Honda confirms 11th U.S. death tied to ruptured Takata air bag inflator
Honda Motor Co said on Monday it had confirmed an 11th U.S. death involving one of its vehicles tied to a faulty Takata Corp air bag inflator. The Japanese automaker said the incident occurred in Florida in June 2016 when an individual was working on repairs on a 2001 Honda Accord and
CFPB: Financial firms can no longer force consumers to use arbitration in group disputes
Consumers can now sue banks in class-action lawsuits.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Monday financial companies will no longer be allowed to force customers to use arbitration to settle group disputes, restricting the industry's favored legal tool after years of review.
Currently, credit card and bank companies often insert arbitration clauses in their contracts to...
Wells Fargo says closer to reaching $142 million phony accounts settlement
A California judge has granted a preliminary approval for Wells Fargo & Co's agreement to pay $142 million, and perhaps more, to customers whose credit scores were harmed by its employees creating fake accounts in their names, the bank said on Sunday.
Wells Fargo has set aside that money to compensate customers who are part...
Urban-rural divide exacerbates opioid crisis, despite prescription drop
The number of opioid prescriptions written in the United States has declined in recent years, according to newly released federal data, but the number of people who have fallen victim to fatal overdoses from prescription painkillers or heroin continues to rise.
The problem is especially acute in
Court upholds $28M judgement against cigarette company
A federal appeals court has upheld a $28 million judgment against cigarette maker R.J. Reynolds in a lawsuit filed by a Connecticut smoker who got cancer.
A three-judge panel of the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals in New York also ruled Friday that the case will be sent back to the trial court to...
Drugmakers and distributors face barrage of lawsuits over opioid epidemic
The companies that manufacture and distribute highly addictive painkillers are facing a barrage of lawsuits for the toll their product has taken on communities across the country as the worst drug epidemic in U.S. history continues to escalate.
Within the past year, at least 25 states, cities and counties have filed civil cases against manufacturers,...
Automakers out billions on Takata deal
Automakers around the world likely will be stuck with billions of dollars in recall losses now that airbag supplier Takata Corp. has filed for bankruptcy.
Takata's Japanese customers will feel the most pain. Honda, Toyota and Nissan combined have earmarked more than $10 billion to cover their share of the massive global recall of defective...
Takata winds down, but recall goes on and on
Last week's Takata Corp. bankruptcy filing should shield the Japanese airbag supplier from some financial liability, but it does virtually nothing to speed the U.S. airbag inflator recall that is frustrating manufacturers and auto dealers.
Automakers say two problems in the recall, which began in 2008, continue to bedevil the industry: the ongoing need for...
Judge allows evidence on older GM ignition switches in new bellwether suit
A federal judge on Friday ruled that a plaintiff suing General Motors alleging a defective ignition switch could present evidence about earlier models of the switch that were involved in fatal accidents.
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Medtronic says it’s close to resolving Infuse lawsuits
Medical device giant Medtronic PLC has told investors that the company is ready to close the book on one of its biggest and longest-running legal headaches, involving the controversial back-surgery product Infuse.
Infuse includes a genetically engineered protein that causes bones to fuse rapidly after lower back pain surgery. Thousands of patients claim the chemical...
