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Missouri juries have awarded $127 million in state talc-cancer cases this year, with more potentially to come, while New Jersey, a hotbed of talc-cancer litigation itself, recently threw out two similar cases. Why the disparity? According to a legal expert interviewed in a recent Forbes article, it may be fundamental differences in expert witness admissibility.

Fort Lauderdale, FL—A two-pack-a-day smoker who ultimately died of respiratory disease kept hidden "back-up" ashtrays in the house and stashed full packs of cigarettes during her quit attempts before being diagnosed with the disease, her widower testified this week during trial against the cigarette maker accused of fraudulently peddling her Pall Malls for three decades.  Konzelman v. R.J. Reynolds, 2008-CV-019620.

Nancy La Vista and Jamie Gursky deliver their opening statements at trial over Dr. Shaul Dadi's claims that electroconvulsive therapy overseen by psychiatrist Dr. Praturi Sharma damaged Dadi's brain.

West Palm Beach, FL—A Florida cardiologist suffered devastating brain damage from botched electroshock therapy, the cardiologist’s lawyer claimed as a $27 million trial began Thursday against the psychiatrist who oversaw the treatments. Dadi v. Sharma, 2011CA16027.

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West Palm Beach, FL—Trial is scheduled to begin this week against a South Florida psychiatrist accused of negligence in overseeing electroshock treatments that allegedly left a cardiologist with brain damage. Dadi v. Sharma, 2011CA16027.

Lloyd Bell and Brian Trulock deliver their opening statements at trial against Agnes Scott College, accused of responsibility for the false arrest and imprisonment of a woman on sexual assault charges. 

Decatur, GA—An Atlanta-area women’s college is responsible for a reckless police investigation and abuse of power that led to a woman’s wrongful arrest and imprisonment on a baseless charge of sexual assault, the woman’s lawyer claimed as trial opened Tuesday against the school. Hartley v. Agnes Scott College, 11A36461-4.