Feb 15th, 2007 · Insurance company State Farm faced a wave of litigation after Hurricane Katrina. Now Mississippi's largest insurer will no longer write new homeowners or commercial policies in the state.
Jan 31st, 2007 · The parent company of cigarette giant Philip Morris -- Altria -- is expected to announce plans to spin off Kraft Foods. The move would allow Kraft and its stock price to escape the cloud of potential tobacco litigation. Altria would be able to focus on a strategy to sell tobacco.
Dec 7th, 2006 · For nearly a century, California's Owens River has been diverted and its water sent 200 miles south to feed the ever-growing needs of Los Angeles. After years of litigation, L.A.'s mayor flipped a switch, sending the water back into the river, not a moment too soon for the residents in the parched Owens Valley.
Nov 28th, 2006 · A case in the Supreme Court today may determine the fate of millions of inventors' patents. A law says that an invention can't be patented if it is "obvious," but the definition of "obvious" isn't clear after decades of litigation. Now, many companies have filed briefs calling for a change to the rule. Host Mike Pesca talks to Marketplace's Janet Babin about the case.
Oct 12th, 2006 · Lt. Cmdr. Charles Swift, one of the leaders among attorneys representing detainees held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is being forced to leave the Navy. Swift has been passed up for promotion -- and under Navy policy, he is required to retire. But people who've worked with Swift say the Navy is losing a great litigator.
Aug 17th, 2006 · Merck suffered two major setbacks in the product liability litigation over its painkiller, Vioxx: a $51 million award to a retired FBI agent who suffered a heart attack after taking the drug, and a decision to throw out a 2005 verdict that had favored Merck, with a retrial ordered for January.
Mar 6th, 2006 · In the 1930s, silicosis posed a serious public health threat to America's workers. In one notorious incident in West Virginia, at least 764 workers died from the disease during the construction of the Hawk's Nest Tunnel. But workplace safety recommendations adopted in the aftermath helped drastically reduce the disease's toll on the working class. So how did silicosis become a target for massive litigation seven decades later? Wade Goodwyn explains.
Mar 6th, 2006 · Tens of thousands of silicosis lawsuits across the nation have been filed by a small group of doctors and lawyers. Defendants say these cases lack medical merit and are being manufactured for money. Recently, a federal judge agreed, in a ruling that could change the litigation landscape.