This update and the corresponding blog post discuss how litigators and litigants can benefit from the available technology to continue taking and defending depositions while quarantined in their home offices.

Perkins Coie is proud to announce that the third edition of A Manufacturer's Guide to Product Liability Law in the United States is now available as an e-book and in a Chinese printed version, as well as the original English printed version.

California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) approved a new regulation exempting coffee from Proposition 65 warnings earlier this month.

The FAA published proposed rules on the Operation of Small Unmanned Aircraft Over People on February 13, 2019.

The press has widely reported on Paul Manafort’s attorneys’ failed attempt to redact sensitive information in a recent legal filing, allowing the press to uncover and publish the very information the attorneys intended to redact.

The United States Department of Transportation recently released its latest policy statement on automated vehicle technologies, Automated Driving Systems 3.0: Preparing for the Future of Transportation. 

On October 3, 2018, the Senate passed a bipartisan bill that will reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for five years. The bill, which is referred to as the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (H.R. 302), was previously passed by the House of Representatives. 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to a machine's ability to simulate human intelligence to perform tasks like planning, decision-making, and recognizing objects or sounds. Its use is not always obvious, but AI is now present in nearly every aspect of our lives—from our "smart" home products to our medical care, jobs, and businesses.

Oregon is one of 35 states where the legislature has successfully enacted a statute capping the amount of noneconomic damages, commonly known as “emotional distress,” that juries can award. With the issuance of two recent opinions from the Oregon Court of Appeals, however, Oregon now joins six other states with courts that have ruled such caps are unconstitutional.

Last week, three U.S. Department of Transportation agencies issued requests for comment on ways to update federal regulations and policies to allow for the safe testing and deployment of autonomous vehicles.

Although 3-D printing has been around since the 1980s, its tremendous growth in commercial and private applications in recent years may leave some companies exposed to new liability, including intellectual property claims and product liability claims, among others.

On May 30, 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down yet another personal jurisdiction opinion emphasizing clear rules as to when out-of-state defendants may be haled into court.

3-D printing has enabled a variety of new manufacturing processes that will blur fundamental distinctions in the law of product liability, potentially exposing companies to liability they did not anticipate.

What does the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch for the U.S. Supreme Court mean for product liability litigation?

This update was republished in Law360 on 02.08.2017, "Justice Gorsuch And Product Liability Litigation."

On December 1, 2016, the Supreme Court of California held that the duty of employers and premises owners to exercise ordinary care in their use of asbestos in their businesses includes a duty to take reasonable care to prevent secondary (take-home) asbestos exposure to members of a worker’s household.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued a comprehensive policy on “automated vehicles,” more commonly known as self-driving cars.

In a precedent-setting opinion, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Aerotec International, Inc. v. Honeywell International, Inc., affirmed the summary dismissal of a garden variety of antitrust claims brought by Aerotec.

Since the Federal Aviation Administration issued its proposed rules for small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in February of 2015, the industry has been eagerly waiting to learn what the final rules will be.  On Tuesday, June 21, 2016, that wait ended as the FAA announced its final rules for small UAS.  Here is the FAA's summary of the final rules and here is the complete text of the rules.

Right along with tinsel and eggnog, the annual list of dangerous toys and products issued by consumer watchdogs has become a holiday tradition.

On February 15, 2015, the FAA issued its long-awaited notice of proposed rulemaking on small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Currently, federal law prohibits commercial use of UAVs without advance approval, typically through the so-called Section 333 approval process.

Retailers and others in the chain of distribution can and should take steps to reduce their exposure to product liability claims.

On September 28, the Federal Judicial Center and the National Academies jointly released the third edition of the Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence (the "Manual"), containing tools for use by judges to manage cases involving complex scientific and technical evidence as part of their responsibilities under Daubert.

In a move with implications for all retailers that sell products under their own brand names in the State of Washington, Division 1 of Washington's Court of Appeals has agreed to hear an interlocutory appeal in Monika Johnson v. Recreational Equipment, Inc., Case No. 65463-2-1. The court will be asked to reconcile two provisions of Washington product liability law—one that imposes on a product seller the liability of a product manufacturer when the product is marketed under the seller's brand name, and another that allows any party alleged to be at fault for a product user's injury to attribute fault for that injury to another entity.

Long-awaited Washington Supreme Court decision clarifies scope of Washington Consumer Protection Act and Washington's rules for certification of class actions, rejecting plaintiffs' proposed nationwide class against company "headquartered" in Washington.

Failing to comply with the rules of civil discovery can result in serious sanctions.  Washington’s Supreme Court recently emphasized just how serious when it upheld, in Magana v. Hyundai Motor America, an $8 million default judgment against Hyundai for violating the discovery rules.

Over the past 22 years, more than 750 companies have sent employees to a Perkins Coie Product Liability Workshop.

Experience has taught us that few manufacturers have a comprehensive program to minimize their product liability exposure.

In the past 19 years, more than 750 companies have sent employees to a Perkins Coie Product Liability Workshop.

Please join us for our 19th Annual Product Liability Workshop.   In the last 18 years, more than 750 companies have sent employees to a Perkins Coie Product Liability Workshop.