Before becoming LegalReader's Editor-in-Chief, Jay W. Belle Isle worked as a freelance copywriter with clients on four continents. Jay has a degree in Business Administration from Cleary University and a Juris Doctor from Thomas M. Cooley Law School. Jay has also worked as a contracts administrator for a DOD contractor specializing in vehicle armor.


Breaking News: Parties Reach $300M Settlement in Benicar MDL

Almost two and a half years after the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) created the Benicar MDL, the parties reached a $300M settlement. At issue was whether the manufacturers, Daiichi Sankyo and Forest Laboratories, knew or should have known and failed to warn consumers that Benicar, a popular high blood pressure medication, may cause


Litimetrics: Data + Skill = Winning Combination for Litigators

As the old saying goes, “An army marches on its stomach.” This refers to the importance of making sure one’s people are properly fed and supplied. What about lawyers, that civilian group of warriors busy fighting for justice? The same is true, though in this case, we’re talking about data, not MREs. Enter Litimetrics, “a legal technology engine for attorneys and their clients.”


Takata’s Troubles Keep Piling Up

Takata, the beleaguered airbag company, got hit with a trifecta of bad news this month: the 12th U.S. airbag-related fatality was announced, the reorganization bankruptcy continues with a Special Master managing restitution payments, and yet another 2.7 million airbags were recalled. The problems keep piling up faster than the Japanese auto supplier can deal with them.



Takata Bankruptcy Underway

Airbag manufacturer Takata Corp. filed bankruptcy on June 25 in response to the billions of dollars in liabilities it has incurred over the recall of its dangerous airbag inflators.



Open Letter to FDA Regarding Essure

I just read the response sent to one of the victims of the Essure “permanent” birth control device (response pasted below). Honestly, I understand the use of “canned responses.” However, this is appalling. The FDA is ignoring it’s own mandate to Bayer regarding the new study. Fewer than a dozen participants? So, just how soon is


O, Canada! Celebrate as Essure Pulled from the Market!

Great news from Bayer! While those are words I never thought I’d write they are absolutely true. The Big Pharma giant recently announced that its “permanent” birth control device, Essure, will soon be removed from the Canadian market. Citing dropping sales (of course), Bayer has decided to pull the device from sale and distribution. Canada


Big Pharma Two, Patients Zero: Latest Xarelto Suits

Last week, Big Pharma giants Bayer and Johnson & Johnson scored a victory in the second bellwether trial involving the popular blood thinning drug, Xarelto. A federal jury in New Orleans handed down the verdict clearing the companies of all liability for Sharyn Orr’s 2015 death.