Stories by Nicholas Malfitano on St. Louis Record

ST. LOUIS – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit affirmed the ruling of a lower federal court that St. Louis County Animal Care & Control officials did not violate the constitutional rights of a pet owner whose dog they euthanized, finding the officials had reasonable reliance on consent provided by the plaintiff’s spouse.

ST. LOUIS – A Missouri federal judge has granted a motion to dismiss in litigation brought by a former employee of SSM Health, who alleged she was unfairly retaliated against and terminated from her role after receiving a religious exemption from taking the COVID-19 vaccination.

ST. LOUIS – A Missouri federal judge has denied a motion to dismiss from a company which a former employee alleged had discriminated against for her religious beliefs and fired her, after she refused to take the COVID-19 vaccination.

ST. LOUIS – A federal appellate court has reversed a lower court decision that certified classes of pre-trial and post-conviction detainees at St. Louis’ now-closed Medium Security Institution who challenged what they believe are the facility’s “inhumane” conditions.

PHILADELPHIA – For the very first time in Philadelphia, a jury has unanimously found in favor of the manufacturers of weed killer product Roundup, in the latest case to go to trial over allegations that product causes cancer in its users.

PHILADELPHIA – A Philadelphia trial court judge has upheld a $175 million verdict against the manufacturers of weed killer product Roundup, added nearly $2.3 million in delay damages to that amount and blasted the company’s challenge to the verdict amount as “unfathomable”, “stubborn” and “indignant.”

PHILADELPHIA – The manufacturers of weed killer Roundup have lost a third trial in Philadelphia and were hit with its largest-ever verdict at a whopping cost of $2.25 billion, not long after local juries handed down a $175 million verdict award to plaintiffs in the first case and a $3.5 million award in the second.

WASHINGTON – In an annual report of “Judicial Hellholes” released today by the American Tort Reform Association, Philadelphia has claimed the No. 1 ranking – in part due to a historic $8 billion punitive damages verdict rendered this year in litigation connected to Johnson & Johnson’s anti-psychotic drug Risperdal.

TRENTON, N.J. – Eight days of scientific expert witness testimony in a New Jersey federal court, centered on whether Johnson & Johnson’s talc-containing baby powder causes women to develop both ovarian cancer and mesothelioma, will conclude Wednesday and ultimately determine if 12,000 lawsuits on the subject move forward.

TRENTON, N.J. – The fate of about 12,000 lawsuits claiming Johnson & Johnson’s talc-containing baby powder causes women to develop both ovarian cancer and mesothelioma, will be decided after eight days of expert witness testimony in a New Jersey federal court.

PHILADELPHIA – Companies facing million-dollar lawsuits in Philadelphia can celebrate today, as what would have been the first talc-related asbestos trial held in the city has seen a judge cut off the plaintiff’s case before it could ever get to a jury.