News from August 2020
An 'unorthodox drinking maneuver': Woman loses hot tea lawsuit against Starbucks
LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) – A Starbucks customer has lost her tea-was-too-hot lawsuit, ruling a clumsy mishap in her chair was more to blame for the spill than any alleged defect in the cup.
Company has to pay $400K to class action lawyers despite fixing problem before case was filed
VENTURA, Calif. (Legal Newsline) – Though the maker of Ken’s salad dressings fixed the misleading claims on its bottles before it was sued over them, they must still pay class action lawyers nearly $400,000.
Clorox product is useless in the time of coronavirus, class action says
OAKLAND, Calif. (Legal Newsline) – Clorox’s thicker, gel-like bleach isn’t strong enough to disinfect surfaces, a new class action lawsuit alleges.
DOJ should intervene in battle between conservative 'action tank' and liberal watchdog, legal expert says
Should the executive branch of the federal government yield to the judicial branch in determining if a conservative political group must disclose its donors?
Vets elbow smaller firm out of class action despite being late to the party
PITTSBURGH (Legal Newsline) - A federal magistrate has sided with plaintiffs firm Berger Montague over a relative newcomer to consumer class actions, handing the Philadelphia law firm control of a case that has produced allegations of collusion, conspiracy and misleading advertising.
Sherwin-Williams' challenge of not-yet-filed lead paint lawsuits turned back
PHILADELPHIA (Legal Newsline) – Sherwin-Williams’ attempt to cut off lawsuits brought by an alliance of private lawyers and Pennsylvania counties recently failed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Ind. court determines which contractors can be sued for shower of metal studs
INDIANAPOLIS (Legal Newsline) – After hundreds of pounds of metal studs rained from the sky during a construction project, the Indiana Court of Appeals has decided which companies can be held responsible for the injuries that subsequently occurred.
Two trial judges, two results: Wash. appeals court picks plaintiff's side in asbestos case
OLYMPIA, Wash. (Legal Newsline) – A Washington State appeals court has rejected the arguments of an asbestos defendant that it couldn’t be sued in the state.
Lawsuit complains smoked gouda never went in smoker
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) – Smoked Gouda has not been smoked, a class action lawsuit alleges.
Free shipping? Not so much, class action against LensProToGo says
BOSTON (Legal Newsline) – A promise of free shipping was a scam, says a new lawsuit on behalf of customers of LensProToGo.
Evacuations during California wildfires complicate troubled virtual asbestos trial
ALAMEDA, Calif. (Legal Newsline) – Things aren’t smoothing out in the nation’s first attempt at virtual asbestos trials in Alameda County, Calif.
Maryland Court receives comments on remote bar exam update
The Maryland Court of Appeals has received public feedback on the State Board of Law Examiners’ recent update concerning the October 2020 Remote Bar Examination.
PFAS litigation heats up in Michigan; AG files two more, readies for discovery in another
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (Legal Newsline) - A Michigan judge has cleared the way for his state’s lawsuit to proceed against numerous manufacturers of PFAS, a family of chemicals that leach into groundwater and persist in the environment for years or decades.
New Roundup litigation: Healthy customers complaining there's no warning label
WILMINGTON, Del. (Legal Newsline) – A product found by the Environmental Protection Agency to not cause cancer should still have a warning label that indicates it might, a new class action says.
Owner of broken fence not liable for death of toddler who escaped daycare, drowned in canal
BOISE, Idaho (Legal Newsline) – A property owner will not be liable for the death of a toddler who escaped her daycare and drowned in a nearby canal.
Feds take on Teva, say its kickbacks increased price for multiple sclerosis drug
BOSTON (Legal Newsline) – The federal government says Teva Pharmaceuticals illegally paid patients’ co-pays for the multiple sclerosis drug Copaxone.
Center for Tech and Civic Life: Democratic election operatives masquerading as concerned voters’ group, critic says
The Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL) sells itself as non-profit, non-partisan bunch of concerned citizens with the pleasant-sounding mission of helping local and state election officials “implement safe, inclusive and secure elections in November.
Bernstein Litowitz told to try again in effort to inspect JUUL's books
WILMINGTON, Del. (Legal Newsline) – Securities class action lawyers might not get a chance to break open the books of JUUL Labs, which has been the target of litigation over the health effects of its vaping products.
3M's records request complicated by earplug lawyers
PHOENIX (Legal Newsline) – Eleventh-hour concerns by lawyers leading litigation against 3M shouldn’t derail its effort to find out how they found their clients, the company is arguing.
Wash. AG's lawsuit against Greyhound sent back to state court
SPOKANE, Wash. (Legal Newsline) – Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson will get his wish after a federal judge sent his lawsuit against Greyhound Lines back to a state court.