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With Obama’s Veto Threat Gone, Asbestos ‘Double-Dipping’ Bill Reintroduced

A bill that targets the country’s current asbestos injury compensation system has been quietly reintroduced by a Texas federal lawmaker who is hoping President Trump is more receptive than his predecessor. U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold, a Republican who serves on the House Judiciary Committee and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, re-submitted the …



U.S. House Panel Approves Asbestos ‘Double-Dipping,’ Litigation Reform Bills

The U.S. House Judiciary Committee has approved a bill that targets the country’s current asbestos injury compensation system and another that aims to weed out unmeritorious class action claims. Early Wednesday, the committee passed the Furthering Asbestos Claim Transparency, or FACT, Act of 2017 by a vote of 19-11. The panel, in a vote later in the day, passed the Fairness in Class Action Litigation Act of 2017, 19-12. House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., praised the FACT Act’s approval. …


Miners Near Settlement in WARN Violation Class Action

The terms of a settlement between Mechel Bluestone Inc. and miners who allege they were laid off unlawfully from a Wyoming County mine in 2013 have been reached. Before the class action settlement is finalized, federal Judge Irene Berger, Southern District Court, must approve the agreement. If she approves the settlement, 64 miners laid off at the Double-Bonus Mine No.


Florida Woman’s Lawsuit Against Debt Collector Outside the Norm

A debt collection agency headquartered in Houston has been named in a lawsuit for alleged violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) after it allegedly called a woman while trying to collect a debt from someone else. According to the complaint filed by Cristina Labreau in the U.S. District Court of the Southern District …


Lawsuit Claims Thousands of Violations at Martin Drake Power Plant

A lawsuit is filed today against Colorado Springs Utilities claiming the Martin Drake Power Plant has violated the Clean Air Act over 3,000 times. WildEarth Guardians is the group behind the the lawsuit, they’ve been threatening action since fall. WildEarth Guardians is based in Santa Fe, with other offices throughout the west, including Denver.


Representative Goodlatte Introduces Litigation Reform Bill

Congressman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, released the following statement upon the introduction of the Fairness in Class Action Litigation Act of 2017 (H.R. 985): “Due to the complexity and costs associated with our legal system, a lawsuit has become a dirty …


Top Missouri Senator Seeks Overhaul of Consumer Law

Missouri’s Republican Senate leader is proposing a sweeping overhaul of a state consumer-protection law that’s being used in a class-action lawsuit against the company of one of his largest donors. Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard told reporters Thursday that close to $300,000 in campaign donations he’s received since 2011 from the wealthy Humphreys family didn’t …


Flint Water Lawsuit Dismissed by Judge

A federal judge has dismissed one of the first major class-action lawsuits filed against the state in response to the Flint water crisis. U.S. District Judge John Corbett O’Meara dismissed the case on Thursday, saying allowing the plaintiffs’ claims to proceed would circumvent the Safe Drinking Water Act’s procedures. The lawsuit was filed in 2015 by Melissa Mays and several other Flint residents against Gov. Rick Snyder, the city of Flint and other state and city officials involved in making the decision to use water from the corrosive Flint River, which caused high lead levels in the water municipal water system. The plaintiffs alleged …


The 2017 Litigation Playing Field Has Changed in Two Big Ways

As the world prepares itself for a new presidential administration, no one knows for sure what the future holds. But the lawyers at Crowell & Moring took a hard look at the potential litigation landscape in 2017 and compiled their findings in a new report. The report, here , covers a lot of ground, but we caught up with its architect, Mark Klapow, a Crowell litigation partner in Washington, …