Articles by Mike Spector, Jaimi Dowdell and Benjamin Lesser

Reuters Report: How Secrecy in Courts Stymies Safety Regulators

LEBANON, Ohio — Something wasn’t right with the Rhino. Reports started trickling in to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in 2005 of people being killed or injured in the Yamaha Motor Co. off-road vehicles when they tipped over. But …

Facing Thousands of Opioid Lawsuits, Purdue Pharma Files for Bankruptcy Protection

OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP filed for bankruptcy protection Sunday night, succumbing to pressure from more than 2,600 lawsuits alleging the company helped fuel the deadly U.S. opioid epidemic. Purdue’s board met Sunday evening to approve the long-expected bankruptcy filing, …

Purdue Pharma Floats $10-$12 Billion Opioid Settlement: Reuters

OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP and its owners, the Sackler family, are in discussion to settle more than 2,000 opioid lawsuits against the company for $10 billion to $12 billion, two people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. Purdue …

How Insys Bankruptcy Case Could Alter Fate of Thousands of Opioid Lawsuits

The fate of thousands of lawsuits seeking to hold drugmakers responsible for fueling the U.S. opioid epidemic hinges in part on a thorny legal question: Can a company can use a bankruptcy to stop lawsuits from cities and states? U.S. …

With Opioid Litigation Mounting, Purdue Pharma Exploring Bankruptcy: Reuters

OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP is exploring filing for bankruptcy to address potentially significant liabilities from thousands of lawsuits alleging the drug manufacturer contributed to the deadly opioid crisis sweeping the United States, people familiar with the matter said on …

PG&E Restructuring Highlights California’s Inverse Condemnation Rule

PG&E Corp.’s chances of emerging from bankruptcy proceedings hinge in part on an arcane California legal rule that threatens to keep the utility owner perpetually on the hook for liabilities from catastrophic wildfires even beyond the more than $30 billion …

J&J Launches Defense Against Reuters Report on Baby Powder Asbestos

Johnson & Johnson on Monday scrambled to contain fallout from a Reuters report that the healthcare conglomerate knew for decades that cancer-causing asbestos lurked in its Baby Powder, taking out full-page newspaper ads defending its product and practices, and readying …