Earlier I wrote about Chrysler-Fiat’s CEO and his less-than-compassionate response during deposition in this case. I’ll bet he regrets that robotic and idiotic stance today. The verdict is in and the jury has awarded the Walden family $150 million dollars. The breakdown is $30M for pain and suffering and $120M for value of Remi Walden’s
Before I begin this analysis, I have to take a brief moment to warn you: What you are about to read is absolutely a current initiative in California. If the recent RFRA debacle in Indiana rubbed you the wrong way, this one is going to walk up to you and punch you in the throat.
President Obama vetoed a bill on Tuesday, March 31st that would have blocked changes in the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) process for organizing and calling for union elections starting April 14th. The 11th-hour bill, which passed along partisan lines, is a response to the NLRB’s December decision to streamline how information is passed from
Cooler heads may prevail in Indiana returning the famous Hoosier hospitality to its former prominence after the recent Religious Freedom Restoration Act sparked national protest. Business, sports and civic leaders were against the divisive RFRA from the beginning fearing it would result in open discrimination of the state’s LGBTQ community and a substantial loss of
The orders from the March JPML panel hearing have been posted, and the JPML issued an order denying a motion by a plaintiff to centralize her case in the Mirena IUD device litigation MDL proceeding in the SDNY. In its order, the JPML indicated that centralization into the pending MDL was denied because the potential
The WPLA is broad in its provisions for recovery with some specific limitations. In general, an individual recovering under the WPLA can recover whatever damages they suffered. The Supreme Court discussed damages under the WPLA in Washington stating, “such damages include “any damages recognized by the courts of this state”. Wash. Water Power Co. v.
Definition of “Defect” It is clear that the Washington Product Liability Act (WPLA) protects people from defective products, but what exactly is a defective product? The WPLA avoids the term “defect.” Instead, the statute imposes liability for harm proximately caused by a product that is “not reasonably safe” in its construction, its design, or its
A recent Wall Street Journal report highlights a dramatic increase in personal communication requirements between bank directors, and the Federal Reserve as well as the Office of the Comptroller of Currency (OCC). Shifting away from ‘light-touch’ oversight, these regulators have changed their approach, meeting with boards of directors of the banks it supervises as often
The fallout from one of the messiest mergers in American history appears to have entered its final stage on Monday, March 30th, when Sprint agreed to pay investors $131 million in a settlement dating back to the beleaguered 2005 Nextel acquisition. Lauded at the time as the creation of a telecom dynasty, technological incompatibility led
The $1.6M verdict in Kaenzig v. Charles B. Chrystal Co. involved a rarely reported on case of mesolthelioma caused by asbestos in cosmetic-grade talc. Typical asbestos cases involve industrial disease aspects. In fact, plaintiff’s counsel in Kaenzig wasn’t aware of any other talc-related verdicts. It’s believed that this case is the first of its kind