John O'Brien News
Social Media Safety Act struck as too confusing
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (Legal Newsline) - Arkansas' blocked law targeting youths on social media is now officially toast, a federal judge says.
'Consumer confusion': FDA rebukes acne med findings of one of plaintiff lawyers' favorite labs
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - It could've been the next pot of gold for plaintiff lawyers, but the Food and Drug Administration says it's bogus.
$9B for ovarian cancer claims rejected by judge; J&J heads back to court
HOUSTON (Legal Newsline) - A "heavily negotiated" plan to end tens of thousands of ovarian cancer claims with a $9 billion fund that has "significant support" can't be confirmed, a Houston bankruptcy judge has ruled.
'Giant Killa!' law firm fights Beasley Allen lawsuit after partnership blows up in J&J talc bankruptcy
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (Legal Newsline) - Disappointment can't be the basis for a lawsuit, a personal injury firm says after being sued by lawyers it once teamed with to push asbestos litigation against Johnson & Johnson.
'A glaring loophole': PREP Act doesn't stop lawsuit from N.C. teen vaxxed against his will
RALEIGH, N.C. (Legal Newsline) - The North Carolina Supreme Court won't stop the parents of a then-14-year-old vaccinated against COVID-19 against his will, despite a federal law that shields defendants from liability during health emergencies.
House minority leader gives $18K to Wis. liberal SC candidate, wants help with congressional maps
MADISON, Wis. (Legal Newsline) - Electing a liberal state Supreme Court justice in Wisconsin is key to the future of the Democratic party, the nation's House minority leader has said with his mouth and checkbook.
NLRB's structure under attack, but judges protecting its members
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - A federal judge won't dismantle the National Labor Relations Board after being asked to do so by a California man unhappy with how it handled his complaints - and after a colleague refused to allow President Donald Trump to fire one of its members.
Firm's recent settlements include $8.9M with Poppi, just before Pepsi purchase
SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline) - The law firm Bursor & Fisher scored two recent class action settlements in cases alleging Poppi Prebiotic Sodas aren't all that healthy and Keurig coffee machines ruin themselves while cleaning.
States lose consumer protection claims in FTC's antitrust case against Amazon
SEATTLE (Legal Newsline) - The federal judge handling the Federal Trade Commission's antitrust lawsuit against Amazon won't let certain claims from Pennsylvania and New Jersey to continue.
Judge finds no racketeering enterprise in asbestos cases brought by Simmons Hanly
CHICAGO (Legal Newsline) - The prominent asbestos law firm Simmons Hanly Conroy has defeated accusations that it cheated its way to billions of dollars for its clients.
Beasley Allen fights new votes to approve J&J's $9B talc bankruptcy
HOUSTON - Lawyers opposing a $9 billion plan that keeps ovarian cancer lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson out of the hands of juries and judges are upset other firms have clients now voting to approve it.
Case featuring rogue AI has late-breaking settlement, judge ordering sides to pay jury fees
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (Legal Newsline) - The judge handed a mistake-laden brief crafted by a plaintiffs firm's AI machine is issuing more penalties, this time for putting him and jurors through a pointless nine-day trial.
Lawmaker wants climate cost study, while Big Oil preps for big hearing in Bucks County case
HARRISBURG - As the oil industry urges a Pennsylvania judge to toss a climate change lawsuit that Bucks County hopes will provide money for updates, one Pennsylvania lawmaker wants to commission a study on the costs associated with global warming.
Fourth Circuit: Carefully worded PFAS cases still go to federal court
RICHMOND, Va. (Legal Newsline) - States that crafted lawsuits against 3M over chemicals called PFAS in a way they hoped would keep them out of federal court have lost a key ruling.
South Carolina Supreme Court puts punitive damages on the table in waxy floor slip-and-fall
COLUMBIA, S.C. (Legal Newsline) - Punitive damages are now a possibility for a woman who slipped on a waxy floor, thanks to a ruling by the South Carolina Supreme Court.
$59 million later, Wisconsin's supreme court candidates are tied
Now officially the most expensive judicial race in America's history, Wisconsin's April 1 election appears to be tied.
Ex-chair's data breach probe of MGM dropped by new FTC
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - MGM Resorts' fight with the old Federal Trade Commission has been dropped by the new FTC, which features a new chair and an empty seat following the election of President Donald Trump.
Weak prison sentences from liberal candidate a hot topic in Wisconsin's Supreme Court saga
MADISON, Wis. (Legal Newsline) - Ahead of a debate that will help Wisconsin voters decide the future of its supreme court, conservative candidate Brad Schimel says his opponent has a "troubling history" of giving felons weaker prison terms than what prosecutors suggest.
Resistance to South Carolina's tort-reform bill comes from lawyer-senators
COLUMBIA, S.C. (Legal Newsline) - A proposed tort-reform bill in South Carolina has hit its first snag, as three senators, two of whom are personal injury lawyers, threw up a roadblock of an amendment that guts the legislation.
American Airlines hopes for SCOTUS help after DOJ antitrust suit blocks JetBlue partnership
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - American Airlines is looking to the U.S. Supreme Court for aid as it fights allegations its partnership with JetBlue is bad for customers.