Personal Injury Roundup No. 87 (12/3/10)

New Suits

• Maryland bed bug liability suits (WaPo)

Appeals

• MD:  Court of Appeals reinstates a wrongful death suit under FELA, finding the trial judge erred in failing to give an instruction on the inapplicability of assumption of risk.  (Miller/The Maryland Injury Lawyer Blog)
• More on the negligent-golfing case on appeal in NY (Olson/Overlawyered)
• Washington Supreme Court abandons economic loss rule (Jackson on Consumer Class Actions and Mass Torts via Olson/Overlawyered)

Reform, Legislation, Policy

• Hospital safety:  No improvement seen–Is malpractice litigation at fault?  (Conk/Otherwise)
• Malpractice Premiums and Caps (Miller/Accident and Injury Lawyer Blog)
• Alberto Bernabe on med mal waivers  (Torts)
• PA:  Rendell vetoes “stand your ground” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Trials, Settlements and Other Ends

• “Extenze” class action settlement (Frank/Point of Law)

Miscellaneous

• More on toxicogenomics (Couch/Abnormal Use)
• Stella Liebeck:  The Movie (Turkewitz/New York Personal Injury Law Blog)
• NHTSA report indicates a rise in drug-related auto driver fatalities in the last 5 years (Day on Torts)

–CJR