Consumer Fraud Legal News Articles & Interviews

Santa Clara, CA Coronavirus and e-cigarette use have one thing in common: they harm the lungs. And as of March 2020, hundreds of Juul e-cigarette lawsuits have been combined in a California federal court, with many more complaints expected.

Washington, DC Effective February 6, a change in FDA policy banned sales of fruit, mint and dessert-flavored vape pods that were reportedly intended to attract teens. The effectiveness of this ban in protecting young consumers from e-cigarette health hazards remains in doubt, however. The ban does not affect menthol or tobacco-flavored pods, open-tank systems and thousands of flavored e-liquids not in pod form, including a disposable brand called Puff Bar that comes in flavors such as strawberry, cool mint and mango.

San Diego, CA On December 2, the Southern District of California granted preliminary approval to the settlement of a class action lawsuit that shone a light on the real cost of Target’s Red Card purchases for thousands of Target shoppers since 2012. The store-branded payment card permitted Target to charge Returned Payment Fees (RPFs) of $20 to $40 in addition to multiple bank overdraft fees on purchases for which there were insufficient funds in a customer’s account.

Los Angeles, CA Along with cities and states nationwide hitting the electronic-cigarette manufacturer Juul with tougher restrictions, the L.A. Unified School District and other school systems have slammed the vaping giant with class action lawsuits claiming toxic vapes from e-cigarettes are health hazards and could be killing their kids.

Washington, DC For the first time ever, Johnson & Johnson recalled its baby powder (specifically single lot #22318RB, comprising 33,000 bottles) after the FDA announced trace levels of asbestos were found—purchased from an online retailer. J&J said it is working with the FDA to determine whether the product tested is authentic, counterfeit, or whether cross-contamination of the sample caused a false positive. And it also shows how the FDA lacks the ability to test consumer talc products.

Oakland, CAThere’s a dispute during the recent Roundup hearing: Monsanto has asked a California judge to depose cancer patients’ treating physicians first, but  plaintiffs’ attorney argues that will put his clients at an “extreme disadvantage”.

Philadelphia, PA: One of thousands of Risperdal cases pending in the Philadelphia court system has resulted in a whopping $8 billion in damages awarded to a single plaintiff who claimed he developed breasts, a condition known as gynecomastia. Plaintiff Nicholas Murray’s lawyers told the jury following the verdict that, “Johnson and Johnson is a company which has lost its way.”

St Louis, MO: About 18,400 Monsanto glyphosate lawsuits alleging Roundup cancer are bound to put a large dent into the $63 billion that Bayer bought St. Louis-based Monsanto for last year. While Bayer knew it inherited the Roundup lawsuits, one plaintiff attorney believes the German pharmaceutical company wasn’t anticipating the high cost of losing.

Torrance, CA: To date, Johnson and Johnson has lost 14 talcum powder lawsuits (and is appealing most of those), has won seven cases, and five mesothelioma cases have resulted in hung juries and mistrials. The pharma giant is still facing over 14,000 lawsuits alleging its baby powder contained asbestos talc and caused cancer. Two California juries in October, however, rejected allegations that J&J’s talc contained asbestos and caused mesothelioma.

Washington, DC: A recent survey by Consumer Reports confirms that most Americans want automakers -- not only Ford-- to improve and increase fuel economy on every type of vehicle.