Bayer AG got more bad news this week as the Austrian parliament voted to ban glyphosate, the active ingredient in the company's legacy flagship product, Roundup. One member of the parliament told the media, “We want to be a role model for other countries in the EU and the world.” Other European countries have passed partial bans and severe restrictions on the sale and use of glyphosate, but Austria is the first EU member to ban the herbicide outright.

The Levin Papantonio law firm is currently investigating UBS Financial Services, Inc. in connection with their sales practices related to Yield Enhancement Strategies (“YES”) and an even more complex version known as the “Iron Condor”. It appears that UBS employed YES Strategies for clients nationwide through Flatiron Partners, a private wealth management division.

When it came to the market in 2009, the Fisher-Price Rock ‘n Play baby sleeper seemed to be the answer to the prayers of haggard, over-scheduled, sleep-deprived parents, desperate for a convenient way to get their infants to sleep. It soon turned into a gut-wrenching tragedy, however, as over 30 infants were killed as a result of using a product that was poorly-designed and never tested for safety.

Surgical staplers are commonly used by surgeons as a substitute for sutures for the purpose of closing lacerations or incisions as well as connecting or removing internal organs, such as the lungs or lower intestines. These devices have been used for over 50 years – and have been the subject of more than 41,000 adverse event reports submitted to the FDA's Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) database.

The Levin Papantonio law firm is currently investigating brokerage firms misconduct relating to sales practices to their customers.  It appears that some firms were recommending that their customers invest in GPB Capital Holdings’ high-risk, high-commission private placements.

Residents and business owners whose properties sustained millions of dollars in flood damage during Hurricane Harvey in August, 2017, have filed a lawsuit against the United States Government. Their complaints allege that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for the flooding that caused the damage. More specifically, the plaintiffs claim they are owed compensation for their properties under the nation's “eminent domain” laws.

A professor of psychiatry who has worked with the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) since 2014 recently testified that she and her colleagues have identified more than 7,800 former scout leaders and volunteers whom they say “were involved in sexually abusing a child” over the past 75 years. The information comes from the BSA's “Ineligible Volunteer Files,” which some now call the “Perversion Files.” Dr. Janet Warren, who teaches at the University of Virginia, also says, “From reviewing all these files, we identified 12,254 victims.”

Uloric is prescribed for the treatment of gout, a type of arthritis afflicting more than 8 million Americans. The cause is elevated uric acid levels in the blood, which can be due to impaired kidney function, genetic factors, and/or diet. It is most common in those who primarily eat too much fatty meat, consume large amounts of alcohol, and/or are obese (historians suggest that Henry VIII of England had suffered from the condition, and it has been known since ancient times as “the disease of kings”).

The massive chemical fire that broke out on Saint Patrick's Day at the Intercontinental Terminals Company site near Houston, Texas was finally contained on Friday evening.