Current Events

(Reuters) - Takata Corp's bankruptcy filing last month was meant to draw a line under the auto industry's biggest safety recall, but last week's announcement of more air bag inflator recalls suggests automakers could face fresh liabilities in the future.

In late-2015, U.S. regulators gave Takata until the end of 2019 to prove that its air bag inflators - which now have a drying agent to combat moisture that can degrade the ammonium nitrate compound in its inflators, with potentially lethal results - are also safe.

If Takata fails that test - and some industry consultants, explosives experts and former employees question whether the workaround guarantees safety over the long-term - it may have to recall all its ammonium nitrate-based inflators.
Read more . . .

(Reuters) - An outbreak of salmonella food poisoning linked to a type of papaya has sickened 47 people from 12 states, including one person in New York City who died and 12 who were hospitalized, U.S. health officials said on Friday.

The U.S.
Read more . . .

BOSTON (Reuters) - Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc (CMG.N) shares fell to a four-year low on Thursday after testing confirmed Norovirus in a customer who ate at one of the chain's Virginia restaurants and a video of rodents crawling on the floor of a Dallas shop went viral.

Shares of the burrito chain, which has been under a microscope since it was linked to a string of food safety lapses in 2015, fell 4.5 percent to close at $356.05 on Thursday.
Read more . . .

TOKYO (Reuters) - Takata Corp's (7312.T) bankruptcy filing last month was meant to draw a line under the auto industry's biggest safety recall, but last week's announcement of more air bag inflator recalls suggests automakers could face fresh liabilities in the future.

In late-2015, U.S. regulators gave Takata until the end of 2019 to prove that its air bag inflators - which now have a drying agent to combat moisture that can degrade the ammonium nitrate compound in its inflators, with potentially lethal results - are also safe.
Read more . . .

Fiat Chrysler is recalling 805,694 cars in the U.S. for cars that can stall, set off airbags without warning, and catch on fire, according to filings with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Certain 2011–2014 Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger, Challenger, and Durango models, plus the 2012–2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee, have faulty diodes within their alternators that can overheat from “cyclical loads” drawn by the electrohydraulic power steering. The alternator can then either short-circuit, smoke, or both, leading to the potential for a fire and an immediate shutdown that would disable the engine and most vehicle-control systems, including the power steering and power brakes.
Read more . . .

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York meat processor is recalling more than 7 million pounds of hot dogs and sausages mostly under the Sabrett brand name after consumers complained about finding small pieces of bone in some of the products, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Saturday.

In one case, someone who ate one of the hot dogs suffered a "minor oral injury," the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service said in a statement.

Read more . . .

WILMINGTON, Del./NEW YORK (Reuters) - The global recall of Takata Corp's defective air bags widened last week and the number of confirmed deaths rose, but legal experts said the bigger worry for car companies caught in the fallout is playing out in a Delaware bankruptcy courtroom.

Earlier this month, people injured by the air bags, which degrade over time and can inflate with excessive force, were appointed to their own official committee in the Japanese company's U.S. bankruptcy, giving them a powerful voice in the proceedings.
Read more . . .

More than 400 people, including doctors, pharmacists and nurses, have been charged in connection with a massive health care fraud scheme that bilked the federal government of more than $1 billion, federal officials announced Thursday.

About a quarter of those were charged with fraud specifically related to opioids, said the officials from the Justice Department and Department of Health and Human Services.

Describing some of the cases brought, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said trusted medical professionals “have chosen to violate their oaths and put greed ahead of their patients.”

Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price said the health care fraud bust targeted those who “maliciously contributed” to the nation’s opioid epidemic.

In all, 412 people, including 56 doctors, were charged as a result of the nationwide operation.
Read more . . .

Coco Loko, a new product containing chocolate and energy-drink ingredients all ground into a powder, was made to be snorted. According to the website, doing so gives the user a "steady rush of euphoric energy and motivation that is great for party goers to dance the night away without a crash."

Not surprisingly, doctors are warning against using the product—which is not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration because it is marketed as a supplement, not as a food or drug—because they don't know how the human body will respond to snorting the ingredients in the powder.
Read more . . .

WASHINGTON — Makers of cardiac defibrillators, insulin pumps, breast implants and other medical devices might be able to delay reporting dangerous malfunctions to the Food and Drug Administration under an agreement heading for a vote in Congress.

Device makers will still have to quickly report any injuries or deaths related to their products. They would have more time, though, to file reports on devices that may not be working properly, and have the potential for injury.

The deal is part of a pact between the F.D.
Read more . . .

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 prevent consumers from banding together to file class-action lawsuits over scams and fraudulent products. Harmed individuals who seek remedy – often in small amounts -- are forced to sue on their own in small claims court, discouraging many lawsuits from consumers who deem them not worthy of their time, money and effort.

Read more . . .