A water utility has filed suit against two companies for alleged groundwater contamination, seeking to hold them liable for the costs of cleaning up the water supply. Alligator Rural Water and Sewer is alleging that the defendants were the source of two potentially carcinogenic chemicals that app...
The Appellate Court of Connecticut affirmed the dismissal of a products liability lawsuit, Koutsoukos v. Toyota Motor Sales, because the plaintiff did not present expert testimony regarding the allegedly defective product. The alleged defect involved the front driver's side airbag of a vehicle th...
Connecticut law requires a plaintiff in a medical malpractice case to obtain an opinion letter from a “similar health care provider” regarding evidence of medical negligence. The question of what constitutes a “similar” provider came before the Appellate Court of Connecticut in Wilkins v. Connect...
A Connecticut appellate court affirmed the dismissal of a civil lawsuit, Gerena v. Korb, for damages arising from an alleged sexual assault. The court found that New York law applied to the defendant, but that the state's long-arm jurisdiction statute did not apply. Prior proceedings in the case ...
An outbreak of fungal meningitis has sickened more than three hundred people nationwide, and it is believed to be responsible for at least twenty-four deaths. Connecticut has avoided any illnesses so far. Steroid injections for back pain from a Massachusetts pharmacy are believed to be the source...
After an outbreak of salmonella poisoning in late 2009 and early 2010 sickened hundreds of consumers, a Rhode Island meat company sued two of its suppliers for damages resulting from a massive recall of its products. The meat company faced costs from lost business, refunds, and lawsuits by consum...
In a Connecticut lawsuit alleging products liability and wrongful death for alleged asbestos exposure, Saldibar, et al v. A.O. Smith Corp., et al, a court denied a motion for summary judgment brought by a defendant that held patents on asbestos-containing products, but never manufactured them. Th...
Trampolines, when used for recreational activity, present a serious risk of injury for children, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). A new study published in the AAP's journal, Pediatrics, warns of head and spinal injuries that may result from trampoline use, particularly when ...
Two Connecticut cities, Bridgeport and New Haven, ranked among the worst in the nation in Allstate Insurance Company's annual “America's Best Drivers” report. This is the eighth time Allstate has compiled this report, which compares cities based on calculations of the frequency of accidents for a...
A Groton man has agreed to surrender his dog to the city's animal control department after the dog was allegedly involved in an attack on a man and his smaller dog. The smaller dog reportedly died as a result of the attack, and the man suffered injuries described as “serious.” Connecticut law imp...
The case of a Connecticut child, who suffered severe head injuries when he fell from a second-story roof, raises questions about civil liability when a person fails to supervise a child under their care. Connecticut courts have allowed for possible recovery on such a claim, in addition to any cri...
A rise in the number of concussions among youth soccer players, particularly girls, has led health officials and sports organizations to recommend a ban on “heading” the ball. Heading is considered an important move for most players, but research suggests that the risk of injury it poses to young...
Two separate gas-related explosions in Connecticut homes have left five people injured and caused the death of one person. An explosion in New Milford in late August killed one person and injured two. Three people were injured in an explosion in Shelton in mid-September. Both explosions appear to...
The widow of a man who died from a stress-induced heart attack may claim worker's compensation benefits, according to a ruling from the Connecticut Court of Appeals. The defendants in Wikander v. Asbury Automotive Group alleged that the plaintiff was ineligible for benefits because she did not fi...
A Connecticut woman received a jury verdict of $835,700 in a lawsuit against her employer for false imprisonment and intentional or negligent infliction of emotional distress. She worked in a home office at her employer's residence, and was held there against her will for several hours when someo...
The Connecticut Court of Appeals affirmed a trial court's ruling that an insurance company, under the terms of a homeowner's policy it issued, is not responsible for covering a wrongful death claim arising from a motorcycle accident. The insurance company filed a suit for declaratory judgment in ...
The Connecticut Court of Appeals recently affirmed a jury's verdict in favor of a cardiologist in a medical malpractice suit. In Guerri v. Fiengo, a decedent's estate alleged multiple breaches of the doctor's duty of care, including a duty to consult with the decedent's treating physician. The tr...
The “antistacking” provisions in Connecticut's laws, which govern uninsured and underinsured motorist insurance coverage, prohibit a person from claiming benefits on two separate policies, according to the Connecticut Court of Appeals. In Stott v. Peerless Insurance Company, the court affirmed th...
An employer is precluded from contesting an employee's claims for worker's compensation benefits, the Connecticut Court of Appeals ruled in Callender v. Reflexite Corp., because it did not meet its obligations under the Connecticut Worker's Compensation Actto file a form officially contesting the...
The Connecticut Supreme Court upheld a $4 million jury verdict in favor of a woman who alleged medical malpractice against her OB/GYN. According to the court's ruling in Downs v. Trias, the plaintiff's family has a lengthy history of breast cancer on her mother's side of the family. Her mother, g...
A woman sued a Connecticut soccer arena for premises liability after her daughter injured her ankle during a game. She claimed that the carpet used on the playing field was inherently dangerous and caused her daughter's injury. The trial court granted summary judgment for the defendants, and the ...
A New Jersey teenager settled a products liability lawsuit this week for $14.5 million. The teen was severely injured during a baseball game, when a ball hit off an aluminum bat struck him in the chest, ultimately causing irreversible brain damage. At issue in the lawsuit was his claim that alumi...
A woman faces charges of felony evading after she allegedly fled the scene of an accident the afternoon of Tuesday, August 21, 2012. She turned herself in later the same day. The other driver, who was operating a motorcycle, remained in critical but stable condition as of the following day. Acco...
A wrongful death suit against a gun owner and the gun's manufacturer has demonstrated the difficulty of pursuing a products liability claim involving a firearm. The Appeals Court of Massachusetts affirmed the trial court's summary judgment for the defendants in Ryan v. Hughes-Ortiz, 81 Mass. App....
An appeals court in Massachusetts, reviewing a failure-to-warn claim, examined federal regulations governing labels on hazardous products. The court upheld a directed verdict for the defendants in Namundi v. Rocky's Ace Hardware, LLC, 81 Mass. App. Ct. 665 (Mass. App. Ct. 2012), holding that the ...
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