California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) issued a notice of proposed amendments to Proposition 65 in October 2023 that significantly modify the information businesses are required to provide in short-form warnings.1 The proposed amendments were approved in November 2024 and took effect on January 1, 2025.2 3
The Estate of Nicholas Barone trial in Bridgeport Superior Court in Connecticut before Judge William Clark concluded with a $15 million plaintiff’s verdict on 5/16/2024. The jury also awarded punitive damages, the exact amount to be determined by the trial judge at a later date. Upon oral argument and review of the parties’ briefs Judge Clark awarded plaintiffs $7,500,000 in punitive damages noting that Vanderbilt Minerals was a sophisticated defendant in position to know of the dangers associated with the mining operation and would not be financially ruined by such an award.
On June 21, 2023, U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff introduced the Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act (the “Act”) (Senate Bill 2073), which is legislation focused on online experiences of minors. Recently passed by both the House and Senate, the Act soon awaits President Biden’s review. If signed into law, it will impose significant obligations on online gaming and media platforms, particularly those serving users under 17.
A jury in St. Louis, Missouri was recently asked to award over $6 billion in damages against baby formula manufacturers defendants in a lawsuit that alleged the defendants’ specialized infant formulas for premature babies caused the development of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a potentially fatal condition. NEC is a severe gastrointestinal condition that primarily affects premature babies, leading to inflammation and bacterial invasion of the intestine, which can cause significant health issues and lead to death. After three hours of deliberations, the jury found the defendants not liable for Plaintiffs’ product defect, failure to warn and negligence claims.
Released yearly in December, the American Tort Reform (ATR) Foundation publishes its annual “Judicial Hellhole” rankings for the upcoming year. The Hellholes represent the worst of the worst jurisdictions to defend tort lawsuits in the United States. The 2024-2025 Judicial Hellhole rankings crown a new #1 Judicial Hellhole (thanks in large part to a 10-figure nuclear verdict that sealed the crown) and also welcome a new member (King County, Washington) to the ranks.
McGinty v. Zheng, No. A-1368-23, 2024 WL 4248446 (N.J. Super. Ct. App. Div. Sept. 20, 2024)
On March 31, 2022, a lawyer and her husband sustained personal injuries after their rideshare driver ran a red light and collided with another vehicle.[1] The lawyer underwent numerous surgeries and other procedures after sustaining cervical and lumbar spine fractures, rib fractures, a protruding hernia, traumatic injuries to her abdominal wall and pelvic floor, and other physical injuries.[2] She was unable to work for over 12 months after the accident, until April 23, 2023.[3] Her husband sustained a fractured sternum and fractures to his left arm and wrist, for which he underwent an operation and received a bone graft.[4]
The American Tort Reform Foundation (ATR) has published its 2023-2024 Judicial Hellholes Executive Summary. This annual report highlights prominent jurisdictions across the United States known for enabling iniquitous lawsuits, welcoming litigation tourism, and expanding civil liability for defendants across the country.
The recent wave of lawsuits against TikTok by over a dozen states and the District of Columbia[1] marks a significant moment in the ongoing scrutiny of social media platforms and their impact on youth mental health. The lawsuits allege that TikTok’s design and algorithm are intentionally addictive, contributing to various psychological harms among young users.
Over one-third of Americans (36%) now report that they would continue to use products even after a recall, according to recent data collected by MasterControl, a provider of quality management and manufacturing software. The proportion of individuals continuing to use recalled products increases in younger age groups: 45 percent of Millennials (born from 1980 to 1994) and 59 percent of Gen Z (born from 1995 to 2012) admitted they would continue to use at least one kind of recalled product, whereas only 18 percent of Boomers (born 1946 to 1964) and 23 percent of Gen X (born 1965 to 1979) admitted the same.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, in Schaffner v. Monsanto, No. 22-3075 (3rd Cir. 2024), recently held that a state-law duty to warn claim was expressly preempted by the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). To reach the conclusion, the 3rd Circuit diverged from the 9th and 11th Circuits, thus creating a split between circuits and providing an opportunity for the United States Supreme Court to step in and make a definitive ruling on FIFRA preemption. If the Supreme Court were to adopt the 3rd Circuit’s reasoning, FIFRA would preempt any state-law duty to warn claims that were inconsistent with EPA’s approved label for products containing glyphosate.