punitive damages News

Judge Blocks Punitive Damages in Fossamax Claim Against Merck

A federal judge on Tuesday threw out part of a bellwether lawsuit against Merck & Co. over claims that its osteoporosis drug Fosamax causes jaw damage. The plaintiff, Linda Secrest, may pursue her claim that Fosamax suffered from a design …

Judge Allows Punitive Damage Claims for Gulf Oil Spill to Move Ahead

Plaintiff lawyers claimed a victory on Friday when a U.S. federal judge overseeing hundreds of lawsuits against BP and others over last year’s big oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico allowed much of the case to move ahead, including …

9/11 Families Seek Meeting on News Corp. Phone Hacking Reports

Relatives of victims of the Sept. 11 attacks have asked to meet the FBI and the U.S. Justice Department to discuss the agencies’ preliminary inquiry into reports that News Corp. reporters may have tried to hack the phones of 9/11 …

Alabama Court Orders New Trial on $8.5 Million Verdict Against Ford

The Alabama Supreme Court has thrown out an $8.5 million verdict against Ford Motor Co. and ordered a new trial, saying a judge made an error by asking jurors if they could serve for four weeks. The judgment was awarded …

South Carolina House Passes Limit on Punitive Damages

The South Carolina House of Representatives approved limits on punitive damages yesterday by a vote of 100 to 7. The bill would limit punitive damages for people winning civil suits to three times the actual damages awarded, or a maximum …