Product Liability

  • December 23, 2025

    Biggest Energy & Environmental Court Decisions Of 2025

    Two U.S. Supreme Court rulings that erected stricter boundaries on federal environmental reviews and permitting highlighted an action-packed 2025 for energy and environmental litigation. Here, Law360 looks back at this year's most consequential court decisions in energy and environmental law.

  • December 23, 2025

    Sanofi Eczema Drug Linked To Lymphoma, Suit Says

    Drug manufacturers Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Sanofi were hit with a lawsuit Monday from a Georgia woman alleging the companies have covered up a "strong and consistent causal relationship" between their drug Dupixent and a form of non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

  • December 23, 2025

    Mich. Judge Gives Final OK To $150M Chevy EV Battery Deal

    A Michigan federal judge Monday gave the final approval to a $150 million deal to resolve claims that General Motors sold Chevy Bolt vehicles with a battery defect that posed a fire risk, finding the agreement was in the best interest of class members.

  • December 23, 2025

    'Gas Station Heroin' Cos. Sued Over User's Overdose

    The estate of a woman who died of a tianeptine overdose is suing the makers and sellers of tianeptine products in Pennsylvania state court, saying while they market the products as safe diet supplements, they're actually highly addictive opioids.

  • December 23, 2025

    Co. Owes $3M For Factory Blast, Insurers Say

    An explosion prevention system provider owes over $3 million in damages related to an explosion and subsequent fire at a Kentucky manufacturing facility, the facility's insurers alleged, maintaining that the provider was negligent in the design and maintenance of the facility's system.

  • December 23, 2025

    Johnson & Johnson Hit With $1.5B Talc Verdict In Baltimore

    A Baltimore jury late Monday returned a walloping verdict of more than $1.5 billion in favor of a woman who claimed that Johnson & Johnson talc products caused her mesothelioma, which her attorneys say is the largest verdict against the company for a single plaintiff.

  • December 22, 2025

    Black & Decker Delayed Dangerous Defects Reports, Feds Say

    Stanley Black & Decker Inc. knowingly dragged its feet on reporting potential hazardous defects in some of its utility bars and miter saws for years in violation of the Consumer Product Safety Act, according to a suit filed Monday by the U.S. Department of Justice.

  • December 22, 2025

    Chicken Cos. Face Injunction, Small Fines For Pollution

    A federal judge hit Tyson Foods, Cargill and other poultry companies with a permanent injunction nearly 16 years after trial for polluting Oklahoma waters with chicken waste, but imposed only a tiny fraction of the $100 million in penalties requested by the state.

  • December 22, 2025

    BMW's Recall Fix 'Too Late,' Says Widow In SUV Fire Suit

    A widow claims an engine fire in her BMW spread to her home and caused fatal injuries to her husband, according to a lawsuit filed Friday in Georgia federal court, which points to a defective part at the center of a 721,000-vehicle recall as the primary culprit.

  • December 22, 2025

    Pa. Court Wipes Out $1B Seat Belt Verdict Against Mitsubishi

    A Pennsylvania appeals court on Monday vacated a $1 billion judgment against Mitsubishi in a suit accusing the automaker of causing a motorist's paralysis because of a defective seat belt, saying a new trial is warranted because the jury was given erroneous instructions.

  • December 22, 2025

    21 AGs Support Gun Ban For Cannabis Users

    A federal law that prohibits habitual drug users from possessing firearms is constitutional and necessary for public safety, a coalition of attorneys general from 20 states and Washington, D.C., told the U.S. Supreme Court, urging the justices to overturn a finding that the law violates the Second Amendment except when a user is actively intoxicated.

  • December 22, 2025

    Airbus Sued Over Fatal Helicopter Crash In New Jersey

    The families of a pilot and a news photographer killed in a helicopter crash while working for a Philadelphia television station have sued helicopter manufacturer Airbus, along with companies that maintained the helicopter and supplied the hydraulic system parts blamed for causing the crash two years ago in New Jersey.

  • December 22, 2025

    Vape Cos. Get Partial Block Of Va. Law, But Claims Trimmed

    A Virginia federal judge has agreed to halt enforcement of certain provisions of a state law barring the sale of vapes that are not yet approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, while dismissing two of the three claims vape companies had brought in the lawsuit.

  • December 22, 2025

    Ex-Derailment Deal Admin Will Pay $17M To End Contempt Bid

    The ousted administrator of Norfolk Southern's $600 million settlement over the derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, will pay $17.25 million to resolve claims that it mishandled the distribution of payouts, according to deal terms approved Monday. 

  • December 22, 2025

    Mercedes Inks $150M Deal In Emissions Cheating Claims

    Mercedes-Benz USA LLC and Mercedes-Benz Group AG have reached a nearly $150 million national settlement with state attorneys general amid allegations that they sold and leased vehicles equipped with devices capable of defeating emissions tests.

  • December 19, 2025

    J&J Hit With $66M Verdict In Minnesota Mom's Asbestos Case

    A Minnesota jury Friday awarded a mother of three $65.5 million following a 13-day trial in her lawsuit that claimed Johnson & Johnson's talc products exposed her to asbestos and contributed to cancer in her abdominal lining, the mother's attorneys announced.

  • December 19, 2025

    GM Says Brake Defect Suit Fails Because Cars Were Repaired

    General Motors asked a Pennsylvania federal judge to dismiss a putative class action accusing the automaker of selling vehicles with defective brake systems, arguing because the plaintiffs had their vehicles repaired by the carmaker's dealers, no harm was done.

  • December 19, 2025

    Amazon Settles Customer's Heating Pad Burns Claims

    Amazon has reached a deal ending a lawsuit seeking to hold it liable for second-degree burns and an infection a woman suffered after using a heating pad she purchased on the platform, sold to her by a third party.

  • December 19, 2025

    Ill. Judge Trims Claims Over Mondelez Cocoa Sourcing Label

    A California consumer can pursue claims that Mondelez International illegally led customers to believe that the snack giant sources its cocoa ethically, but only for Oreo and Toblerone products, an Illinois federal judge ruled.

  • December 19, 2025

    Atty Says Anti-SLAPP Law Scuttles Ex-Law Partner's Case

    Attorney Andrew Garza and his new firm, Claggett Sykes & Garza LLC, have invoked Connecticut's anti-SLAPP law in an attempt to dismiss litigation by his former law partner Ryan McKeen, one of several lawsuits between the partners after the dissolution of their firm, Connecticut Trial Firm LLC.

  • December 19, 2025

    Sidley Adds Williams & Connolly Mass Torts Trial Atty In DC

    A trial attorney who spent more than two decades at Williams & Connolly LLP has moved to Sidley Austin LLP to help lead its product liability and mass torts practice.

  • December 18, 2025

    The Biggest Rulings From A Busy Year At The 1st Circ.

    The nation's smallest federal appellate panel punched above its weight in 2025, grappling with numerous suits against the Trump administration, high-profile criminal appeals, a $34 million legal fee bid and a hotly contested kickback law.

  • December 18, 2025

    Anti-Fluoride Win Merits $9.5M In Fees From EPA, Judge Told

    Anti-fluoridation groups urged a California federal judge in a hearing Thursday to grant them $9.5 million in attorney fees for winning a 2024 decision that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's "optimal" fluoride level for drinking water poses an unreasonable risk of lowering children's IQ. 

  • December 18, 2025

    Arkansas Social Media Safety Law Temporarily Blocked

    Arkansas cannot enforce a state law that bans social media platforms from using algorithms that could cause a user to kill themselves, buy drugs, become addicted to social media or develop an eating disorder, a federal district judge has ruled.

  • December 18, 2025

    Trump Order Rallies Cannabis Industry, Advocates Want More

    The executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Thursday, marking the most substantial shift in federal cannabis policy in over half a century, is expected to have favorable ramifications for the marijuana industry even as it falls short of decriminalizing the drug or resolving the many tensions between federal and state law.

Expert Analysis

  • How Courts Are Addressing The Use Of AI In Discovery

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    In recent months, several courts have issued opinions on handling discovery issues involving artificial intelligence, which collectively offer useful insights on integrating AI into discovery and protecting work product in connection with AI prompts and outputs, says Philip Favro at Favro Law.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From ATF Director To BigLaw

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    As a two-time boomerang partner, returning to BigLaw after stints as a U.S. attorney and the director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, people ask me how I know when to move on, but there’s no single answer — just clearly set your priorities, says Steven Dettelbach at BakerHostetler.

  • High Court Cert Spotlights Varying Tests For Federal Removal

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    A recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to review Chevron v. Plaquemines Parish, a case involving the federal officer removal statute, highlights three other recent circuit court decisions raising federal removal questions, and serves as a reminder that defendants are the masters of removal actions, says Varun Aery at Hollingsworth.

  • Rule 23 Class Certification Matters In Settlements, Too

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Trump v. CASA Inc. highlighted requirements for certifying classes for litigation in federal court, but counsel must also understand how Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure may affect certifying classes for settlement purposes, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Series

    Playing Baseball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing baseball in college, and now Wiffle ball in a local league, has taught me that teamwork, mental endurance and emotional intelligence are not only important to success in the sport, but also to success as a trial attorney, says Kevan Dorsey at Swift Currie.

  • Ultra-Processed Food Claims Rely On Unproven Science

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    Plaintiffs' arguments that ultra-processed foods are responsible for the nationwide increase in certain chronic illnesses, though a novel approach to food-based personal injury claims, depend on theories that are still being tested, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • Managing Risks As State AGs Seek To Fill Enforcement Gap

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    Given an unprecedented surge in state attorney general activity resulting from significant shifts in federal enforcement priorities, companies must consider tailored strategies for navigating the ever-evolving risk landscape, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Skillful Persuasion

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    In many ways, law school teaches us how to argue, but when the ultimate goal is to get your client what they want, being persuasive through preparation and humility is the more likely key to success, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.

  • Litigation Inspiration: How To Respond After A Loss

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    Every litigator loses a case now and then, and the sting of that loss can become a medicine that strengthens or a poison that corrodes, depending on how the attorney responds, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • FDA's Hasty Policymaking Approach Faces APA Challenges

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    Though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has abandoned its usual notice-and-comment process for implementing new regulatory initiatives, two recent district court decisions make clear that these programs are still susceptible to Administrative Procedure Act challenges, says Rachel Turow at Skadden.

  • The Metamorphosis Of The Major Questions Doctrine

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    The so-called major questions doctrine arose as a counterweight to Chevron deference over the past few decades, but invocations of the doctrine have persisted in the year since Chevron was overturned, suggesting it still has a role to play in reining in agency overreach, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Compliance Lessons From 1st-Ever Product Safety Sentences

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    A California federal judge’s recent sentencing of two former Gree USA executives in a landmark Consumer Product Safety Act case serves as a reminder of the federal government’s willingness to pursue criminal prosecution of individuals who fail to report safety hazards, as well as companies’ need to strengthen their reporting and compliance programs, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • 9th Circ. Decisions Help Clarify Scope Of Legal Lab Marketing

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    Two Ninth Circuit decisions last week provide a welcome development in clarifying the line between laboratories' legal marketing efforts and undue influence that violates the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act, and offer useful guidance for labs seeking to mitigate enforcement risk, says Joshua Robbins at Buchalter.

  • Series

    Playing Mah-Jongg Makes Me A Better Mediator

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    Mah-jongg rewards patience, pattern recognition, adaptability and keen observation, all skills that are invaluable to my role as a mediator, and to all mediating parties, says Marina Corodemus.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Navigating Client Trauma

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    Law schools don't train students to handle repeated exposure to clients' traumatic experiences, but for litigators practicing in areas like civil rights and personal injury, success depends on the ability to view cases clinically and to recognize when you may need to seek help, says Katie Bennett at Robins Kaplan.

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