Articles by Edvard Pettersson and Margaret Cronin Fisk

10 Automakers Sued Over Claims of Deadly Fumes from Keyless Ignitions

Ten of the world’s biggest automakers were sued on Wednesday by consumers who claim they concealed the risks of carbon monoxide poisoning in more than 5 million vehicles equipped with keyless ignitions, leading to 13 deaths. According to the complaint …

BP Settlement Doesn’t Cover Claims by Insurers, Banks, Casinos and Others

BP Plc’s record $18.7 billion settlement ended government claims over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, leaving numerous smaller private lawsuits to be mopped up. While investors, residents and businesses that didn’t join a 2012 settlement still demand billions, …

Many Ignition Switch Claimants Excluded from GM Compensation Fund

Ben Pillars always wondered why his wife crashed her Pontiac Grand Am in 2005, sending her into a coma from which she never recovered. Then last year, General Motors Co. recalled the car for a faulty ignition switch and Pillars …

Louisiana Driver’s Death May Be 7th from Recalled Air Bag

A Louisiana woman who got an air bag recall notice for her 2005 Honda Civic two days after the crash that killed her may be the seventh fatality linked to the defective Takata Corp. safety device. The driver, Kylan Langlinais, …

Boy’s Jeep Fire Death Results in $150M Verdict Against Fiat Chrysler

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV was ordered to pay $150 million to the family of a 4-year-old boy who burned to death in a crash after a jury found the carmaker recklessly designed the gas tank for the 1999 Jeep Grand …

After Pao’s Loss, Silicon Valley Facing More Bias Suits

Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers’ decisive victory over Ellen Pao’s gender bias suit doesn’t mean Silicon Valley giants are off the hook. More lawsuits alleging gender discrimination, sexual harassment and retaliation are already in the pipeline. Cases against Twitter Inc. …

Federal Judge Blocks Granting Family Leave to Same-Sex Couples in Texas

The U.S. was barred by a federal judge from immediately enforcing a new rule that would grant Family and Medical Leave Act benefits to same-sex couples. Texas sued the U.S. last week, claiming that the government’s definition of spouses would …

GM Settles Original Ignition Switch Death Claim

General Motors Co. settled a lawsuit over the death of a 29-year-old woman that helped trigger the recall of 2.59 million cars with faulty ignition switches, lawyers for her family said. Brooke Melton, 29, died in a March 2010 crash …

Large Product Liability Awards Made Comeback in 2014

Huge jury verdicts against companies over fatal flaws in their products made a comeback last year, which may foretell more bad news for carmakers with defective parts. Absent for a decade, billion-dollar verdicts returned in product defect suits in 2014. …

Court Rules BP Not Covered by Transocean’s $750M Insurance

BP Plc isn’t covered under Transocean Ltd.’s insurance policies for the undersea well blowout that caused the 2010 Gulf of Mexico disaster, the Texas Supreme Court said, blocking the oil company’s access to $750 million for spill costs. The decision …