Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.

The Expansion of Product Liability Theory

By Daniel J. Herling
April 26, 2007

Depending on the source cited, California's expanding economy ranks in size, worldwide, anywhere between six and 10, if California were a country in and of itself. (www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/economyofCalifornia#endnote_worldranking) California's position as a stand-alone economy may be matched as a stand-alone jurisdiction if recent appellate and trial court decisions permitting the expansion of the product liability theory to claims of environmental damage are upheld.

After a 78-day trial, on June 13, 2006, a San Francisco jury found against chemical manufacturing defendants The Dow Chemical Company and Vulcan Materials, and awarded a verdict of approximately $175 million. The trial judge subsequently reduced the verdict to $13 million but refused to grant a motion for a new trial. City of Modesto v. Vulcan Materials, The Dow Chemical Company Co., et al., City and County of San Francisco, Superior Court action number CGC-98-999345 (complaint filed Nov. 18, 1998).

Read These Next
The DOJ's Corporate Enforcement Policy: One Year Later Image

The DOJ's Criminal Division issued three declinations since the issuance of the revised CEP a year ago. Review of these cases gives insight into DOJ's implementation of the new policy in practice.

The DOJ's New Parameters for Evaluating Corporate Compliance Programs Image

The parameters set forth in the DOJ's memorandum have implications not only for the government's evaluation of compliance programs in the context of criminal charging decisions, but also for how defense counsel structure their conference-room advocacy seeking declinations or lesser sanctions in both criminal and civil investigations.

Use of Deferred Prosecution Agreements In White Collar Investigations Image

This article discusses the practical and policy reasons for the use of DPAs and NPAs in white-collar criminal investigations, and considers the NDAA's new reporting provision and its relationship with other efforts to enhance transparency in DOJ decision-making.

Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the Rough Image

There is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.

A Lawyer's System for Active Reading Image

Active reading comprises many daily tasks lawyers engage in, including highlighting, annotating, note taking, comparing and searching texts. It demands more than flipping or turning pages.