On January 23, 2025, in an opinion for City of Annapolis v. BP PLC, et al. and Anne Arundel County, Maryland v. BP PLC, et al., the Circuit Court of Anne Arundel County, Maryland, dismissed two cases brought by the City of...more
Jurisdiction: Calif. Super., Los Angeles Co. - Plaintiff Jose Estrada filed suit alleging exposure to asbestos from a variety of products, including automobile parts during his employment at a tire store. Mr. Estrada was...more
The City of Savannah, Georgia on February 5th filed a Complaint in the Superior Court of Chatham County, Georgia against a number of companies alleging damages related to per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”). See...more
Foley Hoag LLP publishes this quarterly Update primarily concerning developments in product liability and related law from federal and state courts applicable to Massachusetts, but also featuring selected developments for New...more
Women across the country are taking legal action against Pfizer, the manufacturer of Depo-Provera, alleging that the company failed to warn about the risks of developing meningiomas — generally non-cancerous but potentially...more
For the first time in nearly 40 years, an asbestos case was tried to verdict in Rhode Island. This case, The Estate of Bonnie Bonito, resulted in a full defense verdict!...more
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...more
In Pelton v Maytag, 2024 ONSC 3016 (“Pelton”) the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (the “Court”) ruled that the defendant manufacturers were not liable for failing to warn consumers that the product could fail because of a...more
Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco - Plaintiff Lisa Castillo filed an action in the San Francisco, California Superior Court alleging that her husband, Abraham Castillo, died of mesothelioma as a result of...more
The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (“Second Circuit”) addressed in an August 24th Opinion whether the federal Hazardous Materials Transportation Act (“HMTA”) preempted certain state tort law claims in...more
You can’t judge a book by its cover, but you can hold the publisher liable for the packaging. In its recently issued opinion, Johnson v. Edward Orton, Jr. Ceramic Foundation, 71 F.4th 601 (7th Cir. 2023), the Seventh Circuit...more
Can a company be found liable for failure to warn about hazards of another company’s product used in packaging for its own product? What about when the company wasn’t warned that packaging could contain anything potentially...more
From pharmaceuticals to toothpaste, preemption to public health, New York state and federal courts issued decisions in 2022 that further shaped the landscape in the medical and life sciences legal world. To prepare the best...more
In what has been earmarked as the largest government enforcement PFAS action to date, California’s attorney general last month filed an historic lawsuit against more than a dozen per-and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS)...more
Does Arkansas law recognize a cause of action for failure to warn? Yes. Failure to warn claims may be applicable against both manufacturers and suppliers. A manufacturer of a product has a duty to give a reasonable and...more
Medications containing Acetaminophen are one of the most commonly used pain relievers worldwide. The chemical compound is an active ingredient in over 600 medicines. For most people, Acetaminophen is benign and can be used to...more
It is axiomatic that a plaintiff must offer evidentiary support for each element of her claim in order to survive summary judgment. And a ubiquitous feature of product liability actions is the use of expert witnesses by both...more
Last week, we highlighted a wave of litigation targeting underwear manufacturers. This week, litigation activity is now focusing on outerwear. On April 25, 2022, the same firm behind several of the underwear complaints...more
Product liability case law in 2021 brought clarity to certain causes of action that often form the basis of product liability claims. In particular, Ontario courts considered new duty of care categories arising within the...more
In August 2018, the Province of British Columbia (Province) commenced a class action on behalf of itself and other provincial and federal governments against approximately 50 pharmaceutical manufacturers, wholesalers, and...more
Massachusetts federal and state courts issued several important product liability decisions in 2021. Nutter’s Product Liability practice group reviewed these cases and report on their significant holdings as follows...more
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in a May 10 Opinion and Order (“Opinion”) addressed a negligence claim against a Waste Transfer Station (“Landfill”) operator. See Buchanan v. Santek Env’t...more
Although “faulty” doesn’t necessarily mean “defective” or “dangerous,” product liability law does indeed hold manufacturers and others liable for producing dangerous products that cause injury. Product liability claims in...more