John Sammon News
Michigan Court of Appeals affirms dismissal of woman's untimely filed malpractice suit
DETROIT (Legal Newsline) – The Michigan Court of Appeals on Nov. 26 affirmed a lower court decision in favor of a doctor sued by a woman over allegations of malpractice, citing that the statute of limitations had expired.
Michigan court rules Menards did not have notice of dangerous condition in suit over foot injury
DETROIT (Legal Newsline) – The Michigan Court of Appeals on Nov. 26 reversed a lower court ruling saying a store was not to blame for an accident when shelved tiles fell on a woman’s foot because prior knowledge of a dangerous situation was unknown to store employees.
Ford successfully fends off Michigan cases filed by out-of-state plaintiffs
LANSING, Mich. (Legal Newsline) – The state of Michigan Court of Appeals last week decided in favor of Ford Motor Co., reversing a decision of the Wayne County Third Circuit Court (Detroit) and remanding for further proceedings a lawsuit brought against Ford over allegations of faulty transmissions.
St. Louis jury clears J&J in woman's ovarian cancer lawsuit
ST. LOUIS - A jury on Friday decided that Johnson & Johnson was not responsible for development of a St. Louis woman’s stage-two ovarian cancer from the use of its baby powder, which the plaintiff alleged had been contaminated with asbestos.
Jury decides woman’s mesothelioma not a result of J&J baby powder
LOS ANGELES – A 12-member jury on Monday decided Johnson & Johnson was not responsible for Amy Fong’s mesothelioma, rejecting a lawsuit in which it was alleged baby powder Fong had breathed in Hong Kong during the 1970’s caused her to contract the deadly lung disease.
Tort reform head says PFAS issue could cause runaway litigation
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – The president of the American Tort Reform Association told members of Congress on Tuesday that litigation could get out of hand unless federal regulators adopt a commonsense, fair approach to dealing with the PFAS chemicals that activists claim are poisoning the nation’s water supplies.
New York AG drops two of her claims as trial against Exxon closes; Company calls her case a 'cruel joke'
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) – Closing arguments were made Thursday in a historic civil trial in New York Supreme Court in which the state’s attorney general alleges the oil giant Exxon Mobil deceived investors by minimizing the future cost impacts of climate change to paint a rosier fiscal picture.
Exxon calls New York's lawsuit 'ridiculous' in first day of trial
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) – A historic civil trial in New York Supreme Court opened Tuesday to decide if oil conglomerate Exxon allegedly deceived its own stockholders – understating the future risks of stricter government regulation and increasing costs to develop fossil fuels – in order to prop up market shares and maintain economic viability.
Oklahoma judge admits to $100M mistake in landmark opioid verdict against J&J
NORMAN, Okla. (Legal Newsline) – In a hearing Tuesday to clarify disagreements over a $572 million judgment against Johnson & Johnson for allegedly helping create an opioid epidemic in Oklahoma, attorneys for the state argued more money was needed to fully abate the problem, while lawyers for J&J requested joint liability credits to ease its burden.
Two recent talc verdicts went against J&J; Both sides vow to keep fighting
LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) – Officials for Johnson & Johnson and attorneys representing plaintiffs suing the company for alleged asbestos-tainted baby powder both vowed on Tuesday to continue litigating after two recent verdicts went against the company.
Manufacturers group calls for government-industry partnerships to meet carbon emission goals
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – A representative of manufacturing industries on Wednesday said they would do their part to reduce carbon emissions in the atmosphere if the federal government would work with them to incentivize technological innovation.
Major chem company reps seek to reassure congressional committee on PFAS water crisis
WASHINGTON D.C. (Legal Newsline) – Representatives of three major companies told congressional investigators on Monday they will work with government officials to mitigate potential damage to the nation’s drinking water caused by use of a chemical called polyfluoralkyl or PFAS .
Kentucky court decides in favor of J&J and Colgate-Palmolive in talc powder trial
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Legal Newsline) – A jury on Aug. 2 decided Johnson & Johnson and Colgate-Palmolive were not to blame for the mesothelioma that killed a woman after the companies were alleged to have caused the deadly illness through asbestos-tainted talc powder products.
Last-minute jabs filed after Oklahoma opioid trial; J&J says its products were less than 1% of market
NORMAN, Okla. (Legal Newsline) – The State of Oklahoma and officials of Johnson & Johnson filed last-minute court briefs this week appealing to District Judge Thad Balkman to decide in their favor in a lawsuit accusing the company of causing the state’s opioid epidemic through its drug subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals.
Mathematician says Janssen’s market share of opioids low while state says figuring is skewed
NORMAN, Okla. (Legal Newsline) – A statistical mathematician testifying as an expert witness for Johnson & Johnson last week said the market share of opioids sold by the company’s drug subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals was low, while state-hired attorneys contended his figuring was off.
Closing arguments heard in the big opioid trial against Johnson & Johnson in Oklahoma
NORMAN, Okla. (Legal Newsline) - Closing arguments were heard Monday in a historic trial to determine if Johnson & Johnson created an opioid epidemic in Oklahoma as state attorneys contend, or if as defense attorneys said, the state is trying to make Johnson the fall-guy for a societal drug problem it did not create.
Attorneys for J&J again ask judge to toss case as unconstitutional as Oklahoma opioid trial nears end
NORMAL, Okla. (Legal Newsline) – As lawyers for Johnson & Johnson called their last witness on Friday in a case accusing the company of causing an opioid epidemic, they filed a motion again asking an Oklahoma judge to toss the lawsuit saying it’s unconstitutional.
Oklahoma's hired lawyers fight J&J's request to strike testimony; Witness was called a de facto member of State's legal team
NORMAN, Okla. (Legal Newsline) – Attorneys hired by the State of Oklahoma on July 1 filed a motion asking a judge to deny a request by lawyers for Johnson & Johnson to strike the testimony of a key state’s witness in a trial accusing J&J of creating an opioid epidemic.
Researcher touts safety of J&J's opioids at Oklahoma trial
NORMAN, Okla. (Legal Newsline) – A drug researcher on Tuesday told defense attorneys that opioid drugs sold by Janssen Pharmaceuticals are safe for pain relief, and later under questioning by state-hired attorneys declined to describe Oklahoma's situation as an epidemic.
J&J's attempt to cut off Oklahoma's opioid lawsuit rejected by judge overseeing trial
NORMAN, Okla. (Legal Newsline) – Attorneys for Johnson & Johnson on Monday lost a bid to dismiss a lawsuit brought by contingency-fee lawyers hired by the State of Oklahoma who accused the company of creating an opioid epidemic.