News from March 2023
Judge rejects dictionary arguments in class action over caramel in Nips
CHICAGO (Legal Newsline) - A class action plaintiff expected too much from her box of caramel Nips, a federal judge has ruled.
Jailers, city not liable for death of drunk-driving suspect
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Legal Newsline) - An Alabama city and its employees are immune from a lawsuit over the death of a man who was found by his police unconscious in a running automobile, fell asleep during an alcohol breath test in jail and was found dead in his cell the next morning from what doctors described as heart trouble.
Suit: P&G fails to disclose Gain laundry detergent contains probable carcinogen
BUFFALO, N.Y. (Legal Newsline) — A consumer class action alleges Proctor & Gamble fails to disclose its Gain laundry detergent contains the toxin dioxane.
Hershey faces class action over presence of lead in dark chocolate products
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (Legal Newsline) — Hershey is facing a class action lawsuit alleging it failed to disclose the presence of lead in several of its dark chocolate products.
Failed Congressional candidate appeals defamation loss in case against Chronicle
SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline) - California Democrat Shahid Buttar, an attorney and civil rights advocate, will appeal the loss of his defamation lawsuit over 2020 articles in the San Francisco Chronicle that followed sexual harassment allegations.
Lawsuit: Salmonella in Jif peanut butter killed retired Florida judge
TAMPA, Fla. (Legal Newsline) - A recently filed lawsuit blames the death of a retired Florida judge on a jar of Jif peanut butter.
Morgan Lewis Continues Expansion of Nonprofits Team With Addition of Partner Ann Batlle
Ann Batlle, a seasoned advisor to complex charitable organizations on legal and tax issues, rejoins Morgan Lewis today as partner resident in Washington, DC. Ann arrives from Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Chevy Chase, MD, the nation’s largest medical research philanthropy, where she served as deputy general counsel.
IRS, Treasury Department aim to classify NFTs as collectibles
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued its first guidance last week on cryptocurrencies since October 2019.
Greenberg Traurig New Jersey Expands White Collar Defense and Litigation Capabilities with Addition of Kevin G. Walsh
Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP has expanded its White Collar Defense & Special Investigations and Litigation practices with the addition of Kevin G. Walsh as a shareholder in the New Jersey office.
Man loses $700K verdict after finding out he wasn't his children's father
JACKSON, Miss. (Legal Newsline) - A man who won a $700,000 verdict over the belated discovery that his two children were fathered by someone else had it taken away after the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled he waited too long to sue and his lawyer submitted the wrong instructions to the jury.
Fat Bombs class action bombs; Judge says plaintiff didn't make case
SAN DIEGO (Legal Newsline) - A federal judge has thrown out a class action lawsuit that claimed a woman who bought "Fat Bombs" thought they would be healthier than they are.
'No more is required': Melatonin class action against Amazon passes hurdle
SEATTLE (Legal Newsline) - Amazon must face a proposed class action that says its brand of melatonin tablets and gummies mislabels the amount of the sleep aid in each.
Florida governor signs 'watershed' tort-reform bill into law
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed a comprehensive bill aimed at rooting out excessive, abusive litigation in what the measure’s supporters said was “a watershed moment” in the history of tort reform.
Consumer public interest group alleges food product contains bacteria
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) — A consumer public interest organization is claiming a popular "all-in-one" meal product contains harmful bacteria.
Suit: Bambu Rum falsely labeled as 'original craft rum'
BUFFALO, N.Y. (Legal Newslinel) — A consumer class action alleges Bumbu Rum does not meet federal and state regulations to be considered rum.
Mass tort lawyers settle with consulting firm after judge refuses to postpone trial
NEW ORLEANS (Legal Newsline) - Mass tort lawyers have settled their lawsuit against a consulting firm over a contested $2.5 million invoice.
Lawsuit: 'Vast scheme' by hurricane lawyers filing illegitimate insurance claims
BATON ROUGE, La. (Legal Newsline) - A Houston law firm accustomed to taking on insurance companies must now defend itself from a class action lawsuit that says it made illegitimate claims after hurricanes in 2020 and 2021.
Circuits split on whether Elizabeth Warren's CFPB is constitutional, leaving SCOTUS to decide
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) - A federal appeals court ruled the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s funding mechanism is constitutional as the U.S. Supreme Court considers a Fifth Circuit decision that went the other way.
Ballard Spahr Advises TD Bank on Financing Transaction for Affordable Housing in Smyrna, DE
Ballard Spahr served as counsel to TD Bank, N.A., in a transaction to help finance a developer’s acquisition and renovation of an affordable housing complex in Smyrna, Delaware.
Maker of 'All Fruit' spreads fights citric acid class action, says 'prove it's not from fruit'
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (Legal Newsline) - The maker of Polaner fruit spreads calls the woman who filed a class action lawsuit against it "a captive serial litigant."