US Supreme Court rejects J&J’s appeal against $2.1 billion damages award over claims asbestos-laced talc caused cancer
1 Jun, 2021 19:04
FILE PHOTO: Bottles of Johnson & Johnson baby powder line a drugstore shelf in New York October 15, 2015
© REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
The US Supreme Court has rejected Johnson & Johnson’s appeal against a $2.1 billion damages award to women who claimed their ovarian cancer was a result of asbestos in the US pharmaceutical giant’s talcum powder.
The court’s decision not to hear the case means the earlier jury award, granted to 22 women in the US state of Missouri in 2018 after a class action lawsuit against J&J, still stands.
The case against J&J is the largest in its history, with the claimants originally awarded $4.7 billion in damages from the company, before the amount was reduced on appeal. Nine of the plaintiffs have died from ovarian cancer since they first launched their legal action, their lawyers said.
Last year the company said it would no longer sell its famous Baby Powder in the US and Canada after a 60% decline in sales.
Lawyers acting for J&J argued that due process was not being followed by allowing several claims related to its Baby Powder to be heard before the same jury at once.
The company said in a statement to Bloomberg on Tuesday that the high court’s decision not to review the case “leaves unresolved significant legal questions that state and federal courts will continue to face.”
J&J has denied allegations its Baby Powder and Shower Shimmer Effects products contained asbestos and caused cancer.
Two conservative justices of the nine-member Supreme Court excused themselves from the case due to potential conflicts of interests. Samuel Alito previously owned a stake in J&J, while Brett Kavanaugh’s father worked with a trade association linked to the company.
2 Queen’s Guards, including 1st-ever black man to reach top soldier rank,
charged in ‘selling ammunition’ plot
1 Jun, 2021 11:14
FILE PHOTO. Members of the Coldstream Guards. © Reuters / Hannah McKay
Two active-duty soldiers with the elite Coldstream Guards have been charged with conspiracy to sell ammunition. One of the accused is the first-ever black man to reach the top enlisted soldier rank in the force.
The two soldiers, Kirtland Gill and Rajon Graham, were slapped with several firearm offences on Tuesday, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.
Gill is facing one count of conspiracy to sell or transfer ammunition, as well as one count of possession of an illegal weapon, described by the police as an “imitation firearm capable of discharging noxious liquid.” (A water pistol?) The other suspect faces one count of conspiracy to sell or transfer ammunition and four counts of selling or transferring ammunition. The two soldiers are set to appear before court on July 1.
Kirtland Gill made national headlines in December of last year when he became the first-ever black man to reach the Regimental Sergeant Major rank in the elite unit. The 40-year-old man of Jamaican descent was described as a “tried and tested soldier with an immaculate service record” by his superiors. Gill served within the ranks of the British military for 20 years, and saw combat during his time in Iraq and Afghanistan in the 2000s.
“I am honoured to have been given the opportunity to be the next regimental sergeant major. It’s not something that’s just given to you because of who you are, it is something you need to achieve,” Gill said upon learning of his promotion.
However, the fall from grace came shortly after his historic promotion. In late January, Gill and Graham, whose rank is not known, were arrested by the Flying Squad during a probe into ammunition theft. The suspects were apprehended at two separate residential addresses in Berkshire and have remained in custody ever since.
A few answers to the questions I asked about Iranian oil landing in the USA (4th story on link)
US makes $110mn by selling seized crude, allegedly Iranian
1 Jun, 2021 08:59
FILE PHOTO: The Houston Ship Channel and adjacent refineries, part of the Port of Houston.
©REUTERS / Loren Elliott
The US government has reportedly made around $110 million by selling off 2 million barrels of crude oil which it seized along with a tanker off the coast of the UAE after alleging that the product was Iranian.
The cargo from the Liberian-flagged tanker MT Achilleas was unloaded in Houston, Texas and sold at around $55 a barrel, the Associated Press reported, citing court documents. The money went to an escrow fund, similar to proceeds from previous operations.
And then what happens to it? Does it suddenly appear on someone's balance sheet, or does it just disappear altogether?
The national statistics, published by the US Energy Information Agency, listed Iran as one of the sources of crude in March, stating an import of 33,000 barrels per day, or about a million barrels of crude per month.
According to AP, when asked about the import, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said: “Since the time of the former US president, Mr. Bill Clinton, no oil has been purchased from Iran because of their laws.”
In February, the US filed a legal complaint seeking to confiscate the oil aboard the Achilleas under terrorism forfeiture laws, as it was assumed that the money for the cargo would go to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The IRGC was designated as a terrorist organization by the Trump administration, which then started seizing oil shipments of allegedly Iranian origin under terrorism laws.
The forfeiture claim for the Achilleas and its cargo, which was filed in February, was the first by the Biden administration, showing a continuation of Iran policy in Washington. Tehran branded the seizure an act of international piracy.
The situation was further complicated in March, when an UAE-based oil company laid claim on the seized crude, which by that time had been reportedly unloaded in Houston, Texas.
Fujairah International Oil & Gas Corp (FIOGC), which is controlled by the ruler of the Emirate of Fujairah, said the cargo belonged to it as an intermediate seller. The Achilleas is said to have been seized by the US in the port of Fujairah.
The Trump administration sought to stifle the Iranian oil trade as part of its ‘maximum pressure campaign’ against Tehran. The US threatened anyone buying crude from Iran with secondary sanctions.
The shift came after the US withdrew from the 2015 multilateral agreement which restricted the Iranian nuclear industry in exchange for sanctions relief and lucrative business opportunities in the West. The Biden administration is currently trying to negotiate a return to the agreement, with talks in Vienna ongoing.
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