News Roundup
Weekly Briefs: $10.3B ‘forever chemicals’ deal announced; data-breach suit against Cadwalader dropped
3M has agreed to pay $10.3 billion to settle claims by municipalities that its “forever chemicals” contaminated drinking water. Image from Shutterstock.
3M agrees to settle ‘forever chemicals’ cases for $10.3B
3M, a multinational conglomerate corporation and a maker of chemicals, has agreed to pay $10.3 billion to settle claims by municipalities that its “forever chemicals” contaminated drinking water. The chemicals, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are used in products that include firefighting foam and nonstick products. The money will be used for testing and cleanup. Three other companies previously reached a $1.19 billion agreement to settle claims related to the chemicals in water supplies. (The New York Times, the Associated Press)
Plaintiff drops data-breach suit against Cadwalader
Ohio man Patrick Perotti has dropped his proposed class action lawsuit against Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft. Perotti had claimed that Cadwalader failed to prevent a November 2022 data breach that exposed identifying information for more than 93,000 people. (Law360, Bloomberg Law)
SCOTUS upholds conviction in confrontation clause case
The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the conviction of an alleged “hit man” who claimed that his Sixth Amendment rights were violated by testimony about a confession made by a nontestifying co-defendant. The Supreme Court ruled against murder defendant Adam Samia in a June 23 opinion by Justice Clarence Thomas. The co-defendant had identified Samia as the triggerman, but testimony regarding the confession replaced Samia’s name with references to the “other person.” In addition, jurors were instructed to consider the confession only against the nontestifying co-defendant. In these circumstances, Thomas wrote, there was no violation of the confrontation clause. The case is Samia v. United States. (SCOTUSblog, Fox News, the June 23 opinion)
Man pleads guilty in murder of his ex-wife’s divorce lawyer
A Gwinnett County, Georgia, man pleaded guilty Wednesday to murder, arson and other charges for killing his ex-wife’s divorce attorney, Douglas Lewis, in December 2022 and setting the lawyer’s office on fire. Allen Tayeh, 65, was sentenced to life in prison without parole, along with five years on top of that. (Law & Crime, 11 Alive, WSB-TV, Gwinnett County district attorney’s office press release)
Jan. 6 defendant yells ‘Trump won’ after sentencing
A Jan. 6, 2021, defendant identified by online sleuths will serve 12.5 years in prison for attacking then-police officer Michael Fanone with an electroshock weapon during the 2021 U.S. Capitol attack. Fanone had a heart attack and lost consciousness for two minutes after he was shocked. Daniel Rodriguez was sentenced Wednesday following his February guilty plea to charges that included conspiracy, assault with a dangerous weapon and obstruction of an official proceeding. Rodriguez shouted “Trump won” as he left the courtroom. Fanone wants to see former President Trump held accountable for the riot. “I’m still holding out hope that I will be issuing a victim impact statement at the close of Donald Trump’s trial,” he told the Washington Post. (CNN, the Washington Post)
