A fatal bus crash on I-90 in Minnesota killed two women and injured more than a dozen others. According to a report on StarTribune.com, it could be weeks before the cause of the bus accident is known.

According to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, the bus crash occurred about 3:20 p.m about2 miles west of Austin. The bus crossed the median and the westbound lanes. It ended up in the ditch, where it flipped over, landing with the door side down. There was no construction going on in the area of the accident and weather was not a factor. (more…)

A major Hurricane Katrina flooding trial ended with a win for plaintiffs yesterday, as a federal judge ruled that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ failure to properly maintain the Mississippi River Gulf Coast Outlet (known popularly as MRGO) was partly to blame for the flooding that followed the historic storm.

Judge Stanwood R. Duval, Jr’s. landmark decision awarded over $719,000 to four different sets of plaintiffs. However, the ruling could set a precedent for over 400,000 other residents of New Orleans and St. Bernard parish who have filed similar damage claims against the Corps. (more…)

The Chinese drywall crisis, and the litigation surrounding it, is set to enter a new phase this month. With potential plaintiffs in Chinese drywall lawsuits facing an important deadline in a few weeks, a federal judge will soon be scheduling the first lawsuits for trial. And in the coming weeks, federal investigators should know more about the what, if any, safety hazards, the corrosion blamed on Chinese drywall fumes may pose.

By December 2, any Chinese drywall victim whose home was built with wallboard made by Knauf Plasterboard (Tianjin) Co., Ltd. needs to join the omnibus Chinese drywall lawsuit against the company that will be filed on December 9. Knauf has agreed to waive its rights under The Hague Convention for the Service of Process Abroad for homeowners who sign on to this lawsuit by the deadline. The December 2 deadline is a hard deadline, and the omnibus complaint will not be amended at a later date to add more people. Claimants will also face a second deadline – December 14 – by which time they must have filled out a profile form. (more…)

There is progress to report in the Yaz and Yasmin multidistrict litigation (MDL No. 2100) currently underway in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. Judge David Herndon, who is overseeing the Yaz and Yasmin MDL, has appointed members to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee. One of those appointed by Judge Herndon is Andres F. Alonso, Esq., a partner in the law firm of Parker Waichman Alonso LLP.

As we’ve reported previously, Mr. Alonso also serves as Co-Lead Counsel in the Denture Cream Liability Litigation (MDL No. 2051) currently pending before Honorable Judge Cecilia Altonaga in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Miami Division. (more…)

Chinese drywall victims whose homes were built with wallboard manufactured by Knauf Plasterboard (Tianjin) Co., Ltd are just weeks away from a make-or-break deadline. They have until December 2, 2009 to join an omnibus class action lawsuit that will be filed against Knauf on December 9. Knauf has agreed to waive its rights under The Hague Convention for the Service of Process Abroad for homeowners who sign on to this lawsuit by the December 2 deadline.

The December 2 deadline is a hard deadline, and the omnibus complaint will not be amended at a later date to add more people. Claimants will also face a second deadline – December 14 – by which time they must have filled out a profile form. (more…)

Chinese drywall is not a covered peril under homeowners’ insurance polices, according to the Florida Insurance Commissioner. Speaking to state legislators, Kevin McCarty warned that insurers have no obligation to cover defective Chinese drywall.

The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) has received about 1,897 reports from residents in 30 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico concerning Chinese drywall. Gases emitted from Chinese drywall are being blamed for significant property damage, including damage to HVAC systems, smoke detectors, electrical wiring, metal plumbing components, and other household appliances. These gases also produce a sulfurous odor that permeates homes, and cause metals, including air conditioning coils and even jewelry, to corrode. (more…)

Chinese drywall will be on President Barack Obama’s agenda when he makes his first state visit to China, according to one U.S. Senator. According to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Florida, said on Friday that he would like Obama to directly discuss the Chinese drywall issue with Chinese President Hu Jintao, but would consider staff-level discussions of the topic to be satisfactory.

The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) has received about 1,897 reports from residents in 30 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico concerning Chinese drywall. Gases emitted from Chinese drywall are being blamed for significant property damage, including damage to HVAC systems, smoke detectors, electrical wiring, metal plumbing components, and other household appliances. These gases also produce a sulfurous odor that permeates homes, and cause metals, including air conditioning coils and even jewelry, to corrode. (more…)

This year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mandated Bayer—maker of the birth control pill, Yaz—to run a correction to its Yaz marketing that cost some $20-million. Bayer must also submit its ads to the agency for approval resulting from a legal settlement obtained by some state attorneys general and the agency.

Now, Yaz and Yasmin lawsuits originating in New Jersey might be deemed a mass tort. According to Law.com, a Passaic County request is being considered by the judiciary in that state for the mass tort status. (more…)

A significant breakthrough in Chinese drywall litigation was announced this week that will do much to streamline the process for suing a major drywall manufacturer. To take advantage of this one time offer made by Knauf Plasterboard (Tianjin) Co., Ltd., Chinese drywall claimants must sign on to an omnibus class action lawsuit by December 2, 2009.

According to The New Orleans Times- Picayune, Knauf Plasterboard has agreed not to demand that plaintiffs included in that lawsuit abide by international rules in serving legal papers. Under the agreement, the omnibus lawsuit must be filed by December 9. (more…)

We’ve long been saying so, and the issue has made headlines many times in recent months; now PLoS Medicine is writing that ties between Big Pharma and health professionals—are not sufficiently broad, reports Science Daily. In this case, the issue concerns Australian reporting standards; however, the problem has been noted in a variety of global sites, including the United States.

David Henry, from the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences in Toronto, Canada, and colleagues, looked at information released by Medicines Australia, which is that country’s “pharmaceutical industry representative body,” said Science Daily. Since 2007, Medicines Australia has been mandated to report information from “industry-sponsored function and educational event for health professionals,” explained Science Daily. The information must also include the event’s venue, cost, attendees, and “hospitality” provided, but does not require disclosure regarding speaker names, finances transacted between industry and speakers, and the companies’ part in selecting a speaker, noted Science Daily. (more…)