Toxics Law Reporter Index-Summary

MAGNESIUM

– RCRA, EPA may reinterpret rule without formal procedure (10th Cir.), 861

MAINE

– Asbestos, statute of repose valid for claims against dissolved firms (Me.), 544
– Motrin, skin and liver injuries, Me. law governs damages claim (E.D. Pa.), 778
– Nuclear reactors, waste collection by Energy Dept., contract breach (Fed. Cl.), 954
– Pollution exclusion clause bars coverage for sludge used as fertilizer (D. Me.), 1218

MALPRACTICE

See MEDICAL MALPRACTICE

MANGANESE

– Animal feed makers, EPA emissions cuts, 15
– Welding rods

– – Fault allocation error (5th Cir.), 879
– – Parkinson's, speculative expert testimony (6th Cir.), 941

MARKETING

– Fentanyl patch with lethal dose, marketing claims not covered by Okla. law (S.D.W. Va.), 551
– Neurontin, off-label marketing

See NEURONTIN

– Off-label promotion of 12 drugs, putative class suit dismissed (E.D. Pa.), 747
– Pain pump, conspiracy to promote rejected use, claims allowed (D.N.M.), 1031
– Tobacco industry, unjust enrichment claims

– – Equitable pleading in light cigarette case (D. Me.), 776; continued use does not affect suit, 998
– – Marketing fraud (N.D. Ill.), 73

– Zyprexa, off-label promotion, Lilly settles claims brought by La. (E.D.N.Y.), 399

MARYLAND

– Antibiotics manufacturer abandoned chemicals, guilty plea (Md. Cir. Ct.), 645
– Armed services, Ft. Detrick cleanup agreement finalized, 1345
– Asbestos

– – Building gutted without protection, fine (Md. Cir. Ct.), 465
– – Merchant marine's son exposed, award (Md. Cir. Ct.), 93

– Benzene, shipyard owners seek cleanup from steel mill (D. Md.), 1005
– BPA ban in baby bottles and sippy cups, 347
– Clean Water Act (CWA)

– – Baltimore, Bethlehem Steel charged with toxic releases (D. Md.), 706
– – Chesapeake Bay tributaries

– – – Chicken farm discharges alleged (D. Md.), 190; suit to proceed, 756
– – – Coal ash from landfill, 57; state sues Mirant Power (D. Md.), 324

– Lead paint

– – Limited liability firm member may be personally liable for children's injuries (Md.), 282
– – Negligence verdict lacked “owner or operator” definition (Md. Ct. Spec. App.), 1303

– Metoclopramide, brand name maker not liable to user of generics (D. Md.), 1210
– USTs, gas station owner fined (D. Del.), 783

MASSACHUSETTS

– Air pollution, ExxonMobil settles state claims (Mass. Super. Ct.), 680
– BPA, limited ban sought, 212; adopted, 1342
– Clean Air Act (CAA)

– – Boston commuter rail to cut emissions (D. Mass.), 805
– – Paint plant explosion, owners charged under General Duty Clause (D. Mass.), 837

– Clean Water Act (CWA)

– – Blackstone permit, inadequate nitrogen controls charged (1st Cir.), 1038
– – Cape Cod, EPA mandate to regulate nitrogen discharge (D. Mass.), 920

– Heartworm medication for dogs, no injury (1st Cir.), 546
– Insurance, extrinsic evidence relevant to defense duty (D. Mass.), 350
– Landfill, Tewksbury, Superfund cleanup plan (D. Mass.), 10
– Oil spills

– – Buzzards Bay, parts of state law preempted (D. Mass.), 351
– – Coastal property owners, class certification (1st Cir.), 180
– – Natural resource damages, transport firm settles (D. Mass.), 1222

– Superfund, Walpole manufacturing site since 1770s, settlement (D. Mass.), 781
– Tobacco. family of lifelong smoker awarded damages (Mass. Super. Ct.), 1339
– USTs, contamination threat data warrants EPA access (D. Mass.), 974

MDL

See MULTIDISTRICT LITIGATION (MDL)

MEDICAL DEVICES

– Defenses, learned intermediary doctrine, Insight, 503
– Heart stent, monitoring claim requires toxic exposure (3d Cir.), 878
– Imaging devices

– – Radiation exposure, health effects, Insight, 896
– – X-ray machine cleaning fluid, worker's lung cancer claim (N.Y. Sup. Ct.), 134

– Intravenous pumps

– – Bupivicaine used in device, suit may proceed (D.R.I.), 594
– – Cartilage injury from pump, suit dropped without prejudice (D. Minn.), 668
– – Catheter kit, morphine overdose. disregarded label unforeseeable (E.D. Mich.), 1099
– – Consolidation denied, indeterminate number of pumps cited (J.P.M.L.), 401
– – Conspiracy to promote rejected use, claims allowed (D.N.M.), 1031
– – Damages, exemplary, added for misconduct (D. Colo.), 1132
– – Discovery on risk concealment allowed (W.D. La.), 751
– – FDA clearance records admissible in product liability case (D. Or.), 1100
– – Forum shopping, N.C. plaintiff's case transferred (D. Minn.), 727
– – Limitations period, discovery rule saves claims (D. Minn.), 1211; most claims to proceed, 1309
– – Malfunction of pump, claims preempted (S.D.W. Va.), 1279
– – Morphine pump, product liability claim remanded (S.D. Tex.), 1032
– – No duty to warn of potential cartilage damage (E.D. Ark.), 702
– – Off-label use, teen's injury, warning suit dropped (S.D. Ind.), 211
– – Opinion testimony unreliable, summary judgment affirmed (11th Cir.), 857
– – Post-surgical shoulder injuries, claimants failed to specify manufacturers (C.D. Cal.), 345
– – Punitive damages

– – – Cal. law governs suit (N.D. Ill.), 1280
– – – Claims sufficient (S.D. Ohio), 1242

– – Two plausible manufacturers may be defendants (N.D. Fla.), 999

– Patch, lethal fentanyl dose

– – Doctor would have prescribed patch even with warning (S.D. Ohio), 1340
– – Marketing claims not covered by Okla. law (S.D.W. Va.), 551
– – Utah punitive immunity exception not barred (D. Utah), 969
– – Wrongful death suit may proceed (E.D. Mo.), 401

– Respirator, silica, quarryman's charge untimely filed (E.D. Mo.), 1096

MEDICAL MALPRACTICE

– Contraceptives, malpractice and product liability claims not severed (N.D. Okla.), 1213
– Expert affidavit law satisfied by declaration signed on penalty of perjury (Nev.), 671
– Pitocin, defendant need not testify as expert (8th Cir.), 829

MEDICAL MONITORING

– Beryllium, lung disease claim requires genetic marker proof (3d Cir.), 588
– Canada, biomonitoring survey finds BPA and mercury exposure, 830
– Claims increasingly allowed, Insight, 222
– Heart stent, monitoring claim requires toxic exposure (3d Cir.), 878
– Tobacco industry, early lung cancer detection, smoker class certified (D. Mass.), 664
– Vinyl chloride from chemical plant, class not certified (E.D. Pa.), 232

MEETINGS

See CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS

MENTAL HEALTH

– Mirapex, link to compulsive behavior not shown (8th Cir.), 1336
– Neurontin

See NEURONTIN

– Paxil

See PAXIL

– Seroquel

See SEROQUEL

– Suicide risks

– – Accutane, expert, causation (N.J. Super. Ct.), 114
– – Cymbalta, warning claim proceeds (D.S.D.), 1069; learned intermediary doctrine adopted, 1128
– – Effexor

– – – Preemption, insufficient warning claims (E.D. Pa.), 911
– – – Ruling vacated in light of Wyeth v. Levine (10th Cir.), 545

– – Prozac equivalent, warning claims not barred (C.D. Cal.), 320

– Wellbutrin generic, effectiveness, claims not barred (E.D. Pa.), 549; interlocutory appeal filed, 619; plaintiffs oppose appeal, 642
– Zyprexa

See ZYPREXA

MERCURY

– Canada, biomonitoring survey finds mercury exposure, 830
– Cement kilns, firm must cut emissions, EPA announces, 808; industry challenges limits, 1189; industry and groups file suit (D.C. Cir.), 1220; Sierra Club suit targets greenhouse gases, 1221
– Clean Air Act (CAA)

– – Power plants

– – – Emissions, legislation plan, 105
– – – Fossil fuel, decree requiring EPA to propose controls approved (D.D.C.), 379

– – Sewage sludge incinerator emissions, White House reviews EPA proposal, 892; proposal issued, 1039; EPA told it lacks emissions data for rule, 1291; EPA seeks more time for rule, 1320

– Drinking water, N.Y. agency, probation ends (S.D.N.Y.), 12
– Idaho, emission limitation rule approved, 1077
– Power plant emissions caps

See LEGISLATION, FEDERAL, S 2995

– RCRA, Chicago fluorescent bulb recycler charged with permit violations, 464
– Superfund, N.Y. site, costs sought from metal dealers and recyclers (S.D.N.Y.), 377
– Tuna, mercury poisoning, warning claims not barred (D.N.J.), 370
– Vaccines and autism, mercury-based thimerosal claims denied (Fed. Cl.), 236; Daubert admissibility standard, effect on case, Insight, 385

MESOTHELIOMA

– Choice of law, Cal. resident exposed to asbestos at Okla. refinery (Cal.), 158
– Cigarette filters containing asbestos (Cal. Super. Ct.), 74
– Merchant marine's son, asbestos in clothing, award (Md. Cir. Ct.), 93
– Navy ship parts, third party liability (Cal.), 5

METALS

– Amazon waterway, Cal. proper forum to sue Occidental Petroleum (9th Cir.), 1273
– Cadmium in children's products

– – Cal. ban passed, 885; signed, 1002
– – CPSC calls for tougher standards, 1133
– – Wal-Mart adopts testing standards, 429

– Canada, nickel refinery liable for lost property values, 699
– Copper

– – Auto brake pads, Cal. phases out, 1002
– – CAA, Asarco reaches settlement, 1140

– Drinking water, natural gas drilling contaminated water wells (N.D. Tex.), 1332
– Nuisance and trespass claims, time bar not defeated by sovereign immunity (C.D. Ill.), 483
– Steel

See STEEL

– Superfund

– – Electroplating, owner of leased equipment liable (N.D. Ill.), 141
– – Mercury, N.Y. site, costs sought from metal dealers and recyclers (S.D.N.Y.), 377

METHYL TERTIARY BUTYL ETHER (MTBE)

– Cal. water district may use raw data from industry-funded study (S.D.N.Y.), 856
– Drinking water, N.Y. and Fla., settlement (S.D.N.Y.), 796

METHYLENE CHLORIDE

– Baby shampoo, economic loss suit may proceed (D.N.J.), 396
– Drug plant, Rochester, N.Y., fine proposed for worker exposure, 647
– Toxicity test, EPA withdraws proposed rule, 955

METOCLOPRAMIDE

– Causation not addressed by treating physicians' testimony (S.D.W. Va.), 1277
– Defense preemption arguments (N.D. Ohio), 184
– Learned intermediary doctrine, doctor's failure to read label dooms warning claim (5th Cir.), 1097
– Preemption and generic drug makers

– – Brand name maker may be liable to user of generics (D. Vt.), 1182
– – Brand name maker not liable to user of generics

– – – Ark. law (W.D. Ark.), 700
– – – La. case (M.D. La.), 1159
– – – Md. case (D. Md.), 1210
– – – Tex. case (E.D. Tex.), 427

– – Failure to warn suit may proceed (N.D. Ga.), 289
– – Federal appeals court opinions

– – – Eighth Circuit finds no bar, Solicitor Gen. view invited (U.S., rev sought), 521; (brief filed), 1180; (rev grant), 1304
– – – Fifth Circuit finds no bar (5th Cir.), 49; opposing review (U.S., brief filed), 827
– – – Sixth Circuit seeks FDA view (6th Cir.), 701; FDA says generic warning suits not barred, 1243

– Product identification, sufficient evidence presented (S.D. Ala.), 373
– Warning label, doctor's prescribing testimony raises fact issue (M.D. Fla.), 1341

MEXICO

– Class actions to be permitted, 780; Mexican Senate passes class action law, 1311

MICHIGAN

– Carbon monoxide, muffler repair kit, widow's suit reinstated (Mich. Ct. App.), 548
– Dioxins, water pollution, Dow Chem. cleanup, 55
– HRT, state fraud exception not barred (E.D. Pa.), 1071
– Mold

– – Cleanup contractors, air traffic controllers' Mich. claims dismissed (6th Cir.), 586
– – Mobile home minus land not “real property,” suit untimely (Mich. Ct. App.), 156

– Oil spill, Kalamazoo River, cleanup pact reached, 1187
– Pollution exclusion clauses, insurer delay, legal fees (Mich. Ct. App.), 95
– Superfund, injunction denial bars response claim (Mich. Ct. App.), 1135

MILITARY

See ARMED SERVICES

MINING

– Asbestos

– – Libby vermiculite mine, residents vs. state (3d Cir.), 48
– – Nuisance and trespass, mine official charged (Vt.), 68
– – Short-term, decades old workplace exposure, award upheld (N.J. Super Ct.), 369

– Clean Air Act (CAA)

– – Copper mine, Asarco reaches settlement, 1140
– – Greenhouse gas emissions from stationary sources, EPA authority challenged (D.C. Cir.), 325

– Clean Water Act (CWA)

– – Abandoned mine cleanups, permits required (4th Cir.), 1216
– – Appalachian mine water discharge, Ky. joins suit against EPA guidance (E.D. Ky.), 1110
– – Bridge Fork Surface Mine, Powellton Coal held liable (S.D.W. Va.), 143; settlement, 976
– – Dumping waste in inactive coal mines, fine assessed (Va. Cir. Ct.), 662
– – Massey Energy, coal, W.Va., suit to be filed, 30; consent decree does not bar suit (S.D.W. Va.), 1249
– – Mountaintop mining, EPA authority challenged (S.D.W. Va.), 1080
– – Patriot Coal, letter of credit to fund cleanup (S.D.W. Va.), 919
– – Selenium runoff from mountaintop mine, injunction granted (S.D.W. Va.), 598; defense consolidation request denied, 1080; environmental groups seek to intervene, 1251
– – Surface coal mining rules challenge (D.D.C.), 757

– Small business input sought to develop mining financial assurance rule, 1290
– Superfund

– – Apportionment rules not changed by Burlington ruling (E.D. Cal.), 461
– – Bunker Hill site, claims by Coeur d'Alene tribe settled (D. Idaho), 214
– – Contribution, collateral source rule (U.S., rev den), 28
– – New Mexico

– – – Asarco mining sites, natural resources settlement reached, 525
– – – Questa, Molycorp to be cleaned up, 1346

– – Tar Creek site, relocation fund to cover Kan. residents, 378; ban on property value suits valid (Okla.), 644; state not party to tribe's damages suit (N.D. Okla.), 886

– Zinc, soil and groundwater, settlement (Okla. Dist. Ct.), 124

MINNESOTA

– Asbestos, former workers file series of suits (Minn. Dist. Ct.), 614
– Cost recovery under state superfund law, discretion in timeliness (D. Minn.), 731
– Dairy farmers lack right to FIFRA suit over pesticide drift (8th Cir.), 542
– HRT, Fla. woman's suit transferred (D. Minn.), 1183
– Insurance, “forward-looking” policy covers cleanup of later-acquired firm (D. Minn.), 1253
– Oil and gas, ethanol producer, state violations, 104
– Pain pumps, N.C. plaintiff's case transferred (D. Minn.), 727

MISSISSIPPI

– Asbestos

– – Railroad worker's damages jury question (Miss.), 69
– – Substitution, Miss. post-death claim dismissed (Miss.), 1123

– Climate change, Hurricane Katrina, Miss. property owners' suit (5th Cir.), 180; appeal dismissed, 541; (U.S., rev sought), 910
– Lead paint, learning disabilities in teen, manufacturer seeks to reverse award (Miss.), 702
– Manganese neurotoxicity, fault allocation error (5th Cir.), 879
– Silica exposure, wrongful death, executrix standing (Miss.), 183

MISSOURI

– Avandia, plaintiffs from different states not fraudulently misjoined (E.D. Mo.), 670
– Hog farms

– – Berlin residents, award for odor nuisance (Mo. Cir. Ct.), 232
– – State clean water law, odor control equipment (Mo. Cir. Ct.), 920

– Lead may not be “pollutant” in smelter's insurance policies (E.D. Mo.), 431
– Metroprolol for blood pressure, preemption (E.D. Mo.), 25
– Pesticides, unauthorized storage, RCRA fine (W.D. Mo.), 292
– Pollution exclusion clause bars coverage for sludge used as fertilizer (D. Me.), 1218
– Silica, quarryman's faulty respirator charge untimely filed (E.D. Mo.), 1096
– Superfund, industrial waste water plant, corporate veil not pierced (E.D. Mo.), 801

MOLD

– Air traffic controllers' Mich. claims against mold cleanup contractors dismissed (6th Cir.), 586
– Disclosure, homeowner's suit against real estate agent (Cal. Ct. App.), 911
– Mobile home minus land not “real property,” suit untimely (Mich. Ct. App.), 156
– Stucco maker must indemnify installer (Tex.), 882
– Trespass, coal-fired liquor distillery (W.D. Ky.), 69

MONTANA

– Asbestos, Libby vermiculite mine, residents vs. state (3d Cir.), 48
– CAA, coarse particulates, state's compliance questioned (N.D. Cal.), 432
– Preemption, state superfund case no bar to tort suit (9th Cir.), 1152
– UST, tribal jurisdiction against gas station owner, en banc review sought (9th Cir.), 1026; ruling analyzed, Insight, 1322

MOTION PICTURES

– PCE, skin rash, fraudulent concealment (Cal. Ct. App.), 93

MOTOR VEHICLES

– Asbestos, short-term, decades old workplace exposure, award upheld (N.J. Super Ct.), 369
– Bankruptcy

– – Chrysler, unsecured claim for EPA (S.D.N.Y.), 755
– – GM, cleanup plan for former sites proposed (S.D.N.Y.), 950; trust fund established (Bankr. S.D.N.Y.), 1136; six sites to be cleaned up, 1347

– Carbon monoxide

– – Muffler repair kit, widow's suit reinstated (Mich. Ct. App.), 548
– – Rented truck, toxic exposure evidence unreliable (3rd Cir.), 1179

– Clean Air Act (CAA)

– – Catalytic reduction rule, diesel engine maker reaches agreement (D.C. Cir.), 865
– – Diesel engine plant, pollution control charges settled (D.D.C.), 168
– – Import violations, auto parts retailer Pep Boys fined (D.D.C.), 464

– Copper in auto brake pads, Cal. phases out, 1002
– CWA, pesticide spraying for county, point sources (2d Cir.), 323
– Greenhouse gas emissions

See GLOBAL WARMING

– Mobile home minus land not “real property,” mold suit untimely (Mich. Ct. App.), 156
– Negligence, economic loss doctrine bars gas cleanup tort claim (9th Cir.), 698
– Superfund, lead from car batteries, city of Gary and auto yard owner liable (N.D. Ind.), 166
– Tires, benzene, worker's suit remanded (Tex. Ct. App.), 968

MTBE

See METHYL TERTIARY BUTYL ETHER (MTBE)

MULTIDISTRICT LITIGATION (MDL)

– AIDS, HIV-contaminated blood product, Taiwanese plaintiffs' claims time-barred (7th Cir.), 316
– Chinese drywall, sulfur gas, economic losses (E.D. La.), 75; seven Va. homes to be repaired, 342; La. family awarded remediation and other costs, 397; 300 homes to be repaired, 1128; pollution exclusion clauses no bar to coverage, 1349
– Digitek, recall, economic loss (S.D.W. Va.), 98; class certification denied, 592
– Fosamax and osteonecrosis, causation, fact questions, jury (S.D.N.Y.), 115
– Gadolinium contrast dye, most of plaintiff's experts allowed (N.D. Ohio), 457
– Gulf of Mexico oil spill

– – Consolidation sought for suits against BP, Transocean and others (MDL), 453; 77 suits transferred and consolidated (J.P.M.L.), 795; La. suit to remain in multidistrict litigation (E.D. La.), 1064; BP waives liability limit, 1096; structure and schedule of litigation set, 1154; discovery to begin, 1239; status conference dates set, 1321; Justice Dept. files suit (E.D. La.), 1354; Transocean safety audit records ordered, 1355
– – Managing claims, multidistrict suits vs. independent fund, Insight, 685

– Hurricane Katrina, formaldehyde in FEMA trailers, dismissal affirmed (5th Cir,), 1336
– Manganese neurotoxicity, fault allocation error (5th Cir.), 879
– Pain pumps, indeterminate number cited in denial of consolidation (J.P.M.L.), 401
– Tobacco industry

– – Equitable pleading in light cigarette case (D. Me.), 776; continued use does not affect suit, 998
– – Light cigarettes, class denied certification (D. Md.), 1236

– Vioxx redhibition claim, elements not proven (E.D. La.), 669