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Mass Tort Compliance Program-End Fake Leads and Lead Fraud

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Litigation Update: Verdict in PFA Case

The juries in two separate cases pending against DuPont in the U.S. District Court in Columbus, OH came to different conclusions last week. Both cases were brought by plaintiffs who alleged that their cancers were caused by drinking water contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals that leaked from DuPont’s Washington Works plant in Parkersburg, WV; these chemicals are also known as “forever chemicals” or “PFAs” because of the length of time they exist in nature without breaking down. In the first case brought by Travis and Julie Abbott, the jury awarded $50 million in compensatory damages, the largest such award to date against DuPont in these types of cases. Mr. Abbott claimed that his testicular cancer was caused by his exposure to C8 or PFOA, a chemical used to make Teflon that was manufactured in DuPont’s Washington Works plant in West Virginia. Although the jury awarded the plaintiffs’ compensatory damages they did not find the company acted with malice and elected to award no punitive damages. DuPont has stated that the jury decision not to award punitive damages supported the company’s position that at no time did it act with conscious disregard for the people living near the Parkersburg plant. There has been extensive litigation involving this plant and this same chemical dating back to 1998 when a local family sued DuPont for the loss of cattle who had been grazing near a PFOA-contaminated landfill. This lawsuit revealed information that led to DuPont reaching a 2005 $16.5 million settlement with the E.P.A. for the largest civil administrative penalty under any federal environmental statute at that time; DuPont also settled a 2001 class action filed on behalf of 80,000 residents living in areas surrounding the Washington Works plant where DuPont’s “forever chemicals” had leaked into local water supplies. This action was resolved in 2005 with DuPont agreeing to pay $70 million (up to $235 million if necessary) to be used toward medical monitoring for 70,000 people who lived in six water districts around the Parkersburg plant.  There was also an MDL filed on behalf of 3550 plaintiffs with personal injury claims related to PFOA exposure that was settled in 2017 for $670 million. The jury in the second case brought by Angie and Teddy Swartz was deadlocked and unable to reach a verdict; the Swartzes were seeking $11.5 million in damages, alleging that Ms. Swartz’ kidney cancer was caused by her exposure to DuPont’s PFAs. The case is currently awaiting a new trial. DuPont has announced it plans to appeal the verdict in the Abbott case. Click on this link for information on Verus’ Mass Tort Services. To contact us, fill out this form or email us at [email protected] and we will reply immediately. |CONTACT US| |REQUEST PROPOSAL|

Manager of Research Services

609-466-0427 As the Manager of Research Services at Verus, Kim uses both historical documents and current analysis to conduct ongoing research into the products and exposure sites for each of the Trusts administered by Verus. MORE

https://www.forlawfirmsonly.com/litigation-update-verdict-in-pfa-case/

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Google parent company's top lawyer leaving amid claims of misconduct

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Google parent company’s top lawyer leaving…

Corporate Law

By Amanda Robert

January 13, 2020, 9:39 am CST

Image from Shutterstock.com.

The chief legal officer of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, who recently came under fire for his relationships with women who worked at the company, announced Friday that he will retire at the end of the month. David Drummond connected his exit to the December departure of Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, writing in an email sent to employees that “the company is entering an exciting new phase, and I believe that it’s also the right time for me to make way for the next generation of leaders.” The New York Times, Bloomberg, Washington Post and CNN have coverage. Drummond joined Google in 2002 and became its first general counsel. He moved to Alphabet in 2015, after Google created the holding company and became one of its subsidiaries. He played a key role in landmark decisions, including Google’s exit from China, and oversaw its acquisitions of Android and YouTube. In August, former Google attorney Jennifer Blakely wrote in an essay on Medium that she had a longtime affair with Drummond. Shortly after they had a child together, she said she was moved from the legal department and abandoned by Drummond. Blakely also accused Drummond of having extramarital affairs with other women at the company, a claim that has been further investigated by a law firm that Alphabet’s board hired to examine its handling of allegations of sexual misconduct by company executives, according to documents obtained by the New York Times. Drummond said then he never started a relationship with “anyone else who was working at Google or Alphabet,” the New York Times said, but he recently married another woman from Google’s legal department. Thousands of Google employees worldwide protested in November 2018 after former executive and Android creator Andy Rubin reportedly received a $90 million pay package, despite allegations of sexual harassment. Some shareholders have sued over payments to Rubin and other executives accused of having inappropriate relationships with employees. Alphabet spokesperson Jenn Kaiser told the Washington Post that Drummond will not receive a pay package. He was paid $47.3 million in total compensation in 2018 and sold more than $200 million worth of Alphabet stock in the past year, the Washington Post also reports. See also: ABA Journal: “Google ends mandatory arbitration of workplace disputes and ban on employee class actions”

https://www.forlawfirmsonly.com/google-parent-companys-top-lawyer-leaving-amid-claims-of-misconduct-2/