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☆ Tesla launched its own car insurance. These drivers say it's a lemon.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +20 min

Tesla Insurance, launched in 2019 by the electric-car company, has promised policyholders “vastly better” service than rivals, as Tesla chief Elon Musk put it in April 2022. “What do they have, three people answering phone calls?”Complaints about Tesla Insurance are drawing scrutiny from state regulators and the plaintiffs’ bar. And there’s no way to know exactly how many have been made against Tesla Insurance and how its record compares with competitors’. That fall, Tesla launched InsureMyTesla, a new insurance offering for U.S. Tesla owners, in partnership with Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. Lester F. Aponte, a Los Angeles attorney who signed up for Tesla Insurance in August, described a maddening ordeal to obtain proof of insurance.

Persons: Mark Bova, lurched, “ I’m, ” Bova, policyholders “, Elon Musk, Musk, Bova, he’s, Tesla, ”, Musk’s, Virginia –, Phil Fioresi, Tesla’s adjusters, adjusters, ” Zachary Kirkhorn, ” Kirkhorn, Teslas, InsureMyTesla, it’s, It’s, Chanda Santiago, ” Santiago, Lester F, Aponte, haven't, Understaffed, “, —, Policyholders, Jonathan Garcia, Garcia, adjuster, Scott Sawyer, Sawyer, Lauren Lee Sawyer, ” Sawyer, –, Steve Stecklow, Koh Gui Qing, Norihiko, Mike Scarcella, John Emerson, Brian Thevenot Organizations: Green, U.S . Army Special Forces, Tesla Insurance, Tesla, Reuters, Bureau, Twitter, U.S, SpaceX, Ohio Department of Insurance, California Department of Insurance, Data, AAA, The Auto Club Group, Liberty Mutual Insurance Co, Liberty Mutual, Markel, National Insurance Company, State National, State, Facebook, Better, policyholders, Better Business Bureau Locations: Maryland, That’s, California , Utah , Illinois, Virginia, South San Francisco , California, California, Draper , Utah, Texas, policyholders, InsureMyTesla, U.S, Illinois, Colorado, Ohio, Florida , Georgia, Washington, Santiago, Los Angeles, Draper, North Carolina, Riverside , California

Accounts of suicidal thoughts linked to this class of drugs are drawing increasing scrutiny, including an investigation by European regulators announced in July. More than half of the narrative summaries describe suicidal thoughts appearing shortly after the person started the medicine or increased the dose. Wegovy’s U.S. prescribing label, produced with FDA approval, says suicidal thoughts or attempts have been reported in clinical trials for other weight-loss medicines. Sanofi's Acomplia, which never won U.S. approval, was withdrawn in Europe in 2008 after being linked to suicidal thoughts. She said she has not experienced any suicidal thoughts on that drug.

Persons: Dawn Heidlebaugh, Megan Jelinger, ”, Heidlebaugh, Eli Lilly, Thomas J, Moore, aren't, It’s, Novo, Dr, Erick Turner, Turner, Novo’s, drugmakers, Sanofi's, Sanofi, Contrave, John Amos, Lilly, Reuters weren’t, Lisa Wood, ” Wood, Sarah Sobol, you’re, Sobol, ’ ” Katherine, Jayson Chesnutt, Chesnutt, Robin Respaut, Chad Terhune, Maggie Fick, Ludwig Burger, Michele Gershberg, Brian Thevenot Organizations: REUTERS, Novo, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Reuters, FDA, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Oregon Health & Science University, Novo Nordisk, U.S ., European Union, European Medicines Agency, U.S, Currax Pharmaceuticals, Vivus, Facebook, Thomson Locations: Findlay , Ohio, U.S, Ohio, Novo, Canada, Europe, Carolina, Buffalo , New York, North Carolina, Indiana

☆ Cocaine cartels encroach on Unification Church’s Paraguayan paradise
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Puerto Casado | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +20 min

Many of the runways are on land owned by the Unification Church of South Korea, founded by Rev. The Unification Church is a major power in this unruly region. Byun, the Unification Church lawyer, provided Reuters with an April 2022 document the church sent to Paraguayan anti-narcotics prosecutors, urging an investigation into potential illicit activity. Trouble in paradiseThe alleged drug-running on its land isn’t the only trouble the Unification Church has faced in the Chaco. Byun, the church lawyer, acknowledged the tensions with locals in Puerto Casado but declined to comment on the Myungs or the fire.

Persons: Sun Myung, Michelle Byun, ” Byun, “, Moon, God, ”, Miguel Ángel Servín, Servín, Rodrigo Alvarez, Elva Cáceres, Marco Alcaraz, Cynthia Tarrago, Tarrago, Raimundo Va, Rodrigo Alvarenga Paredes, Byun, Alvarenga, “ Alvarenga, Rodrigo Álvarez, Álvarez, Pedro Juan Caballero, ‘ Lawless, –, Marcelo Pecci, José Carlos Acevedo, ” Acevedo, Pecci, Acevedo, Mario Abdo Benítez, James Laverty, Hak Ja, ” –, Carlos Casado, Anger, Locals, Lorenzo Myung, Martin Rodriguez, Rodriguez, Dora Irrazábal, Irrazábal, Alberto David Gauto, Gauto, Emilio Camacho, Moon’s, Hyun Jin, Preston, Hak, Hyung Jin, Sean, Massimo Introvigne, Sean Moon, Preston Moon, Puerto Casado, Virgilio Chamorro, Gabriel Stargardter, Daniela Desantis, Feilding, Tomas Bravo, John Emerson, Brian Thevenot Organizations: Unification Church of, Rev, Authorities, Reuters, Unification Church, Holy Spirit Association, South Korea’s Unification, Belgian, Sting, South, International Association of Parliamentarians, Peace, U.S . Federal Bureau of Investigation, Colorado Party, Yorker, U.S, Attorney, FBI, Capital Command, PCC, United Nations Office, Drugs, U.S . Drug, Carlos Casado SA, Salesian, Supreme, FARC, Peace Foundation, Center for Studies, New, Iron Ministries, Preston, Tomas Bravo Graphics Locations: Paraguayan, Unification Church of South Korea, SENAD Paraguay, Chaco, Paraguay, Korea, Bolivian, Peruvian, Atlantic, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Europe, Argentine, Manhattan, “, Antwerp, Europe’s, Servín, Asunción, Seoul, New York City, United States, New Jersey, Tarrago, Va, U.S, Byun, Alvarenga, Chile, Ecuador, Colombian, Bolivia, American, South America, America, Puerto Casado, Gauto, Preston, Turin, Italy, Pennsylvania, Puerto

☆ Tesla’s secret team to suppress thousands of driving range complaints
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +21 min

He expected to get something close to the electric sport sedan’s advertised driving range: 353 miles on a fully charged battery. Driving range is among the most important factors in consumer decisions on which electric car to buy, or whether to buy one at all. Electric cars can lose driving range for a lot of the same reasons as gasoline cars — but to a greater degree. The EPA said all the changes to Tesla’s range estimates were made before the company used the figures on window stickers. Independent automotive testers commonly examine the EPA-approved fuel-efficiency or driving range claims against their own experience in structured tests or real-world driving.

Persons: Alexandre Ponsin, ”, Tesla, Elon Musk, “ Elon, Scott Case, Case, Gregory Pannone, Pannone, “ They've, carmaker, Ford, I’m, ” Pannone, ” Jonathan Elfalan, Edmunds, Elfalan, ” Elfalan, Santa Clara –, Ponsin, ” Ponsin, “, Steve Stecklow, Norihiko, Heekyong Yang, Peter Henderson, Eve Watling, Lucy Ha, Ilan Rubens, Brian Thevenot Organizations: Reuters, Tesla, South, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, Ford, Chevrolet, Hyundai Kona, National Science Foundation, SAE International, U.S, Porsche, Benz, EV, Independent, General Motors, Hyundai, Korea Fair Trade Commission, Virtual Service, Santa, San Francisco Art Locations: AUSTIN, Texas, Colorado, California, Las Vegas, Austin , Texas, Nevada, U.S, Seattle, Vegas, Henderson, Utah, Santa Clara, London, Austin, Seoul, San Francisco

[1/6] Jan Gilpin poses with a bottle of the asthma and allergy drug Singulair, first prescribed to her son when he was three-years-old, at her home in Newton, Massachusetts, U.S., June 21, 2023. That team found in 2015 that the drug’s distribution into the brain was more significant than its label described. Lawsuits filed against Merck cite this 1996 patent as evidence of Merck’s knowledge of the drug’s potential brain impacts. Marschallinger and her colleagues in Austria came away with a different finding when they reviewed Merck’s original research and did some of their own. Marschallinger said it would have been logical for the FDA to require Merck to investigate the brain impacts more thoroughly once reports of mental-health problems emerged.

Persons: Jan Gilpin, Singulair, Brian Snyder, Merck, Julia Marschallinger, Marschallinger, ” Marschallinger, “ It’s, Robin Respaut, Dan Levine, Janet Roberts, Brian Thevenot Organizations: REUTERS, Brian Snyder Companies Merck, Co, FDA, Molecular Regenerative, Singulair, Merck, Thomson Locations: Newton , Massachusetts, U.S, Austria

The membership of the panel at Musk’s company, Neuralink, raises questions about potential violations of conflict-of-interest regulations aimed at protecting research integrity, a dozen animal-research and bioethics experts told Reuters. Autumn Sorrells has chaired an oversight board approving animal experiments by Elon Musk’s brain-chip startup, Neuralink, and also run the company’s animal care program. Reuters couldn’t determine the compensation terms of the Neuralink IACUC members who are also company employees. The independence of such boards, Nicolelis said, is critical to protecting the integrity of animal research that could impact humans in future clinical trials. These institutions generally prohibit people with direct financial interests from serving on IACUCs or voting on animal experiments.

☆ How the U.S. Clean Air Act lets closed coal plants keep polluting for years
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Tim Mclaughlin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +10 min

Under the federal program, states distribute a certain number of allowances to power plants annually. Reuters found dozens of other examples of coal plants using credits from closed facilities to help comply with pollution rules over the past five years. During the 2021 ozone season, New Madrid’s pollution was five times higher than average among coal plants participating in the NOx-reduction program, EPA data show. RED-STATE PROTESTSUtilities and lawmakers in Republican-controlled states have pushed hard against curbs on coal pollution, including the EPA’s latest NOx-reduction regulations. But even at that price, NOx allowances will find buyers among coal plants, including those that operate at high pollution rates.

☆ Exclusive: Johnson & Johnson considers refiling talc-liability bankruptcy after appeals-court defeat
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Mike Spector | Thomson Reuters | Mike Spector Is A Correspondent At Reuters Covering Corporate Crises That Span Bankruptcy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

[1/2] A bottle of Johnson and Johnson Baby Powder is seen in a photo illustration taken in New York, February 24, 2016. In a court filing Tuesday, lawyers representing a creditors committee of talc plaintiffs said they recently became aware of discussions about a second J&J subsidiary bankruptcy. The J&J subsidiary that was to absorb liability for the talc cases, LTL Management, declared bankruptcy almost immediately after it was created. Andy Birchfield, a plaintiffs' lawyer at law firm Beasley Allen, said on Tuesday that claims “could easily be resolved if Johnson & Johnson would stop playing games and abusing the bankruptcy court process." How the J&J subsidiary might square such a move with the appeals court ruling remained unclear.

A lawyer for Johnson & Johnson’s subsidiary said in a statement that the company would seek a rehearing of the panel’s decision by the full 3rd Circuit court. Gordon’s strategy worked in bankruptcy court but set up J&J for failure when it faced the 3rd Circuit appeals panel. Gordon, at the bankruptcy conference, described the lawsuits as “completely unmanageable” and a dire threat to J&J that could go on for decades. The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals is expected to hear arguments in coming months on a challenge to the 3M subsidiary’s bankruptcy. The litigation, they asserted, should be allowed to proceed against Georgia-Pacific because the parent company did not file for bankruptcy.

Jan 30 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Monday shot down Johnson & Johnson's (JNJ.N) attempt to offload tens of thousands of lawsuits over its talc products into bankruptcy court. The appeals court ruling revives those lawsuits. Monday's decision by the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia dismissed the bankruptcy filed by the J&J subsidiary in 2021. The appeals court decision could force companies considering the strategy to more carefully consider its risks, two legal experts said. The Texas two-step has garnered criticism from Democratic lawmakers in Washington, and inspired proposed legislation that would severely restrict the practice.

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☆ Special Report: Boy Scouts, Catholic dioceses find haven from sex abuse suits in bankruptcy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Kristina Cooke Mike Spector Benjamin Lesser Dan Levine Disha Raychaudhuri | Kristina Cooke | Mike Spector | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +19 min

The Boy Scouts, for instance, said on a website the group set up for restructuring that it launched a “comprehensive noticing campaign” in the media. He sought compensation in the Boy Scouts bankruptcy in June, long after a deadline of November 16, 2020 for filing claims. The Boy Scouts bankruptcy reorganization plan, approved by a judge in September, halts all lawsuits against the Boy Scouts, local councils, churches and other organizations that chartered scouting activities. His case was halted by the Boy Scouts bankruptcy. Later that year, in August, he filed his lawsuit against defendants including a Boy Scouts local council and DeSandre.

☆ The Michigan lawyer pushing Trump’s voter-fraud fictions in U.S. court
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +27 min

Lambert started in her home state of Michigan, joining four lawsuits on behalf of Trump supporters. As Trump zeroed in on vote-rigging allegations in Michigan, Lambert emailed the White House, according to her July 2021 video interview with two right-wing websites. Cotton and Penrose also were involved in examining breached voting machines in Michigan for DePerno and Lambert, according to the Michigan attorney general investigation. In the process, the commissioners were accused of flouting a court order by allowing a forensics company to inspect county voting equipment. In August 2021, a federal judge reprimanded Lambert, Powell and seven other lawyers who joined the failed lawsuit seeking to overturn Michigan’s vote after Trump’s 2020 defeat.

☆ Ex-academic forges a new career denying Trump's 2020 election loss
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +27 min

“The war is just getting started,” Clements told his 100,000 Telegram followers on Nov. 16. His rise in the movement began in January 2021, when a dispute with his employer, New Mexico State University, over the U.S. Capitol riot went public. ‘I will not take the jab’Clements’ swift rise in election-denier circles caused a stir at New Mexico State, where he continued to teach. Flynn co-founded the America Project, a well-capitalized right-wing group that has financed lawsuits and campaigns challenging the 2020 election results and the integrity of U.S. voting systems. One of their roles is to certify election results, which until the Trump era was typically a rubber-stamp formality.

☆ The man behind Trump World’s myth of rigged voting machines
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +32 min

He publicly announced his purchase of Montgomery’s data in August at a gathering in Missouri of hundreds of his followers. “I own it,” Lindell said of Montgomery’s data, touting it as irrefutable proof Trump was cheated. On Nov. 9, far-right podcaster Joe Oltmann linked Montgomery’s Hammer and Scorecard claims to a parallel conspiracy theory: that widely used voting machines manufactured by Dominion Voting Systems were rigged to flip votes from Trump to Biden. Powell amended her complaint a few days later and dropped the expert’s declaration and the references to Montgomery’s claims. But the government said in a recent court filing that the order has nothing to do with election data.

☆ Exclusive: Musk’s Neuralink faces federal probe, employee backlash over animal tests
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Rachael Levy | Thomson Reuters | Award-Winning Journalist Covering Corporate Governance. Her Reporting Has Prompted Federal Investigations | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +16 min

Reuters could not determine the full scope of the federal investigation or whether it involved the same alleged problems with animal testing identified by employees in Reuters interviews. Musk has pushed hard to accelerate Neuralink’s progress, which depends heavily on animal testing, current and former employees said. Delcianna Winders, director of the Animal Law and Policy Institute at the Vermont Law and Graduate School, said it is “very unusual” for the USDA inspector general to investigate animal research facilities. In September, the company responded to employee concerns about its animal testing by holding a town hall to explain its processes. “We’re extremely careful,” he said, to make sure that testing is “confirmatory, not exploratory,” using animal testing as a last resort after trying other methods.

☆ Special Report: Voting-system firms battle right-wing rage against the machines
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( Helen Coster | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +19 min

Across the country, election officials have received hundreds of threats or menacing messages that cite debunked conspiracies involving the machines. Some have alleged without evidence that Dominion machines were rigged in plots involving Chinese communists, Venezuelan socialists or Antifa, the loosely organized U.S. anti-fascist movement. Among those calling for Louisiana to ditch Dominion machines is the state’s Republican National Committeewoman, Lenar Whitney. Authorities in the heavily Republican state acknowledge that their aging Dominion machines, most of them bought in 2005, are outdated. Dominion machines remain in use in 14 of Nevada’s 17 counties.

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Johnson & Johnson has said it would provide a fair amount of money to the subsidiary to pay claims. Johnson & Johnson, valued at more than $450 billion, had about $31 billion in cash and marketable securities on hand at the end of the third quarter, securities filings show. One would absorb all the talc liability; the other would carry on the business free from the threat of billion-dollar judgments. Levesque replied that the “technical aspect” of the subsidiary bankruptcy wasn’t likely to cause concern about J&J’s creditworthiness. Is that what you're saying?” asked Jeffrey Jonas, a Brown Rudnick lawyer representing a creditors committee comprising talc plaintiffs.

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