2013 TTLA Pharmaceutical & Medical Device Seminar, April 25-26 | NOTE: Hotel room block ends on April 4th. Join WILLIAMS KHERKHER, CLARK, LOVE & HUTSON, G.P. and FIBICH, HAMPTON, LEEBRON, BRIGGS & JOSEPHSON, L.L.P. in Houston on April 25-26, 2013 for a ground-breaking new seminar. For the first time ever, these three law firms will join forces with TTLA to present a seminar dedicated solely to the fast-paced, ever-changing world of Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Litigation. This uniquely-structured seminar will feature updates on the hottest torts, panel discussions by leading mass tort attorneys, and speeches by TTLA legends Michael Gallagher, Tommy Fibich, John Eddie Williams and Ernest Cannon. The program is full of resources and networking opportunities for everyone, so join us for the newest TTLA seminar devoted to the trials and challenges of the mass tort lawyer. Click on the headline to learn more. | $7.25 Million Awarded in Cochlear Device Suit | | A U.S. District Court has awarded $7.25 million to a Louisville girl who was severely shocked by a cochlear device implanted in her head. The lawsuit claimed that the device, manufactured by Advance Bionics, was defective and that company executives were aware of the defects and hid that fact from consumers. The suit stated that about 25 percent of the devices that have been implanted have failed. The girl received a shock so violent from the device that she was "thrown to the ground, vomiting and convulsing." Andrew Wolfson, Louisville Courier Journal 04/19/2013 | Read Article: Louisville Courier Journal | Suit: Inmate Denied Mental Health Treatment | | A Georgia man on death row has filed suit against the state, claiming that because he is on death row, he has been denied the mental health treatment he needs. The plaintiff was diagnosed with PTSD in 1984 following his service in Vietnam, and accuses the state of failing to "have a system in place to treat death row inmates with mental health problems." Due to his lack of treatment, the plaintiff has become "manic" and has seen his mental health "severely decline," the lawsuit states. Amy Leigh Womack, Macon Telegraph 04/21/2013 | Read Article: Macon Telegraph | Halliburton: Settlement Talks in 'Advanced Stage' to Resolve Company's Role in Gulf Oil Spill | | BP's cement contractor on the drilling rig that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 announced Monday that it is trying to negotiate a settlement over its role in the disaster, a focus of trial testimony that ended last week. Halliburton Chief Financial Officer Mark McCollum said during a conference call to discuss first-quarter earnings that talks were at an "advanced stage." The Houston-based company says it hopes court-facilitated negotiations will resolve a substantial portion of private claims it has faced since the Deepwater Horizon rig blast spawned the nation's worst offshore oil spill. Associated Press, Star Tribune-South Metro 04/22/2013 | Read Article: Star Tribune-South Metro | High Court Rejects Tobacco Marketing Appeal | | The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a tobacco industry challenge to a 2009 federal law that requires graphic warning labels on cigarettes and expanded marketing restrictions on tobacco products. The challengers argued that parts of the law, which gave the Food and Drug Administration the authority to regulate tobacco, violated their constitutional free-speech rights BRENT KENDALL And JENNIFER CORBETT DOOREN, Wall Street Journal - $$ Subscription Required 04/22/2013 | Read Article: Wall Street Journal - $$ Subscription Required($) | | |