Texas
Judge denies J&J settlement plan over baby powder containing talc
A U.S. bankruptcy court judge has denied Johnson & Johnson’s settlement plan related to baby powder containing talc, providing another setback in the company’s efforts to resolve the matter.
This is the third bankruptcy case for a J&J company as it relates to the baby powder issue.
Red River Talc LLC, a J&J subsidiary, was seeking confirmation of a proposed prepackaged Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan that would have been one of the biggest mass tort settlements in history, if approved. Red River and J&J proposed to pay $9 billion to settle ovarian cancer and other gynecological cancer litigation claims based on talc-related products.
But Judge Christopher Lopez of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston division said in a court filing that J&J used a faulty voter solicitation process when dealing with personal injury claimants.
J&J said in a statement that it will not pursue an appeal, and instead will return to the civil law system “to litigate and defeat these meritless talc claims.” It will also reverse about $7 billion of a previous reserve.
The company said that it has settled 95% of filed mesothelioma lawsuits, concluded all state consumer protection claims, and all talc-supplier disputes.
Last year a subsidiary of J&J proposed to pay approximately $6.48 billion over 25 years as part of a settlement in the U.S. to cover allegations that its baby powder containing talc caused ovarian cancer.
The lawsuits filed against J&J had alleged its talcum powder caused users to develop ovarian cancer through use for feminine hygiene, or mesothelioma, a cancer that strikes the lungs and other organs.
The claims contributed to a drop in J&J’s sales of baby powder, prompting the company to stop selling its talc-based products in 2020. In 2022, J&J announced plans to cease sales of the product worldwide.
J&J said at the time that the reorganization plan for the subsidiary was significantly different from a previous reorganization that was announced. The company said that the plan would resolve 99.75% of all pending talc lawsuits against it and its affiliates in the U.S.
At the time, J&J said that the remaining pending personal injury lawsuits that relate to mesothelioma would be addressed outside of the plan.
Shares of J&J declined more than 3% before the market open on Tuesday.
Alabama
U.S. judge: State can’t prosecute groups who help women travel to get an abortion
MONTGOMERY, Ala, (AP) — Alabama’s attorney general cannot prosecute people and groups who help Alabama women travel to other states to obtain abortions, a federal judge ruled Monday.
U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson sided with an abortion fund and medical providers who sued Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall after he suggested they could face prosecution under anti-conspiracy laws. Thompson’s ruling declared that such prosecutions would violate both the First Amendment and a person’s right to travel.
Marshall has not pursued any such prosecutions. However, he said he would “look at closely” whether facilitating out-of-state abortions is a violation of Alabama’s criminal conspiracy laws. The ruling was a victory for Yellowhammer Fund, an abortion assistance fund that had paused providing financial assistance to low-income people in the state because of the possibility of prosecution.
Alabama bans abortion at any stage of pregnancy with no exceptions for rape and incest.
“It is one thing for Alabama to outlaw by statute what happens in its own backyard. It is another thing for the state to enforce its values and laws, as chosen by the attorney general, outside its boundaries by punishing its citizens and others who help individuals travel to another state to engage in conduct that is lawful there but the attorney general finds to be contrary to Alabama’s values and laws,’ Thompson wrote in the 131-page opinion.
Thompson said it would be the same as the state trying to prosecute Alabamians planning a Las Vegas bachelor party since casino gambling is also outlawed in the state.
Yellowhammer Fund, an obstetrician and others had filed lawsuits seeking a court declaration that such prosecutions are not allowed.
“Today is a good day for pregnant Alabamians who need lawful out-of-state abortion care,” Jenice Fountain, executive director of Yellowhammer Fund, said in a statement.
“The efforts of Alabama’s attorney general to isolate pregnant people from their communities and support systems has failed.”
A spokesperson for the Alabama attorney general’s office said i, “the Office is reviewing the decision to determine the State’s options.”
Iowa
Lawsuit says sheriff discouraged compliance with immigration law
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s Republican attorney general is suing a county sheriff over his Facebook post saying his department doesn’t always need to detain people at the request of federal immigration authorities.
The lawsuit filed late Wednesday jeopardizes state funding to the county in northeast Iowa, home to about 20,000 residents, and comes amid President Donald Trump ‘s campaign of mass deportations.
The state attorney general’s investigation showed the sheriff’s office has responded appropriately to each of the nearly two dozen requests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement since 2018 to hold someone suspected of immigration violations. However, the suit alleges the sheriff violated Iowa law because his Facebook post discouraged cooperation with federal immigration officers.
Winneshiek County Sheriff Dan Marx’s post was deleted Thursday afternoon, hours after the lawsuit was filed late Wednesday. Attorney General Brenna Bird said in a statement Thursday that Marx refused to meet the deadline given to remedy the issue.
Marx, a Republican, told constituents on Feb. 4 that he shares some of their “mistrust and many of your concerns with the legitimacy of how these federal agents conduct business” and that requests to hold individuals without a court order are “violations” of constitutional rights.
The attorney general’s lawsuit says some of the claims Marx made in his post were knowingly wrong. Those claims “impeded and discouraged cooperation with federal immigration authorities,” which is against the law in Iowa.
Iowa’s Republican lawmakers and governor advanced a law in 2018 to ensure cities and counties fully comply with federal immigration law, prohibiting “ sanctuary cities “ that generally limit cooperation with immigration authorities. There is a renewed push in states across the country to support Trump’s immigration efforts, including legislative proposals to increase fines or other penalties for local officials that violate such laws.
Marx and County Attorney Andrew Van Der Maaten did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment Thursday on the court filing.
A new Facebook post Thursday from the sheriff’s office said they deleted the February post “to demonstrate good faith,” but that they “disagree with the Attorney General’s conclusion” that the original post broke the law.
Still, the sheriff’s office reiterated its “commitment to remain in compliance with State and Federal immigration laws while staying true to the Constitutional protections afforded the citizens of Winneshiek County.”
That new statement did not satisfy the attorney general’s requirements for Marx to remedy his violation of Iowa law, spokesperson Alyssa Broulliet told The Associated Press. Marx had been informed Wednesday morning of the 5 p.m. deadline, the attorney general’s office said.
The Trump administration has also begun taking legal action against governments that have adopted policies inhibiting ICE arrests and deportations. The Department of Justice has sued Illinois, Chicago and Cook County, alleging they are violating federal law by not cooperating with immigration authorities.
Marx’s February post echoed critiques of so-called ICE “detainer” requests that ask local or state enforcement agencies to hold individuals until they can be taken into custody by federal authorities. Marx said those requests often clash with the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which bars against unreasonable searches and seizures of individuals without a warrant based on probable cause.
If federal agents’ “actions or paperwork are not within constitutional parameters,” he wrote, “then we will make every effort to block, interfere and interrupt their actions from moving forward.”
Florida
Gulf War veteran convicted of killing girlfriend and 3 children is set for execution
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — A Gulf War Army veteran convicted of the shotgun slayings of his girlfriend and her three children has been scheduled for execution in Florida, the fourth death warrant signed this year by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Jeffrey Hutchinson, 59, is set to die by lethal injection May 1 at Florida State Prison near the city of Starke. DeSantis, a Republican, signed the death warrant Monday night.
On the night of Sept. 11, 1998, in the panhandle town of Crestview, Florida, Hutchinson had an argument with his girlfriend, Renee Flaherty, and left to go to a bar, court records show. A bartender recalled that Hutchinson made remarks about their argument, drank some beer and then left abruptly.
About 40 minutes later, investigators said, there was a call to 911 from Hutchinson’s home in which someone later identified as him said, “I just shot my family.” Police arrived to find Flaherty, 32, and her three young children — Geoffrey, 9; Amanda, 7; and Logan, 4 — dead from shotgun wounds.
Hutchinson was found sitting in the garage with a phone in his hand, still connected to the 911 operator, the court records show. The murder weapon, a 12-gauge Mossberg shotgun, was found on a kitchen counter, and police say Hutchinson had gunshot residue on his hands.
The Florida Supreme Court in 2022 rejected Hutchinson’s appeals, which claimed new evidence had surfaced that could exonerate him. After his sentencing, Hutchinson said in court that he didn’t kill anyone.
“I did not kill Renee and the kids and I believe I was framed,” he said.
The judge’s sentencing order noted that Hutchinson served eight years in the Army, including in the Gulf War, and that he had been diagnosed with Gulf War Illness, which produces a range of problems including pain, memory loss and insomnia.
Two other executions have taken place in Florida this year, with a third upcoming next week. All are by lethal injection.
On March 20, 63-year-old Edward James was executed for killing an 8-year-old girl and her grandmother in 1993. James Dennis Ford, 64, was put to death Feb. 13 for the 1997 slayings of a married couple while out on a fishing trip.
A third inmate, 48-year-old Michael Tanzi, is scheduled to die by lethal injection April 8 for the kidnapping and murder of a woman in the Florida Keys in 2000.
Judge denies J&J settlement plan over baby powder containing talc
A U.S. bankruptcy court judge has denied Johnson & Johnson’s settlement plan related to baby powder containing talc, providing another setback in the company’s efforts to resolve the matter.
This is the third bankruptcy case for a J&J company as it relates to the baby powder issue.
Red River Talc LLC, a J&J subsidiary, was seeking confirmation of a proposed prepackaged Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan that would have been one of the biggest mass tort settlements in history, if approved. Red River and J&J proposed to pay $9 billion to settle ovarian cancer and other gynecological cancer litigation claims based on talc-related products.
But Judge Christopher Lopez of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston division said in a court filing that J&J used a faulty voter solicitation process when dealing with personal injury claimants.
J&J said in a statement that it will not pursue an appeal, and instead will return to the civil law system “to litigate and defeat these meritless talc claims.” It will also reverse about $7 billion of a previous reserve.
The company said that it has settled 95% of filed mesothelioma lawsuits, concluded all state consumer protection claims, and all talc-supplier disputes.
Last year a subsidiary of J&J proposed to pay approximately $6.48 billion over 25 years as part of a settlement in the U.S. to cover allegations that its baby powder containing talc caused ovarian cancer.
The lawsuits filed against J&J had alleged its talcum powder caused users to develop ovarian cancer through use for feminine hygiene, or mesothelioma, a cancer that strikes the lungs and other organs.
The claims contributed to a drop in J&J’s sales of baby powder, prompting the company to stop selling its talc-based products in 2020. In 2022, J&J announced plans to cease sales of the product worldwide.
J&J said at the time that the reorganization plan for the subsidiary was significantly different from a previous reorganization that was announced. The company said that the plan would resolve 99.75% of all pending talc lawsuits against it and its affiliates in the U.S.
At the time, J&J said that the remaining pending personal injury lawsuits that relate to mesothelioma would be addressed outside of the plan.
Shares of J&J declined more than 3% before the market open on Tuesday.
Alabama
U.S. judge: State can’t prosecute groups who help women travel to get an abortion
MONTGOMERY, Ala, (AP) — Alabama’s attorney general cannot prosecute people and groups who help Alabama women travel to other states to obtain abortions, a federal judge ruled Monday.
U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson sided with an abortion fund and medical providers who sued Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall after he suggested they could face prosecution under anti-conspiracy laws. Thompson’s ruling declared that such prosecutions would violate both the First Amendment and a person’s right to travel.
Marshall has not pursued any such prosecutions. However, he said he would “look at closely” whether facilitating out-of-state abortions is a violation of Alabama’s criminal conspiracy laws. The ruling was a victory for Yellowhammer Fund, an abortion assistance fund that had paused providing financial assistance to low-income people in the state because of the possibility of prosecution.
Alabama bans abortion at any stage of pregnancy with no exceptions for rape and incest.
“It is one thing for Alabama to outlaw by statute what happens in its own backyard. It is another thing for the state to enforce its values and laws, as chosen by the attorney general, outside its boundaries by punishing its citizens and others who help individuals travel to another state to engage in conduct that is lawful there but the attorney general finds to be contrary to Alabama’s values and laws,’ Thompson wrote in the 131-page opinion.
Thompson said it would be the same as the state trying to prosecute Alabamians planning a Las Vegas bachelor party since casino gambling is also outlawed in the state.
Yellowhammer Fund, an obstetrician and others had filed lawsuits seeking a court declaration that such prosecutions are not allowed.
“Today is a good day for pregnant Alabamians who need lawful out-of-state abortion care,” Jenice Fountain, executive director of Yellowhammer Fund, said in a statement.
“The efforts of Alabama’s attorney general to isolate pregnant people from their communities and support systems has failed.”
A spokesperson for the Alabama attorney general’s office said i, “the Office is reviewing the decision to determine the State’s options.”
Iowa
Lawsuit says sheriff discouraged compliance with immigration law
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s Republican attorney general is suing a county sheriff over his Facebook post saying his department doesn’t always need to detain people at the request of federal immigration authorities.
The lawsuit filed late Wednesday jeopardizes state funding to the county in northeast Iowa, home to about 20,000 residents, and comes amid President Donald Trump ‘s campaign of mass deportations.
The state attorney general’s investigation showed the sheriff’s office has responded appropriately to each of the nearly two dozen requests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement since 2018 to hold someone suspected of immigration violations. However, the suit alleges the sheriff violated Iowa law because his Facebook post discouraged cooperation with federal immigration officers.
Winneshiek County Sheriff Dan Marx’s post was deleted Thursday afternoon, hours after the lawsuit was filed late Wednesday. Attorney General Brenna Bird said in a statement Thursday that Marx refused to meet the deadline given to remedy the issue.
Marx, a Republican, told constituents on Feb. 4 that he shares some of their “mistrust and many of your concerns with the legitimacy of how these federal agents conduct business” and that requests to hold individuals without a court order are “violations” of constitutional rights.
The attorney general’s lawsuit says some of the claims Marx made in his post were knowingly wrong. Those claims “impeded and discouraged cooperation with federal immigration authorities,” which is against the law in Iowa.
Iowa’s Republican lawmakers and governor advanced a law in 2018 to ensure cities and counties fully comply with federal immigration law, prohibiting “ sanctuary cities “ that generally limit cooperation with immigration authorities. There is a renewed push in states across the country to support Trump’s immigration efforts, including legislative proposals to increase fines or other penalties for local officials that violate such laws.
Marx and County Attorney Andrew Van Der Maaten did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment Thursday on the court filing.
A new Facebook post Thursday from the sheriff’s office said they deleted the February post “to demonstrate good faith,” but that they “disagree with the Attorney General’s conclusion” that the original post broke the law.
Still, the sheriff’s office reiterated its “commitment to remain in compliance with State and Federal immigration laws while staying true to the Constitutional protections afforded the citizens of Winneshiek County.”
That new statement did not satisfy the attorney general’s requirements for Marx to remedy his violation of Iowa law, spokesperson Alyssa Broulliet told The Associated Press. Marx had been informed Wednesday morning of the 5 p.m. deadline, the attorney general’s office said.
The Trump administration has also begun taking legal action against governments that have adopted policies inhibiting ICE arrests and deportations. The Department of Justice has sued Illinois, Chicago and Cook County, alleging they are violating federal law by not cooperating with immigration authorities.
Marx’s February post echoed critiques of so-called ICE “detainer” requests that ask local or state enforcement agencies to hold individuals until they can be taken into custody by federal authorities. Marx said those requests often clash with the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which bars against unreasonable searches and seizures of individuals without a warrant based on probable cause.
If federal agents’ “actions or paperwork are not within constitutional parameters,” he wrote, “then we will make every effort to block, interfere and interrupt their actions from moving forward.”
Florida
Gulf War veteran convicted of killing girlfriend and 3 children is set for execution
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — A Gulf War Army veteran convicted of the shotgun slayings of his girlfriend and her three children has been scheduled for execution in Florida, the fourth death warrant signed this year by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Jeffrey Hutchinson, 59, is set to die by lethal injection May 1 at Florida State Prison near the city of Starke. DeSantis, a Republican, signed the death warrant Monday night.
On the night of Sept. 11, 1998, in the panhandle town of Crestview, Florida, Hutchinson had an argument with his girlfriend, Renee Flaherty, and left to go to a bar, court records show. A bartender recalled that Hutchinson made remarks about their argument, drank some beer and then left abruptly.
About 40 minutes later, investigators said, there was a call to 911 from Hutchinson’s home in which someone later identified as him said, “I just shot my family.” Police arrived to find Flaherty, 32, and her three young children — Geoffrey, 9; Amanda, 7; and Logan, 4 — dead from shotgun wounds.
Hutchinson was found sitting in the garage with a phone in his hand, still connected to the 911 operator, the court records show. The murder weapon, a 12-gauge Mossberg shotgun, was found on a kitchen counter, and police say Hutchinson had gunshot residue on his hands.
The Florida Supreme Court in 2022 rejected Hutchinson’s appeals, which claimed new evidence had surfaced that could exonerate him. After his sentencing, Hutchinson said in court that he didn’t kill anyone.
“I did not kill Renee and the kids and I believe I was framed,” he said.
The judge’s sentencing order noted that Hutchinson served eight years in the Army, including in the Gulf War, and that he had been diagnosed with Gulf War Illness, which produces a range of problems including pain, memory loss and insomnia.
Two other executions have taken place in Florida this year, with a third upcoming next week. All are by lethal injection.
On March 20, 63-year-old Edward James was executed for killing an 8-year-old girl and her grandmother in 1993. James Dennis Ford, 64, was put to death Feb. 13 for the 1997 slayings of a married couple while out on a fishing trip.
A third inmate, 48-year-old Michael Tanzi, is scheduled to die by lethal injection April 8 for the kidnapping and murder of a woman in the Florida Keys in 2000.
