Novartis Pharmaceuticals and Wyeth knew of possible health risks posed by phenylpropanolamine, or PPA in their over-the-counter medicines, despite company denials consumers could be harmed, according to memos. PPA was used in numerous cold remedies and diet pills including versions of Dimetapp and Tavist-D.
In November 2000, the Food and Drug Administration warned that dozens of […]

Risperdal, the popular antipsychotic drug, may increase the risk of stroke among elderly patients, said Johnson & Johnson. The health-care company plans to send letters to thousands of U.S. physicians advising them of the possible risk.
‘An update to the Risperdal label is indeed being made, and we will be sending out letters to health-care professionals […]

U.S. Steel offered to settle after an Illinois jury awarded $250 million to Roby Whittington, 70, who suffers from mesothelioma attributed to asbestos exposure during 31 years of working in the company’s mill in Gary, Ind. Mesothelioma is an incurable and fatal cancer caused by asbestos inhalation.
The verdict in Illinois is the latest against corporations […]

U.S. District Judge Franklin S. VanAntwerpen has approved a settlement worth more than $32 million in a class action suit against Mercedes Benz brought by owners of cars manufactured from 1998 to 2001 who claimed they were never warned that use of non-synthetic motor oils would cause premature engine wear.
As part of the settlement, 351,439 […]

After ordering a two-month long investigation and legal analysis, the Tenet Shareholder Committee said the health care services company may face up to $6 billion in legal liability to the federal government as a result of an unlawful scheme to defraud Medicare.
“Faced with the growing number of government probes, Tenet’s Board of Directors had the […]

UPS, the nation’s fourth-largest employer, is the subject of a class-action suit filed by more than 900 current and former employees nationwide — claiming the company rampantly discriminates against the hearing impaired in violation of federal laws. Lawyers for the company deny the allegations.
“There may have been an instance when something wasn’t perfect. That’s going […]

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said it was banning the manufacture and sale of lead wicks and candles with lead wicks because of health risks, but consumer groups said the commission should have done it decades ago.
CPSC determined that candles using lead-cored wicks could present a lead poisoning hazard to young children. […]

The Supreme Court ruled that states reserve the right to make it a crime to burn a cross, when the purpose is to intimidate. The decision gives the burden of proof to prosecutors; they must prove that the act was intended as a threat and not as a form of symbolic expression.
Justice Sandra Day […]

The Recording Industry Association of America said it has filed lawsuits against college students who operate private computer networks, alleging the networks are being used to illegally trade copies of digital music files.
The RIAA said its member companies, which include Vivendi Universal, Sony Corp, AOL Time Warner, EMI Group Plc and Bertelsmann AG, filed […]

Pfizer was ordered to pay $2 million in compensatory damages to Concepcion Morgado who was injured after taking the recalled diabetes drug Rezulin. Pfizer faces thousands of lawsuits alleging that Warner-Lambert, which it acquired in June 2000, failed to inform the public of Rezulin’s dangerous side effects. Rezulin was supplied by Warner-Lambert.
Morgado’s attorney said in […]