Louisiana Federal Judge Dramatically Reduces $9 Billion Punitive Damage Award To $37 Million
Posted on Oct 30, 2014 in Product Liability | Comments Off on Louisiana Federal Judge Dramatically Reduces $9 Billion Punitive Damage Award To $37 Million
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Rebecca Doherty (Western District of Louisiana) cut a total punitive damage award from $9 billion to $36.875 million, an award 244 times smaller than the jury had determined. The case involved the first trial in an MDL involving the potentially unsafe effects of a diabetes drug. Throughout the lengthy almost 200-page opinion, Judge Doherty expresses her...
Consumer Product Safety Commission Announces $4.3 Million Settlement With Mini-Bike/Go-Cart Manufacturer
Posted on Oct 29, 2014 in Construction, Product Liability | Comments Off on Consumer Product Safety Commission Announces $4.3 Million Settlement With Mini-Bike/Go-Cart Manufacturer
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced yesterday that it reached a settlement with the manufacturer of mini-bikes and go-carts for $4.3 million after the manufacturer failed to immediately report to the CPSC alleged defects and an unreasonable risk of serious injury involving eleven of the company’s models. The CPSC had alleged that the gas cap could leak or...
Contractor’s Employee Wins $21.7 Million Verdict From Power Company Following Workplace Injury
Posted on Oct 28, 2014 in Product Liability | Comments Off on Contractor’s Employee Wins $21.7 Million Verdict From Power Company Following Workplace Injury
A construction company’s worker who was paralyzed from the neck down while working on scaffolding at a power company’s electrical substation received a $21.7 million verdict last week from a Maryland jury. The judge trimmed the original $36 million award to $21.7 million because non-economic damages under Maryland law are capped at $770,000. The central claim in the suit was for...
Wisconsin Federal Court Allows Plaintiff’s Expert To Testify In Portable Heater Explosion Case
Posted on Oct 24, 2014 in Investigations, Product Liability | Comments Off on Wisconsin Federal Court Allows Plaintiff’s Expert To Testify In Portable Heater Explosion Case
Following injuries caused by an exploding tire on a portable heater, a worker brought suit against the company that supplied the portable heater to his employer. The defendant moved to exclude the plaintiff’s sole liability expert, who opined that the catastrophic nature of the failure mode could have been prevented by using larger nuts and bolts, larger washers or rectangular ones,...
California Appellate Court Affirms $24 Million Damage Award In Asbestos Case
Posted on Oct 24, 2014 in Product Liability | Comments Off on California Appellate Court Affirms $24 Million Damage Award In Asbestos Case
Earlier this week, the Court of Appeal of California affirmed a Los Angeles jury’s award against an asbestos supplier for $6 million in compensatory damages and $18 million in punitive damages. The case concerned the fault for a builder’s mesothelioma and his wife’s loss of consortium. Originally, the jury awarded $30 million in compensatory damages but the trial judge reduced that...
Injured Worker’s Claims Alleging Defective Conveyor System Barred By Michigan Statute Of Repose
Posted on Oct 22, 2014 in Construction, Product Liability | Comments Off on Injured Worker’s Claims Alleging Defective Conveyor System Barred By Michigan Statute Of Repose
A worker for a company in the business of designing and manufacturing corrugated box packaging was injured while off-loading a stack of corrugated material from one conveyor to another when allegedly being crushed by an automated transfer car. He brought suit against the transfer car manufacturer alleging that because of the absence of various safety precautions, the transfer car...
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