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Case Notes
Recent rulings of interest to you and your practice.
Plug Pulled on Live Video Testimony
Some important factors seem to be impeding a rush toward televised trials. A split decision by a New York appellate court, in the criminal case of <i>People v. Wrotten</i>, amply reflects some of the tensions. While <i>Wrotten</i> is a criminal case, the ramifications of the decision extend to civil litigation and potentially product liability cases. This two-part article will examine those ramifications.
Significant Class Action Win for the Pharmaceutical Industry in Quebec
On Aug. 17, 2009, in <i>Goyette v GlaxoSmithKline, Inc.</i>, Justice the court ruled in favor of the respondent GlaxoSmithKline Inc (GSK), dismissing a motion for authorization to institute a class action made by the petitioner on behalf of all persons residing in Canada who allegedly experienced dependency and withdrawal problems as a result of using the antidepressant Paxil.
Linking Autism Injuries to Childhood Vaccines
Does the Vaccine Act preempt all design defect claims in state and federal court? Parents convinced that their children's autism has been caused by inoculations, and their attorneys, recently achieved a surprising victory on the issue when the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that a plaintiff's design defect claims are not barred by the Vaccine Act's preemption clause.
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Practice Tip: The Expanding World of the Product Liability Litigator
The specialty of product liability legal practice is greatly expanding. Modern day product liability litigators are called upon to litigate cases involving subject matter that is far more complex and varied than years past.
Children's Products
A manufacturer cannot assume that just because its product is in compliance with the CPSIA, the product is also in compliance with California's statutes, or vice versa. Ultimately, only a product-specific analysis can determine whether a product that complies with the CPSIA is also compliant with California's AB 1108 and Proposition 65.
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Overtime Implications of Bonus Plans Under the FLSA
This article discusses both the general rule that bonus payments must be included in the "regular rate" calculation for overtime purposes, and the three most common exceptions to this general rule. It also tests your knowledge of these rules.
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Update on Retaliation Claims
Continuation of an analysis of <i>Kasten v. Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Corp.</i>, wherein the Seventh Circuit held that an employee's strictly oral complaints about allegedly improper wage practices did not implicate the FLSA's prohibition of retaliation against those who have "filed any complaint."
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Damages: A Tax Break for Plaintiffs Raises Interesting Issues
The Third Circuit recently delivered a significant clarification on economic damages in employment matters. In <i>Eshelman v. Agere Systems Inc.</i>, the court held that plaintiffs in employment-discrimination suits may recover for the negative tax consequences of receiving a lump-sum award for back pay.
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Too Much Information?
There is considerable information available in cyberspace ' much of it interesting, some of it damning, and some of it false. Obtaining that information feels risk free and virtually untraceable. However, the universe of employment laws applies to much of what happens when virtual sleuthing yields tangible job consequences.
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MOST POPULAR STORIES
- Use of Deferred Prosecution Agreements In White Collar InvestigationsThis 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.Read More ›
- The DOJ's New Parameters for Evaluating Corporate Compliance ProgramsThe 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.Read More ›
- The DOJ's Corporate Enforcement Policy: One Year LaterThe 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.Read More ›
- Don't Sleep On Prohibitions on the Assignability of LeasesAttorneys advising commercial tenants on commercial lease documents should not sleep on prohibitions or other limitations on their client's rights to assign or transfer their interests in the leasehold estate. Assignment and transfer provisions are just as important as the base rent or any default clauses, especially in the era where tenants are searching for increased flexibility to maneuver in the hybrid working environment where the future of in-person use of real estate remains unclear.Read More ›
- Developments in Distressed LendingRecently, in two separate cases, secured lenders have received, as part of their adequate protection package, the right to obtain principal paydowns during a bankruptcy case.Read More ›
