Recent Cases

Drugs

• Brand-name drug manufacturers may be liable for consumers' off-label use of generic equivalent
• Failure to adequately warn of Accutane's risks
• Claim against antidepressant manufacturer fails under learned intermediary doctrine

Household Products & Equipment

• Defective design of gas range

Industrial Products & Equipment

• Inadequate warning of dangers posed by asbestos insulation on valves, steam traps, power cable
• Lack of stationary guard between conveyors
• Failure to warn of asbestos dangers in automotive brake parts, clutches
• Trial court erred in excluding expert testing on later-model product by same manufacturer
• Bystander asbestos exposure by oil refinery worker

Medical Products & Equipment

• Estate of vaccine claimant who died during suit could recover death benefits, predeath injury damages
• Experimental device recipient's signing of release did not establish his primary assumption of risk

Tobacco Products

• Oregon rejects smokers' medical monitoring claim

Transportation

• Lack of stiffer padding under car's passenger seat
• Judge may have erred in striking plaintiff's tardy disclosures where defense produced evidence late
• Insufficient roof strength in SUV
• Court did not err in ordering production of crash tests, sanctioning defendant for noncompliance
• Court erred in barring warning-related testimony by expert who admitted he was not warnings expert

In this Issue

• News and Agency Actions: Concerns about bisphenol A exposure lead to Canadian ban, U.S. companies halting production
• News and Agency Actions: Manufacturers' attempts to seal evidence of tires' defects fail
• News and Agency Actions: Wrongful death lawsuit relating to contaminated heparin filed against drug manufacturer
• Articles
• Updates