Articles by Joel Rosenblat and Mark Chediak

Outside Inspectors Find Tree Hazards That PG&E Contractors Overlooked

PG&E Corp.’s court-appointed compliance monitor concluded the utility isn’t trimming trees that pose wildfire threats in high-risk areas of California and didn’t train its contractors properly. The monitor, Mark Filip, on Wednesday wrote to U.S. District Judge William Alsup, saying …

Coinbase Must Face Buyers’ Negligence Claims Over ‘Hasty’ Launch of Its Bitcoin Cash

Coinbase Inc. must face a negligence lawsuit for allegedly botching the launch of its digital currency bitcoin cash, or BCH, through an apparent “incompetence born of haste,” a judge ruled. U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria in San Francisco threw out …

Judge Wants PG&E to Respond to Report It Knew Faulty Lines Could Cause Wildfires

PG&E Corp. was ordered by a federal judge overseeing its probation to respond to a Wall Street Journal story claiming the utility knew its power lines could cause wildfires and failed to perform upgrades. PG&E “must provide a fresh, forthright …

Judge Likely to Reduce $80 Million Bayer Roundup Verdict

A federal judge said he’ll probably reduce — but not throw out entirely — an $80 million jury verdict against Bayer AG in the second case to go to trial over claims the company’s Roundup herbicide causes cancer. U.S. District …

Plaintiffs’ Attorney Urges $1 Billion Damages Award in Roundup Trial

The jury in Bayer AG’s third Roundup weedkiller trial was urged by a plaintiffs’ lawyer to consider socking the company with $1 billion in damages as punishment for covering up the health risks of the herbicide for decades. The aggressive …

Judge Directs Bayer to Enter Mediation with Plaintiffs in Roundup Cancer Lawsuits

A U.S. judge ordered Bayer AG to pursue mediation with plaintiffs claiming that its Roundup weedkiller causes cancer, asking the company to try to settle lawsuits that have wreaked havoc on its share price. More than 11,200 people have sued …

Judge Orders PG&E Compliance With Fire-Safety Laws

A federal judge is requiring PG&E Corp. to abide by rules governing how the utility operates its power lines in California, seeking to reform what he described as “dismal” management that led to a series of destructive fires over the …

PG&E Erases Settlements with California Victims as Bankruptcy Looms

As PG&E Corp. prepares to file for bankruptcy, victims of wildfires are getting a preview of how they’re likely to be treated as the utility reorganizes — harshly. Ahead of an expected filing for Chapter 11 protection this week, the …

Lawyers Scramble to Get Piece of the Action in California Wildfire Lawsuits

In a conference room 13 miles from Paradise, California, Doug Boxer explains to survivors of the state’s worst wildfire why they should choose his law firm to sue PG&E Corp. He walks a fine line between listening to victims coping …

Judge Upholds Bayer/Monsanto Roundup Cancer Liability But Slashes Award

Bayer AG failed to persuade a California state judge to set aside a jury’s verdict in the first trial over allegations that its Roundup weed killer causes cancer, but the judge said damages should be slashed to $78.6 million from …