In The Courts
BP Wants Ruling On Size Of Gulf Oil Spill
January 14, 2013 11:20 am | by Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press | News | CommentsA court filing by London-based BP PLC says workers captured more than 34 million gallons — 810,000 barrels — of crude and either burned it or shipped it to shore before it could enter the Gulf waters. The company asked U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier to rule that the collected oil can't be counted in calculating the company's Clean Water Act penalties.
Eli Lilly Settles Pregnancy Drug-Cancer Case
January 10, 2013 7:50 am | by Denise Lavoie, Associated Press | News | CommentsEli Lilly and Co. has settled a lawsuit brought by four sisters who contended their breast cancer was caused by a drug their mother took during pregnancy in the 1950s, a move some believe could trigger financial settlements in scores of other claims brought by women around the country.
Women Claim Pregnancy Drug Caused Cancer
January 8, 2013 1:51 pm | by Denise Lavoie, AP Legal Affairs Writer | News | CommentsEli Lilly and Co. failed to test a drug's effect on fetuses before promoting it as a way to prevent miscarriages, a lawyer charged Tuesday in opening statements in a trial over whether four sisters' breast cancer was caused by medication their mother took during pregnancy.
Spaceport Wants Protection From Tourist Lawsuits
January 7, 2013 11:45 am | by Jeri Clausing, Associated Press | News | CommentsSpaceport America officials are urging legislators to limit potential lawsuits from wealthy outer space tourists who take off from New Mexico, saying such a bill is crucial to the future of the project. Legal experts, however, say there is no way to know whether the so-called informed consent laws will offer any protection to spacecraft operators and suppliers in the event something goes wrong.
Appeals Court Faults EPA For Soot Regulation
January 4, 2013 2:31 pm | by Frederic J. Frommer, Associated Press | News | CommentsAn appeals court is siding with environmental groups that had challenged Environmental Protection Agency regulations on soot as too weak. The three-judge panel ruled Friday that the EPA regulated soot of a certain size under weaker cleanup requirements than it should have.
FTC: Google To License Patents In Antitrust Case
January 3, 2013 1:37 pm | News | CommentsGoogle is agreeing to license certain patents to mobile phone rivals and stop a practice of including snippets from other websites in its search results as part of a settlement to end a 20-month investigation into the search leader's business practices, the Federal Trade Commission said Thursday.
Judge Allows Ohio GM Workers To Sue Over Back Pay
January 3, 2013 1:03 pm | by John Seewer, Associated Press | News | CommentsA federal judge says General Motors workers in northeast Ohio can move forward with a lawsuit against the automaker and the United Auto Workers. The union's request to dismiss the lawsuit was turned down late last week. Nearly 30 workers at GM's Lordstown factory say they were improperly classified as temporary employees after losing their jobs and then being rehired.
Inmates Seek $1B From Beer Companies
January 2, 2013 11:37 am | News | CommentsFive inmates at the Idaho State Correctional Institution south of Boise are suing a handful of major beer and wine companies, contending that alcohol led to their crimes and that they should have been warned that the beverages can be addictive.
Marvell Plans To Fight $1.17B Ruling Against It
December 28, 2012 7:46 am | News | CommentsMarvell Technology Group Ltd. said Thursday that it plans to fight a jury's verdict against it in a patent case brought by Carnegie Mellon University, which was awarded $1.17 billion in damages from the chip-maker. The verdict follows a lawsuit filed by the Pittsburgh university in 2009 over patents related to a type of "noise predictive detection" that is used to detect data stored on a hard-disk drive.
$1B Deal Major Step In Toyota Legal Trouble
December 27, 2012 7:51 am | by Greg Risling, Associated Press | News | CommentsWith a proposed payout of more than $1 billion, one major chapter of a nearly four-year legal saga that left Toyota Motor Corp. fighting hundreds of lawsuits and struggling with a tarnished image has ended, though another chapter for the Japanese auto maker remains.
Samsung Drops Apple Injunction Bids In Europe
December 18, 2012 12:13 pm | News | CommentsSamsung said it has withdrawn its requests to have sales of certain Apple products banned in Europe, though it is still pursuing lawsuits over technology licenses. The two companies are waging a legal battle on multiple fronts and across the world as they jostle for dominance in the more than $100 billion global smartphone market.
Judge Denies Apple Request To Ban Samsung Phones
December 18, 2012 7:56 am | by Paul Elias, Associated Press | News | CommentsA federal judge late Monday rejected Apple Inc.'s demands that its chief rival in the more than $100 billion global smartphone market cease selling models a jury recently found illegally used Apple technology. The immediate impact of the ruling means that Samsung can continue to sell three of the older-generation smartphones still on U.S. shelves.
Court Upholds Conviction In Mine Explosion
December 14, 2012 1:23 pm | News | CommentsAn appeals court has upheld the conviction of a former security chief convicted of lying to investigators after the 2010 explosion that killed 29 miners at West Virginia's Upper Big Branch mine. Hughie Elbert Stover claimed there was no evidence he knowingly lied when he told investigators that miners weren't alerted whenever inspectors arrived.
Ill. Judge Rejects Bid To Revive Cigarette Lawsuit
December 13, 2012 12:46 pm | by Jim Suhr, Associated Press | News | CommentsAn Illinois judge has refused to reopen a class-action lawsuit that produced a $10.1 billion verdict against cigarette-maker Philip Morris, handing the plaintiffs their latest setback in legal action now more than a decade old. It was not immediately clear whether the attorney who pursued the lawsuit involving so-called "light" and "low tar" cigarettes, would appeal Madison County Circuit Judge Dennis Ruth's ruling.
Dozens Sue Pharmacy, But Compensation Uncertain
December 13, 2012 4:51 am | by Kristin M. Hall, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe lawsuits allege that NECC negligently produced a defective and dangerous product and seek millions to repay families for the death of spouses, physically painful recoveries, lost wages and mental and emotional suffering. Thirty-seven people have died in the outbreak.
Ex-BPI Worker Sues Over 'Pink Slime'
December 12, 2012 10:53 pm | by Kristi Eaton, Associated Press | News | CommentsA former worker at a South Dakota beef processor is suing ABC News, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and a food blogger, saying their use of the phrase "pink slime" to describe one of the company's products led to him losing his job. Bruce Smith, 58, is among about 750 people who were laid off at Beef Products Inc. in the wake of what the company called a misinformation campaign.
BP Rig Supervisors Seek Trial Delay
December 12, 2012 11:02 am | News | CommentsTwo BP rig supervisors have asked a federal judge to postpone their trial on manslaughter charges in the April 2010 deaths of 11 workers. Their trial is set to begin Feb. 5. In a court filing Tuesday, attorneys for BP well site leaders Robert Kaluza and Donald Vidrine ask for more time to prepare.
Supreme Court To Review Drug Makers' Settlements
December 10, 2012 9:05 am | by Mark Sherman, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Supreme Court will take a close look at payments from brand-name drug makers to manufacturers of generic equivalents to keep the no-name products off the market at an estimated cost of $3.5 billion a year to consumers. The justices will consider competing appeals court decisions about whether the practice known as reverse payments or "pay for delay" illegally reduces competition.
The Patent Office: Innovation Eliminator
December 6, 2012 1:13 pm | by Chris Fox, Associate Editor, PD&D | Blogs | CommentsPatent lawsuits happen all the time, and it is rare that they blow up to anything huge for either side, other than some bragging rights and some lawyer’s paychecks (see Samsung versus Apple for a counterpoint).This patent issue has the potential to dictate a bright or dismal future for crowdsource funding websites, and, in turn, the potential of small, low capitol start-ups.
Tech Titans Renew Legal Battle Over Smartphones
December 6, 2012 7:38 am | by Paul Elias, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe epic $1 billion patent fight between the world's top two smartphone makers resumes Thursday in a federal courtroom when Apple and Samsung again square off over rights to vital technology. The case is ultimately expected to land before the U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals, the Washington, D.C.-based court that decides patent disputes, if not the U.S. Supreme Court.
Canadian Judge Hears $19B Ecuador Lawsuit Case
November 30, 2012 8:35 am | by Charmaine Noronha, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe award to the villagers was made in Ecuador for black sludge contamination of a rainforest between 1972 and 1990 by Texaco, which Chevron Corp. bought in 2001. U.S.-based Chevron Corp. maintains it won't pay because it says Texaco dealt with the problem before it was bought.
Court Overturns Supersonic Jet Crash Conviction
November 29, 2012 10:29 am | by Greg Keller, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsA French court overturned the conviction of Continental Airlines and its mechanic in the crash of a Concorde that helped lead to the demise of the whole supersonic jet's program. The court ruled that the mechanic's mistakes did not rise to the level of legal responsibility for the deaths.
3 BP Employees Arraigned On Gulf Oil Spill Charges
November 29, 2012 8:16 am | by Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press | News | CommentsTwo BP rig supervisors and a former BP executive pleaded not guilty to criminal charges stemming from the deadly Deepwater Horizon rig explosion and the company's response to the massive 2010 spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Kaluza and Vidrine are charged with manslaughter in the deaths of 11 rig workers.
Cadence, Perrigo Settle Patent Dispute
November 29, 2012 8:06 am | News | CommentsCadence Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Wednesday that it settled a patent dispute with Perrigo Co. on its only marketed drug, the fever and pain treatment Ofirmev. Under the settlement Perrigo Co. can start selling a generic version of Ofirmev starting Dec. 6, 2020. That's six months before the last patents supporting the drug expire.
Nokia Sues RIM For Breach Of Contract
November 28, 2012 11:40 am | News | CommentsNokia Corp. is suing Research In Motion, the maker of the BlackBerry, for breach of contract in Britain, the United States and Canada over cellular patents the two companies agreed on nine years ago. The struggling Finnish cellphone maker said Wednesday that it agreed with RIM in 2003 on a "cross-license for standards-essential cellular patents," amended in 2008.
