Product Liability Law

Air bag maker Takata’s expanded recall of nearly 34M vehicles is largest ever

After sparring with U.S. regulators over the past year, Takata Corp. has expanded its recall of defective air bags to nearly 34 million vehicles. Announced Tuesday, the recall is the largest in National HighwayTraffic Safety Administration history. At issue are air bags containing inflator mechanisms made by Takata. A defective…

May 20, 2015 11:00 AM CDT

Employer who provided bucket in van for use as toilet is sued for $4M over death of worker

Andrew Lane needed to use the toilet while on the job for an Oregon company that provided pressure-washing and gutter-cleaning services to homeowners. But his employer, Superior Home Maintenance, provided only a bucket for that purpose. And, when Lane stepped into the back of the work truck where the bucket…

May 13, 2015 3:15 PM CDT

Fiat Chrysler seeks new trial in boy’s fiery crash death after $150M damages award

Fiat Chrysler is asking a judge for a new trial in the case of a fiery crash that killed a 4-year-old Georgia boy. A jury last month awarded $150 million in damages to the parents of Remington Walden, who was killed in March 2012 when the 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee…

May 11, 2015 6:15 AM CDT

Smartwatch makers should fund $1B education campaign about driving dangers, lawyer’s suit says

A California lawyer has filed a nuisance suit to require the makers of smartwatches to fund a $1 billion public education campaign about the dangers of distracted driving while wearing the devices. “The temptation to check the tiny screen immediately after receiving a notification is virtually irresistible,” says the suit…

Apr 21, 2015 1:35 PM CDT

Jury awards $150M against Fiat Chrysler in fiery death of boy, 4, after Jeep is rear-ended

A jury in rural Georgia on Thursday awarded $150 million against Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV in the death of a four-year-old boy in a fiery rear-end crash. It found the automaker 99 percent responsible, due to the position of the gas tank in the 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee., for the…

Apr 3, 2015 8:00 AM CDT

After boy’s death from allergic reaction to cookie, family sues; says store violated labeling laws

The family of an 11-year-old who died after eating a chocolate chip cookie that may have contained nuts has sued the supermarket chain that sold it. Filed in federal court in Nashville, Tenn., the suit contends that an employee at a Publix store outside the city misinformed the mother of…

Mar 25, 2015 4:25 PM CDT

Documents show GM knew of ignition-switch issue, says plaintiff’s lawyer in leading case

Following a settlement last week in a high-profile ignition-switch case that sparked a massive General Motors recall, plaintiff’s lawyers involved in the case are saying that documents obtained in discovery show the company was involved in a cover-up. An internal report by Jenner & Block partner Anton Valukas found “a…

Mar 16, 2015 3:25 PM CDT

Hagens Berman argument ‘gives new meaning to frivolous,’ judge says; sanctions imposed

Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro will have to pay reasonable fees and expenses for “bad-faith advocacy” in its pursuit of three thalidomide birth-defect cases. U.S. District Judge Paul Diamond imposed the sanction in a March 9 opinion (PDF), finding that Hagens Berman pursued the cases after the law firm knew they…

Mar 11, 2015 5:45 AM CDT

Suit says law student died due to faulty equipment for diabetics

A University of Chicago law student found dead in her Hyde Park apartment in 2013 died because she relied on faulty equipment for diabetics, a lawsuit by her estate says. Filed in Cook County Circuit Court, the Illinois suit alleges that Abbie Harper died at age 23 due to erroneously…

Mar 9, 2015 10:40 AM CDT

‘Sizzling skillet’ at Applebee’s was ‘open and obvious’ danger to praying diner, court says

A man who says his face, neck and arms were burned after he bent over a “sizzling skillet” at an Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill and Bar in New Jersey to pray had hoped to collect damages. But a trial judge nixed the superior court lawsuit filed by Hiram Jimenez and the…

Mar 5, 2015 4:00 PM CST

Woman sues over barbecue brush, seeks unspecified damages for surgery costs

A free barbecue brush that came with a new grill was no bargain, a Maine woman contends. In a January lawsuit filed in Maine state court that has since been removed to federal court there, Deborah Lamont says the high-carbon steel brush was unreasonably dangerous. Her Aroostook County Superior Court…

Feb 24, 2015 4:30 PM CST

Feinberg OKs payment for 50 deaths from $400M GM ignition fund; compensation starts at $1M

Attorney Kenneth Feinberg, retained by General Motors to oversee a $400 million compensation fund for death and injury claims linked to faulty ignition switches in the automaker’s vehicles, has approved 50 death claims for payment so far. Compensation for deaths starts at $1 million, according to the Associated Press and…

Jan 27, 2015 12:05 PM CST

Did damage caps discourage suits that could have spotlighted GM ignition defect?

After a 2006 fatal Chevy Cobalt crash was linked to a defective ignition switch, families of two teens killed in the Wisconsin accident decided to sue. The families, however, were unable to find contingency lawyers to take the case. The reason: a $350,000 damages cap in WIsconsin, the New York…

Dec 30, 2014 8:59 AM CST

Woman sues Chick-fil-A and cherry supplier, says milkshake caused tooth damage and heart attack

A Colorado woman is suing Chick-fil-A and a maraschino cherry supplier, alleging that a milkshake she ordered in May at one of the chain restaurant’s Dallas-area eateries caused tooth damage and a heart attack. Plaintiff Cyndi Scruggs says the shake came with whipped cream and a cherry on top. When…

Dec 4, 2014 1:05 PM CST

Lawmaker wins election, is convicted of lesser counts in barratry case, then wins a mistrial

Over the past seven days, a Texas lawmaker has been tried in a barratry case, won reelection, been convicted on lesser included misdemeanor counts and seen the verdict thrown out due to claimed juror misconduct. On Monday, a lawyer for state Rep. Ron Reynolds expected to begin the sentencing phase.…

Nov 10, 2014 4:05 PM CST