses and permanent scarring, claiming the sutures never received FDA approval.

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Brita Filter Labels Don't Dupe Consumers, 9th Circ. Affirms

By Rae Ann Varona

A reasonable consumer would not expect a low-cost Brita filter to remove or reduce all common tap water contaminants to below lab detectable limits, the Ninth Circuit ruled Thursday, affirming the dismissal of a consumer's proposed false advertising class action against the manufacturer.

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Bissell Hit With Class Action Over Recalled Steamers

By Jonathan Capriel

Vacuum company Bissell faces a proposed class action over the nearly 1.7 million steam cleaners it recalled this month due to complaints that components on the devices "unexpectedly detach," expelling hot water onto users, according to a complaint filed in Illinois federal court.

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Lemonade To Pay $10.5M In Driver's License Data Breach Suit

By Gina Kim

Lemonade will pay $10.5 million to settle with a proposed class of over 190,000 individuals who said the tech-forward insurer's online quote platform negligently disclosed their drivers' license numbers to cybercriminals, according to a preliminary approval motion filed Wednesday in New York federal court. 

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Universal Wants $7.25M 'Harry Potter' Ride Verdict Nixed

By Mike Curley

Universal City Studios LLC and a woman injured while exiting a "Harry Potter" themed ride are asking a California federal court to vacate the $7.25 million verdict in her favor as part of a confidential settlement to the case.

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5th Circ. Axes Southwest Customers' 737 Max Overcharge Suit

By Linda Chiem

The Fifth Circuit on Thursday shut down proposed class claims alleging Southwest Airlines overcharged consumers for riskier flights on Boeing 737 Max 8 jets, saying the consumers' alleged economic injury theory was implausible and that they lacked standing to sue.

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From Hospital Bed, Ex-Uber Driver Denies Sexual Assault

By Hayley Fowler

A former Uber driver denied sexually assaulting a North Carolina woman in a video deposition taken from his hospital bed, telling jurors in a Charlotte courtroom on Thursday that he has no memory of the passenger who is suing the ride-share giant over the alleged incident.

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What Cos. Should Look For As Minn. Plans PFAS Product Ban

As regulators finalize rulemaking for Minnesota's sweeping restrictions on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in consumer and commercial products, manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers should pay attention — especially to how the pathway for essential use exemptions ends up being defined, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

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Series

Isshin-Ryu Karate Makes Me A Better Lawyer

My involvement in martial arts, specifically Isshin-ryu, which has principles rooted in the eight codes of karate, has been one of the most foundational in the development of my personality, and particularly my approach to challenges — including in my practice of law, says Kaitlyn Stone at Barnes & Thornburg.

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Analysis

Bondi's Contempt Defenses Are Strong, But Not Without Risk

By Phillip Bantz

Former U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi currently has some potentially powerful defenses against Congress' relatively limited abilities to force her to comply with a subpoena to be deposed under oath about the Epstein files, but her exposure to being held in criminal contempt could shift with the political winds, experts said.

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Calif. Lawyer Sues Over State Bar Investigations

By Andrea Keckley

A California trial lawyer claimed in a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday that he has been unfairly investigated by the state bar since 2019, alleging the office "illegally prioritizes revenue-generation over protection of the public."

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Analysis

AGs' Win Over Live Nation Leaves DOJ Watching From The Side

By Bryan Koenig

Live Nation Entertainment Inc.'s across-the-board trial rout by 34 state attorneys general underscores the ascendancy of state antitrust enforcers looking to fill perceived enforcement gaps left by the U.S. Department of Justice during President Donald Trump's second term.

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NJ US Atty's Office Turmoil Doesn't Nix Conviction, Judge Rules

By Carla Baranauckas

A federal judge on Thursday rejected a New Jersey criminal defendant's attempt to dismiss his conviction and disqualify the state's top federal prosecutor, holding that the appointment of the current U.S. attorney complies with federal law and that any earlier defects in leadership do not warrant dismissal.

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Judiciary Panel Loves Paralegal's Idea To Modernize Briefs

By Jeff Overley

An Arizona paralegal's unsolicited idea for overhauling a procedural rule governing the format of briefs found a surprisingly enthusiastic audience Thursday at a federal judiciary meeting, where prominent officials and attorneys voiced strong interest and agreed to explore the concept in earnest.

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Ramey Says Sanctions Violation Was 'Misunderstanding'

By Elliot Weld

William Ramey, an intellectual property attorney sanctioned in several federal jurisdictions, told a California federal judge Thursday that any violations of a previous sanctions order regarding his ability to practice law in the state were due to "good-faith misunderstanding of the scope of the court's order — not willful disregard."

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Judge Doubts Broad Shift In Immigration Hearing Access

By Jared Foretek

A D.C. federal judge appeared unconvinced Thursday by a human rights group's claim that the public is getting less access to immigration court hearings in Minnesota during the second Trump administration.

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Optimum Defends Antitrust Suit Against Apollo, BlackRock

By Alex Wittenberg

Apollo, Ares, BlackRock and other financial giants are colluding to block Optimum Communications Inc. from negotiating a debt refinancing to avert bankruptcy, acting as a "cartel" and locking Optimum out of credit markets, Optimum said in a brief opposing the investors' bid to dismiss its antitrust suit in New York.

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Sentencing Commission Votes To Enact Modest Reform Agenda

By Stewart Bishop

The U.S. Sentencing Commission on Thursday voted to enact multiple revisions to the federal sentencing guidelines, including the first inflationary adjustment in over a decade for calculating penalties for economic crimes, but declined to take action on a series of more transformational changes that were under consideration.

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