Personal Injury Roundup No. 38 (5/29/08)

On this day in 1953, Edmund Hillary conquered Mt. Everest.   On to this week's news in the world of torts:

Reform, Legislation, Policy

• FDA proposes new direct-to-consumer advertising guidelines.  (Life Sciences Legal Update)
• House bill strengthens FDA's watch over food supply.  (WaPo)
• White House launches "President's Food Safety Working Group" website. 
• Oklahoma Governor signs tort reform bill; changes take effect Nov. 1st. (TortsProf) 
• Louisiana rejects med mal limits on suits against nursing homes.  (TortsProf)
• FDA urges tougher acetaminophen warning.  (ABC News, US News)
• Senate holds hearing on Chinese dry wall. (Mass Tort Defense)

New Lawsuits

• Connecticut law firm sues Google over sale of firm name as ad-word.  (Am Law Daily, CT Law Tribune) 
• Photographer sues Chris Brown over alleged assault.  (TMZ)
• Three more suits concerning the antibiotic Levaquin filed in New Jersey; cases are being considered for mass tort status.  (About Lawsuits)
• Realtors sue CSI writer for defamation.  (Turley)

Trials, Settlements and Other Ends

• Florida librarian voluntarily dismissesnegligence suit against Facebook for its alleged failure to protect users from viruses.  (CNET)
• Lawyer opposes Nigerian settlement with Pfizer.  (Mass Torts Profs)
• NY Appellate Division stays malpractice action against Greenberg Traurig.  (ABA Journal)
• Absent a weekend settlement, jury selection will begin Tuesday in Alien Tort Claims Act case against Royal Dutch/Shell.  (NY Law Journal/law.com)

Damages

• SCOTUS denies review of 5 to 1 punitive damages case against Chrysler for defective design of the car seats.  (Cal Punitive Damages, Life Sciences Legal Update)

Appeals    

• Oklahoma Supreme Court holds that Walgreen worker can sue employer's worker's
  comp insurer for bad faith (Business Ins)
• NY Appellate Division finds expert skier assumed risk.  (Overlawyered)  But same court finds bicycling is leisure activity (not a sport) and therefore  assumption-of-the-risk does not apply.  (NY Law Journal/law.com)

 - SBS