Product Liability Law

Addicted Surgical Technician May Have Infected at Least 23 Patients With Hepatitis

Addicted to a powerful painkiller, Kristen Diane Parker admittedly stole fentanyl from empty operating rooms at the Denver, Colo., hospital in which she worked. But by substituting syringes of saline solution for syringes of fentanyl, the 26-year-old surgical technician didn’t just put patients at risk of inadequately treated pain, according…

Aug 17, 2009 6:56 PM CDT

Wyeth Paid for Articles Promoting Use of Company’s Hormone-Replacement Drugs

Evidence unsealed last month in a complex federal case against a drug manufacturer shows that Wyeth paid for at least 40 ghostwritten articles in medical journals promoting the use of replacement hormones in menopausal women. The practice of publishing ghostwritten articles is controversial, because bioethicists say it obscures the connection…

Aug 6, 2009 10:25 PM CDT

To Get iPod Refund, Apple Required Confidentiality Pact, Family Contends

A reported attempt by Apple to get a British family to sign a confidentiality agreement in exchange for getting a refund on an alleged exploding iPod music player has apparently backfired. Instead of signing, they told their story to the London Times. The newspaper wrote an article about the incident,…

Aug 3, 2009 10:18 PM CDT

Pfizer Agrees to Pay $75M to Settle Nigerian Drug-Test Case

Without admitting liability, Pfizer has agreed to pay $75 million to settle criminal and civil cases in Nigeria alleging that the world’s largest drug company illegally tested the antibiotic Trovan on children there during a 1996 meningitis epidemic. The drug allegedly killed 11 children and disabled dozens more; however, Pfizer…

Jul 30, 2009 7:26 PM CDT

Wis. Supreme Court Rejects Lead Paint ‘Defective Design’ Suit

In a victory for lead paint manufacturers, the Wisconsin Supreme Court has ruled that the presence of lead in paint is not a design defect. The court affirmed dismissal of the defective design claim by Ruben Baez Godoy, a boy who contracted lead poisoning from the paint in his Milwaukee…

Jul 14, 2009 4:31 PM CDT

Bad Seed

Perhaps it will be some consolation for Brittany Donovan that the semen used to create her came from a sperm bank in New York. Brittany, a mentally disabled 13-year-old Pennsylvania girl, was thrust into the limelight earlier this year after her mother sued the sperm bank for selling her what…

Jul 2, 2009 3:10 AM CDT

Plaintiffs Bake Up Batch of Food Safety Suits Against Nestle

Lawsuits on behalf of children and young adults who reportedly became ill after handling Nestle Toll House cookie dough have been filed against the company in several states, including Georgia, Colorado, California and Washington. Cindy Sedbrook of South Denver, says her daughter is among dozens of individuals who may have…

Jun 26, 2009 5:53 PM CDT

Fen-Phen Counsel Exaggerated Heart Issue & Sexually Harassed, Client Says

A former client has sued the law firm that helped her win a $2,000 settlement in national diet drug litigation, contending that she suffered severe emotional distress because of the firm’s exaggeration of her heart symptoms and sexual harassment by an attorney working on her case. Attorney Robert Riley of…

Jun 22, 2009 5:33 PM CDT

Judge Tosses Suit Over Gun Purchased on Craigslist

A judge in Manhattan has dismissed a case in which a New York City boutique owner claimed the online classifieds company Craigslist should be held partly responsible for his shooting. The judge, Richard Berman, held this week that Craigslist is immune because under the Communications Decency Act of 1996, Craigslist…

Jun 18, 2009 10:46 AM CDT

Dole Gets Legal Fees as Calif. Judge Details Attorneys’ Fraud on Court

Finding that United States and Nicaraguan counsel for plaintiff banana workers participated in a fraud on a California court, Judge Victoria Chaney today ordered that all defendants be reimbursed for their legal costs. The as-yet-undetermined fees award to Dole Food Company, Inc. and Dow Chemical Co., among other defendants, comes…

Jun 18, 2009 12:21 AM CDT

Plaintiffs Lawyers Prepare to File Dozens of Denture Cream Lawsuits

Plaintiffs lawyers contend that long-term use of denture cream can lead to zinc buildup in the body and neurological problems. A dozen cases targeting the makers of PoliGrip and Fixodent for their zinc ingredient are pending in federal courts in eight states, lawyers told the National Law Journal. And dozens…

Jun 5, 2009 4:05 PM CDT

Obama Pre-emption Rollback Is Last Nail in Coffin for Policy, Expert Says

President Obama has ordered federal agencies and departments to strike pre-emption language from regulations unless it can be legally justified, a move that has won applause from trial lawyers. The Bush administration had encouraged federal agencies to assert that their regulations pre-empted state laws on the same subject, the Wall…

May 21, 2009 4:55 PM CDT

Chrysler Bankruptcy Plan Would Stymie Lawsuits for Auto Defects

Chrysler’s bankruptcy plan would honor vehicle warranties but apparently exempts its successor corporation from liability for lawsuits over defects in autos already sold. The bankruptcy plan specifically accepts the warranty obligation, but says nothing about lawsuits, the New York Times reports. A coalition of consumer groups is asking the bankruptcy…

May 20, 2009 11:43 AM CDT

Teflon Suit Dropped After Judge Denies Class Certification

A lawsuit claiming Teflon cookware poses a health risk was dismissed after plaintiffs lawyers failed in their bid to win class certification. The suit contended that a chemical used in the Teflon manufacturing process releases toxic particles when heated during cooking, the Associated Press reports. If successful, the suit could…

May 13, 2009 2:42 PM CDT

Would-Be Client Wins $2.2M Verdict in Law Office Chair-Collapse Case

Robert Friedrich went to Fetterman & Associates in 2003 seeking representation in an auto accident case. But after his chair collapsed in a conference room at the North Palm Beach, Fla., law firm he wound up with a new tort claim. A Palm Beach County jury yesterday awarded Friedrich and…

May 7, 2009 11:29 PM CDT