Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice recently obtained a complete dismissal of a consolidated appeal arising from linear gadolinium based contrast agent (GBCA) litigation, where its client, Bracco Diagnostics Inc. (“BDI”), had been named as a party. This litigation focused on alleged claims of injuries, specifically “Gadolinium Deposition Disease,” allegedly arising from the administration of linear gadolinium based contrast agents during MRIs.  Plaintiffs in these cases brought failure to warn and design defect claims against BDI and other defendants.     Plaintiffs’ appealed an August 2, 2019 decision in the District of Arizona, which ruled that their four expert witnesses on general…

The Western District Court of Appeals affirmed a defense verdict for a Baker Sterchi client gas station owner on claims by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources under the Hazardous Substance Emergency Act and the Underground Storage Tank Release Abatement and Investigation regulations. Following a combined two-week jury and bench trial in the Circuit Court of Jackson County, a complete defense verdict and judgment were returned for Baker Sterchi’s client, denying the DNR’s requests for injunctive relief and civil penalties related to an alleged petroleum spill. DNR’s regulatory action and civil case followed complaints of odors in a neighborhood in…

The long-awaited Opinion from the United States Supreme Court has been rendered: The structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (the “CFPB”), and specifically its appointment of a single director, removable only for cause, is unconstitutional. The Court rendered its 5-4 Opinion, authored by Chief Justice Roberts, earlier this week. The Supreme Court held that the CFPB’s current structure violates the Separation of Powers clause of the U.S. Constitution. The Supreme Court reasoned that the CFPB “lacks a foundation in historical practice and clashes with constitutional structure by concentrating power in a unilateral actor insulated from Presidential Control.” The…

In Bryant v. Compass Grp. USA, Inc., 958 F.3d 617 (7th Cir. 2020), the federal court of appeals for the Seventh Circuit answered in the affirmative the question of whether, for federal-court purposes, a person aggrieved by a violation of Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) has suffered the kind of injury-in-fact that supports Article III standing. Plaintiff Christine Bryant’s workplace installed “Smart Market” vending machines owned and operated by the defendant Compass Group U.S.A., Inc. Rather than accept cash, users had to establish an account using a fingerprint. During orientation, plaintiff’s employer instructed her and others to scan their…

Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice Members John Cowden and Tom Sterchi are included as leaders in the defense of product liability claims in the 2020 Global Guide of Who’s Who Legal: Product Liability Defence. The guide includes a total of 614 practitioners from 411 firms in 31 jurisdictions around the globe, each recognized for product liability work ranging from high-stakes mass tort actions to global product recall measures for clients in a variety of industries, including those in the life sciences, consumer product and manufacturing sectors. Published by Law Business Research Limited, an independent London-based publishing group, attorneys are selected…

In Crim v. Dietrich, 2020 IL 124318, the Illinois Supreme Court found that in a health care liability case, the lower appellate court’s mandate remanding the case for a new trial did not include a new trial on the professional negligence claim. The plaintiffs, who filed both a professional negligence claim and a claim alleging failure to obtain informed consent, failed to file a post-trial motion after a jury verdict on the professional negligence claim. While the lower appellate court issued just a general mandate for a new trial and the appellate court later clarified that it intended that mandate to…

Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice is recognized as a top Independent Arbitrator in 2020 Missouri Lawyers Media Reader Rankings. The annual Missouri Lawyers Media Reader Rankings celebrate businesses and organizations that support the legal industry, from financial institutions and malpractice insurance providers to court reporting services, trial services, and more. Initially, nominations for Reader Rankings are submitted by readers and members of the public. Subsequently, readers from across the state vote on the most frequently nominated businesses, narrowing down the winners to the top businesses in the state of Missouri in each category. Baker Sterchi’s Mediation & Arbitration Group includes…

In a high-profile and much anticipated ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the prohibition against sex discrimination in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 applies to discrimination based on a worker’s sexual orientation or gender identity. In a 6-3 decision authored by Justice Gorsuch, the Court pointed to the “plain meaning” of the language of Title VII and held that “Because discrimination on the basis of homosexuality or transgender status requires an employer to intentionally treat individual employees differently because of their sex, an employer who intentionally penalizes an employee for being homosexual or transgender also…

Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice recently obtained dismissals for its client Bracco Diagnostics Inc. (“BDI”) in litigation focused on alleged claims of “Gadolinium Deposition Disease,” arising from the administration of linear gadolinium based contrast agents (GBCAs). Generally, plaintiffs in these cases brought failure to warn and design defect claims against BDI and other defendants.  See e.g. Drescher v. Bracco Diagnostics Inc. et al, Sabol v. Bayer Healthcare Pharm, Inc. et al; Thomas v. Bracco Diagnostics, Inc. et al. The courts’ key finding was that in each case, certain critical claims were found to be preempted.  Essentially, the plaintiffs could not…