Press & Publications

DOJ’s New Focus: Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating corruption and bribery conduct at unprecedented levels. In January, DOJ conducted a massive sting operation netting 22 individuals in Las Vegas. Just this month, the UK Serious Fraud Office, working in conjunction with DOJ, settled a multitude of corruption charges with mega-defense contractor BAE Systems, PLC. Under terms…

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LAW 101: Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act

The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act was enacted on October 26, 2005 in response to numerous lawsuits filed by municipalities and others that sought to blame the firearms industry for the criminal use of firearms and change the manner in which firearms are sold and marketed through litigation instead of the legislature. In…

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General Contractor Obtains Summary Judgment in New York Labor Law Case

We recently obtained a dismissal of an interesting lawsuit that was pending in the New York Supreme Court, County of Queens. Our firm represented the defendant general contractor in the litigation. This case was brought by an electrician who fell off a ladder during the construction of a restaurant in the food court of the…

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Practical applications: Proof of Defect from Circumstances under Vermont Law

In an article for the Vermont Bar Journal, John Tartaglia examines Vermont law addressing inferences of product defect from the circumstances surrounding an accident.

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Children’s Products Pulled Off Shelves Because of Toxic Substance

A major move is underway to regulate the use of toxic metals in children’s products which can cause abdominal pain and lung disease at high concentrations. On January 11, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Chairman Inez Tenenbaum urged regulators at the APEC Toy Safety Initiative/Dialogue in Hong Kong to keep “hazardous or toxic levels of…

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Firm’s Victory Sheds Light On Retaliatory Discharge And Whistleblower Laws

The firm recently obtained summary judgment in favor of the defendant in a retaliatory discharge case in Mississippi.  The case was brought pursuant to a common law “whistleblower” exception created by the Mississipi Supreme Court in McArn v. Allied Bruce-Terminix Co. Inc., 626 So.2d 603 (1993).  This exception operates much like the increasingly popular “whisteblower”…

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Federal Circuit Makes Declaratory Judgments Easier to File (at Least for Holding Companies)

Acceleron, LLC owns patent No. 6,948,021 for a hot-swappable server blade. Acceleron did not invent the patented material — it is a patent holding company. It purchased that patent on May 31, 2007 and then, just a few months later, on September 14, 2007, Acceleron’s president wrote to Hewlett-Packard’s  (HP) General Counsel stating that Acceleron…

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Preventative Product Liability: Warnings and Instructions

Manufacturers have a duty to provide consumers with reasonable warnings and instructions regarding the risks associated with their products. Courts examine several factors in determining whether a manufacturer has a duty to warn consumers of a particular risk. Included amongst these factors are the gravity of the risks posed by the product, the likelihood that…

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Sports Law: Assumption of Risk and Judicial Review of Torts in Athletics

The majority of U.S. jurisdictions hold that voluntary participants in athletic contests owe no duty of care to each other to reduce or eliminate the risks of harm that are inherent in the sport itself.  Knight v. Jewett, 3 Cal. 4th 296, 316-20 (1992); Gauvin v. Clark, 537 N.E.2d 94, 97 (Mass. 1989).  The rationale…

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RENZULLI LAW FIRM WINS COMPLETE DISMISSAL

Renzulli Law Firm successful won a complete dismissal in Werner v. Pars & Strikes, a case previously pending in the New York Supreme Court, County of Richmond.  Our firm represented the defendant in the litigation. This matter was commenced by Stephanie Werner, a teenager, and her mother against a recreational facility.  Among the many attractions at…

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Brand Name Drug Makers Score Victory in 8th Circuit — Generics Take a Blow

Behemoth brand name drug maker Wyeth scored a victory for all brand names in November — but the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals left generic drug makers exposed to tort attack. In the case, Mensing v. Wyeth, Inc., a three-judge panel of the 8th Circuit held that brand name drug manufacturers cannot be held liable for alleged inadequate warnings…

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