Top Product Liability Cases in 2020 – Personal Injury Lawyer
Just in time for the season of giving, we’vegathered some of the year’s top product liability cases here for your review.
Top Product Liability Cases in 2020
Written by Cooper & Friedman PLLC on December 8, 2020
2020 has been a harrowing year on all fronts. Don’t worry if you missed news
of some of the year’s top product liability cases. Just in time for the season of giving, we’ve
gathered some of the year’s top product liability cases here for your review. Keep reading to
learn which products you certainly shouldn’t be giving, or receiving.
Bayer’s Roundup Settlement
In 2018, German pharmaceutical giant Bayer acquired Monsanto. Consequently, Bayer also
gained ownership of Roundup, the powerful weed-killer and alleged cancer-causing agent.
According to a Bayer press-release, there have been over 125,000 filed claims of Round-up
induced cancer. A $10 billion settlement will bring a resolution to the majority of these claims.
This is also one of the largest settlements in United States litigation, involving individual
negotiations with over
25 leading law firms
.
Interestingly, going forward, Bayer will not be required or choose to put warning labels on Roundup products. Bayer has also secured a “mechanism to resolve future claims efficiently” which
involves an additional 1.25 billion allowance to settle forthcoming claims. The agreements also
“
contain no admission of liability or wrongdoing
”.
This ruling is also subject to change as a selected “Class Science Panel” will begin tests to prove
whether Roundup causes non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. This will likely take a few years and
could additionally impact resolution as well.
Although most litigation for Roundup is now resolved, mainly through the immense monetary
settlement, lasting solutions are far from over.
Shaky Opioid Resolutions
An ongoing opioid crisis continues to ravage America, and legal resolution is looking more grim than
many had hoped. According to the Council of Economic Advisers, from 2015-18, more than
$2.5
trillion
was lost to opioids.
This staggering amount is even more alarming when analysts claim that the legal trials (to begin
next month) will only result in an estimated
$75-85 billion in settlements
.
So much of the damage caused by opioids is split amongst sales made by big pharma, big
tobacco, and stores such as CVS or Walmart, it’s difficult to apportion blame. In the coming
months, we’ll begin to see how this plays out.
Johnson and Johnson’s Talcum Product Liability Settlement
In June, a
$2.1 billion settlement
was awarded to women who allegedly sustained ovarian
cancer from using Johnson and Johnson’s talcum products.
Taking place at a Missouri appellate court, this decision has caused Johnson and Johnson to end
sales of talcum products in the United States. Furthermore, there have been many more claims
of asbestos in these products, which have failed to be substantiated. Johnson and Johnson
spokespeople have continually denied all allegations, and also continue to sell talc products in other
countries.
Manufacturers and suppliers can be liable for defective and dangerous products that cause injuries
. At any time, injuries from defective products can occur at home or in the
workplace. Consumers have rights that protect them from defective products, and
manufacturers also have a legal obligation to provide consumers with safe products.
If you believe you or a loved one has been injured by a defective product or machine,
contact the experienced product liability attorneys at
Cooper & Friedman PLLC
today for a free
initial consultation by calling
502-459-7555
. Our product liability attorneys will help you seek
the justice you deserve.