Product Liability

  • April 07, 2025

    WHO Cancer Report May Spark Gasoline Toxic Torts

    A recent report from the World Health Organization linking automobile gasoline to cancer could spawn toxic tort lawsuits similar to the costly, and sometimes losing, battles that energy companies have had to fight over exposure to gasoline components and additives.

  • April 07, 2025

    Judge Ends Mercedes Wheel Suit, 'Wondering' What Defect Is

    Mercedes-Benz USA LLC defeated a putative class action Monday claiming the company used defective wheels that caused customer tire blowouts, as a Georgia federal judge said the "shapelessness" of the suit left him "wondering what defect is even being alleged."

  • April 07, 2025

    Drivers Defend Class Action Over Ford Engine Fire Defect

    Ford shouldn't be allowed to evade claims that it sold hybrid electric vehicles with defective engines that could spontaneously stall and catch fire, drivers told a Michigan federal judge, saying the automaker's solutions require them to continue driving "dangerous vehicles" that could undergo "a spontaneous catastrophic engine failure"

  • April 07, 2025

    Michigan AG Plans To Sue PCB Makers, Issues Call To Firms

    Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said she was looking to hire outside firms to pursue litigation against manufacturers of polychlorinated biphenyls on behalf of her office.

  • April 07, 2025

    AGs Announce $335M Opioid Deal With Mylan

    New York Attorney General Letitia James on Monday said her office and those of other states reached a $335 million deal with Mylan to help combat the opioid crisis.

  • April 07, 2025

    NYC Sues Vape Cos. For Selling Flavored E-Cigs

    The city of New York sued nine major distributors of electronic cigarettes on Monday, mirroring a related suit filed by the state in February alleging that the distributors are violating state and federal law by selling flavored products.

  • April 07, 2025

    Conn. Healthcare Facility Seeks To Flip $13.4M Death Verdict

    An assisted living facility has asked the Connecticut Appellate Court to throw out a $13.4 million jury verdict surrounding a patient's death, arguing his estate improperly added a time-barred Patient Bill of Rights claim months before trial and didn't adequately prove a breathing apparatus failed.

  • April 07, 2025

    Ford Says Drivers Can't Sue Over Rare As 'Meteorite' Defect

    Ford Motor Co. has urged a Michigan federal court to toss a class action alleging the automaker failed to fix through a recall a defect in its SUVs that can cause fires under the hood, arguing the vehicle owners cannot bring claims based on a defect it called "almost as rare as being struck by a meteorite."

  • April 07, 2025

    WilmerHale Welcomes Back Ex-Mass. Criminal Chief

    WilmerHale announced Monday the addition of a longtime Boston federal prosecutor and former criminal division head, who returns to the firm after leading major prosecutions, including a deadly meningitis outbreak and McKinsey & Co.'s work with Purdue Pharma to market OxyContin.

  • April 07, 2025

    Meta May Not Scroll Past 'Clever' Instagram Addiction Suit

    Meta Platforms Inc. may struggle to convince Massachusetts' top court to dismiss a suit claiming it illegally hooks kids on Instagram, according to experts, who credit the state's attorney general for a creative legal strategy to thwart web platforms' usual defenses.

  • April 07, 2025

    Justices Won't Hear Lion Air Family's Boeing Jury Trial Bid

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a challenge to a more than century-old law governing fatal accidents on the high seas, curtailing an effort from the estate of a 737 Max crash victim to get Boeing to face a jury trial over the 2018 Lion Air incident.

  • April 07, 2025

    Supreme Court Declines Review Of NY Concealed Carry Law

    The U.S. Supreme Court said Monday that it won't review a New York state law requiring "good moral character" as a prerequisite to obtaining a gun permit, passing on an opportunity to resolve what firearm rights advocates called a circuit split on how the high court's decision in Bruen is interpreted.

  • April 07, 2025

    Boeing Again Settles Ethiopian 737 Max Cases On Eve Of Trial

    Boeing has agreed to settle two wrongful death cases over the Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max crash just before a damages trial was scheduled to start in Chicago federal court on Monday.

  • April 04, 2025

    Ad Watchdog Nabs Hunton Andrews Partner To Lead Division

    The National Advertising Division has tapped a former Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP partner and onetime chief of staff for advertising practices at the Federal Trade Commission to lead the industry self-regulatory body that's charged with ensuring advertisers are adhering to stringent truth and accuracy standards.

  • April 04, 2025

    Bigelow Drinkers Overpaid 11% Due To 'USA' Label, Jury Told

    An expert testifying for a California class of R.C. Bigelow tea purchasers on Friday told a federal jury considering damages caused by false advertising claims that the class overpaid by 11.3%, or $3.26 million, due to a "Manufactured in the USA 100%" label the judge already found is deceiving.

  • April 04, 2025

    Bayer Wants Supreme Court To Review Roundup Litigation

    Bayer subsidiary Monsanto has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Missouri jury's $1.2 million award to a man who claimed that Roundup weed killer caused his cancer, arguing that courts are split on whether federal law preempts state failure-to-warn claims like the claims in this case.

  • April 04, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Backs Ruling Against Parents In Vaccine Case

    The Federal Circuit has upheld a lower court's ruling in a Vaccine Act case brought by parents of a child who has seizures and developmental delays, finding that they failed to show that his conditions were caused by vaccines.

  • April 04, 2025

    House Dem Seeks Caffeine Warnings After Student Death

    Fast food chains and energy drink makers should be required to slap a "high caffeine" warning on certain beverages, a U.S. House Democrat said, announcing his intention to push such a bill while standing next to the parents of a University of Pennsylvania student who died after drinking a now-discontinued caffeinated drink.

  • April 04, 2025

    Kia's Defective Seat Caused Wife's Paralysis, Driver Says

    A Kia owner filed a negligence suit against the automotive giant in Pennsylvania state court Thursday alleging that a defective design of the front passenger seat frame in his 2022 Kia Sorento caused his wife to become paralyzed after the couple was rear-ended by a Chevy pickup truck driver.

  • April 04, 2025

    Meta Wins Bid To Transfer Del. MDL Coverage Fight To Calif.

    The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation sent a Delaware insurance-coverage dispute between Hartford, Chubb Group entities and Meta to California where underlying personal-injury litigation is centralized, finding that although the parties accuse each other of forum shopping, "we are not inclined to finely parse which is the guiltier party."

  • April 04, 2025

    Sports Group Looks To Muzzle Maryland Gun Liability Law

    A sports shooting and hunting group has asked a Maryland federal court to prevent the state from enforcing a law that holds gun manufacturers liable for gun-related crimes, which the group says contradicts the U.S. Constitution and federal statute.

  • April 04, 2025

    GSK Inks $67M Deal To Resolve Zantac Cancer Risk FCA Suit

    GlaxoSmithKline PLC cut a $67.5 million deal to resolve allegations that it defrauded federal health insurance programs by hiding that its heartburn drug Zantac can decompose into a carcinogen while still in the bottle, ending a case that began in 2019 and was unsealed last year.

  • April 03, 2025

    Optum, Express Scripts Want Judge Ousted From Opioid MDL

    Pharmacy benefit managers Optum and Express Scripts say the Ohio federal judge overseeing multidistrict opioid litigation should recuse himself because he "regularly communicates" with plaintiffs' attorneys in the litigation and is biased in favor of plaintiffs, according to a motion filed Wednesday.

  • April 03, 2025

    3 Ways The Trump EPA Could Impact The Chemical Industry

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's potential deregulatory actions, staffing reductions and shifts in scientific practices portend changes for the chemical industry that could ultimately benefit the sector. Here, Law360 looks at three key areas of concern for the chemical industry.

  • April 03, 2025

    Wash. Justices To Hear Amazon Chemical Suicide Suits

    The Washington Supreme Court will review whether Amazon can be sued under the state's product liability law for the online sale of a chemical that four people used to kill themselves, in cases brought by family members that were dismissed by a lower appellate court.

Expert Analysis

  • New York Climate Superfund Law May Face Preemption Fight

    Author Photo

    New York state's new climate superfund law highlights a growing trend of states supplementing their climate litigation efforts with legislative initiatives — but it will likely encounter the same federal preemption questions raised about state and local lawsuits seeking redress for climate harms, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • Series

    Playing Rugby Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    My experience playing rugby, including a near-fatal accident, has influenced my legal practice on a professional, organizational and personal level by showing me the importance of maintaining empathy, fostering team empowerment and embracing the art of preparation, says James Gillenwater at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Looking Back At 2024's Noteworthy State AG Litigation

    Author Photo

    State attorneys general across the U.S. took bold steps in 2024 to address unlawful activities by corporations in several areas, including privacy and data security, financial transparency, children's internet safety, and other overall consumer protection claims, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

  • Opinion

    No, Litigation Funders Are Not 'Fleeing' The District Of Del.

    Author Photo

    A recent study claimed that litigation funders have “fled” Delaware federal court due to a standing order requiring disclosure of third-party financing, but responsible funders have no problem litigating in this jurisdiction, and many other factors could explain the decline in filings, say Will Freeman and Sarah Tsou at Omni Bridgeway.

  • Liability Risk For AI In Medical Devices Demands Greater Care

    Author Photo

    As regulators push for legal reform surrounding artificial intelligence and cases implicating product liability for AI in medical technology continue to rise, manufacturers must adapt and implement new strategies to accommodate evolving risks, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • 5 E-Discovery Predictions For 2025 And Beyond

    Author Photo

    In the year to come, e-discovery will be shaped by new and emerging trends, from the adoption of artificial intelligence provisions in protective orders, to the proliferation of emojis as a source of evidence in contemporary litigation, say attorneys at Littler.

  • NY Plastic Pollution Verdict May Not Bode Well For Other Suits

    Author Photo

    The dismissal of New York state's public nuisance complaint against PepsiCo over pollution of the Buffalo River with the company's single use plastic bottles may not augur well for similar lawsuits filed by Baltimore and Los Angeles County, although tort law varies from state to state, say attorneys at Winston & Strawn.

  • Defense Strategies For Addressing Conspiracy-Minded Jurors

    Author Photo

    As conspiracy theories continue to proliferate and gain traction in the U.S., defense attorneys will need to consider ways to keep conspiracy-minded jurors from sitting on the jury, and to persuade them when this isn’t possible, say consultants at IMS Legal Strategies.

  • 7 Ways 2nd Trump Administration May Affect Partner Hiring

    Author Photo

    President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House will likely have a number of downstream effects on partner hiring in the legal industry, from accelerated hiring timelines to increased vetting of prospective employees, say recruiters at Macrae.

  • Trump, Tariffs And Tech: The Right To Repair In 2025

    Author Photo

    The "right-to-repair" movement has helped make it easier for independent repair shops and consumers to repair their devices and vehicles — but President-elect Donald Trump's complicated relationship with Big Tech, and his advocacy for increased tariffs, make the immediate future of the movement uncertain, say attorneys at Carter Ledyard.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Custodian Selection

    Author Photo

    Several recent rulings make clear that the proportionality of additional proposed custodians will depend on whether the custodians have unique relevant documents, and producing parties should consider whether information already in the record will show that they have relevant documents that otherwise might not be produced, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Opinion

    Section 230 Debates Will Continue, With Or Without TikTok

    Author Photo

    Regardless of whether TikTok is forced to shut down in the U.S. in the coming weeks, legal disputes will continue over social media platforms' responsibility under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act for harms allegedly caused by content shared on their apps, says Carla Varriale-Barker at Segal McCambridge.

  • When Judging Product Label Claims, Follow The Asterisk

    Author Photo

    A recurring question in false advertising class actions is whether misleading or ambiguous statements on a product's front label can be cured by information on the back label — but recent decisions from the Ninth Circuit suggest that a front-label asterisk can help alert consumers to seek further clarification, say attorneys at Hunton.

  • Complying With Seasonal Product Labeling Requirements

    Author Photo

    Though the holiday season is in the rearview, many seasonal alcohol products remain in the market, and producers should ensure that their labels comply with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau's additional requirements for such products, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • How Trial Attys Can Wield Amended Federal Evidence Rules

    Author Photo

    Trial lawyers should assess recent amendments to four Federal Rules of Evidence and a newly enacted rule on illustrative aids to determine how to best use the rules to enhance pretrial discovery and trial strategy, says Stewart Edelstein, former litigation chair at Cohen & Wolf.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Product Liability archive.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!