Legal Headlines

Personal Injury

February 28, 2008
A six-member jury in Superior Court in Bergen County, New Jersey, ruled on Feb. 26 to award the family of Mark Buttitta a settlement of $30.3 million. The judgment is one of the largest ever in asbestos litigation in the state. Buttitta died of mesothelioma just before Christmas 2002, at age 50, after being diagnosed in 2001.



Pharmaceutical

BAXTER | February 28, 2008
DEERFIELD, Ill.,  - Baxter International Inc. announced today that the company is proceeding with the voluntary recall of all remaining lots and doses of its heparin sodium injection multi-dose, single-dose vials and HEP-LOCK heparin flush products.




Pharmaceutical

THE NEW JERSEY STAR-LEDGER | February 25, 2008

When Pfizer's anti-smoking pill Chantix came on the market 18 months ago, it was touted as more effective than existing treatments at helping break the deadly nicotine addiction. But the widespread use of the drug has led to unexpected side effects, possibly including suicidal behavior, raising concerns at the Food and Drug Administration and within the medical and smoking treatment communities.




Environmental

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | February 22, 2008
A jury on Friday determined that Monsanto Co. polluted an Alabama town with PCBs, a verdict that sets the stage for more trials on claims that the contamination harmed the




Consumer Fraud

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | February 21, 2008

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A state court jury has awarded Alabama $215 million in its Medicaid drug price fraud suit against a British pharmaceutical firm.




Consumer Fraud

REUTERS | February 21, 2008

AstraZeneca Plc said on Thursday it would appeal a jury ruling that it pay $215 million in damages, in an Alabama lawsuit related to drug pricing under the Medicaid health program for the needy.




Pharmaceutical

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL | February 21, 2008

Heparin sold by Baxter International in the U.S. has recently been associated with hundreds of adverse reactions and a few deaths. Scientific Protein Laboratories, Baxter's main supplier of the active ingredient in the blood thinner, says that the Yuan Intestine & Casing Factory isn't in its company's supply chain.




Personal Injury

KSBY 6 ACTION NEWS | February 13, 2008
The off-road vehicle a Paso Robles child was driving when she was killed Thanksgiving Day is the subject of lawsuits nationwide.



Consumer Fraud

DEFAULT SERVICING NEWS | February 7, 2008
Another class-action lawsuit related to issues regarding the disclosure of subprime debt obligations surfaced this week when the law firm of Chitwood, Harley, Harnes LLP filed against certain mutual funds offered by Morgan Keegan Select Fund Inc.



Consumer Fraud

INDIANAPOLIS BUSINESS JOURNAL | February 7, 2008
Indianapolis-based CountryMark Cooperative is suing its investment adviser, Morgan Keegan & Co., for directing the farmer-owned co-op toward a $10 million investment in mortgage-backed securities, including subprime.