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Features

False Advertising: Eleventh Circuit Makes It Harder for Franchisees to Bring Cases Against Franchisors

Eric Schroeder

In a battle of fast food restaurants, a local Florida Burger King franchisee sued McDonald's for false advertising, only to have the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals rule that the franchisee could not show that it had standing to bring its claim, despite the fact that the franchisee directly competed against McDonald's restaurants. The ruling highlights a split in the circuit courts that may have to be resolved by the Supreme Court, as the ruling differs from the law of other circuits that generally have allowed 'direct competitors' of the advertiser to sue for false advertising as long as they allege they have been injured by the ad.

Features

Contacting Class Members Before and After Class Certification: The ABA's View

Brent R. Austin, David M. Simon, & Nancy F. Afrasiabi

A question often faced by counsel in a class action is whether to contact absent class members. Pre-certification communications, for example, can be valuable to develop a more complete evidentiary record on the issue of whether a class should be certified in the first place. Courts have not always agreed whether therules of professional conduct permit these communications. American Bar Association Formal Opinion 07-445, issued in April 2007, supports the view that the rules of professional conduct permit these valuable communications before a class is certified.

Practice Tip: 'Quintessential Expert for Hire' -- Sixth Circuit Upholds Greater Rigor in Evaluation

Victoria Lockard & Josh Becker

While it is too early to determine the long-term impact of the Sixth Circuits ruling in <i>Johnson v. Manitowoc Boom Trucks, Inc.,</i> it does suggest that courts are increasingly willing to assert their gatekeeping role when considering the growing number of experts who are willing to testify regarding a broad range of unrelated products.

Will Metal Bats Make a Hit? Product Liability and the Legislation of Baseball

Alan D. Kaplan & LisaMarie Collins

Recent attempts to ban the use of non-wood baseball bats, based on the perception that they may have changed the game and increased the potential for injury, have gained more steam and publicity. Proponents of a ban appear to be more prone to raise the issue in legislative forums where strict product liability standards are not necessarily controlling.

The Leasing Hotline

ALM Staff & Law Journal Newsletters

Highlights of the latest commercial leasing cases from around the country.

Features

How Much Control? Municipalities and Real Property Matters

Carole Laude Pechi

Part One of this series discussed the origin of the authority to make property use regulations and an increasing trend by municipalities to regulate aesthetics and use through the development of 'chronic nuisance' statutes that permit property closure and regulation of vacant properties. This second installment discusses the manner in which the Chicago Municipal Code functions.

Features

Movers & Shakers

ALM Staff & Law Journal Newsletters

News about lawyers and law firms in the product liability field.

Case Notes

ALM Staff & Law Journal Newsletters

Highlights of the latest product liability cases from around the country.

Features

Question of Law on Bystander Recovery Sent to PA High Court

Amaris Elliott-Engel

In the rare exercise of a mechanism that the federal courts may use to consult state courts about purely state questions of law, the Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has asked the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to address the permissible scope of bystander recovery under Pennsylvania's product liability law for a little girl whose left foot was mangled by a lawn mower driven by her grandfather.

Separate NY Arbitration on Adjustments to Historic Tobacco Settlement

Daniel Wise

New York State Supreme Court Justice Charles E. Ramos of Manhattan has set the framework under which New York State's entitlement to approximately $800 million a year from the tobacco industry will be tested.

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