Legal News Articles & Interviews

Sacramento, CA California has become the nation’s employment law trendsetter. California Legislature passed, and Gov. Gavin Newsom signed, a number of new or amended California employment laws that take effect January 2024 that could impact the business and the culture of the workplace. And they can make a difference to Californians’ lives, from cannabis users to employees who have suffered a “reproductive loss event”, from miscarriage to failed adoption. 

Seattle, WA In Wilmuth v. Amazon, three professional research team leaders filed a proposed class and collective lawsuit against Amazon.com, Inc. for its established practice of paying women less than men for similar work. It’s the usual gross, dreary, demeaning stuff that women deal with at work. But the Amazon researchers also claim that the company retaliated against them for raising the issue of gender pay discrimination. The retaliation they describe may amount to a form of wrongful termination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Philadelphia, PA After Bayer lost the last four Roundup trials--breaking its nine-trial winning streak, the outcome of the trial underway in Philadelphia is crucial to its investors, and to about 50,000 Roundup lawsuits it currently faces. Bayer likely rues the day in 2018 when it bought Monsanto for $63 billion.

Santa Clara, CA Bayada Home Health Care agreed to settle for $700,000 a minimum wage and overtime lawsuit brought by a group of client service managers. The home health care provider told a New Jersey federal court that the settlement finally puts an end to six years of litigation and the workers concurred, saying that the 63 workers could lose out on any recovery should the case continue – a case that has already gone to trial once.

Jacksonville, N.C November has been a big month for Camp Lejeune attorneys. Litigation is on track – literally. Discovery is divided into two tracks of five illnesses each and the first lawsuits are slated for 2024. The first government settlements have finally been accepted and Reuters reported an unpublished study finding elevated Camp Lejeune cancer rates at the U.S. military base, which could result in even more Camp Lejeune lawsuits.

Atlanta, GA Since attorney Kirk Pope filed in federal court an Exactech class-action lawsuit against the orthopedic device manufacturer alleging its hip implant is defective, his civil litigation law firm Pope McGlamry is working with more clients who have had their Exactech hip recalled. “I have several clients who needed revision surgery—they have suffered terribly due to Exactech’s failure,” says attorney Pope. Their defective hip implant lawsuits claim that the Exactech implant used during a routine total hip arthroplasty surgery was defectively designed, manufactured, marketed, and sold by Exactech.

Santa Clara, CA Pressure cooker retailers and distributors are literally under pressure to settle defective pressure cooker lawsuits. “We have successfully gone after the retailers and distributors here in the U.S. because the manufacturers in China are hard to reach,” says attorney Kirk Pope at Pope McGlamry law firm. “They all settle out of court, and most of them very quickly. Not one of our pressure cooker lawsuits has gone to trial, mainly because the defendants don’t want to expose the issue.”

Santa Clara, CA Li-ion-powered devices are relatively safe but lithium-ion batteries have become ubiquitous. They are the power source for so many electronic devices, not just smartphones and laptops. They’re in kids’ toys and medical devices, electric cars and e-bikes and even e-cigarettes. Because they have become so common, however, incidents involving lithium-ion battery fires have increased. Attorney Kirk Pope knows first-hand from his clients that these batteries can cause serious burn injuries and even death. Pope McGlamry law firm is focused on holding the manufacturers of lithium-ion batteries and the devices that use them accountable for that harm.

Charleston, SCOn September 13, Marye Smith filed a perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina. Smith v. 3M Company alleges that Ms. Smith developed ulcerative colitis because of years of exposure to toxic PFAS in drinking water contaminated with aqueous firefighting foam.  

Santa Clara, CA In the third hernia mesh bellwether trial in multidistrict litigation, C.R. Bard and Davol Inc. were ordered by a federal jury to pay $500,00 to a Maine man who claimed his hernia mesh caused pain and other complications. The jurors found the company liable for failure to warn, strict liability, and negligence but Bard was off the hook for any punitive damages.