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Ford isn’t liable for ‘take-home’ asbestos 

Published: May 24, 2012

Tags: mesothelioma, product liability, take-home asbestos

Ford Motor Co. isn’t liable for injury allegedly caused by exposure to asbestos carried home on the clothes of independent contractors who worked at one of the auto maker’s plants, the California Court of Appeal has ruled in reversing a $40,000 jury verdict.

Doctor can’t share in fault without proof of malpractice 

Published: May 24, 2012

Tags: comparative fault, medical malpractice, negligence

A personal injury defendant was required prove all the elements of medical malpractice before a non-party doctor could be found comparatively at fault for the plaintiff’s injuries, the California Court of Appeal has ruled in reversing judgment.

Man receives $4 million settlement in police confrontation case 

Published: May 24, 2012

Tags: California, police, warantless entry, wrongful arrest

A 61-year-old Vallejo, Calif. man was awarded more than $4 million in a settlement with the Vallejo Police Department over a five-year-old confrontation that left him with a broken neck, lawyers for both sides said.

$4.1 million settlement reached for pregnant inmates who said they were shackled 

Published: May 24, 2012

Tags: civil rights, Illinois, inmate, pregnancy

Cook County, Ill. officials have agreed to to pay more than $4 million to settle a lawsuit brought by pregnant women who said they were shackled at their hands and feet while they gave birth at the county jail.

Benchmarks: Is ‘shiny floor’ claim enough for slip-and-fall suit? 

Published: May 24, 2012

Tags: negligence, premises liability, slip and fall

Is a slip-and-fall plaintiff’s allegation that a floor was “shiny” sufficient to raise a jury issue as to whether it was safe to walk on? The Rhode Island Supreme Court faced that question last week.

Maureen Habershaw presented the issue in
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Stryker isn’t liable for pain-pump injury 

Published: May 23, 2012

Tags: failure to warn, pain pump, product liability

A medical device manufacturer didn’t violate a duty to warn a patient who allegedly suffered the destruction of cartilage as a result of a pain pump used following shoulder surgery, the 6th Circuit has ruled in affirming a summary judgment.

Injury caused by cell phone use yields $22 million verdict 

By: Ruth Sheehan
Published: May 23, 2012

Tags: car accident, cell phones, Texas

A Texas jury has awarded more than $22 million to a woman injured when her car was broadsided by a station wagon driven by a Coca-Cola marketing employee talking on her cell phone.

Injured trash truck driver awarded $11.4 million 

Published: May 23, 2012

Tags: California, defective design

A federal court jury in San Francisco has awarded $11.4 million in damages to a garbage truck driver whose spine was injured when a front wheel of his truck collapsed and the 55,000-pound vehicle dropped to the ground.

Benchmarks: Select Comfort mold claim gets green light 

Published: May 23, 2012

Tags: design defect, failure to warn, negligence, product liability, strict liability, toxic mold

A federal judge on Monday gave the go ahead to a product liability lawsuit filed by a California woman who claimed she suffered injuries from a mass of toxic mold growing in her Sleep Number mattress.

Police officer’s lawsuit divides town, settles for $1.2 million 

By: Dan McDonald
Published: May 22, 2012

Tags: civil rights violation, emotional distress, Massachusetts, retaliation

At first, attorney Michael Sacco thought he was handling a routine disability claim.

A sole practitioner in Westfield, Mass. who typically represents retirement boards, Sacco quickly found himself knee-deep in a civil rights lawsuit that offered a glimpse into the inner political machinations of a sleepy town and its police department, revealing a sordid mess.