Class Action/Mass Torts

Robert A. Clifford, co-lead counsel on the case, pictured with Kristofer Riddle, associate at the firm, who assisted on the matter. On Sept. 4, 2018, Plaintiffs and State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (“State Farm”) announce they have reached a compromise agreement to resolve the Hale v. State Farm class action litigation pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. The Hale litigation arose from the earlier class action lawsuit,…

  On Wednesday, April 11, 2018, a New Jersey state jury slammed Johnson & Johnson and its talc supplier with combined punitive damages of $80 million after finding that the pharmaceutical giant acted with reckless indifference in selling asbestos-containing talcum powder that contributed to a man’s development of mesothelioma. After awarding last week a $37 million verdict against Johnson & Johnson and the company’s French-based talc supplier, Imerys Talc America Inc. for its talcum powder…

After a $37 million verdict against Johnson & Johnson and the company’s French-based talc supplier, Imerys Talc America, for its talcum powder causing cancer, comes news that the product may contain cancer-causing asbestos particles that the company failed to disclose to the public. Some consumers have been using Johnson & Johnson talc products for years, even using it for babies because the marketing of the product condoned it as safe. Years later, comes word that…

Plaintiffs’ counsel petitioned the court on Monday Feb. 12, 2018 for approval of a proposed settlement between Pella Window Corp. and consumers who purchased Pella Proline wood casement windows between the years 1991 and 2009 that now display wood rot. The settlement comes after several years of contentious litigation. The magistrate judge oversaw discovery, and also presided over extensive settlement discussions. The magistrate ultimately made a recommendation for settlement. The district court judge will review…

Clifford Law Offices filed a class action complaint in Mississippi federal court on behalf of a number of health care institutions that seek to hold a number of pharmaceutical companies responsible for the over-prescribing of opioid medications. The 134-page complaint filed in the Southern District of Mississippi’s federal court alleges that the opioid crisis in America is caused by “Defendant’s unlawful marketing, sales, and distribution of prescription opioids that has resulted in addiction, criminal activity,…

Clifford Law Offices has filed five class action lawsuits on behalf of Equifax consumers who have been subject to the massive data breach announced a few months ago. One class action lawsuit alleges that Equifax knew that the consumers’ information (names, full Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and possibly driver’s license numbers and credit card information) were compromised by a third party hacker as early as July 29. Equifax informed its customers on September…

The federal judge handling the Volkswagen Class Action lawsuits in the U.S. approved a $14.7 billion settlement Tuesday, October 25th. The Northern District of Illinois federal court said in its Executive Summary that “The goal of the Volkswagen Class Settlement Program is to compensate everyone who owned or leased a Volkswagen or Audi 2.0-liter TDI vehicle (“Eligible Vehicle”) on September 18, 2015 (the date the emissions allegations became public), or who now owns an Eligible…

An Illinois federal judge late Friday (Sept. 16, 2016) granted class certification to plaintiffs representing 4.7 million State Farm policyholders involved in a complex Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (“RICO”) regarding an alleged scheme involving campaign contributions being poured into an Illinois Supreme Court justice’s race to influence the reversal of a $1.05 billion decision. If successful, that could result in a more than $7.6 billion payout from State Farm for the class given…

  In recent years, some women who used talcum powder as part of their daily routine have developed ovarian cancer. Presently, more than 1000 women and surviving family members have filed suit against Johnson & Johnson, the makers of Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower. In 2016, juries in Missouri ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $72 million and $55 million respectively in cases involving long-time talc users who developed ovarian cancer. A new…