Articles by Tom Hals

Norwegian Cruise Line Goes to Court to Block Florida’s Vaccine Passport Ban

Norwegian Cruise Line heads to federal court on Friday in a battle that pits the company’s plan for returning to the seas against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s vow to oppose COVID-19 “vaccine passports.” The court battle comes as big business …

Jury in Talcum Powder Trial Finds J&J Not to Blame for Woman’s Death

An Illinois jury on Friday refused to hold Johnson & Johnson liable for a woman’s death from ovarian cancer, which her family blamed on decades of using its talc-based powders. Relatives of the late Elizabeth Driscoll had sought up to …

Gunmaker Remington Offers $33M to Sandy Hook School Shooting Victims’ Families

Remington Arms Co. on Tuesday offered to pay nearly $33 million to nine families to settle lawsuits claiming that its marketing of firearms contributed to the 2012 Sandy Hook school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, where 26 people died. The proposed …

What Drug Companies Have Paid to Settle Claims Over U.S. Opioid Crisis

State attorneys general on Wednesday unveiled a $26 billion settlement with the three largest U.S. drug distributors and Johnson & Johnson to resolve thousands of lawsuits by states and local governments over the companies’ role in the country’s opioid painkiller …

Condo Collapse: Everyone Will Point Fingers But Florida Laws Narrow Liability

The collapse of a condominium tower near Miami will set off years of litigation as victims and their families look to find fault among the building’s management as well as engineers, architects and others, according to legal experts. Disaster struck …

Trial Asks the $2 Billion Question: Does Musk Control Tesla?

Does Elon Musk control Tesla Inc. or does Tesla control Elon Musk? More than $2 billion hinges on that question as a trial kicks off on Monday. Shareholders allege that Musk used his control of Tesla to force the company …

Condo Collapse: Everyone Will Point Fingers But Florida Laws Narrow Liability

The collapse of a condominium tower near Miami will set off years of litigation as victims and their families look to find fault among the building’s management as well as engineers, architects and others, according to legal experts. Disaster struck …

Big Oil May Face More Climate Lawsuits After Shell Ruling, Say Lawyers, Activists

LONDON – A Dutch court’s decision to force Royal Dutch Shell to make deeper, faster cuts to its climate warming emissions on the basis of human rights could set a precedent, especially in European countries, according to lawyers and activists. …

Judge Rejects Bayer’s $2 Billion Proposal to End Roundup Litigation

A U.S. judge rejected Bayer’s $2 billion class action proposal aimed at resolving future lawsuits alleging its Roundup weedkiller causes cancer, saying in a Wednesday order that parts of the plan were “clearly unreasonable.” U.S. District Court Judge Vince Chhabria …

Judge in $2B Roundup Settlement Recommends Bayer Add a Warning Label

A U.S. judge suggested on Wednesday that Bayer AG include a warning label on Roundup as part of a proposed $2 billion settlement to resolve future claims that the top-selling weedkiller causes cancer. Bayer asked U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria …